Beyond the beach is a dark forest.
'We leave the ship in the care of my First Mate and swim ashore.
Climbing over the rocks, we dash across the beach into the forest. It is
not only a dark forest; it is a dense and drippy-wet forest.
'We cut our way through heavy underbrush for many hours and finally
come to a high mountain. Fierce winds roar down the mountain slopes,
and swirling mists twist and churn in streamers across the mountain's
slopes.
'We climb and we climb, until we reach a pass close to the peak. Now
we must lower ourselves by ropes along a steep cliff. The base of the
cliff is hidden by a blinding snowstorm. Reaching the bottom, we are in
a deep gorge. The snow and the winds disappear, but there are other
dangers ahead.
'We string a rope bridge across a wide, swift river. On the other side rise
dense and wet forests of twisted trees and dripping, slime-covered vines.
'Tree branches and sharp thorns brush against us from both sides as we
push our way through. They scratch our faces and arms. Above us the
leaves are packed so close together that we cannot see the sky.
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