p my eyes closed."

"That is the best thing you can do," Captain Holland said, "though it
is so dark that you would not be able to see, if you did. When you get
to the bottom, untie the rope, pull it gently down, and call out to me
whether the lowest piece of stick touches the ground. If it does not,
I will pull it up again and fasten on some more. I have got a dozen
spare ones with me."

Captain Holland then told Surajah and Dick to take off their upper
garments. These he wound round and round the lower four feet of the
rope, increasing its diameter to over two inches.

"There," he said, as he fastened this round Surajah's body, under the
arms. "It won't hurt you, now. That silk rope would have cut in an
inch deep before you got to the bottom, if it had not been covered."

Then he took off his own garment, made it up into a roll, lashed one
end to the rope in the centre of Surajah's back, passed it between his
legs and fastened it to the knot at his chest.

"There," he said; "that will prevent any possibility of the thing
slipping up over your shoulders, and will take a lot of the strain off
your chest."

Then he lay down and crawled forward to the edge, pegged the cushion
down, and then, turning to Surajah, said:

"All is ready now."

Surajah had felt rather ashamed that all these precautions should be
taken for him, while the others would have to rely solely upon their
hands and feet, and, sternly repressing any sign of nervousness, he
stepped forward to the side of Captain Holland.

"That is right," the captain said approvingly. "Now, lie down by my
side, and work yourself backwards. Go over on one side of the cushion,
for you might otherwise displace it. I will hold your wrists and let
you over. Dick will hold the rope. I will put it fairly on the
cushion. Then I shall take it and stand close to the edge, and pay it
out gradually as you go down. If you should find any projecting piece
of rock, call out 'Stop!' I will hold on at once. We can then talk
over how we can best avoid the difficulty. When you are down, and I
tell you Dick is coming, take hold of one of the steps, and hold the
ladder as firmly as you can, so as to prevent it from swaying about.

"Now, are you ready?"

"Quite ready," Surajah said, in a firm voice.

Dick, who was standing five or six yards back, tightened the rope.
Gradually he saw Surajah's figure disappear over the edge.

"Slack out a little bit," his father said. "That is r