He went down with his left hand against the wall, and the lizards basking in the sunlight scuttled into their crevices as he approached.

On his right hand the ground fell in a precipice to the bottom of the gulf.

The three men watched him, and, it seemed to Linforth, with a growing excitement as he neared the turn of the steps.

It was almost as though they waited for him to slip just at that turn, where a slip was most likely to occur.
Linforth laughed at the thought, but the thought suddenly gained strength, nay, conviction in his mind.

For as the water-carrier reached the bend, turned in safety and went down towards the well, there was a simultaneous movement made by the three--a movement of disappointment.
Shere Ali did more than merely move.