So we decided on the temple.
"That night I was a long time getting to sleep. The memory of the old
hag and the bull-roarer was in my mind. I kept thinking of Ista, too. It
was a warmer night than usual, and, after the moon dropped, pitchy dark.
I slept stripped as I generally do, with a light blanket across my legs
so that I could find it if needed without waking up.
"I awoke presently, feeling something run lightly and swiftly across my
face. I thought it was a spider. It seemed to run in a zig-zag. Then
feeling nothing more I set it down to fancy and dropped off to sleep
again, face turned towards that idol. Later, I felt the same kind of
thing run across my neck. I knew it was no fancy then, and my scare
vanished because here was something to do. So I waited with my right
hand poised to grab. I waited a long time, too, but I have lots of
patience. Presently it ran down my body starting at my left shoulder and
I brought down my hand at a venture, claw fashion, and caught the thing
on the blanket. I felt the blanket raise and then fall again, just a
little, of course, as I lifted my hand with the thing in it, and by that
knew that it had claws. Yet bet I held tight. It seemed to be hard and
smooth. It was a wiry, wriggling thing, somewhat like a lizard.
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