broad stony shelf at the very edge of a sharply-cut rift, whose sides
showed that it must have been split from the opposite side by some
convulsion of Nature, so exactly was the shape repeated.

At the bottom of this crack--for it could be called little else--the
water of the stream rushed foaming along some thirty feet beneath, the
whole place looking black and forbidding enough to make any one hesitate
before attempting to cross, though the distance to the other ledge was
not above five feet, a trifling jump under ordinary circumstances. But
here, with the deep black rift and the foaming water beneath, it looked
startling to a lad accustomed to a quiet home life. He, however, put a
bold face on the matter and stood looking on.

Jack was, however, conscious of the fact that the doctor was watching
him in a side-long way, as if expecting to hear him make some
objections. As, however, the boy was silent, the doctor spoke.

"Rather an ugly jump, Jack," he said. "Think you can manage it?"

"Oh, I think so. I shall try."

"Try? It must not be a try. It has to be done."

"Yes, I can do it," said the lad confidently.

"Oh yes, you can do that, Mr Jack," said Ned in a whisper, as the
doctor turned off to speak to Lenny; "think it's only a ditch a foot
deep."

The boy could not think that with the water roaring beneath him far
below, and he could not help glancing back up the steep slope they had
descended. This looked so forbidding and meant so much toilsome work,
that he felt as if he would rather do the leap, though all the same
there was the climb on the other side. Still there was an attraction
there in the shape of the strange birds, which he was as eager to secure
as the doctor.

"Who'll go first?" said the doctor. "Here, I will."

He handed his gun and satchel to Ned, walked a little way to select the
broadest and clearest path, which happened to be a couple of feet higher
than the opposite side, stepped back as far as he could, took a short
run, and landed easily a couple of feet clear.

"There: nothing," he cried, "but I shouldn't like to try it back. Throw
my satchel over, Ned."

This was done and deftly caught. Then the gun was carefully pitched
across, the others followed, and the specimens shot that morning.

Then one by one the sailors leaped over, and Jack and Ned remained.

"Will you go next, Ned?"

"Me, sir, and leave you behind? 'Tisn't likely. Don't think about it,
sir. It'