"How can Jana be here and, if he were here, how could we see him in the night ?" But as I said the words I remembered Harut had told us that Jana had been met with on the Holy Mount "in the spirit or in the flesh." However this may be, next instant he was gone and we beheld him or his shadow no more.

Also we thought that from time to time we heard voices speaking all around us, now here, now there and now in the tree tops above our heads, though what they said we could not catch or understand.
Thus the long night wore away.

Our progress was very slow, but guided by occasional glimpses at the compass we never stopped but twice, once when we found ourselves apparently surrounded by tree boles and fallen boughs, and once when we got into swampy ground.

Then we took the risk of lighting the lantern, and by its aid picked our way through these difficult places.

By degrees the trees grew fewer so that we could see the stars between their tops.