“Who’s that?” asked Puddleglum. And it was so long sinyone had spoken, that Jill wondered how he had the nerve.
“That is old Father Time, who once was a King in Overland,” said the Warden. “And now he has sunk down into the Deep Realm and lies dreaming of all the things that are done in the upper world. Many sink down, and few return to the sunlit lands. They say he will wake at the end of the world.”
And out of that cave they pasd into another, and then into another and another, and so on till Jill lost t, but always they were going downhill and each cave was lower than the last, till the very thought of the weight ah of earth above you was suffog. At last they came to a place where the Warden anded his cheerless lao be lit again. Then they pasd into a cave so wide and dark that they could e nothing of it except that right in front of them a strip of pale sand ran down into still water. And there, beside a little jetty, lay a ship without mast or sail but with many oars. They were made to go on board and led forward to the bows where there was a clear spa front of the rowers’benches and a at running round ihe bulwarks.
“Ohing I’d like to know,” said Puddleglum, “is whether anyone from our world — from up-a-top, I mean has ever dohis trip before?”
“Many have taken ship at the pale beaches,” replied the Warden, “and —”
“Yes, I know,” interrupted Puddleglum. “And few return to the sunlit lands. You say it again. You are a chap of one idea, aren’t you?”
The children huddled clo together on each side of Puddleglum. They had thought him a wet bla while they were still above ground, but down here he emed the only f thing they had. Then the pale lantern was hung up amidships, the Earthmen sat to the oars, and the ship began to move. The lantern cast its light only a very short way. Looking ahead, they could e nothing but smooth, dark water, fading into absolute blaess.
“Oh, whatever will bee of us?” said Jill despairingly.
“Now don’t you let your spirits down, Pole,” said the Marsh-wiggle. “There’s ohing you’ve got to remember. We’re ba the right lines. We were to go uhe Ruined City, and we are u. We’re following the instrus again.”