Next morning, as soon as they had despatched an early meal, they
returned to their work--that is, Ossaroo to work, the others to watch.
Unfortunately on this day the weather was unfavourable for operations.
There was a high wind, not continuous, but blowing in short, quick
puffs--gusty and violent.
As Ossaroo hung upon the rope half-way up the precipice, the wind acting
upon his body, carried him at times several feet out from the face of
the cliff--causing him also to oscillate violently from side to side,
notwithstanding that the rope was fast at both ends.
It was fearful to look at him thus suspended, and swinging in mid-air.
At times the hearts of the spectators were filled with consternation,
lest the brave shikaree should either have his brains dashed out against
the beetling cliff; or, being forced to let go his hold, be flung far
out, and falling upon the rocks below, get crushed to atoms.
Often during the earlier part of the day were the alarms of Karl and
Caspar raised to such a height, that they shouted to Ossaroo to come
down; and when down, entreated him not to go up again until, by the
lulling of the wind, the danger should become diminished.
Their entreaties, however, were of no avail. The shikaree, accustomed
all his life to braving the elements, felt no fear of them; but on the
contrary, seemed to feel a pride, if not an actual pleasure, in thus
daring danger.
Even while swinging out from the cliff, and oscillating along its
_facade_--like the pendulum of some gigantic clock--he was seen tying
the strings and adjusting the pieces of stick, as coolly, as if he had
been standing upon _terra firma_ at the bottom!
Thus, nearly to the hour of noon, did Ossaroo continue his arduous
undertaking--of course with the usual intervals of rest, during each of
which Karl and Caspar reiterated their entreaties for him to desist and
leave the work to be executed at a more favourable opportunity. Fritz,
too, while lavishing his caresses on the daring climber, seemed to look
persuadingly into his face--as if he knew there was danger in what the
Hindoo was doing.
It was all in vain. The shikaree, while resisting all their efforts to
restrain him, seemed to scorn the danger which they dreaded; and,
without hesitation, returned to his perilous task.
And no doubt he would have succeeded in accomplishing it, allowing due
time for its completion. It was not the wind that would have shaken him
from that rope, to which he clung with the tenacity of a spider. Had
the support proved true, he could have held on, even though it had been
blowing a hurricane!
It was not in this that his chief danger lay; nor from such source was
it to come; but from one altogether unexpected and unthought-of.
It was near the hour of noon, and Ossaroo had already succeeded in
setting the steps up to about half the height of the cliff. He had
descended for a fresh supply of sticks; and, having gone up the
tree-ladder, and swung himself back upon the kite cord, was just
commencing to clamber up it--as he had already done nearly a score of
times.
The eyes of Karl and Caspar were upon him, following his movements, as
they had been doing all along; for, despite his frequent repetition of
the ascent, it was always a perilous performance, and interesting to
behold.
Just as he had got free from the ladder, and fairly out upon the rope, a
cry came from his lips that thrilled the hearts of the spectators with
alarm: for they knew that the utterance was one of terror. They needed
no explanation of that cry; for at the same moment that it reached their
ears, they perceived the danger that had caused Ossaroo to utter it. He
was descending along the facade of the cliff--not gliding down the rope
of his own free will, but as if the kite had got loose at the top, and,
yielding to the weight of his body, was being dragged over the surface
of the snow!
At first, he appeared to be descending only very slowly; and, but for
the cries he was putting forth, and the slackening of the rope below,
they upon the ground might not have been aware of what was going on.
But they had not regarded his movements for many seconds, before
perceiving the true state of the case, and the fearful peril in which
their faithful shikaree was now placed.
Beyond doubt the kite had become detached above; and, yielding to the
strain upon the rope, caused by Ossaroo's weighty was being pulled
towards the edge of the precipice!
Would the resistance be equal to the weight of the man's body? Would it
let him down easily? Or would the dragging anchor arrive at a place
where the surface was smooth, and then gliding rapidly over it, increase
the velocity of the descent? In other words, was the shikaree about to
be projected through a fall of thirty feet to the bottom of the cliff?
The spectators were left but little time to speculate on probabilities.
Not a moment was allowed them to take measures for securing the safety
of their companion. Before they could recover from the surprise, with
which his first shout had inspired them, they saw that his descent was
every moment becoming more accelerated: now in gradual declination, then
in quick, short jerks--until he had got within about twenty-feet of the
ground. They were in hopes that he might continue to descend in this
fashion for a few yards further, and then the danger would be over; but,
just at that moment, the broad breast of the kite was seen poising
itself over the top of the cliff; and like a great living bird, it
sprang off from the rocks, and soared out over the valley!
Ossaroo, still clinging to the cord, was carried some distance from the
cliff; but, fortunately for him, the weight of his body overbalanced the
resistance which the atmosphere offered to the broad surface of the
kite; else he might have been carried much higher into the air. Equally
fortunate was it, that the amount of overbalance was exceedingly
slight--otherwise he might have been dashed with violence to the earth!
As it was, he came down as gently as a dove, alighting upon his legs,
and remaining erect upon them, like Mercury upon the top of his
"sky-kissing mountain."
The moment that the shikaree felt his feet touching _terra firma_, he
sprang nimbly to one side, at the same instant letting go the rope, as
if it had been a rod of red-hot iron!
The great kite, no longer held in poise against the wind, commenced
darting hither and thither; at each turn descending lower and lower--
until by one last swoop, in which it seemed to concentrate all its
failing strength, it came down towards Ossaroo like a gigantic bird of
prey descending upon its victim!
It was just as much as the shikaree could do to get out of the way; and,
had he not ducked his head in the very nick of time, he would certainly
have received a blow upon his skull, that would have endangered its
entirety.