osure that imprisoned them. It is true it was but a
sort of forlorn hope that he had conceived; but a forlorn hope was
better than no hope at all, and therefore Karl was determined to be
satisfied.

The thought that had been forming in his mind was, that after all it
might be possible for them to _scale the cliff_. That they could not do
so by climbing he was already satisfied; as were all three. Of this
their former examinations had convinced them. But there were other ways
of getting up a precipice, besides merely climbing with one's hands and
feet; and one of these ways, as already said, had for some time been
shadowing itself in the mind of Karl.

What plan, you will ask, had he now conceived? Did he design to make
use of ropes?

Not at all. Ropes could be of no service to him in going up a cliff.
They might, had they been fastened at the top; for then both he and his
companions would soon have contrived some way of getting up the ropes.
They could have made a ladder of a single rope by which they might have
ascended, by simply knotting pieces of sticks at short intervals, to
serve as rests for their feet, and they knew this well. Such a
contrivance would have suited admirably, if they had been required to
_descend_ a precipice, for then they could have let the rope down, and
fastened it at the top themselves. But to go up was altogether a
different operation; and it was necessary for at least one to be above
to render it at all practicable or possible. Of course, if one could
have got to the top by any means, the others could have done so by the
same; and then the rope-ladder would not have been needed at all.

No. Such a contrivance could not be used, and indeed they had never
thought of it--since to the meanest comprehension it was plainly
impossible. Karl therefore was not thinking of a rope-ladder.

Nevertheless it was actually about a _ladder_ that he was thinking--not
made of ropes, but of timber--of sides and rounds like any other ladder.

"What!" you will exclaim, "a ladder by which to scale the cliff! Why,
you have told us that it was three hundred feet in sheer height? The
longest ladder in the world would not reach a third of the way up such a
precipice. Even a fireman's ladder, that is made to reach to the tops
of the highest houses, would be of no use for such a height as that?"

"Quite true! I know all that as well as you," would have been Karl's
reply to your objections.

"Wha