There is probably a mile of solid rock between us and
the sunshine. You felt the strength of that current; you might as
well try to swim up Niagara."
"But there must be an outlet at the other end."
"Yes, and most probably forty or fifty miles away--that's the
distance to the western slope. Besides, how can we find it? And
there may be none. The water is most probably gradually absorbed
by the porous formation of the rocks, and that is what causes
this lake."
"But why isn't it known? Felipe said that the cave had been
explored. Why didn't they discover the stream?"
Well, it was better to talk of that than nothing; at least, it
kept Harry from his childish cries for Desiree. So I explained
that the precipice over which we had fallen was presumably of
recent origin.
Geologically the Andes are yet in a chaotic and formative
condition; huge slides of Silurian slates and diorite are of
frequent occurrence. A ridge of one of these softer stones had
most probably been encased in the surrounding granite for many
centuries; then, loosened by water or by time, had crumbled and
slid into the stream below.
"And," I finished, "we followed it.
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