Cutting up a pair of boots which I carried in my box, I wound my legs in leather from my ankles up above my knees, carefully drawing on a pair of thick, long stockings to hold it in place.

This precaution would give me a comfortable sense of security, even if there were no snakes to fear.

I felt sure that the lion, if he were still living, would be kept in some place of confinement.
It was long past bedtime, and the lights were out in every shop and dwelling, when I started on my daring mission.

The little lamps that glared through the fog at the street corners could scarcely be seen twenty feet away.

I was so preoccupied that I frequently lost my direction in the mud and darkness.