emerging from the cave after their fruitless exploration, all three—karl, caspar, and ossaroo—sat down upon the rocks in front of the cliff, and for some time remained silent. the looks of all betokened a deep and hopeless despair. the same thought was passing in their minds. a painful thought it was—that they were completely cut off from all communication with the world, and might never again look on human faces, save their own!
caspar was the first to give expression to this gloomy foreboding.
“oh, brother!” groaned he, addressing himself to karl, who sat nearest to him, “oh! it is an awful fate! here must we live, here must we die, far away from home, far away from the world—alone—alone!”
“no,” replied karl, deeply moved by the distress of his brother, “no, caspar, not alone—god is with us. let him be our world.”
however caspar in his conscience might have acknowledged the justice of the admonition, it failed to cheer him. indeed, he could not help perceiving, that karl had uttered the speech half doubtingly, and with the design of affording consolation. moreover, the effort which karl was making to look hopeful and cheerful was evidently constrained; and only the more convinced his companions that neither hope nor joy was in his breast.
to karl’s consolatory words his brother made no rejoinder. ossaroo, however, gave vent to his thoughts by an ambiguous shake of the head, and a brief speech characteristic of that belief in fatalism peculiar to his race.
“ah, sahibs,” said he, addressing himself to both, “if the great sahib in the sky will we go out from here, we go—if he no will, we no go—nivvamore.”
ossaroo’s speech, however compatible with a true faith, did not contribute much towards cheering the spirits of the party; and for another long interval all remained silent.
caspar and ossaroo appeared completely prostrated by the new disappointment. karl, on the other hand, seemed less disposed to view things despairingly; and as he sate, was evidently engaged in active thought.
after awhile his companions observed this; though neither made any attempt to rouse him from his reverie. they guessed, that, whatever was passing in his mind would soon be communicated to them.
they were right in this conjecture: for in a few minutes karl terminated the silence by addressing them.
“come!” said he, speaking in a tone of encouragement, “we are wrong in so soon yielding to despair. let us not give up, till we are beaten at all points. i have told you what my object was, when i first mounted upon that ledge, and discovered the cave and its surly occupant, the bear. i thought then, that, if we could find a series of ledges one above another, and sufficiently near each other, we might plant ladders upon them, and so reach the top. you see that there is such a succession of ledges—just before your faces there. unfortunately there is one of the spaces high up yonder—where the cliff is darkest—that cannot be less than sixty or seventy feet in width. i have ascertained that by comparing it with the height from the ground to the cave—which i had just finished measuring when i met the bear. it would be impossible for us to make a ladder that length—or even to hoist it up there if made—so that all thought of scaling the cliff at this point must be given up.”
“perhaps,” interposed caspar, catching at karl’s idea, “there may be some other part of the precipice where the ledges are nearer to each other? did you examine it all around?”
“no. i had got no further than this place, when i met master bruin; and, as you know, our adventures with him and our exploration of the cave have taken up our time ever since, and, indeed, driven the design of the ladders quite out of my head. now, however, we may return to it; and our next move will be to go all round, and see whether a better place may not be discovered. to-night it is too late. it already begins to darken; and we must have clear daylight for such a purpose. let us home to our hut, and have some supper and then go to rest—having first prayed to him for success. we may rise in better spirits, and continue our examination in the morning.”
to this proposal there was no objection on the part of either caspar or ossaroo. on the contrary, the mention of supper—both being very hungry—had caused them to start to their feet with remarkable alacrity; and karl, taking the lead, they followed him, fritz in turn following them.
on arriving at their hut, supper was cooked and eaten, with that zest which hunger always gives, even to the coarsest viands; and, having carried out the remaining part of the programme which karl had suggested—that is, the offering up a prayer for success on the morrow—the trio sought their grass-covered couches with a feeling of renewed hopefulness.
