least," said the hermit, looking anxiously
at his young friend.

"Try it!" cried Nigel, "I won't fail you."

It is not possible for any except those who have gone through a somewhat
similar ordeal to understand fully the test of cool courage which Van
der Kemp had to undergo on that occasion.

Shutting his eyes for a moment in silent prayer, he deliberately worked
with his shoulders upon the cliff against which he leaned until he felt
himself to be on the point of falling towards his friend, and the two
outstretched hands almost touched.

"Now, are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready," replied Nigel, while Moses wound both his powerful arms round
his comrade's waist and held on.

Another moment and the hands clasped, Nigel uttered an irrepressible
shout as the hermit swung off, and, coming round with great violence to
the spot where the negro had fixed himself, just succeeded in catching
the edge of the cliff with his free hand.

"Let go, Nigel," he shouted;--"safe!"

The poor youth was only too glad to obey, for the tremendous pull had
wrenched his arm out of the crevice in which he had fixed it, and for a
moment he swayed helplessly over the awful abyss.

"Don't let me go, Moses!" he yelled, as he made a frantic but futile
effort to regain his hold,--for he felt that the negro had loosened one
of his arms though the other was still round him like a hoop of iron.

"No fear, Nadgel," said Moses, "I's got you tight--only don' wriggle.
Now, massa, up you come."

Moses had grasped his master's hair with a grip that well-nigh scalped
him, and he held on until the hermit had got a secure hold of the ledge
with both hands. Then he let the hair go, for he knew that to an
athlete like his master the raising himself by his arms on to the ledge
would be the work of a few seconds. Van der Kemp was thus able to
assist in rescuing Nigel from his position of danger.

But the expressions of heartfelt thankfulness for this deliverance which
naturally broke from them were abruptly checked when it was found that
Moses could by no means extract his leg out of the hole into which he
had thrust it, and that he was suffering great pain.

After some time, and a good deal of violent wrenching, during which our
sable hero mingled a few groans in strange fashion with his
congratulations, he was got free, and then it was found that the strain
had been too much for even his powerful bones and sinews, for the leg
was broken.

"My poo