n't you climb up? Make haste!"

"I'm going home," grumbled Bob. "If I had known you were two such
fellows I wouldn't have come."

"Here, you get up, Sep," cried Bigley. "I'll stand close up to the
rock, and you can climb up me, and then lay hold of the rope."

"No, no," I whispered; "it would only make Bob savage."

"Never mind; he'll come round again. He won't go--he's only
pretending."

I glanced at our school-fellow, who was slowly shuffling away some
twenty or thirty yards down the slope, and limping as he went as if one
leg was very painful.

"Here, Bob!" I cried, "come and have another try."

He did not turn his head, and I shouted to him again.

"Here, Bob, mate, come and have another try."

He paid no heed; but while I was speaking Bigley placed himself close to
the great rock, reaching up as high as he could, and holding on by the
rope with outstretched arms.

"Now, then, are you ready?" he cried.

The opportunity was too tempting to be resisted, and making a run and a
jump, I sprang upon his broad back, climbed up to his shoulders, got
hold of the rope, and steadied myself as I drew myself into a standing
position, and then reaching up the rope as high as I could, I managed to
get my toes on first one projection, then upon another, and in a few
seconds was right at the top.

Bigley burst into a hoarse cheer, and began to jump about and wave his
cap, with the effect of making Bob stop short and turn, and then come
hurrying back more angry than ever.

"There: you are a pair of sneaks," he cried. "What did you go and do
that for?"

"I helped him," said Bigley. "Hoo--rayah!"

"Yes, and I'll pay you for it," he snarled; but Bigley was too much
excited to notice what he said; and, taking hold of the rope again, he
planted himself against the rock to turn his great body into a ladder.

"Go on up, Bob, and then you two chaps can pull me up to you."

The temptation was too great for Bob, who began to climb directly, and
had nearly reached where I stood, when I bent down and held out my hand.

"Catch hold, Bob!" I cried, "and I'll help you."

"I can get up by myself, thank you," he cried very haughtily, and he
loosed his hold with one hand to strike mine aside.

It was a foolish act, for if I had not snatched at him he would have
gone backwards, but this time he clung to me tightly, and the next
minute was by my side.

"Oh, it's easy enough," he said, forgetting directly the ugly fall h