Ignosi’s Farewell

           TendaysfromthateventfulmorningfoundusoncemoreinouroldquartersatLoo; and,strangetosay,butlittletheworseforourterribleexperience,exceptthatmystubblyhaircameoutofthetreasurecaveaboutthreeshadesgreyerthanitwentin,andthatGoodneverwasquitethesameafterFoulata’sdeath,whichseemedtomovehimverygreatly. Iamboundtosay,lookingatthethingfromthepointofviewofanoldishmanoftheworld,thatIconsiderherremovalwasafortunateoccurrence,since,otherwise,complicationswouldhavebeensuretoensue. Thepoorcreaturewasnoordinarynativegirl,butapersonofgreat,Ihadalmostsaidstately,beauty,andofconsiderablerefinementofmind. ButnoamountofbeautyorrefinementcouldhavemadeanentanglementbetweenGoodandherselfadesirableoccurrence;for,assheherselfputit, "Canthesunmatewiththedarkness,orthewhitewiththeblack?" 

           IneedhardlystatethatweneveragainpenetratedintoSolomon’streasurechamber. Afterwehadrecoveredfromourfatigues,aprocesswhichtookusforty-eighthours,wedescendedintothegreatpitinthehopeoffindingtheholebywhichwehadcreptoutofthemountain,butwithnosuccess. Tobeginwith,rainhadfallen,andobliteratedourspoor;andwhatismore,thesidesofthevastpitwerefullofant-bearandotherholes. Itwasimpossibletosaytowhichoftheseweowedoursalvation.