But when, by degrees, he succeeded in recovering his ideas, and when he felt that he was completely awake, he acquired the certainty, not only that this noise was real—that he was not the dupe of an illusion of his senses—but that it every moment increased, and had become very loud.
One would have thought that a desperate combat was even being fought in the cavern itself.
However, all was calm around the young man; the lamp—the wick of which he had lowered when he lay down, so that its too brilliant light might not hinder his sleeping—shed a gentle and uncertain light, but strong enough to enable him to assure himself at a glance that all was in the state in which he had left it on retiring to bed, and that he was still alone.
He rose, a prey to extraordinary agitation.
The first thought that occurred to him was that his retreat was discovered, and that they wished to arrest him; but he soon admitted the absurdity of this supposition, and reassured himself; the people charged to secure him would simply have entered the cavern, and would have had no combat to sustain; they would have made him a prisoner even before he had had time to open his eyes.
But what could be the cause of this frightful tumult which still continued quite near to him?
This extremely puzzled the young man, and awakened his curiosity to the highest pitch.
He looked at his watch. It was half past five in the morning.
Outside, then, it was daylight. It could not be a gathering of wild beasts, the sun making them retire into their caves; moreover, these animals would not dare to venture so near the town.
What was it, then?