as it may be
a long time before he finds us"--(he sighed deeply here, not feeling
much confidence in the success of the missionary's search)--"I shall
tell you my plan, and then try to carry it out." (Here he sighed again,
more deeply than before, not feeling by any means confident of the
success of his own efforts.)

"And what is your plan?" inquired Alice, eagerly, for the child had
unbounded belief in Corrie's ability to do almost anything he chose to
attempt, and Corrie knew this, and was proud as a peacock in
consequence.

"I'll get up on my knees," said he, "and then, once on them, I can
easily rise to my feet and hop to you, and free you."

On this explanation of his elaborate and difficult plan, Alice made no
observation for some time, because even to _her_ faculties, (which were
obtuse enough on mechanical matters,) it was abundantly evident that,
the boy's hands being tied firmly behind his back, he could neither cut
the ropes that bound her, nor untie them.

"What d'ye think, Alice?"

"I fear it won't do, your hands are tied, Corrie."

"Oh! that's nothing. The only difficulty is how to get on my knees."

"Surely that cannot be _very_ difficult, when you talk of getting on
your feet."

"Ha! that shews you're a--I mean, d'ye see, that the difficulty lies
here, my elbows are lashed so fast to my side that I can't use them to
prop me up, but if Poopy will roll down the hill to my side, and shove
her pretty shoulder under my back when I raise it, perhaps I may succeed
in getting up. What say you, Kickup?"

"Hee! hee!" laughed the girl, "dat's fuss rate. Look out!"

Poopy, although sluggish by nature, was rather abrupt and violent in her
impulses at times. Without further warning than the above brief
exclamation, she rolled herself towards Corrie with such good-will that
she went quite over him, and would certainly have passed onward to where
Alice lay--perhaps over the cliff altogether--had not the boy caught her
sleeve with his teeth, and held her fast.

The plan was eminently successful. By a series of jerks on the part of
Corrie, and proppings on the part of Poopy, the former was enabled to
attain to a kneeling position, not, however, without a few failures, in
one of which he fell forward on his face, and left a deep impression of
his fat little nose in the mud.

Having risen to his feet, Corrie at once hopped towards Alice, after the
fashion of those country wights who indulge in sack rac