d either be dashed to pieces in
the attempt or perish miserably of starvation upon the edge of some
ghastly impassable precipice.

It took but a moment for these ideas to shape themselves intelligibly,
and then a general movement was made to commence the descent and thus
cut short a state of suspense which would soon become unbearable.

But at this moment the colonel interposed with a word of caution.

"One moment," said he. "Before we start let each one of us clearly
understand that perfect coolness and presence of mind is imperatively
necessary if we would emerge from this strait alive. We _may_ perhaps
find a way down after all, but in order to do so we must have our wits
completely about us; let no man move, therefore, until he has fully
recovered the control of his nerves; when all have done so we will make
a start, and I will go last."

"And I first," exclaimed the baronet, "because, next to you, I believe I
am the most experienced mountaineer of the party."

The colonel's little speech produced a most beneficial effect upon the
nerves of the whole party, his own included; and now, without further
ado, a general start was made, the baronet going first and directing and
helping the professor, who followed him; Mildmay going third, also
helping von Schalckenberg, and being helped in his turn by Lethbridge,
and the latter bringing up the rear.

The descent, owing to the perpendicular precipices over which they had
to pass, and the extremely dangerous character, generally, of the road,
proved to be even more tedious and difficult than the ascent; and within
the first quarter of an hour (during which they had accomplished only
about one hundred feet of perpendicular descent) every one of the party
had experienced at least one narrow escape from certain death.

Steadily, however, they toiled on; foot by foot they crept down the face
of the icy precipice, and at length they reached a ledge nearly a foot
in width, upon which the entire party were enabled to pause for a minute
or two to rest and relieve their tired and quivering muscles.

When their feet were safely planted upon this ledge Mildmay spoke.

"I may now venture," he said, "to call your attention to a fact which I
feared to mention before, lest it should upset the balance of your
nerves and produce a catastrophe. It is this. The _Flying Fish_,
floating undisturbed in this motionless air, is, in obedience to the law
of gravitation, slowly but steadi