progress, and with a word of apology we
all four sped forward. How our aged host had escaped after being thrown
from the frame in which we had made the descent from the city we knew not
until later, when he explained that on recovering consciousness and
finding himself on his back in the tunnel with a slight injury to his
shoulder, he had scrambled down the perilous descent, fearing each moment
that he might slip in the impenetrable darkness and be dashed to pieces
ere he gained the bottom. Intensely anxious as to our fate, he had at
last descended in safety, but on emerging from the tunnel found
proceeding above all the commotion the discovery of our presence had
caused. He watched our descent into the chasm and stood below awaiting
us, but we had rushed past ere he could make himself known, and he had
therefore dashed across to a corner and thus come up with us.

But our meeting, too hurried and full of peril to admit of explanation at
that moment, was at any rate gratifying--for we all three had believed
him dead. Our pursuers were now behind us in full cry. A number of them
had gained the base of the rock and, yelling furiously, were fast gaining
upon us.

"Come, let us hasten," cried the old sage, speeding along with a
fleetness of foot equal to our own, skirting the base of the great rock
for a short distance until we came to a portion that jutted out over the
uneven ground, then suddenly turning aside, we crossed a great open space
where mud and water splashed beneath our feet at every step. The further
we went the deeper sank our feet into the quagmire, until our progress
was so far arrested that we could not run, but only wade slowly through
the chill black slime.

Even across here our progress was traced, for the lights in the eyes of
the giant god were turned upon us, and our path lit by a stream of white
light which guided the footsteps of those who sought our death.

At last, when we had crossed the boggy patch, the ground became quite dry
again, but after running some distance further, which showed me that the
natural chamber must have been of huge proportions, Goliba shouted to us
to halt and remain there. We obeyed him, puzzled and wondering, but we
saw him dashing hither and thither as if in search of something. At first
it was apparent that he could not discover what he sought, but in a few
minutes when our pursuers had crossed the quagmire and were quite close
upon us he shouted to us to come forw