But nothing living appeared; only before me stretched the rocky, limitless desert. I hoped that I should come to some oasis where I might find palms and a stream of fresh water, but was disappointed. Finally, I saw before me a mountain that rose so far into the sky that I could not even discern its top. As I came nearer, I perceived that it was warm, so I concluded that I had now come to the tropical country and that behind this great mountain, lay the deep forests and the ocean of which Godmother had told me. I began to climb the steep side of the mountain, which grew warmer all the time, so that my hands were nearly blistered. From the mountain itself, there seemed to come forth a great heat, so that I was fearful that I had come upon a volcano and that I might fall into the crater. I wanted to go back, but my head became dizzy when I looked over the narrow ledge on which I stood, into the deep chasm I had left behind me. I rested awhile; then, after a drink from my water bottle, I crawled down at the risk of my life. Reaching the level, I decided to walk around the mountain to see if I could discover some valley. At this point, I would have preferred returning to my home, but did not know how I should climb up the steep slope of the snow plain down which I had fallen. I followed along the foot of the mountain until I came to a vast forest which, from under its cliffs, stretched a long distance away. I hoped when I should reach the other side that I should come to the ocean. In the forest were only bare trunks of trees fallen in every direction and many turned up by the roots. Perhaps a great earthquake had destroyed it and the heat from the mountain had dried up the trees. With difficulty, I made my way into the tangle. It soon became darker and with the trunks piled high one on top of another, it seemed to me that there would be no end to it. On and on I went, hoping each moment to see a glimmer of light, when suddenly I ran into a steep, rough wall, but it was unlike anything my Godmother had told me about. On both sides, to the left and right I went, trying to find a way out; but there was not even a hole. Only, on each side was another wall like the one I had run into, and so I found myself in a great cave which, perhaps, in olden times had been caused by an earthquake and now by way of the forest led into the heart of the mountain. I became frightened and lonely, lost in this desolate place, and feared that I might never again come out into God's world. However, I did not want to give up without making another effort, so I turned around and started back through the forest by the way that I had come, dragging myself wearily over the tangled trunks. Many times I stumbled and fell, until, finally, weariness overcame me and I sank down in the wood too worn out to go further. Before I fell asleep, in my thoughts I said good bye to my dear Godmother, fearing that I might never wake up again.