n bedewed the
midshipman's face, as he felt how near they both were to a terrible end.
The deep water after that awful fall, the fierce current which would
carry him out to sea--and then came shuddering thoughts of the great,
long, serpent-like congers, of whose doings horrible stories were
current among the sailors.

At last, to his great relief, Ram uttered a deep sigh, and sat up,
smiling at his companion.

"I've felt like that before," he said. "Come over all at once sick and
giddy, like you do if you lean down too much in the sun. I should have
gone over, shouldn't I, if you hadn't ketched me?"

"Don't talk about it."

"Oh, very well; it was hitting my head such a crack, I suppose. I say,
though, you never thought you could get away down here, did you?"

"Meant to try," said Archy laconically.

"Yah! What was the good, I knowed you wouldn't; but I meant to fetch
you back. Me and Jemmy Dadd come down here once after birds' eggs,
before father had the place up there quite blocked up. It used to be a
hole just big enough to creep through. Jemmy stopped up on that patch
where you and me wrastled, and let me down with a rope. There's no
getting no farther than this."

"Not with a rope?"

"Well, with a very long one you might slide down to the water, but
what's the good, without there was a boat waiting? You hadn't got the
boat, and you didn't bring no rope. No use to try to get away."

The words seemed more and more the words of truth as the midshipman
listened, and he was compelled to own in his own mind that he had failed
in his attempt; but a question seemed to leap from his lips next moment,
and he said sharply,--

"Perhaps there's no getting down, but any one might climb up right to
the top of the cliff."

"Fly might, or a beedle," said the boy, laughing. "Why, a rabbit
couldn't, and I've seen them do some rum things, cutting up the rocks
where they've been straight up like a wall. Why, it comes right over up
nigh the top. No, father's right; place is safe enough from the
seaside, and so it is from the land. Now, then, let's go back."

"You can go," said Archy coldly. "I'm going to stop here."

"That you won't," said Ram sharply. "You're a-coming up with me. Yah!
What's the good o' being obstinate? We don't want to have another
fight. Don't you see you can't get away?"

"I will get away," said Archy sternly.

"Well, you won't get off this way, till your wings grow," said Ram,