Hurrying along, we saw before us a long, irregular range, apparently
three thousand feet in height, which had been cleft from summit to
base as if by a wedge. In this rent we found water--water deposited in
a natural reservoir by the periodical rainfalls in millions of
gallons, a reservoir never known to be dry.
Climbing over the dike which enclosed the main deposit, we descended
to the cistern, filled our cups, and swallowed the contents without
taking a breath. When we dipped up a second, Tom Clary looked into the
depths of his cup with knitted brows.
"Whist, now, sergeant laddies!" he exclaimed. "Look into the wather!
It's aloive with wigglers of ivery variety. They're 's plinty as pays
in a soup."
"Ugh! And we are full of them, too, Tom," said Henry, looking into his
cup with narrow-eyed anxiety.
Pausing in the act of taking a second drink, I looked into my cup, and
saw that it contained myriads of animalcula and larvae, which zigzagged
from side to side in the liveliest manner.
"Will they hurt us, Tom?" questioned Henry.
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