Refreshed by his sleep, Maskull immediately attacked the face of the cliff, and took the first twenty feet at a single rush. Then it grew precipitous, and the ascent demanded greater circumspection and intelligence. There were few hand- or footholds: he had to reflect before every step. On the other hand, it was sound rock, and he was no novice at the sport. Branchspell glared full on the wall, so that it half blinded him with its glittering whiteness. After many doubts and pauses he drew near the top. He was hot, sweating copiously, and rather dizzy. To reach a ledge he caught hold of two projecting rocks, one with each hand, at the same time scrambling upward, his legs between the rocks. The left-hand rock, which was the larger of the two, became dislodged by his weight, and, flying like a huge, dark shadow past his head, crashed down with a terrifying sound to the foot of the precipice, followed by an avalanche of smaller stones. Maskull steadied himself as well as he could, but it was some moments before he dared to look down behind him. At first he could not distinguish Leehallfae. Then he caught sight of legs and hindquarters a few feet up the cliff from the bottom. He perceived that the phaen had aer head in a cavity and was scrutinising something, and waited for aer to reappear. Ae emerged, looked up to Maskull, and called out in aer hornlike voice, “The entrance is here!” “I’m coming down!” roared Maskull. “Wait for me!” He descended swiftly—without taking too much care, for he thought he recognised his “luck” in this discovery—and within twenty minutes was standing beside the phaen. “What happened?” “The rock you dislodged struck this other rock just above the spring. It tore it out of its bed. See—now there’s room for us to get in!” “Don’t get excited!” said Maskull. “It’s a remarkable accident, but we have plenty of time. Let me look.” He peered into the hole, which was large enough to admit a big man without stooping. Contrasted with the daylight outside it was dark, yet a peculiar glow pervaded the place, and he could see well enough. A rock tunnel went straight forward into the bowels of the hill, out of sight. The valley brook did not flow along the floor of this tunnel, as he had expected, but came up as a spring just inside the entrance. “Well Leehallfae, not much need to deliberate, eh? Still, observe that your stream parts company with us here.” As he turned around for an answer he noticed that his companion was trembling from head to foot. “Why, what’s the matter?” Leehallfae pressed a hand to aer heart. “The stream leaves us, but what makes the stream what it is continues with us. Faceny is there.” “But surely you don’t expect to see him in person? Why are you shaking?” “Perhaps it will be too much for me after all.” “Why? How is it affecting you?”