for
the zigzag rift was composed of massive stone.

"Oh, if I could only get some of that water!" thought Chris, as he now
heard the soft musical trickle which roused within him a parching
feeling of thirst.

But it was far out of reach save to some burrowing animal which might
have felt no compunction about making its way down through the crevices
of the fallen blocks over which Chris continued to stumble, till all at
once he dragged himself through a narrow opening between the two sides
of the rift, to find that he could look diagonally across the valley at
the openings and terraces far away, but evidently those which would be
the unexplored portions of the rock city, opposite the places they had
examined.

"Hurrah!" he cried, as the light seemed to flash into his spirit and
give him strength, for a shot rang out from somewhere to his right. He
knew it must come from there, for the echo came from beyond the opening
on his left.

Then there was another, and another, to awaken the echoes, followed by
silence, during which he waited for a fresh signal.

It came at last, but very faint and distant, and though he shouted
several times over, there was no reply.

"It's of no use to wait," muttered Chris; "they can't hear, and if they
did they couldn't help me. I must help myself."

Feeling this strongly he climbed a little farther, to find that he was
at the edge of the zigzag rift, which, as far as he could make out,
clove the face of the cliff from a great height up to far below him; and
to damp his spirits the fact was clearly before him that he could go no
farther outward, for there was no fancy here--he was at the edge of a
genuine precipice, and if there was any escape it must be by descending.

He stepped back a little way and reached where the stones were piled-up
roughly, partially filling up the rift, and by using care he was able to
descend from block to block, with the water keeping up its musical
tinkle far below.

"Why, it must be making its way out into the valley," he thought, "and
if I can follow it I may be able to get out where it falls.

"But we saw no falls," he said, after a few minutes' thought; "but then
we never came quite to this end of the place, and only saw it from a
distance. Let's see; water keeps going down and down, and if I can keep
on close by it it's sure to lead one right into the valley, which looked
as if it was completely closed at the upper end.

"So it is," Chris ad