And it was Goliba! Instantly the black giant released the man who he believed intended to arrest our progress, and with a word of apology we all four sped forward. How our aged host had escaped after being thrown from the frame in which we had made the descent from the city we knew not until later, when he explained that on recovering consciousness and finding himself on his back in the tunnel with a slight injury to his shoulder, he had scrambled down the perilous descent, fearing each moment that he might slip in the impenetrable darkness and be dashed to pieces ere he gained the bottom. Intensely anxious as to our fate, he had at last descended in safety, but on emerging from the tunnel found proceeding above all the commotion the discovery of our presence had caused. He watched our descent into the chasm and stood below awaiting us, but we had rushed past ere he could make himself known, and he had therefore dashed across to a corner and thus come up with us. But our meeting, too hurried and full of peril to admit of explanation at that moment, was at any rate gratifying--for we all three had believed him dead. Our pursuers were now behind us in full cry. A number of them had gained the base of the rock and, yelling furiously, were fast gaining upon us. "Come, let us hasten," cried the old sage, speeding along with a fleetness of foot equal to our own, skirting the base of the great rock for a short distance until we came to a portion that jutted out over the uneven ground, then suddenly turning aside, we crossed a great open space where mud and water splashed beneath our feet at every step. The further we went the deeper sank our feet into the quagmire, until our progress was so far arrested that we could not run, but only wade slowly through the chill black slime. Even across here our progress was traced, for the lights in the eyes of the giant god were turned upon us, and our path lit by a stream of white light which guided the footsteps of those who sought our death. At last, when we had crossed the boggy patch, the ground became quite dry again, but after running some distance further, which showed me that the natural chamber must have been of huge proportions, Goliba shouted to us to halt and remain there. We obeyed him, puzzled and wondering, but we saw him dashing hither and thither as if in search of something. At first it was apparent that he could not discover what he sought, but in a few minutes when our pursuers had crossed the quagmire and were quite close upon us he shouted to us to come forward. Together we obeyed instantly, speeding as fast as our legs could carry us to where Goliba was standing before a small fissure in the side of the cavern on a level with the ground, and so narrow that it did not appear as if Kona would be able to squeeze his big body through.