Midnight
it was too late to retreat . He was in the witch 's power , nay , an instrument in her hands . `` He tried to pray , but every time he attempted to utter Allah 's sacred name , it seemed as if the three hundred heads now gathered upon his tower were all blinking and grinning at him . `` Midnight came ; all the preparations were made , every necessary precaution against surprise was taken , the horses were ready for the fugitives at the opening of the cave beyond the bridge . `` Hussein , at the foot of the tower , saw the beacon light at Ayesha 's window , and slowly and stealthily he scrambled on to the rocks beneath it , awaiting , with a beating heart , for the given signal . `` All at once , in the midst of the darkness , he heard the _ adan _ -- the chant of the _ muezzin _ -- calling the faithful to the prayers of the _ Ramazan _ . '' ` God is most great , ' uttered Hussein faintly , and then lifting his eyes as the sound of the _ muezzin _ 's voice had died away in the distance , he saw the lattice of Ayesha 's window open , and he heard the ladder of ropes slowly being let down .