t it remained poised for a few moments and then fell
over, gliding slowly for a few feet, and then gathering velocity it made
a leap right into a heap of _debris_ which it scattered, and then
another leap and another, followed by roll, rush, and rumble, till,
always gathering velocity, amidst the rush and rattle of stones, it made
one final bound of a couple of hundred feet at least, and fell far below
us on a projecting mass of rock, to be shivered to atoms, while the
sound came echoing up, and then seemed to run away down the valley and
out to sea.
No one spoke for a few moments, for the feeling upon us was one of awe.
"I say, that was fine!" cried Bob at last. "Let's do another. You
don't mind, do you, Sep?"
"N-no," I said, "I don't think it does any harm."
I spoke hesitatingly, as I could not help wondering what my father would
have said had he been there.
"Come along," cried Bob, who was intensely excited now, "let's send a
big one down."
His eagerness was contagious, and we followed him up a little along the
edge of the steep cliff to find a bigger piece; but, though we could
find plenty of small ones, which we sent bounding down by the help of
the iron lever with more or less satisfactory results, the heavy masses
all seemed to have portions so wedged or buried in the live rock that
our puny efforts were without avail.
"I tell you what," said Bigley at last, "I know!"
"What do you know?" cried Bob with a sneer, for somehow, though he could
easily have taken us one under each arm, Bigley used to be terribly
pecked by both.
For answer Bigley pointed up at the ragged comb-like ridge above us.
"Well, what are you doing that for?" cried Bob.
"Let's send down the big boulder."
We looked up at the great stone which we had long ago dubbed the
Boulder, because it was so much like one of the well-rolled pieces on
the shore, and there it lay a hundred feet beyond us, looking as if a
touch would send it thundering down.
"Hooray!" cried Bob. "Why, I say, Sep, he isn't half such a stupid as
you said he was."
"I didn't say he was stupid," I cried indignantly.
"Oh, yes, you did!" said Bob with a grin; "but never mind now. Come on,
lads. I say, it's steeper there, and as soon as it comes down it will
make such a rush."
"Can't hurt anything, can it?" I said dubiously.
"Yes; it'll hurt you if you stand underneath," said Bob grinning. "Come
along. What can it hurt? Why, it wouldn't eve
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