'They can copy what one says, but they don't seem to be able to talk on their own account, and they dare not show their faces,' and he relapsed into silence, and apparently paid no further attention to such contemptible fiends.
After this we found it necessary to keep our conversation down to a whisper -- for it was really unbearable to have every word one uttered tossed to and fro like a tennis-ball, as precipice called to precipice.
But even our whispers ran up the rocks in mysterious murmurs till at last they died away in long-drawn sighs of sound.

Echoes are delightful and romantic things, but we had more than enough of them in that dreadful gulf.
As soon as we had settled ourselves a little on the round stones, we went on to wash and dress our burns as well as we could.
As we had but a little oil for the lantern, we could not spare any for this purpose, so we skinned one of the swans, and used the fat off its breast, which proved an excellent substitute.
Then we repacked the canoe, and finally began to take some food, of which I need scarcely say we were in need, for our insensibility had endured for many hours, and it was, as our watches showed, midday.

Accordingly we seated ourselves in a circle, and were soon engaged in discussing our cold meat with such appetite as we could muster, which, in my case at any rate, was not much, as I felt sick and faint after my sufferings of the previous night, and had besides a racking headache.

It was a curious meal.

The gloom was so intense that we could scarcely see the way to cut our food and convey it to our mouths.