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.Itmaybethattheycannot,butitmayalsobethattheywillnot,helpustogetaway.
Attheendofthevictoriouscampaignthesurvivingape-folkweredrivenacrosstheplateau(theirwailingswerehorrible)andestablishedintheneighborhoodoftheIndiancaves,wheretheywould,fromnowonwards,beaservileraceundertheeyesoftheirmasters.Itwasarude,raw,primevalversionoftheJewsinBabylonortheIsraelitesinEgypt.Atnightwecouldhearfromamidthetreesthelong-drawncry,assomeprimitiveEzekielmournedforfallengreatnessandrecalledthedepartedgloriesofApeTown.Hewersofwoodanddrawersofwater,suchweretheyfromnowonwards.
Wehadreturnedacrosstheplateauwithouralliestwodaysafterthebattle,andmadeourcampatthefootoftheircliffs.Theywouldhavehadussharetheircaveswiththem,butLordJohnwouldbynomeansconsenttoitconsideringthattodosowouldputusintheirpoweriftheyweretreacherouslydisposed.Wekeptourindependence,therefore,andhadourweaponsreadyforanyemergency,whilepreservingthemostfriendlyrelations.Wealsocontinuallyvisitedtheircaves,whichweremostremarkableplaces,thoughwhethermadebymanorbyNaturewehaveneverbeenabletodetermine.Theywereallontheonestratum,hollowedoutofsomesoftrockwhichlaybetweenthevolcanicbasaltformingtheruddycliffsabovethem,andthehardgranitewhichformedtheirbase.
Theopeningswereabouteightyfeetabovetheground,andwereleduptobylongstonestairs,sonarrowandsteepthatnolargeanimalcouldmountthem.Insidetheywerewarmanddry,runninginstraightpassagesofvaryinglengthintothesideofthehill,wi