t easily yield to despair. Karl was brave. Caspar,
although but a mere boy, was as brave as a man. So was the shikarree
brave--that is, for one of his race. He would have thought light of any
ordinary peril--a combat with a tiger, or a gayal, or a bear; but, like
all his race, he was given to superstition, he now firmly believed that
some of his Hindoo gods dwelt in this valley, and that they were all to
be punished for intruding into the sacred abode. There was nothing
singular about his holding this belief. It was perfectly natural,--in
fact, it was only the belief of his religion and his race.

Notwithstanding his superstitious fears, he did not yield himself up to
destiny. On the contrary, he was ready to enter heart and soul into any
plan by which he and his companions might escape out of the territory of
Brahma, Vishnu, or Siva--whichsoever of these it belonged to.

It was in thinking over some plan that kept all three of them in
silence, and with such thoughts Ossaroo was as busy as the others.

Think as they would, no feasible or practicable idea could be got hold
of. There were five hundred feet of a cliff to be scaled. How was that
feat to be accomplished?

By making a ladder? The idea was absurd. No ladder in the world would
reach to the quarter of such a height. Ropes, even if they had had
them, could be in no way made available. These might aid in going
_down_ a precipice, but for going _up_ they would be perfectly useless.

The thought even crossed their minds of cutting notches in the cliff,
and ascending by that means! This might appear to be practicable, and
viewing the matter from a distance it certainly does seem so. But had
you been placed in the position of our travellers,--seated as they were
in front of that frowning wall of granite,--and told that you must climb
it by notches cut in the iron rock by your own hand, you would have
turned from the task in despair.

So did they; at least the idea passed away from their thoughts almost in
the same moment in which it had been conceived.

For hours they sat pondering over the affair. What would they not have
given for wings; wings to carry them over the walls of that terrible
prison?

All their speculations ended without result; and at length rising to
their feet, they set off with gloomy thoughts toward the spot where they
had already encamped.

As if to render their situation more terrible, some wild beasts,--wolves
they supp