top, where the felspar crystals stood out at uncomfortable angles, and
those of quartz were sharper still, and prepared for their long confab.
As a matter of course, they would have been ten times as comfortable on
the short turf just beyond the furze; but then, that would have been
quite easy, and there would have been no excitement, or call upon their
skill and energy. There was nothing to be gained by climbing up the
stone--nothing to see, nothing to find out; but there was the
inclination to satisfy that commonplace form of excelsiorism which
tempts so many to try and get to the top. So the boys sat there,
thoughtfully gazing out to sea, while the dog, after a good many howls,
gave it up for a bad job, curled himself into an ottoman, hid his nose
under his bushy collie tail, and went to sleep.

Some minutes elapsed before either of the boys spoke, and when one did,
it was with his eyes fixed upon the warm, brown sails of a
fishing-lugger, miles away.

It was Gwyn who commenced, and just as if they had been conversing on
the subject for some time,--

"Major very angry?"

Joe nodded.

"Awfully. Said, knowing what a state of health he was in, it wasn't
fair for me to go on trying to break my neck, for I was very useful to
him when he had his bad fever fits--that it wasn't pleasant for him to
stop at home, expecting to have me brought back in bits."

"He didn't say that, did he?"

"Yes, he did--bits that couldn't be put together again; and that, if
this was the result of having you for a companion, I had better give you
up."

Gwyn drew a deep breath, and kicked his heels together with a loud
clack. Then there was a long pause.

"Well," said Gwyn, at last; "are you going to give me up?"

Joe did not make a direct answer, but proposed a question himself.

"What did the Colonel say?"

"Just about the same as your father did; only he didn't bring in about
the fever, nor he didn't say anything about my being brought home in
bits. Said that I was a great nuisance, and he wondered how it was that
I could not amuse myself like other boys did."

"So we do," said Joe, sharply. "I never knew of a boy yet who didn't
get into a scrape sometimes."

Gwyn grunted, and frowned more deeply.

"Said it was disgraceful for me to run risks, and cause my mother no end
of anxiety, and--"

"Well, go on: what a time you are!" cried Joe, for Gwyn suddenly paused.
"What else did he say?"

"Oh, something you wouldn't l