THE HILL DIFFICULTY.
I SAW then that they all went on till they came to the foot of the Hill
Difficulty, at the end of which was a spring. There were in the same
place two ways more than that which came straight from the gate: one
bent to the left hand, and the next to the right, at the base of the
hill; but the strait way lay right up the hill; and the name of that
path up the side of the hill is known as Difficulty. Christian now went
to the spring and drank of it to cool his blood and quench his thirst,
and then he set forth to go up the hill.
The two with whom he had held speech in like way came to the foot of
the hill; but when they saw that the hill was steep and high, and that
there were two more ways to go, and as they thought that these two ways
might meet in the long run with that up which Christian went, on the
rear side of the hill,--hence they made up their minds to go in those
ways.
Now the name of one of those ways was Danger, and the name of the next
Destruction. So the one took the way which is known as Danger, which
led him to a great wood; and he who was with him took straight up the
way to Destruction, which led to a wide field full of dark cliffs,
where he made a slip, and fell, and rose no more.
I then cast my eyes on Christian, and I saw that from a run he came to
a walk, and at last had to climb on his hands and his knees, so steep
was the place.
[Illustration: Timorous was afraid of wild beasts and ran down the
hill.--Page 29.
_Pilgrim's Progress._]
Now half the way to the top of the hill was a nook made of trees,
fair to look on, made by the Lord of the hill for the good of such as
trod that place. There, then, Christian got; there, too, he sat down to
rest him.
Thus sought he cheer a while, when he fell to doze, and then went off
in a fast sleep.
Now as he slept there came one to him, who woke him and said, "Go to
the ant, thou man of sloth; think of her ways, and be wise." And with
that Christian did start up, and went on till he came to the top of the
hill.
Now when he was got up to the top of the hill, there came two men
who ran right up to him so as to push him. The name of the one was
Timorous, and of the next Mistrust; to whom Christian said, "Sirs, what
doth ail you? You run the wrong way."
Timorous said that they were bound to the City of Zion, and had got up
to that hard place; "but," said he, "the more we go on the more risks
we meet with; hence did we turn, and mean not to go back."
"Yes," said Mistrust, "for just in front of us lie a brace of wild
beasts in the way--that they sleep or wake we know not--and we could
not think if we came in their reach but they would at once pull us in
bits."
Then Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill, and Christian went on his
way. But as he dwelt on what he heard from the men, the sun went down;
and this made him once more think how vain it was for him to have sunk
to sleep. Now, he brought to mind the tale that Mistrust and Timorous
had told him of how they took fright at the sight of the wild beasts.
Then did Christian muse thus: "These beasts range in the night for
their prey; and if they should meet with me in the dark, how should I
shift them? how should I get free from their fangs? they would tear
me to bits." Thus he went on his way. But, while he did mourn his dire
hap, he lift up his eyes, and lo, there was a grand house in front of
him, the name of which was Beautiful, and it stood just on the side of
the high road.