d
Dale, as he drew up the loop and coiled the rope on his arm again. "I
must get it farther on."

He threw again, and once more lassoed the projection; but the loop
dropped off this time with the weight of the rope, and he had to begin
again making all his preparations as carefully as a man does in some
perilous position.

Another throw, which proved a complete miss. Then another and another,
each proving to be less accurate than the one which had gone before.

"Five minutes' rest," said Dale quietly. "My arm is getting tired."

A dead silence reigned then for a few minutes, during which time a dark
shadow glided across the deep gully, and they heard the faint whizzing
sound of the wings of an eagle, whose keen, cruel eyes looked down at
them as if seeing prey.

"Now," cried Dale, "I must do this, Saxe. Don't be impatient with me,
boy; and if it's any comfort to you, I may tell you that I am in a far
worse position than you."

"Yes; I know," said Saxe hoarsely. "I wish I could help."

"Do so another time by not getting yourself into such a scrape. Hush!
don't speak: I'm going to throw."

The loop went flying up; but at the same moment Saxe saw Dale slip a
little, and it was only by a violent effort that he saved himself from
falling, while, as a consequence, the loop missed again, and fell to the
full length of the rings off the thrower's arm.

Saxe drew a deep breath, and watched now with a growing sensation of
hopelessness as he saw each effort made, and every one after deliberate
and careful gathering up of the rope and hanging it in rings upon the
left arm. But no matter how he tried Dale's casts grew more and more
erring, till, quite in despair, he stood fast, resting his weary arm,
and said with an apologetic air--

"I wish I were not so clumsy, Saxe. I'm afraid I must try some fresh
plan."

There was a long pause now, and Dale seemed to be thinking.

"Are you quite safe?" he said at last.

"I--that is, I can hold on," said Saxe sadly.

"That's right. I'm going to have one more try, lad, and if I fail I
must climb again and see if I can get higher, so as to drop the loop
over the rock; but I don't want to do that if I can help it, for, as you
say, the getting down is bad."

He made a very long and careful preparation this time, and threw with so
much vigour and want of accuracy that the loop missed; but a coil of the
rope went right over the projection where the loop should have been, a