sombre. Leehallfae was
standing by his side, looking down at him. It was doubtful whether ae
had slept at all.

"What time is it?" Maskull asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"The day is passing," was the vague reply.

Maskull got on to his feet, and gazed up at the cliff. "Now I'm going to
climb that. No need for both of us to risk our necks, so you wait here,
and if I find anything on top I'll call you."

Ale phaen glanced at him strangely. "There's nothing up there except
a bare hillside. I've been there often. Have you anything special in
mind?"

"Heights often bring me inspiration. Sit down, and wait."

Refreshed by his sleep, Maskull immediately attacked the face of the
cliff, and took the first twenty feet at a single rush. Then it
grew precipitous, and the ascent demanded greater circumspection and
intelligence. There were few hand- or footholds: he had to reflect
before every step. On the other hand, it was sound rock, and he was no
novice at the sport. Branchspell glared full on the wall, so that it
half blinded him with its glittering whiteness.

After many doubts and pauses he drew near the top. He was hot, sweating
copiously, and rather dizzy. To reach a ledge he caught hold of two
projecting rocks, one with each hand, at the same time scrambling
upward, his legs between the rocks. The left-hand rock, which was the
larger of the two, became dislodged by his weight, and, flying like a
huge, dark shadow past his head, crashed down with a terrifying sound to
the foot of the precipice, followed by an avalanche of smaller stones.
Maskull steadied himself as well as he could, but it was some moments
before he dared to look down behind him.

At first he could not distinguish Leehallfae. Then he caught sight
of legs and hindquarters a few feet up the cliff from the bottom. He
perceived that the phaen had aer head in a cavity and was scrutinising
something, and waited for aer to reappear.

Ae emerged, looked up to Maskull, and called out in aer hornlike voice,
"The entrance is here!"

"I'm coming down!" roared Maskull. "Wait for me!"

He descended swiftly--without taking too much care, for he thought he
recognised his "luck" in this discovery--and within twenty minutes was
standing beside the phaen.

"What happened?"

"The rock you dislodged struck this other rock just above the spring. It
tore it out of its bed. See--now there's room for us to get in!"

"Don't get excited!" said Maskull. "It'