Together
we staggered upward toward the light, and at the first turn we
saw an opening a few yards ahead of us and a leaden sky beyond--a
leaden sky from which was falling a drizzling rain, the author of
our little, trickling stream which had given us drink when we were
most in need of it.
The cave had been damp and cold; but as we crawled through the aperture,
the muggy warmth of the Caspakian air caressed and confronted us;
even the rain was warmer than the atmosphere of those dark corridors.
We had water now, and warmth, and I was sure that Caspak would
soon offer us meat or fruit; but as we came to where we could look
about, we saw that we were upon the summit of the cliffs, where
there seemed little reason to expect game. However, there were
trees, and among them we soon descried edible fruits with which we
broke our long fast.
Chapter 4
We spent two days upon the cliff-top, resting and recuperating.
There was some small game which gave us meat, and the little pools
of rainwater were sufficient to quench our thirst. The sun came
out a few hours after we emerged from the cave, and in its warmth
we soon cast off the gloom which our recent experiences had saddled
upon us.
Upon the morning of the third day we set out to search for a path
down to the valley. Below us, to the north, we saw a large pool
lying at the foot of the cliffs, and in it we could discern the
women of the Band-lu lying in the shallow waters, while beyond and
close to the base of the mighty barrier-cliffs there was a large
party of Band-lu warriors going north to hunt.
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