52 On Climbing in General 
thought of those two lovely eggs still unblown locked up in my 
dressing-case, I replied ‘No, Sir, I feel sure that anybody who 
tries to take them will fail.” I attribute my good fortune in 
thus extricating myself and my confederates from what might have 
been a most unpleasant position entirely to a prolonged study of 
how British Midshipmen in defence of themselves and their privi- 
leges parry inconvenient questions on the part of the Commander. 
But to return to our climb. When it was voted that the projected 
raid was not good enough, somebody suggested ‘‘ Why go back ? 
Let’s go on!” The very originality of the idea was prepossessing. 
For if one thing was more certain than another in the traditions 
of the old Rock, it was that owing to the difficulties and obstacles 
due to natural causes, supplemented by the dilettante hand of the 
Royal Engineer, nobody could climb round the back of the Rock. 
At this period, no tradition, let alone record, existed of its having 
been accomplished and within the preceding few years several 
attempts had been made and had incontinently failed. An especially 
gruesome one was fresh in all our memories. Two Bluejackets 
who had landed from a warship in harbour, with the usual crowd 
of ‘liberty men,” had broken their leave and not returned. Some 
days later one was retrieved by the picket after a protracted 
jollification on shore. His comrade was still however absent and 
when questioned-as to his whereabouts, he could only remember 
that they had started together to climb around the Rock, but that, 
not liking the job, he had turned back and gone in for a little 
amusement in the town. The clue thus given was followed up 
and the unfortunate missing sailor was found lying on a terrace 
with some bones broken. Here he had been for some days, 
needless to say he did not survive his injuries. Such was the 
cheering precedent for our climb. 
After leaving the Osprey’s terrace, I struck well up the 
cliff and hitting on a good ledge worked along it very steadily 
