part of the difficulty
seems to have been got over.

"Now, I must go down and get something to eat, and then I will go
in for a good sleep. You are feeling all right, I hope?"

"Could not be doing better, Stanley. I have eaten three solid
meals, today; and have been sitting up on the edge of my bed, for
some time. I tried standing, but it was no go; still, I do think
that, in a day or two, I shall manage it."

For six days the work continued. One party watched, another slept,
and the third worked, by turns. Some of the stones gave much
greater trouble than the first they had met with; but having the
fire close by proved a great assistance, as the chisels could be
frequently sharpened. The men became more accustomed to the work,
and the steady progress they made greatly excited their hopes.

At the end of the week, but one stone barred the way. This,
however, was much the most formidable that they had encountered. It
seemed to have been a pillar, or a huge gate post; and was square,
measuring some twenty inches on each face. The obstacle was all the
more formidable, as the upper end was inclined towards them,
greatly increasing the difficulty in using the chisel. Beyond this,
as far as they could see, there was merely a mass of smaller
stones.

The party who had been working upon this block were much
disheartened, when Stanley went up to relieve them. Owing to the
inclination of the stone, their chisels could get but little bite
and, though they had been working for six hours at it, they had
scarcely made any impression; indeed, at only one point had they so
far broken the face that the chisel would cut. Meinik had come down
two hours before, to report to Stanley the nature of the obstacle
and, when he went up, he took with him the second ramrod, which had
not hitherto been used.

He saw at once that, as Meinik had told him, it would be impossible
to get through this block by the same means as before for, as the
groove deepened, the labour would become greater and greater and,
from the inclination of the stone, they would in time arrive at a
point where the axe could no longer be used to strike the chisel.

The point at which the slight indentation had been made was nearly
at the corner of the stone. This was gradually enlarged, by
hammering upon it with the head of the axe and, after an hour's
work, the surface had been so far pounded that the chisel could get
a flat hold upon it. Then Stanley and one of the