or an idea had struck him; and,
lying down close to Dale, who uttered a sigh of satisfaction as he
grasped the boy's idea, he lowered down his axe, and hooked the rope
with it just beneath Dale's.

"Good," whispered the latter,--"good. Ready?"

"Yes."

"Draw steadily hand over hand, till we can get the rope over the edge.
Then throw your axe back, and take hold of the rope."

"Yes, I understand."

"Now, Melchior, we are going to haul."

There was no reply beyond what sounded like a groan; and the pair at the
edge of the crevasse began to tighten the rope gently as they drew up
their axes, with the weight gradually increasing; they saw by the light
of the lanthorn that they first dragged the poor fellow up into a
sitting position; and not having the full burden to deal with yet, Dale
got a shorter hold of the axe handle, Saxe doing the same.

"Steady, steady: don't hurry, boy. It is these first moments that
possess the danger. Once we have the rope I don't mind."

They hauled again hand over hand literally: for in their cribbed
position they could do no more than just pass one hand over the other;
but they were gaining ground, and even yet they had not the full weight,
for fortunately as they hauled they could see the body swing round
against the ice wall, and that Melchior's feet were on the dimly visible
ledge.

"Now, Saxe, we have his whole weight coming; so as the strain falls,
quick with him, one, two, three, and we shall have the rope. Once I can
get that between us on to the edge, we shall have a lot of the drag off
our arms. Now--one, two, three!"

How it was done they could neither of them afterwards have fully
explained; but Saxe had some recollection of tugging at his ice handle
in answer to those words of command till he touched the head with one
hand, passed his other under it, and had hold of the rope.

"Now your axe!" shouted Dale; and Saxe unhooked it, and flung it behind
him with a clang, as at the same time it felt to him as if his chest
were being drawn slowly over the slippery ice, and that he was moving
surely on into the gulf.

The perspiration stood out in great drops upon his face, his grasp of
the rope grew more feeble, and the feeling of self-preservation was
thrilling him, when suddenly there was a tremendous reaction; he drew a
long breath, and was hauling with renewed strength.

It was all nearly momentary, and the reaction came as the boy felt his
toes glide into one of