ion swung himself nimbly upon it, and twisting his legs round it in
sailor fashion, slipped down eight or ten feet, where his weight gave it a
motion not unlike that of a pendulum. He could not venture to descend any
farther; so holding on with one hand, he with the other shook one by one
all the slender roots around him, and at last, finding one which he
thought trustworthy, shifted himself to it and continued his downward
progress.

So far so well; but I could not avoid comparing my heavier frame and
disabled condition with his light figure and remarkable activity: but
there was no help for it, and in less than a minute's time I was swinging
directly over his head. As soon as his upturned eyes caught a glimpse of
me, he exclaimed in his usual dry tone, for the danger did not seem to
daunt him in the least, "Mate, do me the kindness not to fall until I get
out of your way"; and then swinging himself more on one side, he continued
his descent. In the meantime, I cautiously transferred myself from the
limb down which I had been slipping to a couple of others that were near
it, deeming two strings to my bow better than one, and taking care to test
their strength before I trusted my weight to them.

On arriving towards the end of the second stage in this vertical journey,
and shaking the long roots which were round me, to my consternation they
snapped off one after another like so many pipe stems, and fell in
fragments against the side of the gulf, splashing at last into the waters
beneath.

As one after another the treacherous roots yielded to my grasp, and fell
into the torrent, my heart sunk within me. The branches on which I was
suspended over the yawning chasm swang to and fro in the air, and I
expected them every moment to snap in twain. Appalled at the dreadful fate
that menaced me, I clutched frantically at the only large root which
remained near me; but in vain; I could not reach it, though my fingers
were within a few inches of it. Again and again I tried to reach it, until
at length, maddened with the thought of my situation, I swayed myself
violently by striking my foot against the side of the rock, and at the
instant that I approached the large root caught desperately at it, and
transferred myself to it. It vibrated violently under the sudden weight,
but fortunately did not give way.

My brain grew dizzy with the idea of the frightful risk I had just run,
and I involuntarily closed my eyes to shut out the v