anage it, I know."

"Oh no, Wright, never say die. Look; if I get down more toward the
right the way's plain enough, and I shall have reached the nest in no
time."

Again he descended in a different direction, but again he failed. The
nest could only be seen from the top, and he lost the proper route.

"You must keep more to the right."

"I know," answered Vernon; "but, bother take it, I can't manage it, now
I'm so far down. I must climb up _again_."

"_Do_ give it up, Verny, there's a good fellow. You _can't_ reach it,
and really it's dangerous."

"Oh no, not a bit of it. My head's very steady and I feel as cool as
possible. We mustn't give up; I've only to get at the tree, and then I
shall be able to reach the nest from it quite easily."

"Well, do take care, that's a dear fellow."

"Never fear," said Vernon, who was already commencing his third attempt.

This time he got to the tree, and placed his foot on a part of the root,
while with his hands he clung on to a clump of heather.

"Hurrah!" he cried, "it's got two eggs in it, Wright," and he stretched
downwards to take them. Just as he was doing so, he heard the root on
which his foot rested give a great crack, and with a violent start he
made a spring for one of the lower branches. The motion caused his
whole weight to rest for an instant on his arms; unable to sustain the
wrench, the heather gave way, and with a wild shriek he fell headlong
down the surface of the cliff.

With a wild shriek!--but silence followed it.

"Vernon! Vernon!" shouted the terrified Wright, creeping close up to
the edge of the precipice. "O Vernon! for Heaven's sake, speak."

There was no answer, and leaning over, Wright saw the young boy
outstretched on the stones three hundred feet below. For some minutes
he was horror-struck beyond expression, and made wild attempts to
descend the cliff and reach him. But he soon gave up the attempt in
despair. There was a tradition in the school that the feat had once
been accomplished by an adventurous and active boy, but Wright at any
rate found it hopeless for himself. The only other way to reach the
glen was by a circuitous route which led to the entrance of the narrow
gorge, along the sides of which it was possible to make way with
difficulty down the bank of the river to the place where it met the sea.
But this would have taken him an hour and a half, and was far from easy
when the river was swollen with high tide. T