“You never know,” as Iason said, “how small the entrance may be!”
But after all it was by pure accident that they found it.
VII
They were pretty close to the shore, close enough for all to distinguish that the officers from the steam launch had got into a little boat and were being rowed to land. Chryseis was standing on the top of a big stone, when she slipped on the pine needles which covered it, and suddenly disappeared from view as entirely and completely as though a trap door had opened and swallowed her up.
“Chryseis!” screamed Andromache, “Chryseis, where are you?” And the boys and Pavlo rushed to the spot.
The stone had been on the edge of a sheep track, and as they looked fearfully over, they saw Chryseis lying on her elbow on a little ledge a few feet below.
“I am not hurt,” she called up at once, “not at all; but do not any of you climb down this way; there are a lot of prickly pears and I have got some of the thorns in my hand. Come round by those arbutus there!”
When they got round to her she was picking the tiny thorns out of her hand, and wetting it in a little stream which seemed to come out of the gray rock.
“Look!” she said, “there is water here!” She put her finger to her mouth, “and it is fresh water, too. How funny! It is coming round this side of the rock. See!”