time for me now to get to that next shoulder and see what's
beyond, it's a matter of four miles there maybe and four miles back."

"I'll go with you," said she, "I'm stronger now."

"No, you stick here," said he. "There's no call for two to go. You'll
want your strength for the morning."

"Only for you I wouldn't be here," said she.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't," said Raft. "It's as well I was along with
you, but you ain't no weight--no more than a kitten. I never thought you
were as bad as that or I'd have lifted you miles back."

"Aren't you tired?" she asked.

"Me--oh, no, not more than a bit stiff in the arm." He stretched his
left arm out. Then he looked at the bundle.

"You don't want nothing to eat just yet?" asked he.

"Not till you come back," she answered. "I'll watch you from here."

He scrambled down, picked up the harpoon which he had left on the rocks
and then looked up and nodded to her.

"I'll keep in sight," said he. Then he started.

She watched his great figure as it went, harpoon in hand, growing
smaller and smaller, till, now, she could have covered it with her thumb
nail. As the distance increased it seemed to go slower and the great
black cliffs to grow higher.

At a dizzy height above her cormorants had their nests, they seemed
angry about something as they clanged and flew, shooting out into the
sky and wheeling back again in an aimless manner. Before her the grey
sea crawled, coming, now, steadily shoreward.

The tide seemed coming in faster than usual. She knew that this could
not be so and that Raft was too wise to allow himself to be cut off, all
the same a smouldering anxiety fed on her heart as she watched the tiny
figure now approaching the out-jutting shoulder of cliff. Then it
disappeared.

He had promised to keep in sight.

Evidently that was impossible if he wanted to get a view of what lay
beyond.

A minute passed, two, three--then the figure reappeared and her heart
that had lain still sprang to life again.

As he drew closer she saw him stoop and pick up something, then he came
right up to the cliff face, paused a minute and continued his way
towards her, walking more slowly now and carrying the thing in his
hands.

It was a big shell shaped like an abalone. He had filled it with water
from a little torrent running from the cliff and when he reached her he
held it up to show.

"We're all right," cried he, "there's only four or five miles of cliff
beyond the