fter the other, would form
supports, upon which they might rest their feet in the ascent.

As we have said, all this had been settled beforehand; and no longer
occupied their attention--now wholly absorbed in contriving some way to
prove the reliability of the rope, upon which their lives were about to
be imperilled.

It was not deemed sufficient to tie the rope to a tree, and pull upon it
with all their united strength. Karl and Caspar thought this would be a
sufficient test; but Ossaroo was of a different opinion. A better
plan--according to the shikaree's way of thinking--was one which had
generated in his oriental brain; and which, without heeding the
remonstrances of the others, he proceeded to make trial of. Taking one
end of the rope with him, he climbed into a tall tree; and, after
getting some way out on a horizontal branch--full fifty feet from the
ground--he there fastened the cord securely. By his directions the
young sahibs laid hold below; and, both together, raising their feet
from the ground, remained for some seconds suspended in the air.

As the rope showed no symptoms either of stretching or breaking under
the weight of both, it was evident that it might, under any
circumstances, be trusted to carry the weight of one; and in this
confidence, the shikaree descended from the tree.

With the eagle carried under his right arm, and the coil of rope
swinging over his left, Ossaroo now proceeded towards the place where
the ladders rested against the cliff. Karl and Caspar walked close
after, with Fritz following in the rear--all four moving in silence, and
with a certain solemnity of look and gesture--as befitted the important
business upon which they were bent.

The new experiment, like the trial of the eagle's strength, did not
occupy any great length of time. Had it proved successful, our
adventurers would have been longer occupied, and in the end would have
been seen triumphantly standing upon the summit of the cliff--with Fritz
frisking up the snowy slope beyond, as if he intended to chase the great
_ovis ammon_ upon the heaven-kissing crest of Chumulari.

Ah! how different was the spectacle presented on the evening of that
eventful day! A little before sunset the three adventurers were seen
slowly and sadly returning to their hut--that despised hovel, under
whose homely roof they had hoped never to seek shelter again!

Alas! in the now lengthened list of their unsuccessful struggles, they