d consider whether I was mistaken or not.
The bats, too, considerably annoyed me. Wherever I went they flew
about, knocking against my torch, and almost putting it out. Still, I
did not think it possible that I could have missed my way. I stopped to
reflect. How often I had turned round I could not tell. The horrid
bats had been so constantly attacking me, or rather my torch, and I had
so frequently whisked about in vain attempts to drive them off with my
stick, that I could not help arriving at the very unpleasant conclusion,
that I was unable in the remotest degree to tell in what direction lay
my fire, and what was of very much greater importance, my rifle. The
torches manufactured by the natives will last two hours, but mine I saw
would burn out in a much shorter time, and then I asked myself, In what
condition should I be? It was impossible not to anticipate something
very dreadful. I had heard of people being eaten up by rats in similar
places, and I could not tell what liberties the bats might take with me
in the dark. I remembered having been told all sorts of terrible things
which they were capable of doing. I did not reflect whether they were
likely to be true or not. Then there were serpents in abundance in the
neighbourhood. Of their existence I had had ocular demonstration. But,
besides them, I could not tell what wild beasts might not have their
habitations in the secret recesses of these long deserted mansions.
These thoughts passed very rapidly through my mind. I had no time to
spare in thinking uselessly about the matter. I must decide at once
what course to take. The glare of my own torch would, I found, prevent
me seeing so easily that caused by the fire, so leaning it against the
wall in a recess, I hurried along what I conceived to be the chief
passage as far as a slight glimmer from the torch would allow me to go
in a direct line. I could see no sign of my fire in that direction. I
hurried back to my torch. It was burning dreadfully low. I repented my
folly in coming away without an additional one, and in leaving my rifle
behind me. I now seized it in my hand and hurried on with it. I came
to a place where two passages branched off at right angles to each
other. One must therefore, I concluded, run right away into the
interior of the rock; the other on my left might possibly lead towards
the arch by which I had entered the labyrinth. I took, therefore, the
one to the left, and