pected; we turned sharp off to the left and were soon
walking with our faces towards the grey-looking face, that at first
looked high, but, as we went on, towered up more and more till the
height seemed terrific.

It was a weary heart-rending walk before we reached the hill-like slope
where the loose shaley rock and earth was ever falling to add to the
_debris_ up which we climbed.

"There's no telling exactly where he must have come over," said Uncle
Jack, after we had searched about some time, expecting moment by moment
to come upon the insensible form of our companion. "We must spread out
more."

For we neither of us would own to the possibility of Uncle Dick being
killed. For my part I imagined that he would have a broken leg,
perhaps, or a sprained ankle. If he had fallen head-first he might have
put out his shoulder or broken his collar-bone. I would not imagine
anything worse.

The moon was not so clear now, for fleecy clouds began to sail across it
and made the search more difficult, as we clambered on over the shale,
which in the steepest parts gave way under our feet. But I determinedly
climbed on, sure that if I got very high up I should be able to look
down and see where Uncle Dick was lying.

To this end I toiled higher and higher, till I could fairly consider
that I was touching the face of the mountain where the slope of _debris_
began; and I now found that the precipice sloped too, being anything but
perpendicular.

"Can you see him, Cob?" cried Uncle Jack from below.

"No," I said despondently.

"Stay where you are," he cried again, "quite still."

That was impossible, for where I stood the shale was so small and loose
that I was sliding down slowly; but I made very little noise, and just
then Uncle Jack uttered a tremendous--

"Dick, ahoy!"

There was a pause and he shouted again:

"Dick, ahoy!"

"Ahoy!" came back faintly from somewhere a long way off.

"There he is!" I cried.

"No--an echo," said Uncle Jack. "Ahoy!"

"Ahoy!" came back.

"There, you see--an echo."

"Ahoy!" came again.

"That's no echo," cried Uncle Bob joyfully. "Dick!"

He shouted as loudly as he could.

"Ahoy!"

"There! It was no echo. He's all right; and after falling down here he
has worked his way out and round the other side, where we went up first,
while we came down the other way and missed him."

"Dick, ahoy!" he shouted again; "where away?"

"Ahoy!" came back, and we had to consult.