f night, but to continue our
journey during the day. After we had passed through a deep ravine, and
waded through a stream of water, the road again led us up the
mountain, and we had already reached a tolerable height, when suddenly
a high and steep rock towered up directly in front of us, which could
not be ascended without great difficulty and danger, and yet there was
no way of avoiding it. Up we went, I holding fast to the girdle of
Makarov, who had nearly reached the top, when he was obliged to free
himself from my grasp, in order to climb up a very steep part of the
rock just at the top. I braced the toes of my uninjured foot against a
projecting stone, wound my right arm round a young tree, which curved
up from below, and in this position waited until Makarov had reached
the summit, from which he could assist me to mount up to him. But this
Hercules of a man was now so fatigued and overcome that he had hardly
strength to swing himself to the top of the rock, where he lay as if
dead. At this moment the stone, against which I was resting, gave way,
and rolled down the mountain, leaving me swinging by one hand, and
totally unable, on account of the smoothness of the rock, to get a
resting place for my feet. The other sailors, it is true, were not far
from me, but they were all so fatigued as to be totally unable to come
to my assistance. In this fearful situation I passed several minutes,
and my hand began to pain me so intolerably that I was tempted to let
go my hold, and have my sufferings ended by being dashed to pieces on
the rocks, a hundred fathoms below me.

But at this moment Makarov recovered himself, and seeing the danger I
was in, prepared to help me. He braced his left foot against a stone,
which projected from the rock directly opposite to my breast, grasped
the branches of the tree to which I was clinging, and let me seize his
girdle with my unoccupied hand. Then, with a great exertion of
strength, he dragged me to his side, and again fell back almost
senseless. Had the stone, on which he stood, given way, or the bough
he grasped broken, we should both have been inevitably dashed to the
ground. After we had rested for some time on the top of the rock, we
continued our fatiguing journey until nightfall. We then encamped on a
part of the mountain which was overgrown with reeds, and immediately
made a fire to prepare our evening meal, which this time consisted of
wild leeks and other herbs, collected alon