Bitterly did I regret my pleasant prison down below surely it would
have been better to stay there in peace till I died, as fate had
apparently decreed; and if I could have done so I would certainly have
returned. But to return was impossible, and I must make up my mind to
struggle through the desert or die where I was. Moreover, in the midst
of my bitter reflections there came the comforting recollection that I
had still the blue diamonds that I had kept apart and put in my pocket.
Eagerly I felt for them yes! they were safe, and in themselves they
must be worth a fortune!

My spirits rose with a bound again; why should I dream of giving in? I
was strong and hard, and if I could win through, the diamonds would
surely enable me to fit out an expedition and return; and with ropes
the descent into the crater would be easy.

Rested by the cool of the night I felt little the worse for my climb,
and was all eagerness for dawn to break that I might see what manner of
country I was in, for I had been half demented when my terrible ride
from the pursuing sandstorm had brought me into it.

At last daylight came, and I saw that although in the midst of a wide
sandy plain, there were no dunes; scattered bushes grew here and there,
and dotted about in the distance were a number of bare granite rocks.
The crater I had climbed from went sheer down at my feet so abruptly
indeed, and with so little to denote its presence, that within a few
yards of its brink nothing whatever could be seen of it.

I looked once more into its depths, to where the pool lay dark in the
still dim light of dawn, and from it my eyes followed the course that I
had taken in my climb, and I marveled that I had ever reached the top.
And a great thankfulness rose in my heart and drowned the unworthy
regret that I had felt at the loss of the diamonds.

And with a last long look at my late prison, I turned and made my way
towards a prominent pile of rocks in the distance, from which I hoped
to be able to see more of my surroundings. My waterbottle was nearly
empty already, and the old haunting dread of thirst was beginning to
fill my mind, but soon this fear left me, for within a mile I found
t'samma flourishing, and at the first pile of rocks a little spring of
water.

Cheered and encouraged I made good progress in spite of the now blazing
sun, and soon I reached the pile of rocks. And to my astonishment I
found that they formed part of the margin of a crat