第9章

Aftertwohours’perilousexertionswestooduponthesummitofanotherridge，anditwaswithdifficultyIcouldbringmyselftobelievethatwehadeverpenetratedtheblackandyawningchasmwhichthengapedatourfeet。Againwegazedupontheprospectwhichtheheightcommanded，butitwasjustasdepressingastheonewhichhadbeforemetoureyes。Inowfeltthatinourpresentsituationitwasinvainforustothinkofeverovercomingtheobstaclesinourway，andIgaveupallthoughtsofreachingthevalewhichlaybeyondthisseriesofimpediments；whileatthesametimeIcouldnotdeviseanyschemetoextricateourselvesfromthedifficultiesinwhichwewereinvolved。

TheremotestideaofreturningtoNukuhevaunlessassuredofourvessel’sdeparture，neveronceenteredmymind，andindeeditwasquestionablewhetherwecouldhavesucceededinreachingit，dividedaswewerefromthebaybyadistancewecouldnotcompute，andperplexedtooinourremembranceoflocalitiesbyourrecentwanderings。Besides，itwasunendurablethethoughtofretracingourstepsandrenderingallourpainfulexertionsofnoavail。

Thereisscarcelyanythingwhenamanisindifficultiesthatheismoredisposedtolookuponwithabhorrencethanaright-aboutretrogrademovement-asystematicgoingoverofthealreadytroddenground:andespeciallyifhehasaloveofadventure，suchacourseappearsindescribablyrepulsive，solongasthereremainstheleasthopetobederivedfrombravinguntrieddifficulties。

Itwasthisfeelingthatpromptedustodescendtheoppositesideoftheelevationwehadjustscaled，althoughwithwhatdefiniteobjectinviewitwouldhavebeenimpossibleforeitherofustotell。

Withoutexchangingasyllableuponthesubject，Tobyandmyselfsimultaneouslyrenouncedthedesignwhichhadluredusthusfar-

perceivingineachother’scountenancesthatdespondingexpressionwhichspeaksmoreeloquentlythanwords。

Togetherwestoodtowardsthecloseofthiswearydayinthecavityofthethirdgorgewehadentered，whollyincapacitatedforanyfurtherexertion，untilrestoredtosomedegreeofstrengthbyfoodandrepose。

Weseatedourselvesupontheleastuncomfortablespotwecouldselect，andTobyproducedfromthebosomofhisfrockthesacredpackage。Insilencewepartookofthesmallmorselofrefreshmentthathadbeenleftfromthemorning’srepast，andwithoutonceproposingtoviolatethesanctityofourengagementwithrespecttotheremainder，werosetoourfeet，andproceededtoconstructsomesortofshelterunderwhichwemightobtainthesleepwesogreatlyneeded。

Fortunatelythespotwasbetteradaptedtoourpurposethantheoneinwhichwehadpassedthelastwretchednight。Weclearedawaythetallreedsfromasmallbutalmostlevelbitofground，andtwistedthemintoalowbasket-likehut，whichwecoveredwithaprofusionoflongthickleaves，gatheredfromatreenearathand。

Wedisposedthemthicklyallaround，reservingonlyaslightopeningthatbarelypermittedustocrawlundertheshelterwehadthusobtained。

Thesedeeprecesses，thoughprotectedfromthewindsthatassailthesummitsoftheirloftysides，aredampandchilltoadegreethatonewouldhardlyanticipateinsuchaclimate；andbeingunprovidedwithanythingbutourwoollenfrocksandthinducktrouserstoresistthecoldoftheplace，wewerethemoresolicitoustorenderourhabitationforthenightascomfortableaswecould。

Accordingly，inadditiontowhatwehadalreadydone，wepluckeddownalltheleaveswithinourreachandthrewtheminaheapoverourlittlehut，intowhichwenowcrept，rakingafterusareservedsupplytoformourcouch。

ThatnightnothingbutthepainIsufferedpreventedmefromsleepingmostrefreshingly。Asitwas，Icaughttwoorthreenaps，whileTobysleptawayatmysideassoundlyasthoughhehadbeensandwichedbetweentwoHollandsheets。Luckilyitdidnotrain，andwewerepreservedfromthemiserywhichaheavyshowerwouldhaveoccasionedus。

InthemorningIwasawakenedbythesonorousvoiceofmycompanionringinginmyearsandbiddingmerise。Icrawledoutfromourheapofleaves，andwasastonishedatthechangewhichagoodnight’sresthadwroughtinhisappearance。Hewasasblitheandjoyousasayoungbird，andwasstayingthekeennessofhismorning’sappetitebychewingthesoftbarkofadelicatebranchheheldinhishand，andherecommendedtheliketome，asanadmirableantidoteagainstthegnawingsofhunger。

Formyownpart，thoughfeelingmateriallybetterthanIhaddonetheprecedingevening，Icouldnotlookatthelimbthathadpainedmesoviolentlyatintervalsduringthelasttwenty-fourhours，withoutexperiencingasenseofalarmthatIstroveinvaintoshakeoff。Unwillingtodisturbtheflowofmycomrade’sspirits，I

managedtostiflethecomplaintstowhichImightotherwisehavegivenvent，andcallinguponhimgood-humouredlytospeedourbanquet，I

preparedmyselfforitbywashinginthestream。Thisoperationconcluded，weswallowed，orratherabsorbed，byapeculiarkindofslowsuckingprocess，ourrespectivemorselsofnourishment，andthenenteredintoadiscussionastothestepsitwasnecessaryforustopursue。

“What’stobedonenow？“inquiredI，ratherdolefully。

“Descendintothatsamevalleywedescriedyesterday，“rejoinedToby，witharapidityandloudnessofutterancethatalmostledmetosuspecthehadbeenslylydevouringthebroadsideofanoxinsomeoftheadjoiningthickets。“Whatelse，“hecontinued，“remainsforustodobutthat，tobesure？Why，weshallbothstarve，toacertainty，ifweremainhere；andastoyourfearsofthoseTypees-

dependuponit，itisallnonsense。Itisimpossiblethattheinhabitantsofsuchalovelyplaceaswesawcanbeanythingelsebutgoodfellows；andifyouchooserathertoperishwithhungerinoneofthesesoppycaverns，Iforoneprefertochanceabolddescentintothevalley，andrisktheconsequences。“

“Andwhoistopilotusthither，“Iasked，“evenifweshoulddecideuponthemeasureyoupropose？Arewetogoagainupanddownthoseprecipicesthatwecrossedyesterday，untilwereachtheplacewestartedfrom，andthentakeaflyingleapfromthecliffstothevalley？“

“’Faith，Ididn’tthinkofthat，“saidToby；“sureenough，bothsidesofthevalleyappearedtobehemmedinbyprecipices，didn’tthey？“

“Yes，“answeredI；“assteepasthesidesofaline-of-battleship，andaboutahundredtimesashigh。“Mycompanionsankhisheaduponhisbreast，andremainedforawhileindeepthought。Suddenlyhesprangtohisfeet，whilehiseyeslightedupwiththatgleamofintelligencethatmarksthepresenceofsomebrightidea。

“Yes，yes，“heexclaimed；“thestreamsallruninthesamedirection，andmustnecessarilyflowintothevalleybeforetheyreachthesea；allwehavetodoisjusttofollowthisstream，andsoonerorlater，itwillleadusintothevale。“

“Youareright，Toby，“Iexclaimed，“youareright；itconductusthither，andquickly，too；for，seewithwhatasteepinclinationthewaterdescends。“

“Itdoes，indeed，“burstforthmycompanion，overjoyedatmyverificationofhistheory，“itdoes，indeed；why，itisasplainasapike-staff。Letusproceedatonce；come，throwawayallthosestupidideasabouttheTypees，andhurrahforthelovelyvalleyoftheHappars！“

“YouwillhaveittobeHappar，Isee，mydearfellow；prayHeaven，youmaynotfindyourselfdeceived，“observedI，withashakeofmyhead。

“Amentoallthat，andmuchmore，“shoutedToby，rushingforward；“butHapparitis，fornothingelsethanHapparcanitbe。Sogloriousavalley-suchforestsofbread-fruittrees-suchgrovesofcocoa-nut-suchwildernessesofguava-bushes！Ah，shipmate！don’tlingerbehind:inthenameofalldelightfulfruits，Iamdyingtobeatthem。Comeon，comeon；shoveahead，there’salivelylad；nevermindtherocks；kickthemoutoftheway，asIdo；andto-morrow，oldfellow，takemywordforit，weshallbeinclover。Comeon“；

andsosaying，hedashedalongtheravinelikeamadman，forgettingmyinabilitytokeepupwithhim。Inafewminutes，however，theexuberanceofhisspiritsabated，and，pausingforawhile，hepermittedmetoovertakehim。

THEfearlessconfidenceofTobywascontagious，andIbegantoadopttheHapparsideofthequestion。Icouldnot，however，overcomeacertainfeelingoftrepidation，aswemadeourwayalongthesegloomysolitudes。Ourprogress，atfirstcomparativelyeasy，becamemoreandmoredifficult。Thebedofthewatercoursewascoveredwithfragmentsofbrokenrocks，whichhadfallenfromabove，offeringsomanyobstructionstothecourseoftherapidstream，whichvexedandfrettedaboutthem，-formingatintervalssmallwaterfalls，pouringoverintodeepbasins，orsplashingwildlyuponheapsofstones。

Fromthenarrownessofthegorge，andthesteepnessofitssides，therewasnomodeofadvancingbutbywadingthroughthewater；

stumblingeverymomentovertheimpedimentswhichlayhiddenunderitssurface，ortrippingagainstthehugerootsoftrees。Butthemostannoyinghindranceweencounteredwasfromamultitudeofcrookedboughs，which，shootingoutalmosthorizontallyfromthesidesofthechasm，twistedthemselvestogetherinfantasticmassesalmosttothesurfaceofthestream，affordingusnopassageexceptunderthelowarcheswhichtheyformed。Underthesewewereobligedtocrawlonourhandsandfeet，slidingalongtheoozysurfaceoftherocks，orslippingintothedeeppools，andwithscarcelightenoughtoguideus。Occasionallywewouldstrikeourheadsagainstsomeprojectinglimbofatree；andwhileimprudentlyengagedinrubbingtheinjuredpart，wouldfallsprawlingamongstflintyfragments，cuttingandbruisingourselves，whilsttheunpityingwatersflowedoverourprostratebodies。Belzoni，worminghimselfthroughthesubterraneanpassagesoftheEgyptiancatacombs，couldnothavemetwithgreaterimpedimentsthanthosewehereencountered。Butwestruggledagainstthemmanfully，wellknowingouronlyhopelayinadvancing。

Towardssunsetwehaltedataspotwherewemadepreparationsforpassingthenight。Hereweconstructedahut，inmuchthesamewayasbefore，andcrawlingintoit，endeavouredtoforgetoursufferings。