His own strength would have been insufficient to release him from the predicament, for the mire had a hold stronger than human hands; but his rescuer was powerful of limb, and, as he clutched her wrist with both hands, she drew him safely to the shore.
It was several moments before he was able to make any movement toward leaving the place, and during all this while Alice intimated, by the expression of her face as well as by her gestures of anxiety, that he should follow her.
When he had partially recovered from the exhaustion superinduced by his flight and subsequent struggles, Philip motioned for the chimpanzee to proceed, and at a rapid pace she led him through the jungle in, as he thought, the direction of the grotto.
Only once during this fatiguing journey did the animal halt, and then it was before a bubbling spring which, singularly enough in a land of luxuriant vegetation, stood in a space of at least a hundred square yards whereon not so much as a blade of grass was growing.
To find on this island such an arid spot caused Philip surprise, even though he was so distressed both in body and mind; but he was not in a condition to search for the cause, and would have passed by without halting, motioning to Alice that he was not thirsty, if she by her gestures had not insisted on his taking note of the water.
Thinking the best way to satisfy her would be to raise a few drops to his lips, he dipped his hand in the spring. Instead of feeling the grateful contact of cool liquid upon his flesh, it seemed as if he had touched diluted lye. It was slightly warm, not of a very pleasant odor, and as he attempted to rub the moisture from his fingers a lather like that made by soap was produced.
For an instant he was at a loss to understand the meaning of this apparent phenomenon, and then came the thought that he had heard his friend, Captain Seaworth, speak of these soap-springs to be found in the Malay Archipelago. It was a discovery which he welcomed quite as gladly as though it had been pure water and he half-famished with thirst.
Hastily throwing off his clothes he plunged to the neck in the soapy liquid, and never before was a bath more refreshing to a weary mortal.
Lathering his flesh again and again, he washed away all traces of his plunge in the swamp, and after rubbing himself thoroughly, felt that delicious sense of cleanliness which is so refreshing. The only difficulty was to rid himself of the soapy substance, for however often he might plunge beneath the surface the foam would appear every time he passed his hand over his flesh, and it was only when in a partial state of dryness that he put on his clothes once more, making gestures to the chimpanzee that he was ready to continue the journey.