Explore "Sick Heart River" by John Buchan on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
When Leithen's weakness overpowered him he might lose consciousness, but when he regained it there was no half-way house of dim perception to return to. He alternated between a prospect of acid clarity and no prospect at all. Now he took in every detail of the scene, though he was puzzled at first to interpret them.
At first he thought that it was night and that he was lying out of doors, for he seemed to be looking up to a dark sky. Then a splash of light on his left side caught his attention, and he saw that it outlined some kind of ceiling. But it was a ceiling which lacked at least one supporting wall, for there was a great blue vagueness pricked out with points of light, and ruddy in the centre with what looked like flames. It took him some time to piece together the puzzle. He was in a cave, and towards the left he was looking to the open where a big fire was burning.