"You will find it deeper or shallower, as you put your trust in the King," was the answer.
So they stepped in. Then Christian felt himself beginning to sink, and he cried out, "O Hopeful, my friend, I sink in deep waters. The billows go over my head; the waves cover me!"
But Hopeful answered, "Be of good cheer, my brother! My feet are on the bottom, and it is good."
Still Christian cried out in his despair, "I shall perish in this river. I shall never see the Celestial Land—the land of milk and honey."
Hopeful, therefore, had much ado to keep his brother's head above water. Indeed, sometimes he would be quite gone down; and in a little while he would rise up again half dead.
But all the time, Hopeful tried to cheer him. "Brother, I see the gate," he said. "I see the men standing by to welcome us."
"It is you for whom they wait," answered Christian. "They wait for you and not me. You have been Hopeful ever since I knew you."
"And so have you," answered Hopeful. "Remember how you have kept your face turned always toward the Celestial Land."
