Tell me."

So for another half-hour this struggle with sleep went on. Jeffreys had
more to do than keep his companion awake. He accompanied every question
with a change of position of his knees and arms, that he might be able
when the time came to use his limbs. It was little enough scope he had
for any movement on that narrow ledge, but he lost no chance, and his
self-imposed fidgets helped not only himself but Percy.

At last the roar on the cliffs changed into a surly soughing, and the
gusts edged slowly but surely round behind the great buttress of the
mountain.

"Percy," said Jeffreys, "we must try a move. Can you hold yourself
steady while I try to get up?"

Percy was wide awake in an instant.

"I can hold on, but my other arm is no good for scrambling."

"I'll see to that, only hold on while I get up."

It was a long and painful operation; every joint and muscle seemed to be
congealed. At length, however, by dint of a terrible effort, he managed
to draw up his feet and even to stand on the path. He kicked up the
earth so as to make a firm foothold, and then addressed himself to the
still more difficult task of raising the stiff and crippled Percy.

How he did it, and how he half dragged, half carried him back along the
ledge to the firmer ground of the upper zigzag path, he never knew. He
always counted it as one of the miracles of his life, the work of that
stronger than human arm which had already helped him along his path, and
which in this act showed that it still was with him. To stand even on
that steep mountain path was, after the peril of that fearful ledge,
like standing on a broad paved road.

"Where next?" said Percy.

"Over the top and down by the Sharpenholme track. Do you see the moon
is coming out through the mist?"

"All serene!"

The heroism of that night's adventure was not all absorbed by the elder
traveller. The boy who with indomitable hopefulness toiled up that
steep ascent with a broken arm bandaged to his side, making nothing of
his pain, was a type of English boy happily still to be met with, giving
promise of men of the right stuff yet to come to maintain the good name
of their country.

They were not much in the humour for admiring the wonderful beauty of
the scene as the mist gradually cleared and above them rose the full
white moon flooding the mountain and the hills beyond with its pure
light. They welcomed the light, for it showed them the way; but they