Almighty God for His great mercy in
bringing us to this delectable land." And we did so, then and there,
with tears of deep and sincere gratitude.

It was by this time about ten o'clock in the morning, yet so deep and
narrow was the gorge in which we found ourselves that the beach where we
stood was still in shadow and the air comparatively cool. Therefore,
after I had taken care to secure the boat to a great boulder of basalt
that lay conveniently at hand, I suggested that all should remain where
they were while I went prospecting for fruit; and to this they agreed.
Then, a thought suddenly striking me, I waded into the water, scooped up
a palmful, and tasted it. It was deliciously sweet and cool; and I
turned to the rest and said:

"This water is perfectly fresh. You may therefore drink of it; but
drink in moderation, I beg you, taking just a mouthful at a time every
few minutes until your thirst is quenched; for if you drink too freely
after your long abstinence, the effect may be harmful instead of
restorative."

I set them an example by taking a small quantity only and just washing
out my mouth with it before starting upon my quest. But how delicious
that taste of clean, sweet water was to me, only those who have gone
nigh to perishing of thirst can ever know.

Resolutely resisting the almost overpowering temptation to drink freely
and quench the thirst that scorched me like a fire, I left the water and
allowed my gaze to wander over the face of the cliff that towered some
eighty feet aloft from the inner margin of the beach. I soon saw that,
steep as at first sight it appeared to be, there were so many flat
fragments protruding from its face that the scaling of it would be a
comparatively easy matter; and, assuring my companions that I would not
be gone longer than I could possibly help, I began the ascent.

I soon discovered that in undertaking to climb that cliff I had been
reckoning without my host--that is to say, I had failed to take account
of my weakness; and before I was halfway up I felt that I should never
reach the top. But after an arduous climb of some twenty minutes,
during which I experienced at least a dozen narrow escapes from pitching
headlong to the bottom, I flung myself over the top edge and lay gasping
for breath on the long sweet grass that waved about me.

What a glorious prospect it was that now revealed itself to my
enraptured eyes! On my left front, distant about a mile, ro