nd the rope is hauled up
as soon as they are down.'

"'This is a deuce of a place, Mr. Earnshaw,' the captain said. 'We must
do nothing hastily in this matter, or we shall only be throwing away
the lives of a lot of men, and failing in our object. I was intending to
sail on and not return for a week, for no doubt they will be specially
vigilant for a time after seeing a large ship pass them. As it is, I
will return tonight to the back of the island, and will there leave the
cutter and my gig. You will be in charge of the cutter, and Mr. Escombe
will take the gig. I shall then sail away again before daylight; for
although from what the lad said there is no watch kept on that side of
the island, it cannot be more than three miles across, and any of the
men or women might stroll across or might from any high point in the
island obtain a view that way. You will make a thorough survey of all
that side. The cliffs certainly seem, so far as we could see them as we
left the island, as perpendicular as they are on the side we passed;
but there may be some place easier than another--some place where, by
setting our wits to work, we may make a shift to climb up. Get into the
island I will, if I have to blast a flight of steps up the cliff.'

"'I will do my best to find a place, sir,' the lieutenant said; 'and, if
there isn't one, I will make one.'

"The lieutenant told me that I was to accompany him in the cutter, and
all was got ready for the trip. Water and a week's rations of food were
placed on board the boats; for in that climate there was no saying when
a gale might spring up, or how long the vessel might be before she got
back to pick up the boats.

"When we were fairly out of sight of the island we lay to till it got
dusk, and then her head was pointed back again. There was scarce a
breath of wind stirring, and the vessel went through the water so
slowly that a couple of hours later the captain ordered the boats to be
lowered, for he saw that if the wind didn't freshen the ship could not
get to the island, much less get away again, before daylight. The oars
were got out and off we started, and after four hours' steady rowing,
the lieutenant, who was steering by compass, made out the land looming
high above us. Another quarter of an hour's row and we dropped our
grapnels close to the foot of the cliffs, and the men were told to get a
sleep as well as they could till morning.

"As soon as it was daylight we were off aga