Wecrossedthecreekattheheadoftheislandbymeansofaskiff；and，ascendingthehighgroundsontheshoreofthemainland，proceededinanorthwesterlydirection，throughatractofcountryexcessivelywildanddesolate，wherenotraceofahumanfootstepwastobeseen。Legrandledthewaywithdecision；pausingonlyforaninstant，hereandthere，toconsultwhatappearedtobecertainlandmarksofhisowncontrivanceuponaformeroccasion。
Inthismannerwejourneyedforabouttwohours，andthesunwasjustsettingwhenweenteredaregioninfinitelymoredrearythananyyetseen。Itwasaspeciesoftableland，nearthesummitofanalmostinaccessiblehill，denselywoodedfrombasetopinnacle，andinterspersedwithhugecragsthatappearedtolielooselyuponthesoil，andinmanycaseswerepreventedfromprecipitatingthemselvesintothevalleysbelow，merelybythesupportofthetreesagainstwhichtheyreclined。Deepravines，invariousdirections，gaveanairofstillsternersolemnitytothescene。
Thenaturalplatformtowhichwehadclamberedwasthicklyovergrownwithbrambles，throughwhichwesoondiscoveredthatitwouldhavebeenimpossibletoforceourwaybutforthescythe；andJupiter，bydirectionofhismaster，proceededtoclearforusapathtothefootofanenormouslytalltulip-tree，whichstood，withsomeeightortenoaks，uponthelevel，andfarsurpassedthemall，andallothertreeswhichIhadtheneverseen，inthebeautyofitsfoliageandform，inthewidespreadofitsbranches，andinthegeneralmajestyofitsappearance。Whenwereachedthistree，LegrandturnedtoJupiter，andaskedhimifhethoughthecouldclimbit。Theoldmanseemedalittlestaggeredbythequestion，andforsomemomentsmadenoreply。Atlengthheapproachedthehugetrunk，walkedslowlyaroundit，andexamineditwithminuteattention。Whenhehadcompletedhisscrutiny，hemerelysaid，“Yes，massa，Jupclimbanytreeheebberseeinhelife。”
“Thenupwithyouassoonaspossible，foritwillsoonbetoodarktoseewhatweareabout。”
“Howfarmusgoup，massa？”inquiredJupiter。