More than once, as tufts of grass came out in my hand or my foot slipped in the wet notches of the rock, I thought that I was gone.
But I struggled upwards, and at last I reached a ledge several feet deep and covered with soft green moss, where I could lie unseen in the most perfect comfort.
There I was stretched when you, my dear Watson, and all your following were investigating in the most sympathetic and inefficient manner the circumstances of my death.
"At last, when you had all formed your inevitable and totally erroneous conclusions, you departed for the hotel and I was left alone.
I had imagined that I had reached the end of my adventures, but a very unexpected occurrence showed me that there were surprises still in store for me.
A huge rock, falling from above, boomed past me, struck the path, and bounded over into the chasm.
For an instant I thought that it was an accident; but a moment later, looking up, I saw a man's head against the darkening sky, and another stone struck the very ledge upon which I was stretched, within a foot of my head.
Of course, the meaning of this was obvious.
Moriarty had not been alone.
A confederate - and even that one glance had told me how dangerous a man that confederate was - had kept guard while the Professor had attacked me.