CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Morning saw the men eat little and collect their possessions, in their preparation to make their descent to the floor of the other side.
Carefully, they hung off the edge and made their way, a hair and a-breath-at-a-time, until they reached the narrow ledge.
Reaching the ledge didn't take the two men very long and they sat on it, with their legs dangling over its edge while they ate their breakfast.
The rest of the way would be quicker and easier because, to their left the ledge soon became a wider path that gradually made its way down, coming out at the river, very near to where the cable was anchored.
While they ate they watched a Kenttitian Eagle fly over them with a rider. It was heading south over the Dark Forest and they thought that it was Empal on his way back to Pomperaque.
"Do you think it's him?" Boyce posted.
"If it is, he'll be in Pomperaque by sun down." Lloyd replied.
They didn't eat too much food for breakfast, conserving it for when they needed it most, after walking for several hours without a rest.
They packed up their stuff and made their way slowly until the ledge became the path and there they quickened their pace, finding that they soon came down to the river, whose noisy roar grew stronger the nearer that they came to it.
They sat down their packs and tested out the cable.
Although it looked rusty and brittle, it still had seemed to support the weight of both of them. That was near the anchoring and Lloyd wondered how the middle and other side would hold out.
The river was indeed fast, pulling air over its surface as it flowed along, making the banks seem somewhat windy to the two men. The air passing over made the huge cable buzz as it vibrated, sounding like some of the sustained orations chanted by the monks at Halls.
They sat on a couple of rocks by the water and observed the river and cable for a few minutes, trying to draw the courage to start across.
Suddenly, both men were thrown off the rocks that they sat on but they didn't know by what.
They gave one another a couple of curious and worried glances and Boyce hollered.
"Was it an earthquake?" he yelled.
Lloyd shrugged and they watched the rocks slowly rolling away and then digging themselves into the mud at the water's edge.
Lloyd moved over to Boyce and told him in aloud voice, trying to overcome the roar of the river, that the rocks on which they sat on must have been living rock.
Neither man had ever seen one of those strange mutations until now.
They had always thought that the stories about the strange rocks were nothing but stories, but they really were able to buck a man from off their backs.
They became calm now, and they knew that once they crossed to the other side, they would have to become more careful.
These rocks that they had encountered were passive, but on the other side of the river the beast were all but shyly submissive. In fact, they would attack their own shadows without the slightest forewarning that they would do so.
The day before, Lloyd and Boyce discussed the possible perils that they would encounter, not knowing for certain since very few men had ever successfully passed through the Dark Forest.
Now, however, no more discussions could keep them from trying to cross the river, and they knew it.
"We can't sit around here forever." yelled Boyce. "We have to cross, so I'll go first!"
He put his pack on and tied it to himself and Lloyd grabbed his arm as he moved towards the cable.
"Why do you want to go first?" he asked him.
Boyce just smiles at him.
"I'm lighter than you are. Besides, you went first on the climb."
Boyce turned to the escarpment and pointed at it.
Lloyd put his other hand on Boyce's shoulder and nodded his head to him, approving the decision that the young man had made.
Lloyd tied his own pack to himself and they went over to the cable where it was anchored to a huge boulder.
Boyce reached up and pulled on the cable a few times.
"Be careful!" Lloyd hollered to him and slapped him on the back.
He eased himself along. First sliding one hand out then his other until his hands were together. He kept to this method but half-way across he began to tire and he hung there motionless for a moment.
The cable didn't vibrate with that odd tone any more, and Lloyd became worried for Boyce. Within his heart he egged him on and he prayed that God would grant him strength to make it the rest of the way.
He was relieved to see Boyce continue to pull himself along and after a short while made it across.
Lloyd watched Boyce drop to the ground and not move for what seemed like several minutes, until he sat up and took the pack off.
He waved to Lloyd from across the river and Lloyd waved back.
He watched the cable vibrating, more now than before with the buzzing evening-out into a low tone. He stepped up on the anchoring rock and looked at the wedge that held the cable in the rock, and it was moving about a little.
He waved over to Boyce and pointed to the anchoring and Boyce went to the anchoring on his side, looked at it and pulled at it. He then waved to Lloyd to make his way across.
Lloyd was unsure of the crossing. The anchoring on this side seemed very weak but he had no choice but to go over.
Once he grabbed the cable it lost its bass-tone hum. He didn't ease himself along, however,
seeing the wedge showing itself more and more.
He began to wish that they had a rope that Boyce would've strung across to strengthen it for his crossing.
He threw one hand and grabbed the cable, then followed by throwing out his other hand far in front of the first while he tried to keep his body straight.
He kept his legs firm and straight, though, and the cable moved very little, yet on the last dozen meters he felt the cable give way.
A booming twang was heard accompanied by a whistle. He held on to the cable and for an instant saw the other end recoiling towards him while he was pulled closer towards Boyce's side of the river.
Unable to hang on Lloyd fell and Boyce hid behind a big rock trying to keep the snapped end of the cable from cutting him in half with its whip-like action.
The end finally fell into the water and Lloyd had made it to the bank of the river having fallen only a couple of meters from the shore.
Boyce came out from behind the rock and helped Lloyd onto the rocks nearby.
"Are you hurt?" shouted Boyce.
Lloyd breathed heavily and shook his head. The only thing that was at fault with him was his torn clothing and scraped hands.
They spent the evening at the river's edge, trading off on staying awake throughout the night, guarding from attacks from animals, but the night was calm.
The only hostilities that the two men experienced through the night were the horrific sounds of wild animals fighting somewhere deep in the forest. The noises were so great that they, at times, drowned out the roar of the river. To their relief, however, not an animal was seen.