At last, how they scarcely knew, they came down to where the rush of the water ceased and the stones gave place to wet grass.
"We must be somewhere near where we sat down last," said Ashby.

"Whew! it's cold." "The thing is," said Percy, "aren't we too much out to the left?
There's no sign of a path that I can see." "This looks like one," said a voice ahead, which they recognised as Wally's.

"Come along--this way." They followed as well as they could, and groped about for the path.
Then they shouted.
Wally replied out of the mist.
"Stay there a bit--it's not a path.

I'll yell when I've got it." They waited, and for five minutes listened anxiously for the signal.
Then they thought they heard it away to the right, and floundered off in pursuit.

But after a little they discovered that they were going uphill.
"Hadn't we better go back to where we were," said Cash, "or we may miss him ?" It occurred to most of the party that they had missed him already.
Still, they decided to go back.
Presently they distinctly heard what sounded like a voice below them.
"That must be he.