r me, I really did not think the time was going so fast! Why, it
must be within a hour of sunset; don't you think so?"

"Not far off," said Fritz; "so, therefore, there's all the greater
reason for our returning down the gully as soon as possible. If the
darkness came on while we were descending, I should never be able to
scramble down."

"Never fear, brother; I'll look after you," cried Eric.

On their approaching the eastern end of the clift again, the sailor lad
first lowered down the dead kid by a piece of rope he had taken with
him, on to one of the niches in the gorge above the waterfall, and then
prepared for the descent of Fritz and himself. "Never fear brother," he
repeated. "Although you may be stronger than I, still my eye is steady
and my hand sure!"

"Good!" said Fritz. "You had better then go down first, and direct me
where to put my feet. After we've been up and down once or twice, of
course, I shall not find it so difficult."

"All right," responded Eric, "here goes!" So saying, he swung himself
over the top of the cliff, when, holding on firmly to the tussock-grass
and half slipping down and half stepping on the projections in the face
of the crag, he reached in a few minutes the first broad ledge over
which the rivulet from above tossed its spray.

"Are you quite safe?" asked Fritz, before adventuring on the descent.

"Certainly," said the other. "Hold on to the grass stems the same as I
did, and let yourself slide over at the corner--there! Now, feel with
your foot for a projecting bit of stone just below where you are
standing and about a yard to the right. Have you got it?"

"Yes," replied Fritz.

"All right, then, let yourself down on it and take a fresh grip of the
tussock-grass, for you will have to bear more to the left this time.
Hold on tight and take a long step down, now, and you'll be beside me;
there you are, you see!"

Eric then proceeded down to the next step, or leap, of the waterfall in
the same way, lowering the kid first, and then descending and directing
his brother's steps; so that, in a much shorter time than they had
ascended, they arrived once more in the valley--although, from the fact
of the tableland being more open and exposed and the cliffs obscuring
the light, the lads found it quite dark when they reached their hut, the
sun having sunk below the western ocean while they were climbing down
the crags.

"Thank goodness, we're here at last!" exclaimed F