or and despair.

"Pull!" he shouted. "Pull up!" and, spurred into action by his order,
Sergeant James and the two men behind him who helped with the rope
hauled away rapidly, till the rigid-looking form of the corporal rose
out of the darkness into the light shed by the lanterns, to be seized by
the sergeant and dragged into safety.

"Is he dead?" said Captain Roby hoarsely. "I dunno, sir," growled the
sergeant, loosening the noose around the rigid sufferer, and then with a
few quick drags unfastening the knot which had troubled Lennox in his
helpless state.

"Silence a moment," cried the captain, "while I hail!" and he made the
place echo with his repetitions of the subaltern's name.

There were answers enough, but given only by the mocking echoes;
otherwise all below was still save the weird, rushing sound of the
water.

"Here, what are you doing, Dickenson?" cried the captain, who suddenly
became aware of the fact that the young lieutenant had seized the
sergeant and was hindering him from securing the end of the rope about
his chest.

"He's not going down: I am," cried Dickenson hoarsely.

"You?"

"Yes; I think I'm going to leave my friend in a hole like this?"

"Hole indeed!" thought the captain. Then aloud: "Let him go down,
sergeant. Here, two lanterns this time;" and as the sergeant obeyed and
began securing the rope about Dickenson, Roby seized and began
unbuckling the young officer's belt, and himself passed the stiff
leather through the ring-handles of a couple of lanterns, and rebuckled
the belt, adjusting it so that Dickenson had a light on either side.

"Ready, sergeant?" said the young officer sharply.

"All right, sir; that'll hold you safe."

"What are you going to do, Dickenson?" said Roby, in a voice that did
not sound like his own.

"I don't know," cried the young officer, with a curious hysterical ring
in his voice. "Go down.--See when I get below.--Now then, quick!--Lower
away.--Fast!"

He began gliding down the sharp slope directly after.

"Faster!" shouted Dickenson before he was half-way down; and the
sergeant let the rope pass through his hands as quickly as he could with
safety let it go, while the lanterns lit up the glistening sides with
weirdly-strange, flickering rays, till the rope was nearly all out and
Dickenson stopped with a sudden jerk.

"Got him?" shouted Roby.

"No!" came up in a despairing groan. "I'm on a dripping ledge. Lower
me a few feet more till