ied the young gillie.

"Where?"

Kenneth laid his hand on Max's, which was upon the tiller, pressed it
hard, and, to the lad's surprise, the boat glided round till she faced
the wind, and then lay gently rising and falling, with the sail
shivering slightly in the breeze.

"Yes, that's it, sure enough, on that ledge somewhere," said Kenneth,
after a long stare up at the face of the grey crag. "See, Max?"

"No."

"Why, there, about fifty feet from the top. See now?"

"No."

"Oh, I say! where are your eyes? See that black split where the rock
seems to go in?"

"Yes, I see that."

"Well, down a little way to the left, there's a--Oh, look at that!"

A great sharp-winged bird came over the cliff from landward, and was
about to glide down to the shelf of rock, when, seeing the boat and its
occupants, the bird uttered a piercing shriek, and swept away northward.

"That's the cock," cried Kenneth. "No mistake about the young ones,
Scood. Now, then, how shall we get 'em?"

Scood was silent.

"Do you hear, stupid?"

"Ou ay, she can hear, Maister Ken."

"Well, how are we to get them?"

"Aw'm thenking," said Scood, as he stared up at the beetling crag, which
was for the most part absolutely perpendicular.

"Hit him on the head with that oar, Max, and make him think more
quickly."

"She couldna get up anywhere there," said Scood slowly, as he scanned
every cranny of the cliff face.

"Oh yes, we could, Scood."

"Nay, Maister Ken, an' ye see, if we was to tummle, it wouldn't be into
the watter, but on to the rocks."

"Oh, we shouldn't tumble. You could climb that, couldn't you, Max?"

"No, not without a ladder," replied Max thoughtfully; "and I never saw
one long enough to reach up there."

"No, I should think not. Look here, Scoody, one of us has got to climb
up and take those young ones."

"She couldna do it."

"You're afraid, Scoody."

"Na, she isna feared, but she couldna do it."

"Well, I shall try."

"No, don't; pray, don't! It looks so dangerous."

"Nonsense!"

"She couldna clamber up there fra the bottom," said Scoodrach slowly,
"but she could clamber up it fra the top."

"No, you couldn't, stupid; it hangs over."

"An' we could tak' a rope."

"Come on, then," cried Kenneth, seizing the tiller; and Max felt his
hands grow damp in the palms as he looked up at the top of the
precipice, and saw in imagination one of his companions dangling from a
rope.

"Which will be best--