As he approached it, he saw that heavy firing was going on round the camp.

It was greatly reduced in extent, and he guessed that a considerable proportion of the force had moved off on some punitive expedition.

Between him and it, he could see many of the Afridis crouched among the rocks, ready to attack any small parties that might issue out.
He saw at once that it would be impossible to reach the camp without being questioned, and he therefore determined to fall in with the column that had gone out.

For this purpose, he made a wide detour until he came upon a track where there were innumerable signs that a column had recently passed.

Crushed shrubs would, in themselves, have been a sufficient guide; but there were many other tokens of the path of the army: grain dropped from a hole in a sack, scratches on the rock by the shod feet of the transport animals, an empty cartridge case, and a broken earthenware pot.
He pushed on rapidly, keeping a sharp lookout for the enemy.