there was a small fire of camel dung burning in the center of the circular earth floor , the smoke escaping through a partially opened flap of hide at the tip of the structure , and the sounds of the mongolian night took some getting used to ; a guttural snuffling near the thin wall it was only about three feet from the edge of the fire to the yurts walls so we slept up against the tightly stretched skins sounded like a pig trying to root its way in out of the wind and in the distance i heard the occasional snorting and stamping of horses , and once i thought i heard the very faint hoot of an owl , but i couldnt remember seeing a single tree within sight of the encampment as we had driven in so i speculated about what other kind of animal might have made the sound .