the foot of that hill there was a spring of clear water. And here there were two other roads besides the straight and narrow one. One of these wound around the hill on the right-hand side; the other branched off on the left-hand side. But the narrow road went straight forward over the steepest part of the hill.
Christian went to the spring and drank from it. Then feeling much refreshed, he went onward, right up the difficult way. And as he went he began to sing,
- "The hill, though steep,
- I will ascend;
- For me the toil
- Will not offend.
- Be brave, my heart,
- And do not fear;
- For the way to life
- Leads over here."
The other two men came also to the foot of the hill; but when they saw how high and steep it was, they dreaded to climb it. Then they saw the other two roads, how much easier they seemed; and they decided to follow them.
"All the ways will probably meet again on the other side of the hill," they said.
