Glyndonrecoveredhimself，andspedonward。Below，heheardthevoiceofMervalecallingonhim，thoughhenolongersawhisform。Thesoundservedasaguide。Dizzyandbreathless，heboundedforward；when——hark!——asullen，slowrollingsoundedinhisear!Hehalted，——andturnedbacktogaze。Thefirehadoverfloweditscourse；ithadopeneditselfachannelamidstthefurrowsofthemountain。Thestreampursuedhimfast——fast；andthehotbreathofthechasingandpreternaturalfoecamecloserandcloseruponhischeek!Heturnedaside；heclimbeddesperatelywithhandsandfeetuponacragthat，totheright，brokethescathedandblastedlevelofthesoil。Thestreamrolledbesideandbeneathhim，andthentakingasuddenwindroundthespotonwhichhestood，interposeditsliquidfire，——abroadandimpassablebarrierbetweenhisresting-placeandescape。Therehestood，cutofffromdescent，andwithnoalternativebuttoretracehisstepstowardsthecrater，andthenceseek，withoutguideorclew，someotherpathway。
Foramomenthiscouragelefthim；hecriedindespair，andinthatoverstrainedpitchofvoicewhichisneverheardafaroff，totheguide，toMervale，toreturntoaidhim。
Noanswercame；andtheEnglishman，thusabandonedsolelytohisownresources，felthisspiritandenergyriseagainstthedanger。Heturnedback，andventuredasfartowardsthecraterasthenoxiousexhalationwouldpermit；then，gazingbelow，carefullyanddeliberatelyhechalkedoutforhimselfapathbywhichhetrustedtoshunthedirectionthefire-streamhadtaken，andtrodfirmlyandquicklyoverthecrumblingandheatedstrata。
Hehadproceededaboutfiftyyards，whenhehaltedabruptly；anunspeakableandunaccountablehorror，nothithertoexperiencedamidstallhisperil，cameoverhim。Heshookineverylimb；hismusclesrefusedhiswill，——hefelt，asitwere，palsiedanddeath-stricken。Thehorror，Isay，wasunaccountable，forthepathseemedclearandsafe。Thefire，aboveandbehind，burnedclearandfar；andbeyond，thestarslenthimtheircheeringguidance。Noobstaclewasvisible，——nodangerseemedathand。
Asthus，spell-bound，andpanic-stricken，hestoodchainedtothesoil，——hisbreastheaving，largedropsrollingdownhisbrow，andhiseyesstartingwildlyfromtheirsockets，——hesawbeforehim，atsomedistance，graduallyshapingitselfmoreandmoredistinctlytohisgaze，acolossalshadow；ashadowthatseemedpartiallyborrowedfromthehumanshape，butimmeasurablyabovethehumanstature；vague，dark，almostformless；anddiffering，hecouldnottellwhereorwhy，notonlyfromtheproportions，butalsofromthelimbsandoutlineofman。