Then he ate, but whether breakfast, dinner or supper he
did not know, nor did he care.
He was tempted to go up to the entrance of the stairway and see what was
going forward in the camp, but he resisted the impulse. For the sake of
caution he triumphed over curiosity, and remained a long time on the
steps, beside the niche in which his lamp sat. Then he began to
calculate how much longer the oil would last, and he placed the time at
about thirty hours. Surely some decisive event would happen in his favor
before the last drop was burned.
After an interminable time the air on the stairway seemed to him to be
growing colder, and he inferred that night had come. Taking the lantern
he climbed the steps and peered out at the ancient doorway. He saw
lights below, and he could discern dimly the shapes of tents.
Disappointed, he returned to his place on the steps, and, after another
long wait, fell asleep again. When he awoke he calculated by the amount
of oil left in the lamp that at least twelve hours had passed since his
previous awakening.
Once more he made a great effort of the will in order to achieve a
conquest over curiosity and impatience. He would not return to the
entrance until the oil had only an hour more to burn.
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