Edgar Huntly: Or, Memoirs of a Sleepwalker

Edgar descends into Clithero’s cave, past the reach of daylight. Feeling his way along a wall, he reaches a pit of unknown depth, which causes him to consider returning later with a light. Edgar decides to continue.

After frequent rest breaks, Edgar reaches a chamber where air and light enter the cave, which opens into the “projecture of a rock” over a “glen” (108-09). He finds no place where he can jump to the opposite side of glen. Ascending the hill, he finds the narrowest point of the chasm and is awed by the misty natural scene.

Edgar spots Clithero across the chasm looking rough and hungry. He calls to him. They exchange a glance, and when Edgar looks down to edge slightly towards the chasm, Clithero disappears. Initially concerned that Clithero committed suicide, Edgar deliberates and decides it’s more likely there is another cave that Clithero retreated into.

To offer Clithero the “spectacle of sympathy” (113), Edgar realizes he can cut down a pine tree to bridge the chasm. However, he must return home for an axe. The journey back to his uncle’s lasts into the evening, so Edgar decides to wait until morning to return with an axe and food for Clithero.