"I think that they have gone, but let us look." So we crawled forward very cautiously to avoid making the slightest noise; so cautiously, indeed, that it must have taken us nearly half an hour to cover those two hundred yards.
At length we were within about forty yards of that dying fire and, afraid to go further, came to a stand--or rather, a lie-still--behind some bushes until we knew more.

Hans lifted his head and sniffed with his broad nostrils; then he whispered into my ear, but so low that I could scarcely hear him.
"Amahagger there all right, Baas, I smell them." This of course was possible, since what wind there was blew from the direction of the fire, although I whose nose is fairly keen could smell nothing at all.

So I determined to wait and watch a while, and indicated my decision to Hans, who, considering our purpose accomplished, showed signs of wishing to retreat.
Some minutes we lay thus, till of a sudden this happened.

A branch of resinous wood of which the stem had been eaten through by the flames, fell upon the ashes of the fire and burnt up with a brilliant light.

In it we saw that the Amahagger were sleeping in a circle round the fire wrapped in their blankets.
Also we saw another thing, namely that nearer to us, not more than a dozen yards away, indeed, was a kind of little tent, also made of fur rugs or blankets, which doubtless sheltered Inez.