me as the weaker party and to incline to my side, I
broke the pact, and, masking my hurt conceit under some virtuous
indignation against him as a deserter and traitor, turned and smote him
under the fifth rib.

And now it came upon me that I _must_ secure that bird. To shoot without
obtaining were mere wantonness. Yes, I would have him, and justify
myself to myself. To do it was difficult, even in Labradorian boy-eyes.
Between me and the auk the upper half of the cliff made a deep recess,
terminating in a right angle, with a platform of granite some
seventy-five feet below. Along both faces of this recess, nearly on a
level with myself, ran a shelf not more than six inches wide, with
vertical wall above and beneath; and on this I must go. I began,
therefore, working along this, proceeding with care, observing my
footing, and clutching with my hands whatever knob or crevice I could
find. But when near the angle, I found that the shelf terminated some
two feet short of its apex, and began again at about the same distance
beyond. Seeking about cautiously for finger-hold, I reached out my left
foot, and planted it on the opposite side, but could not stretch far
enough to make a place for the right foot when I should withdraw it. I
began debating with myself, whether, in case I should swing across and
rest on the left foot alone, I could work this along and make room for
the right. I knew that the process would have to be repeated on my
return; so I must estimate two chances at once.

And now for the first time, as I stood thus, some faint misgiving arose
in me, some faint question whether I was not doing one unjustifiable
thing to avoid doing another. It occurred to me that there was another
personage,--not a bird-seeking boy, like this one here, but a grave
man,--with whom I had an important connection, and who cherished serious
purposes and had many hopes of worthy labor yet to fulfil. Was I doing
the fair thing by _him_? He was not here, to be sure; I had left him
somewhere between Worcester and Labrador, with due pledge of reunion;
but even in his absence he was to be considered. Besides, he was my
master, and though he had permitted me to go gambolling off by myself,
on my promise to bring him back a more serviceable spine, yet his claim
remained, and I should be dishonorable to ignore it.

At first, indeed, these considerations seemed vague, far-fetched, little
better than affectations. The clear thing to be done wa