Our Eyes have seen Great Wonders

           Iwritethisfromdaytoday,butItrustthatbeforeIcometotheendofit,Imaybeabletosaythatthelightshines,atlast,throughourclouds.Weareheldherewithnoclearmeansofmakingourescape,andbitterlywechafeagainstit.Yet,Icanwellimaginethatthedaymaycomewhenwemaybegladthatwewerekept,againstourwill,toseesomethingmoreofthewondersofthissingularplace,andofthecreatureswhoinhabitit.

           ThevictoryoftheIndiansandtheannihilationoftheape-men,markedtheturningpointofourfortunes.Fromthenonwards,wewereintruthmastersoftheplateau,forthenativeslookeduponuswithamixtureoffearandgratitude,sincebyourstrangepowerswehadaidedthemtodestroytheirhereditaryfoe.Fortheirownsakestheywould,perhaps,begladtoseethedepartureofsuchformidableandincalculablepeople,buttheyhavenotthemselvessuggestedanywaybywhichwemayreachtheplainsbelow.Therehadbeen,sofaraswecouldfollowtheirsigns,atunnelbywhichtheplacecouldbeapproached,thelowerexitofwhichwehadseenfrombelow.Bythis,nodoubt,bothape-menandIndianshadatdifferentepochsreachedthetop,andMapleWhitewithhiscompanionhadtakenthesameway.Onlytheyearbefore,however,therehadbeenaterrificearthquake,andtheupperendofthetunnelhadfalleninandcompletelydisappeared.TheIndiansnowcouldonlyshaketheirheadsandshrugtheirshoulderswhenweexpressedbysignsourdesiretodescend.