ot what to do with him
to bring him into better health. One thing we tried, knowing that no food
had passed his lips since the previous morning, and that was to get some
little quantity of hot water, rum and molasses down his throat; for it
seemed to us he might die from very lack of food; but though we worked
with him for more than the half of an hour, we could not get him to
come-to sufficiently to take anything, and without that we had fear of
suffocating him. And so, presently, we had perforce to leave him within
the tent, and go about our business; for there was very much to be done.

Yet, before we did aught else, the bo'sun led us all into the valley,
being determined to make a very thorough exploration of it, perchance
there might be any lurking beast or devil-thing waiting to rush out and
destroy us as we worked, and more, he would make search that he might
discover what manner of creatures had disturbed our night.

Now in the early morning, when we had gone for the fuel, we had kept to
the upper skirt of the valley where the rock of the nearer hill came down
into the spongy ground, but now we struck right down into the middle part
of the vale, making a way amid the mighty fungi to the pit-like opening
that filled the bottom of the valley. Now though the ground was very
soft, there was in it so much of springiness that it left no trace of our
steps after we had gone on a little way, none, that is, save that in odd
places, a wet patch followed upon our treading. Then, when we got
ourselves near to the pit, the ground became softer, so that our feet
sank into it, and left very real impressions; and here we found tracks
most curious and bewildering; for amid the slush that edged the
pit--which I would mention here had less the look of a pit now that I had
come near to it--were multitudes of markings which I can liken to nothing
so much as the tracks of mighty slugs amid the mud, only that they were
not altogether like to that of slugs; for there were other markings such
as might have been made by bunches of eels cast down and picked up
continually, at least, this is what they suggested to me, and I do but
put it down as such.

Apart from the markings which I have mentioned, there was everywhere a
deal of slime, and this we traced all over the valley among the great
toadstool plants; but, beyond that which I have already remarked, we
found nothing. Nay, but I was near to forgetting, we found a quantity of
this th