But the fact of facts was that slowly the floor of the cleft trended
upwards, whilst the sky strip appeared to come downwards to meet it.
A mile, perhaps, we growled and squeezed up that wonderful gully; then
with a feeling of incredible joy I felt the clear, outer air smiting
upon me.

In my hurry and delight I put my head into the small of the back of the
puffing old man who blocked the way in front and forced him forward,
until at last--before we expected it--the cleft suddenly ended, and
he and I tumbled headlong over each other on to a glittering, frozen
snowslope; the sky azure overhead, the sunshine warm as a tepid bath,
and a wide prospect of mountain and plain extending all around.

So delightful was the sudden change of circumstances that I became quite
boyish, and seizing the old man in my exuberance by the hands, dragged
him to his feet, and danced him round and round in a circle, while
his ancient hair flapped about his head, his skin cloak waved from his
shoulders like a pair of dusky wings and half-eaten cakes, dried flesh,
glittering jewels, broken diadems, and golden finger-rings were flung in
an arc about us. We capered till fairly out of breath, and then, slapping
him on the back shoulder, I asked whose land all this was about us.

He replied that it was no one's, all waste from verge to verge.

"What!" was my exclamation. "All ownerless, and with so much treasure
hidden hereabout! Why, I shall annex it to my country, and you and I will
peg out original settlers' claims!" And, still excited by the mountain
air, I whipped out my sword, and in default of a star-spangled banner
to plant on the newly-acquired territory, traced in gigantic letters on