practice at cliff climbing
than I.

"Robbie," I said, "let me go down. You can hold the line--" and
then suddenly remembering my magic stone, I added, "and remember,
Robbie, that I have this little stone to keep me from harm."

At once Robbie cast away all fear and became quite confident.

"What fools we were not to think of that!" he exclaimed. "Come
away, let us tie the lines together, and you'll go down as safe as
a bird, Hal. Hooray! we have a chance of testing the worth of the
stone after all!"

Robbie's confidence gave me courage--or was it the remembrance of
the viking's charm that made me bold? However it be, I now thought
no more of going down this unfamiliar precipice than if it had been
one of those that were so well known to me on the Mainland.

Having tied the two ropes securely together, we looked for a
convenient point at which to make the descent. We went out to the
furthest part of the embayed cliff, and looking over to the
opposite precipice saw a suitable spot less steep than the rest,
and where also, some distance below the brink, there was a
projecting pinnacle of rock which might serve as a pillar round
which to secure the rope.

We took the climbing line and cast one end of it over the cliff,
letting it fall as far down as the pinnacle I have mentioned.
Robbie then held the rope, with the help of a boulder of rock round
which he secured it, and I proceeded to lower myself down the
steep. It was easy work getting to the pinnacle; but this was only
the beginning. I whistled up to Robbie when I had gained a sure
footing, and he let down the rest of the rope. And now I had to
manage everything else unaided, for Robbie could not, with what
contrivances he had on the top of the cliff, have been of any
further help. Before I had cast the rope over the point of rock, he
was across at the far side of the embayment, where he could watch
my progress and give me directions.

Having passed the line over the rock pillar and allowed the two
ends to hang down in equal lengths, I climbed over, and with
considerable difficulty caught hold of the double rope, by which I
let myself slowly and cautiously down, now holding to the face of
the rocks with hand and foot, now swarming down by the ropes alone,
until a cry from Robbie warned me that I was coming to the end of
the lines. Fortunately I was able to reach a ragged point where I
could once more get a firm foothold.

Resting there, I reflected that I wa