You emerge from your tent, having set up your things for the night, and look around camp. It's a peaceful scene after the evening's excitement. You're adhering to the usual sleeping arrangements: Mehedi sleeps under the stars, wrapped tightly in blankets; Esme and Abdul share a tent (and from the noises that you've heard coming from that tent these past few nights, you're now sure that they are more than mistress and manservant); and you share a tent with Sam.
The group is winding down now. Abdul has retired, perhaps drained by his encounter with the scorpion, and Mehedi is busy attending to Indiana and the other camels. Sam sits alone by the fire, shuffling and reshuffling a pack of playing cards, lost in their thoughts. Esme is a little way from the camp, sitting on a rock in a pool of lantern light and sketching the camp in a battered journal, an array of pencils laid out by her side.
You are pretty tired and looking forward to bed, but this could be a good chance to spend some time with one of your companions. At the very least, your responsibilities as academic supervisor mean that you should check in with Sam before bed.