e awoke renewed and a sense of excitement seemed to overtake our porters. Now as we traveled
among the tunnel villagers our interactions seemed especially friendly. Despite no
apparent change in outward appearance in the locals, our guides disposition toward them
had clearly changed. When pressed he stated that these were people of honor and we
should feel free to interact and trade with them as we pleased. This day travels went very
quickly as we passed several villages all bustling with people and cattle. We made very
good time as we no longer were burdened with provisions as the porters carried all that
remain as well as our equipment.
We passed an apparent rest chamber and pressed on. Clearly our guide and porters were in a hurry and were continuously pestering us to pick up our pace. Very late in the day we reach another rest chamber, this one even more lavishly stocked then the last. Here we found food that had been freshly cook and locals darted in and out bringing even more. These dishes were of a most festive nature heavy in spices to which none of our party were familiar. This made use wonder of the source of such food stuffs, on what form of agriculture could a population living wholly underground sustain themselves. We speculated that the side tunnels must contain large chambers in which fungi must be raised. Fungi in variety and form to which we found hard to imagine.
ur porters woke us especially early this day. Our remaining provision were placed
along a well with many similar parcels. Our guide explained that we were now but
one days good travel from the gates of the inner kingdom, so that the remaining provisions
would not be needed by our party. The pace set by our guide at this point was
nearly an open run. I think that without the forgoing days of exertion as training
that we would not have been able to keep paces with the rest.
