out hesitation, when, to his
horror, as he alighted on the other side a piece of the mouldering stone
broke off, and fell rolling down with a loud noise, crumbling to pieces
as it bounded down the sharp rocky face of the cliff. There was now too
wide a space between for him to risk the return, and there he stood on a
narrow ledge of rock, with the sharp peaks and the roaring sea beneath
him, and a steep wall of cliff stretching up above his head. John Pike
was a brave man, and had been used to face many a danger, but the blood
seemed to leave his heart, and his breath almost stopped, as he
understood the full peril of his position. It was indeed a serious one,
and as he thought over the scant chance there was of any help or rescue,
he covered his face with his hands and groaned in agony for those at
home, more than for himself. And while he stood there, despairing of all
human aid, many a prayer went up from his heart's core to God for help
for the sake of his wife and poor Robin. And then he set to work with
all his best energy to make his terrible position known. He had
fortunately a handkerchief in his pocket, and this he tied to the
walking-stick he always took with him on his climbing expeditions. He
shouted at frequent intervals in the hope of making some one hear, and
at last, to his great joy, he espied a little figure below on the
distant beach! It was a poor shrimper, with her nets on her back,
returning home, and she saw at a glance how the case stood, and hastened
at once to the village to give an alarm. In a shorter space of time than
could have been hoped even, John saw a number of his fellow fishermen
hastening down the beach to him. He could not catch their words, but he
understood from their signs that they found it would be impossible to
get him down again, and so they were going to mount the cliff, and try
and get at him that way. As they passed the village on their way to the
top of the cliff, poor Mary rushed out wildly to them, for she had by
accident heard the truth, anxiously as her kind neighbours had tried to
prevent it. They hastily told her their plans, and asked her for the
longest ropes she had, as they would want all they could get. She
hurriedly dragged me down, and rushed after them, for, as she said, she
could not stay at home, while her husband was in such peril, and she
must see the worst with her own eyes. When they reached the top of the
cliff, the fishermen hastily rigged up a sort o