k himself whether it was fancy, when there was another
hail, and soon after he caught sight of Dale's head and shoulders as he
climbed up the icy slope, and saw that the new rope was across his
breast.

But this sent no thrill of joy through Saxe, for he seemed instinctively
to know that it would be useless, and he shook his head.

In another ten minutes Dale came panting up, and, without hesitation,
leaped the chasm.

"Well," he said, "you have heard him?"

"No."

"Has he not answered once?"

"No."

Dale stood frowning and in silence for some seconds, before saying
sternly, "well, we have our duty to do, Saxe. We must get him out."

"Yes, I'm ready," replied the boy; and he stood watching as Dale took
the coil of rope from his shoulder, a ball of thin string from his coat
pocket, and the lanthorn from his ice-axe, to whose head he had slung it
as he came.

"Ah!" cried Saxe, "you have brought the lamp and string. You are going
to let down a light for us to see where he lies?"

"I was going to, my boy; but I think better of it now. You shall go
down without. It looks dark there, but it will not be so very black.
The long light across will strike down."

Saxe told him about the pieces of ice he had thrown down, and Dale
looked terribly serious.

"So deep as that?" he muttered. Then quickly: "But one piece struck on
some ledge. He must have fallen there. Now, lay down your axe, but you
must take it with you."

Saxe obeyed, and set his teeth hard, as Dale scraped away the snow and
found almost directly a narrow crack which ran parallel with the
crevasse, but so slight that there was just room to force down the stout
ashen staff which formed the handle of the ice-axe, the top of it and
about a foot of the staff standing above the ice.

"That's firm as rock," said Dale, after trying it. "I could trust
myself to it, and the rope will run round it easily."

"You think the rope is strong enough?" said Saxe.

"I had it thoroughly tested before we left England. I could venture to
hang a bull from it, or two or three men. But, ones for all, I have no
right to send you down there. Tell me you dare not go, and I will give
up, and we must go in search of help, for this is a terrible task. You
would rather not go?"

Saxe was silent.

"Speak!"

"I won't," cried Saxe passionately; and then to himself, "I'd die
first."

He held up his arms for Dale to knot the rope about him, watching the
process w