It was immovable. Nowhere in it could he discover any opening.
The beautiful beast, the waking of which meant so much to Timokles,
stirred a little. The claws of one foot were drawn up. Then the foot
was relaxed again. The leopard continued to slumber.
High above Timokles were two small windows, closed by wooden
shutters. The half-ruined flat roof showed holes here and there
where the old palm branches of its construction, covered with mats
and plastered with mud, had given way. Had it not been for these
holes in the roof, Timokles would hardly have had light enough to
perceive the leopard, for the wooden shutters of the two windows
prevented their being of much service.
Even with the roof's holes, the room was dark. The rents in the roof
were much too far above Timokles to help him to escape; however, and
he reflected that if the roof. had been lower, the place would
hardly have been chosen for the confinement of a wild beast, the
present height of the walls preventing the escape of the leopard, as
well as that of any Christian.
The leopard stirred again!
"He wakes!" thought Timokles, summoning his courage for that waking.
But the great cat only moved his head to a somewhat more comfortable
position, and continued to sleep.
Timokles repassed slowly and silently so much of the walls as was
accessible to him.
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