Part 17 (1/2)
These were foolish questions, and I told hi badly where I had slashed myself, and I, too, had felt their teeth
But, despite our utter weariness and our wounds, anted nothing--not even rest--so badly as anted to get away from that awful heap of flesh and blood and the odor of it
Besides, we did not knohat reed I led the way; he followed
But which way to turn? We wanted water, both for our dry and burning throats and for our wounds; and rest and food We thought little of safety One way seeuides
A man encounters very few misfortunes in this world which, later in life, he finds hih at; well, for me that endless journey was one of the few
Every step was torture I had bandaged the cut onas well as possible, but it continued to bleed But it was iled on, traversing narrow passages and i over unseen rocks and encountering sharp corners of cross passages
It lasted I know not how many hours Neither of us would have survived alone Tiround and refused to rise until I perforce lifted hiuilty of the same weakness
But the despair of one inspired the other with fresh strength and courage, and we struggled forward, slower and slower It was soul-destroying work I believe that in the last hour we reater part of the ti our steps in a vicious circle!
It ell that it ended when it did, for we could not have held outthe way, for I had found that that slight responsibility fortified hi and reeling like drunken men
Suddenly Harry stopped short, so suddenly that I ran against him; and at the saone to recognize it--aboutme down as he did so, and dropped to his knees; and the next instant gave an unsteady cry of joy:
”Water! Man, it's water!”
Hoe drank and ed, and ed and drank! That water ht have contained all the poisons in the world and ould have neither known nor cared But it was cool, fresh, living--and it saved our lives
We bathed our wounds and bandaged theed our clothing for cushi+ons and pillows as well as possible, took another drink, and lay down to sleep
We e of tih they had gotten rusty with the years I was brought to consciousness by the sound of Harry's voice calling my naot to our feet and reached the water, having first re But ere now at that point where to drink e huhed at him he became furious
”Have some sense I tell you, I must eat! If it were not for your--”
”Go easy, Hal Don't say anything you'll be sorry for And I refuse to consider the sordid topic of food as one that edy We see of vaudeville If we had sos”
”You may joke, but I am not made of iron!” he cried
”And what can we do but die?” I de out of this? Take it like a in to whine when it becomes necessary to leave it?
”You know I'ht, and what I find I'll take; in the mean time I prefer not to furnish amusement for the devil There coainst our wills May I die before I see it”
”But what are we to do?”
”That's more like it There's only one hope We must smell out the pantry that holds the dried fish”