ll set forth together.

"My dear More," said Agnew, cheerily, "they're not a bad lot. They
mean well. They can't help their looks. You're too suspicious and
reserved. Let's make friends with them, and get them to help us. Do as
I do."

I tried to, but found it impossible, for my repugnance was immovable.
It was like the horror which one feels toward rats, cockroaches,
earwigs, or serpents. It was something that defied reason. These
creatures seemed like human vermin.

We marched inland for about half a mile, crossed a ridge, and came to
a valley, or rather a kind of hollow, at the other side of which we
found a cave with a smouldering fire in front. The fire was made of
coal, which must exist here somewhere. It was highly bituminous, and
burned with a great blaze.

The day was now drawing to a close; far away I could see the lurid
glow of the volcanoes, which grew brighter as the day declined: above,
the skies twinkled with innumerable stars, and the air was filled with
the moan of rushing waters.

We entered the cave. As we did so the natives heaped coal upon the
fire, and the flames arose, lighting up the interior. We found here a
number of women and children, who looked at us without either fear or
curiosity. The children looked like little dwarfs; the women were
hags, hideous beyond description. One old woman in particular, who
seemed to be in authority, was actually terrible in her awful and
repulsive ugliness. A nightmare dream never furnished forth a more
frightful object. This nightmare hag prostrated herself before each of
us with such an air of self-immolation that she looked as though she
wished us to kill her at once. The rough cave, the red light of the
fire, all made the scene more awful; and a wild thought came to me
that we had actually reached, while yet living, the infernal world,
and that this was the abode of devils. Yet their actions, it must be
confessed, were far from devilish. Everyone seemed eager to serve us.
Some spread out couches formed of the skins of birds for us to sit on;
others attended to the fire; others offered us gifts of large and
beautiful feathers, together with numerous trinkets of rare and
curious workmanship. This kind attention on their part was a great
puzzle to me, and I could not help suspecting that beneath all this
there must be some sinister design. Resolving to be prepared for the
worst, I quietly reloaded the empty barrel of my rifle and watched
with the utmost