on, master, or
they'll finish him off before you can get there. Real wild, they birds
is, because he's meddling with their booblins. 'Bout half-fledged,
that's what they be."

"Make haste, then," cried Ralph; and as they hurried on as fast as the
steep ascent would allow, they saw the ravens rise and stoop, again and
again. Then only one reappeared, and a few moments later, neither.

"We shall be too late," cried Ralph excitedly. "They must have killed
him, and are now tearing his eyes out."

"And sarve him right," cried Nick savagely. "What does he do on our
cliff, a-maddling wi' our birds?"

"But it would be such a pity not to take him alive, Nick," panted Ralph
breathlessly.

"How were you going to catch him alive?" growled the man. "Wouldn't
catch us going down to fight un, and you wouldn't like to crawl down
there."

"Get a rope with a loop, noose him, and drag him up," cried Ralph.

"Eh? Hear him, Ram? Who'd ha' thought of that? Comes o' larning, that
does, and going away to school. You'd never ha' thought on it, lad."

"Nay, I shouldn't ha' thought o' that," said Ram heavily; "but I've been
thinking o' somethin' else."

"What?" said Ralph, as they were mounting the last fifty feet of the
steep slope.

"As like enough he's nipped they two birds, and we'd best look out, or
he'll come sudden-like over the edge there, and run for it."

"Forward, then, quick!" cried Ralph; and pressing on, he threw himself
on his breast, and crawled the last few feet, so as to thrust his head
over the edge and gaze down, to see the so-called wolf's cub sheathe his
sword, and prepare to get the young ravens out of their nesting recess
in the face of the cliff.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

THE YOUNG ENEMIES.

Eden recovered his presence of mind on the instant, and looking coolly
up at Nick Garth, who had shouted at him so insolently, he replied
haughtily: "What is it to you, sir? Be off!"

Then, entirely ignoring Ralph, who was looking down, breathless with
rage and exertion, he carefully withdrew the egg from the nest, in spite
of the pecking of the young ravens, and transferred it to the lining of
his cap.

After this he took off his kerchief, and began to twist it up tightly to
make an apology for a line with which to tie together the young ravens'
legs.

The two men on either side of Ralph looked at him, as if wondering what
he would say.

"Now, then, it's of no use to peck: out you come, my fine fellows.