gorge, bristling with a thick growth of reeds. Here there was
but one mode for us to adopt. We seated ourselves upon the
ground, and guided our descent by catching at the canes in our
path. This velocity with which we thus slid down the side of the
ravine soon brought us to a point where we could use our feet,
and in a short time we arrived at the edge of the torrent, which
rolled impetuously along the bed of the chasm.

After taking a refreshing draught from the water of the stream,
we addressed ourselves to a much more difficult undertaking than
the last. Every foot of our late descent had to be regained in
ascending the opposite side of the gorge--an operation rendered
the less agreeable from the consideration that in these
perpendicular episodes we did not progress a hundred yards on our
journey. But, ungrateful as the task was, we set about it with
exemplary patience, and after a snail-like progress of an hour or
more, had scaled perhaps one half of the distance, when the fever
which had left me for a while returned with such violence, and
accompanied by so raging a thirst, that it required all the
entreaties of Toby to prevent me from losing all the fruits of my
late exertion, by precipitating myself madly down the cliffs we
had just climbed, in quest of the water which flowed so
temptingly at their base. At the moment all my hopes and fears
appeared to be merged in this one desire, careless of the
consequences that might result from its gratification. I am
aware of no feeling, either of pleasure or of pain, that so
completely deprives one of an power to resist its impulses, as
this same raging thirst.

Toby earnestly conjured me to continue the ascent, assuring me