Part 15 (1/2)
”If the pigeons keep flying out there o, and here are soht in somewhere, so I suppose there is Want to hear any more about the place?”
”No, no Coht, old chap; then I will, after one h, 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 botto this cliff It's just three parts of a round, and goes in all of a hollow belohere I a up”
”Hah!” ejaculated Mike, in a tone full of thankfulness; and as Vince shuffled himself a little way--not htened about his chest, giving hi a support that he leaned back, pressed his hands down on either side of hi 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 coh in the immensity of the place his words, like those which had preceded theht!” said Mike; and then he uttered a wild cry, for as Vince thrust with feet and hands together, straightening hihtened at the saainst 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 enor 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 fro sound of wings, as the startled birds rose in clouds fro-places all around
At last the full sense of his perilous position carasped the rock as well as he could, and called up to his co 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 scrae, 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 hi as it had taken him to descend, was only short
In anotherdown on Mike, who, instead of hauling in the rope as he calide down like a counterpoise, and as soon as he saw his co 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 fro 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 intodown there But it fully 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 leftthere for all the riches in the world!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE PANGS OF COLD PUDDING
”A burnt child fears the fire” So says the old proverb; and therefore it was quite reasonable for a couple of big lads to feel a certain sensation of shrinking when they talked about their adventure while trying to investigate the , or Cormorant Island, as it was called, known as the Scraw
For they did talk about it a great deal Then, too, Vince had soulf One night in particular he was especially bad
It happened in this way: Mike cah this was no novelty, for he was always co over to Sir Francis Ladelle's quaint, semi-fortified house, which had stood there for hundreds of years, being repaired by its various occupants, but very little altered In fact, when the little island was for sale, many years before this story commences, and the baronet became the purchaser, he was so pleased with the old place that he determined to keep up the traditions of the past, in spite of low ceilings, dark s, and what Mike described to Vince as ”the jolly old ghosts,” which, being interpreted, , after Vince had eaten a tremendous e, where there was always soht of the loorms, of which there were abundance Then Vince had to see Mike up to the gates of the old house; and, to ht, Mike said he would walk back a few yards with hi so elastic that they stretched out to five hundred, more or less
At last Vince reached home and had his supper, which had been put out for him, and when he had finished, found that the sea air and exercise hadelse to eat,” he said to hi into the parlour to speak upon this important subject to Mrs Burnet; but as he reached the door he could hear her pleasant voice, and he kneas going on, though he could not see through the panels