It was a one-day tour. We did not fix the destination. We started in the morning. ‘Be ready’ was our motto. So we went on walking like Hercules. We believed to meet some adventure on our way.
We caught our train. At Jogeswari the train stopped. We had got down catching another train. We did not wait for another train. We decided to see caves. I wished to pass some time there. It was 4 o’ clock. Now we decided to see the Fort of Bassein. But on second thought we decided to visit Conary Caves.
We walked, we strode, we ran. We crossed a stream. After some time we reached the foot of caves. Some of us separated at the fork of two roads. Now the adventure began. We lost our way. It was a big forest. I had no knowledge of paths. I climbed up and up. There was no end to our climbing. We shouted the names of our friends. But there was no response. There were some rocks. I caught hold of a big stone. I climbed up with its help. The moment I left it, down it went. You can think how lucky I was. After half an hour I heard the creaming of our friends.
We hastily went round the caves. But it was growing dark. However, we saw the big cave and a idol in it. We entered in. We found that the water was falling from the top. We went to the right side. There, we found a very huge & open cave. It was the place where once the preachers preached the public.
We had our food and had a little rest. We started on our return journey. This was the most romantic time. It also proved adventurous. It was now night. We could not clearly see our way. No sooner did we cross the stream than we lost our way. We walked hand in hand. We were caught in a thicket. We struggled to get out of it. The idea of death made us sad. A lion or a tiger or a serpent danced before our eyes.
All of a sudden, we heard someone singing. We cried aloud for help. The sound stopped. We again lost hope of life. Lo! We saw a fire at a distance. We ran towards the fire. Approaching near we saw the huts. But the dogs began to bark at us. We entered in one of the cottage. The owner of the hut guided the way to our destination.
After one hour we were in Mumbai. It was nearly mid-night. For a few days I thought of the trip.
Vocabulary
Response—reply
Destination—a place a person is going to
