ich they
had acquired, and which must have taken a long time to grow upon them;
moreover, they had slept so long that he thought it must be in the
night-time--the natural time of rest, which the nerves would understand
without any clock to guide them. Karl admitted that his second reason
was somewhat lame, since, having missed one night of sleep, their nerves
on the day following would not be very nice about what hour they should
feel inclined towards slumber.

It is probable, however, that Karl was right in his conjecture. They
had been long hours wandering to and fro, and had rested many times.
The fuelling of horrid anxiety under which they had been suffering
always impelled them to press on; and no wonder they had lost all
definite recollection of the distance they had gone, or the time thus
fruitlessly spent. It had taken them a good while to get the ladder in
place; and the first day had been far spent before they were ready to
penetrate the cave. It was, therefore, quite probable that their first
sleep had been during the second night, after entering their gloomy
chamber.

Whether or not they had slept long and soundly enough--though not
without troubled dreams--in which they had encountered bears, fierce
shaggy yak-bulls, deep dangerous pits into which they were about to
fall, and high cliffs they were trying in vain to climb--it was quite
natural they should dream of such things.

It was the awaking that was most unnatural. Instead of a bright
sunshine to greet their eyes, or the soft blue light of morning, they
saw nought--all around was gloom. Instead of the music of birds, or
even the cheering sounds of active life, they heard nought. All around
was the silence of the tomb!

A tomb it might yet be to them--for a short while, perhaps, a living
tomb; but, sooner or later, a tomb for their dead bodies--a sepulchre
for their bones!

Such were their reflections on awaking. Their dreams while asleep were
even less horrid than the reality to which they awoke!

If the sense of sleep regards not the absence of light, still less is
the appetite of hunger affected by it. Once more the bear's paws were
drawn upon for a meal, and afforded it without boil or broil, bread or
salt.

As soon as they had eaten to their satisfaction, they rose to their
feet, and set about the work which Karl had already traced out in his
thoughts. Of course, before going about it he had fully communicated
his plans to his c