Wecouldnotseethroughthewholeextentofthisopening；but，asagooddealoflightcamedownit，wehadlittledoubtoffindingatthetopofitifwecouldbyanymeansreachthetopaclearpassageintotheopenair。

　　Inowcalledtomindthatthreeofushadenteredthefissurefromthemaingorge，andthatourcompanion，Allen，wasstillmissing；wedeterminedatoncetoretraceourstepsandlookforhim。

　　Afteralongsearch，andmuchdangerfromthefarthercavinginoftheearthaboveus，Petersatlengthcriedouttomethathehadholdofourcompanion’sfoot，andthathiswholebodywasdeeplyburiedbeneaththerubbishbeyondthepossibilityofextricatinghim。Isoonfoundthatwhathesaidwastootrue，andthat，ofcourse，lifehadbeenlongextinct。Withsorrowfulhearts，therefore，weleftthecorpsetoitsfate，andagainmadeourwaytothebend。

　　Thebreadthoftheseamwasbarelysufficienttoadmitus，and，afteroneortwoineffectualeffortsatgettingup，webeganoncemoretodespair。Ihavebeforesaidthatthechainofhillsthroughwhichranthemaingorgewascomposedofaspeciesofsoftrockresemblingsoap。stone。Thesidesofthecleftwewerenowattemptingtoascendwereofthesamematerial，andsoexcessivelyslippery，beingwet，thatwecouldgetbutlittlefootholduponthemevenintheirleastprecipitousparts；insomeplaces，wheretheascentwasnearlyperpendicular，thedifficultywas，ofcourse，muchaggravated；

　　and，indeed，forsometimewethoughtinsurmountable。Wetookcourage，however，fromdespair，andwhat，bydintofcuttingstepsinthesoftstonewithourbowieknives，andswingingattheriskofourlives，tosmallprojectingpointsofaharderspeciesofslatyrockwhichnowandthenprotrudedfromthegeneralmass，weatlengthreachedanaturalplatform，fromwhichwasperceptibleapatchofbluesky，attheextremityofathickly-woodedravine。Lookingbacknow，withsomewhatmoreleisure，atthepassagethroughwhichwehadthusfarproceeded，weclearlysawfromtheappearanceofitssides，thatitwasoflateformation，andweconcludedthattheconcussion，whateveritwas，whichhadsounexpectedlyoverwhelmedus，hadalso，atthesamemoment，laidopenthispathforescape。Beingquiteexhaustedwithexertion，andindeed，soweakthatwewerescarcelyabletostandorarticulate，Petersnowproposedthatweshouldendeavourtobringourcompanionstotherescuebyfiringthepistolswhichstillremainedinourgirdles-themusketsaswellascutlasseshadbeenlostamongthelooseearthatthebottomofthechasm。

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