The weather interfered with the prosecution of the boys' adventure for a
week, and during that time, what with wind and rain, they had nothing to
tempt them to the cliff but the sight of a large French three-masted
lugger or _chasse-maree_, which was driven by the gale and currents
dangerously near the Crag: so near, in fact, that old Daygo and nearly
every fisherman in the place hung about the cliffs in full expectation
of seeing the unfortunate vessel strike upon one or other of the rocks
and go to pieces, when all on board must have inevitably been drowned,
the height of the sea making it madness to attempt to launch a boat.
But, to the relief of all, the swift vessel was so cleverly managed that
she finally crept through an extremely dangerous passage, and then,
catching a cross current, was borne right out to where she could weather
the northern point of the island, and disappeared into the haze.
"There, young gentlemen," said old Daygo in a stentorian voice, "that's
seamanship! But she'd no business to come so near the Crag in weather
like this. Wouldn't ha' like to be aboard o' she just now, would you?"
"No," said Vince; "nor you neither?"
"Hey? Why, that's just what I've been a-wishing these two hours past,
my lad. I could ha' took her out o' danger long enough before; but them
Frenchies don't know our island like I do. Why, I feel sometimes as if
I could smell where the rocks are, and I could steer a boat by touch,
like, even if it was black as the inside of a tar-barrel in the middle
of the night."
It sounded like empty boasting, but the words were seriously received by
the rough men around.
"Ay, ay," said one fat, heavy-looking fellow; "Joe Daygo knows. I
wouldn't ha' been aboard her fer no money."
"Been thinking you'd eat no more byled lobster--eh, Jemmy Carnach?" said
Daygo, with a hoarse laugh; and the man gave him a surly look and
sauntered away.
"I say," said Mike, as soon as the lads were alone; "old Joe is really a
good sort of fellow after all. He seemed a deal more troubled about
that French boat than any one else."
"Yes; and I suppose he is a clever pilot, and knows all about the
currents and the rocks; but I don't quite understand about his being so
well off."
Mike began to whistle, and said nothing for a few moments.
"I don't see why he shouldn't be well off," he said; "he's getting old,
and he's very mean, and never spends money upon himself."
Vince nodded, and remained silent.
Then came a lovely morning after the week's bad weather, and Vincent was
just starting for Sir Francis Ladelle's rather unwillingly, to join Mike
for the day's studies, when there was a cheery whistle outside and his
fellow-pupil appeared.
"I say!" he cried, "father said it was a shame for us to lose such a
fine day, and he told Mr Deane to give us a holiday."
"Eh? What's that?" cried the Doctor. "Here, I'm off up to the house to
put a stop to that. I'm not going to pay half that tutor's expenses if
this sort of idleness is to be encouraged."
Mike looked aghast.
"It's all right," said Vince merrily; "father doesn't mean it."
"Oh, don't I!" cried the Doctor, frowning.
"No: does he, mother?"
Mrs Burnet smiled and shook her head.
"Here, you boys, don't get into any mischief."
"No, father," said Vince, and the next minute they were outside.
"Scraw?" said Vincent; and his companion nodded unwillingly, as the boy
thought, but he changed his opinion the next moment.
"I've got the hammer and bar ready, and a small rope; but we must have
yours."
"Yes, of course."
"Well, run back and get it, and meet me out by the Dolmen."
"Brought it," said Mike: "tucked it under a furze bush out on the
common."
Vince's face lit up with eagerness, and the pair were about to start
when they saw old Daygo in the distance, and they turned back, went into
the house, and waited till he had gone by.
Giving the fisherman time to get well out of sight, they sallied forth,
and went to where the coil of rope was hidden--a thin, strong line that
would have borne a couple of men hanging on its end--and as soon as this
was brought out, and a glance round taken to make sure they were not
watched, Mike cried--
"But what about the hammer and bar?"
Vince opened his jersey to show the head of the hammer on one side, the
crowbar on the other, snugly tucked in the waistband of his trousers.
"Well done! that's capital!" cried Mike. And the two lads went off in
the direction of the Scraw, but in a zigzag fashion, as if their
intentions were entirely different; and this at Vince's wish, for he had
a strong impression that old Daygo was keeping an eye upon their
movements, though Mike laughed at the idea.
"I don't feel nervous about it now, do you?" said Vince, as soon as they
were well under cover of the rugged ground.
"No; but I don't like to think about that ugly slip you had," said Mike
thoughtfully.
"I didn't have an ugly slip: you knocked me over."
"Oh, well, I couldn't help it, could I? and I did hold on till you got
out of it."
"Never mind that now," said Vince; "let's think about what we are going
to do. There'll be no danger so long as we are careful--and I mean to
be, very, and so I tell you. Wonder whether we shall see our black
friend? I say, didn't it seem as if it was on the look-out for us to
have a bad accident?"
"No: seemed as if it was on the look-out to keep us from finding its
nest."
They chatted away merrily enough till they had nearly reached the chaos
of tumbled-together rocks, when, in spite of the bright sunshine and
blue sky overhead, the wildness of the place once more impressed them
unpleasantly, and, instead of the cheery conversation and banter in
which they had indulged, they became quiet, only speaking at intervals,
and then in quite a low tone.
The bottom of the steep, rough slope was reached, and they paused to
consider their plans. They had come out some fifty yards from where
they made their former ascent to the ridge, for it was marked by the
jagged sugar-loaf upon which the raven had perched. But the sloping
wall of granite where they were presented just about the same aspect as
that portion where they had struggled up before, and there was no reason
for making a detour over very difficult ground, cumbered with huge
blocks that must have fallen from above, and tangled in the hollows
between with brambles; so they determined to climb from where they
stood, and began at once, each selecting his own route, with the
understanding that a pyramidal block eighty or ninety feet above their
heads should be the meeting-place.
"Come on, then," cried Mike. "First up!"
"No, no," said Vince. "This must be done steadily. We shall want to be
cool and fresh for anything we may have to do. One of us is sure to be
obliged to go down by the rope."
"Very well," said Mike; and they commenced the ascent, each feeling the
wisdom of the plan adopted, the climb being difficult enough, though
there was not the slightest danger.
They were glad enough to rest and wipe their brows as they stood by the
rough block, and upon which they found they could easily climb; but
there was nothing more to see than at their former visit, save that the
rocks looked far more rough, both at the torrent-like entrance and the
narrow opening on their right, while even from the height at which they
stood it was plain to see that the circular cove was in a violent state
of ebullition.
But here, close in, was the slope which ran down towards the sea--very
similar in character to that by which they had ascended, only that it
was, as it were, chopped off short. In fact, they seemed to be on the
summit of a stony ridge of granite mountains, one side of which had been
nearly all gnawed away by the sea.
"Don't seem much choice of where to go down," said Vince, after a long
scrutiny to right and left. "Shall we try here?"
"Just as well as anywhere else," said Mike. "Only what is it we are
going to do? If it means creeping down with a rope round one, and then
going over the edge to play chicken at the end of a roasting-jack, I
feel as if I'd rather not."
"It means going carefully down to the edge and looking over first,"
replied Vince. "It may only be a place where we can get down easily
enough."
"Or it may be a place where we can't," said Mike. "All right: I'll go,
if you like."
"No: I'll go first," said Vince. And he drew out his hammer and
crowbar; but a block of granite close by stood up so much like a thick,
blunt post that there seemed to be no need for the crowbar to be driven
in; so, making one end fast round the block with a well-tried mooring
knot--one which old Daygo had taught them might be depended upon for
securing a boat--they calculated how much rope would be necessary to
well reach the bottom of the broken-off slope, and at the end of this
the line was knotted round Vince's chest and he prepared to descend.
"Ease it away gently, so that I'm not checked," said the lad, as Mike
took hold close to him and knelt down ready to pay the rope out and so
as to be able to tighten his grasp at any moment if there was a slip.
"Right! I'll mind; and you'll be all right: you can't fall."
"I know," was the reply; and trusting to his companion, while
strengthened by the knowledge that at the very worst he must be brought
up short by the granite block, Vince gave a sharp look downward, and,
selecting a spot at the edge a little to his right for the point to make
for, he turned his face to the slope and began to descend, carefully
picking hand and foothold and helped by the steady strain upon the rope
which was kept up by Mike, who watched every movement breathlessly, his
eyes fixed upon his companion's head, and ready to respond to every
order which was uttered.
Vince went down as calmly and deliberately as if the level ground were
just below him till he was about two-thirds of the way, when he could
not help giving a start, for Mike suddenly exclaimed:
"Here's that old raven coming!"
"Where?"
"Off to my right--in a hurry. You must be somewhere near the nest."
Vince hesitated for a few moments, for the thought occurred to him that
the bird might make a swoop at him, as he had read of eagles acting
under similar circumstances; but the next moment he had thought of what
power there would be in the blow of a fist striking a bird in full
career, and knowing full well that it must be fatal to the raven, he
continued to descend, with the bird flying by some fifty feet overhead
and uttering its hoarse croak.
"Lower away a little more," said Vince, as he drew nearer the edge of
what might either be a precipice or an easy slope for aught he could
tell.
"I'll lower," was the reply; "but I want to feel you well."
"That's right. I must have rope enough to move quite freely."
"Yes, that's all very well; but I don't feel as if I could haul you up
if you slipped over the edge."
"Who's going to ask you to?" said Vince. "I should try and climb,
shouldn't I? If you keep me tight like that I can't get down."
"Are you all right?" said Mike anxiously, for he was by far the more
nervous of the two.
"Right?--yes; but I feel like a cow tethered to a picket, so that I
can't reach the bit of grass sward. Now then, lower away."
Mike obeyed, with the palms of his hands growing very moist, as his
companion drew closer to the brink.
"Lower away!" cried Vince.
"No: that's close enough," said Mike decidedly. "Look from where you
are, and come back. Now then, what can you see?"
"A bit of moss and a patch of sea-pink just under my nose. Don't be so
stupid! How am I to look over the edge if you hold me tight up like
this? Ah!"
"What is it?" cried Mike, holding on to the rope with all his might, and
keeping it resting on the rock, over which it had slowly glided.
"Only a loose stone gave way under my feet, and went down."
He remained silent, waiting to hear the fragment rebound and strike
somewhere, but he listened in vain. The fall of the stone, however, had
its effect, for a wild chorus of whistling and screaming arose, and an
eddy of wings came up as a perfect cloud of white and grey birds rose
into sight, and were spread to right and left.
"Hadn't you better come back now?" said Mike anxiously.
"If I do it will be to make you come down instead. Why, you're worse
than I am, Mike! Now then, lower away! I only want about a fathom
more, and then you may hold on tight."
"Very well, then," said the lad: "I'll give you just six feet, and not a
bit more. Then you shall come up."
"Say seven," cried Vince merrily.
"No: six. That's what you said; so make much of it."
"Lower away, then!" cried Vince; and he carefully descended, after a
glance over his left shoulder, creeping cautiously down, and edging to
his left till he was just over the block at the edge which he had marked
out for his goal.
"That's four feet, mind!" cried Mike: "only two more."
"Good little boy!" said Vince merrily. "Four and two do make six. I'll
tell Mr Deane to-morrow. He was grumbling the other day about the
muddle you made over your algebra."
"You look after your climbing, and never mind my algebra," said Mike
huskily.
"Now, Mikey!" cried Vince; "hold on--tight as you can."
"Yes. Don't you want the other two feet?"
"Of course I do; but I'm going to turn over."
"No, no, I say--don't!" cried Mike. "Do think where you are! Have a
good look, and then come up."
"Here, I say, you'd better come down instead of me. I can't see out of
the back of my head if you can. Now, no nonsense. This is what I want
to do: I'm going to turn over, with my back to the cliff, and then
shuffle down that other two feet, with my legs on each side of that
piece of stone."
"But it's at the very edge," said Mike. "Good boy again! How well you
can see, Ladle! It is just at the edge; and, once I'm there, I can see
down either way."
"But it isn't safe, Cinder. I can't help being anxious. Suppose the
stone's loose, and gives way?"
"Why, then it will fall down and frighten more birds. Now then, don't
fidget. If the stone goes, you'd still hold on by the rope, and I
should be left sitting there all the same. I shouldn't do it if I
didn't feel that I could. I'm not a bit nervous, so hold on."
"Very well," said Mike breathlessly: "I've got you."
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Vincent Burnet did not hesitate, but, with a quick movement, turned
himself right over, dragging heavily upon the rope, though, and making
his companion draw in his breath through his closed teeth with a hissing
sound.
"There I am," said Vince coolly. "I could slip down into the place if I
liked, but I won't try; so just ease the rope, inch by inch, as I
shuffle myself lower. That's the way. Easy as kiss my hand. A little
more, and a little more, and there we are. Why, Mike, old chap, it's
just like sitting in a saddle--only it's so hard."
"Are your legs right over the side?"
"Yes, and the wind's blowing up the legs of my trousers like anything.
Oh! you can't think what a sharp draught there is."
"Never mind the draught."
"No use to," said Vince.
"Oh, I say, do have a good look down, and then come up again. Now,
then: does the cliff slope from where you are?"
"Yes, right down to the water."
"Steeply?"
"Yes."
"Could we climb down?"
"Yes, if we were flies: Mike, old chap, it's just awful!"
"What!" cried Mike breathlessly.
"Yes: that's it--awful," said Vince quietly, as he rested his hands on
the block he bestrode, and looked over to his left. "It slopes down;
but the wrong way. It goes right in as far as I can see, and--Yes, it
does just the same on the other side. If I were to go down now I should
plump right into black water, that's boiling up and racing along like it
does where there's a rocky bottom, I do wish you were here to see."
"I don't," whispered Mike. "There--that'll do," he continued aloud.
"Come up."
"Wait a bit. I must see a little more, now I am here. I say, it's
awful!--it's grand! The rocks, as far as I can see, are as smooth as
can be, and all sorts of colours, just as if they were often breaking
away. Some are dark and some are browny and lavender, and there's one
great patch, all glittering grey granite, looking as new as new."
"Yes, it must be very beautiful; but come back."
"Don't you be in such a hurry," said Vince. "You won't catch me sitting
here again. I'll let you down if you like, but once is quite enough for
me. I want to have a good look, though, so as to tell you all about it
before I do come, for, on second thoughts, I shan't lower you down
here--it's too horrid. I say: wherever I can see there are thousands of
birds, but there are not many places where they can sit. I can see one
raven, too--there are two of them sailing about just under me, with
their backs shining in the sun. Oh, Mike: look at the cormorants! I
never knew there were so many about the island. Big gulls, and puffins,
and terns, and--I say, what a cloud of pigeons flying right out from
under me: Why, there must be a cavern going right in. Hold tight! I
want to lean out more to try and see."
"No!" shrieked out Mike. "Don't--don't! It's a hundred times worse
kneeling here and seeing you than doing it oneself."
"But I only want to see if there is a cave."
"If the pigeons keep flying out there must be."
"Well, there they go, and here are some more coming, and they've flown
right in somewhere, so I suppose there is. Want to hear any more about
the place?"
"No, no. Come up now."
"All right, old chap; then I will, after one more look round and down
below. The water is wild, though, and the rocks are grand; but old Joe
is as right as can be: it's a terrible place, and unless any one likes
to hang at the end of a three-hundred-feet rope he cannot get to the
bottom here nor anywhere else along this cliff. It's just three parts
of a round, and goes in all of a hollow below, where I am. There--
that's all; and now I'm coming up."
"Hah!" ejaculated Mike, in a tone full of thankfulness; and as Vince
shuffled himself a little way--not much, for there was not room--the
rope tightened about his chest, giving him so strong a support that he
leaned back, pressed his hands down on either side of him to steady
himself, and drew up one leg till he could plant his heel on the stone
where he had been seated. A steady draw up of the other leg, and it was
beside its fellow; then, getting well hold of the nearest projections on
either side, he shouted up to his companion to haul hard--shouted,
though in the immensity of the place his words, like those which had
preceded them, sounded weak and more like whispers.
"Right!" said Mike; and then he uttered a wild cry, for as Vince thrust
with feet and hands together, straightening himself out, the rope
tightened at the same moment, and then the lad hung motionless against
the slope.
The rain and frost had been hard at work upon the edge of that
precipice, as its sharply gnawed-off edge showed and the huge stone
which the venturous lad had stridden was only waiting for the sharp
thrust which it had received, for with a dull crack it was separated
from the side, with an enormous mass beneath it, and went rushing down,
leaving a jagged curve, as if the piece had been bitten out, just below
the lad's feet.
Vince did not stir even to feel for a place to plant his hands, but
remained motionless for some moments. Then there was a dull splash
echoed from the barrier rock which shut-in the cove, and the rushing
sound of wings, as the startled birds rose in clouds from their
resting-places all around.
At last the full sense of his perilous position came to the boy, and
with it his coolness; and he grasped the rock as well as he could, and
called up to his companion.
"Grip hard, Ladle!" he cried. "I'm going to try and turn face to you."
There was no reply; but a thrill seemed to come down the fibres of the
rope, and the strain upon the boy's chest to increase.
It was no easy task, for it was hard to find a resting-place on either
side of the gap for his feet; but, full of trust in Mike's hold of the
rope, and strengthened by the knowledge that it was secured to the
granite block as well, Vince gave himself a quick writhe, and turned
upon his face. Then, after a scrambling slip or two, his toes found a
ledge, as his hands already had, and he climbed steadily up.
That task was not difficult, for the foothold was easy to select, the
rope tightening still, and giving him steady help, while the distance,
long as it had taken him to descend, was only short.
In another minute he was over the ridge, looking down on Mike, who,
instead of hauling in the rope as he came up, had let himself glide down
like a counterpoise, and as soon as he saw his companion in safety, he
drew himself in a crouching position and stared up with his lips apart.
"It's all right," said Vince huskily. "Why, your face is white as
white, and your hair's all wet."
"Yes," gasped Mike hysterically, "and so's yours. Oh, Cinder, old chap,
I thought you had gone! Let's get away from this horrid place. Old
Joe's right: there is something terrible about it after all."
"Wait a bit," said Vince, rather feebly, as he too crouched down upon a
piece of rock. "I don't feel as if I could move much for a bit. I am
so stiff and weak, and this rope's cut into my chest. Yes: old Joe's
right; there's no getting down there. But it was awfully grand, Ladle,
and I should have liked you to see it."
"And do you want to lower me down?" said Mike fiercely.
"No!" cried Vince sharply. "I wouldn't have you feel what I felt when
that stone broke off and left me hanging there for all the riches in the
world!"