feeling that he must either make the attempt to escape

or perish miserably in that secluded spot, a strange, unwonted

sound struck upon his ear, and caused both him

and Crusoe to spring violently to their feet and listen.

Could he be dreaming?--it seemed like the sound of

human voices. For a moment he stood with his eyes

rivetted on the ground, his lips apart, and his nostrils

distended, as he listened with the utmost intensity.

Then he darted out and bounded round the edge of a

rock which concealed an extensive but narrow valley