rly loved: the _Meditations of
Thomas a Kempis_. He was full of remorse for his forgetfulness, and did
not ask that we should turn back to get his book for him; yet his
distress over the loss of it was so evident that we had not the heart to
go on.

"It will take only ten minutes to go back," said Rayburn, and as he
spoke he ran up the stair-way and set his shoulders to sway up the
stone. In a moment he called: "Just come here, Young, and help, will
you? It don't work as easily from this side." But even with Young's help
the stone did not move. Then the rest of us joined these two, and all
five of us together pushed with all our strength--and the stone did not
yield by so much as the breadth of a hair! And then rather a queer look
came into Rayburn's face, and he said: "I think that I understand what
is the matter. The point of leverage falls beyond the edge of the hole.
From where we have a chance to push, we are working against the whole
weight of the stone. We might as well try to lift the mountain itself!"
And then he added, "I guess we'd better give this thing up and start."

Very curious feelings were in our breasts as we picked up our packs and
set off along the canon; for we knew that by that way only could we go,
and that, no matter what was ahead of us, our retreat was cut off.

XI.

THE SUBMERGED CITY.

A sweet, warm wind blew in our faces as we set off along the canon; the
sun shone joyously upon us, and there was that fresh, tingling quality
in the air that is peculiar to regions high above the level of the sea.
In spite of the fact that the way behind us was irrevocably barred, and
that no matter what dangers were ahead of us we had no option but to
face them, our spirits were strong within us, and we went blithely on
our way. Young, who was in advance, began to whistle "Yankee Doodle";
and presently, from the rear of our procession, where Pablo walked
beside the heavily laden El Sabio, there broke forth a mouth-organ
accompaniment to this spirited melody.

The bed of the canon, through which a little stream ran, fell away
before us along a slight down grade; which descent, since we found also
a good foot-way beside the stream, made walking comparatively easy
notwithstanding our heavy back-loads. Now and then our way would be
barred by masses of rock fallen from above, and by whole trees blown
down from their insecure roothold on the rocky cliffs; and twice we came
to steep descents which wo