Children's literature -- Periodicals; Children's periodicals, American
Grilly ran in and out of the dark passage quite frequently, both that
evening and the next morning, evidently evincing a desire that the
descent should be made without delay, which convinced me that he had
come through all the darkness which yet lay between us and deliverance.
The sun had reached the zenith when I at last bade farewell to the
light and resolutely determined to proceed.
"Good-bye, Pippity! We shall meet you below. Fly down, get everything
ready for our reception, and have the table well supplied with the
choicest fruits that you can find."
But Pippity clung to me, and would not leave. "I will go with you! I
want to go!" implored the bird.
No expostulation could deter him from accompanying us.
Grilly led the way; and when we lost the light, he squealed and
chattered, and frequently ran back to make sure that Pippity and I were
following him. I kept close to the wall on my left. We passed over the
steep place. Still I kept close to the wall. The wall was on my
left--still on my left. We were going at a pretty pace, as the monkey
was continually urging us forward. We could not go fast enough for him.
All at once he squealed significantly. He ran back to me. He took hold
of my hand, and leading me slowly forward a few paces, I found there
were three diverging passages. He drew me into the middle one. Then we
resumed our quick gait, and, for some little time, all appeared to be
plain sailing again.
It may be asked, why did I allow myself to be guided by a thoughtless
monkey? But here, in this darkness, was not reason entirely at sea?
Might not instinct be superior to reason and avail something? I
abandoned myself entirely to its mysterious power. I had faith in it.
Grilly proceeded with such confidence that I could not but trust him.
We had been plodding our way through the darkness for about four hours,
I thought, when Grilly gave a loud shriek, and, running back to us, led
us hurriedly forward; light became faintly visible; we ascended a few
steps through a very narrow passage; we came abruptly to a stop; the
monkey grasped something that hung down from above, and sprang upward
with the agility of his nature. We saw him high above our heads
climbing through a square opening of light. Immediately, he was
descending again.
"Why, Pippity," I cried, "we are at the bottom! Up there is our
palace!"
"Of course it is!" shrieked the parrot, in a tone which sounded more
like a shout of joy than the voice of a bird; and, clinging to one of a
number of long grass stems that could now be distinctly seen hanging
from the top, he climbed up with bill and claws as handsomely as any
parrot ever did the like, crying as he went:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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