A Critical Moment 451 
jerk. There was nothing for it, but to try to re-ascend. To 
my surprise my signal ‘‘ Haul up” was at once responded to. 
But, bad as the descent had been the ascent was vastly more 
unpleasant. Handhold there was none and all efforts on my part 
to “lighten up” resulted in my detaching a fresh avalanche of 
stones and débris of all sorts. Up I went, spasmodically and 
painfully ; at times the rope bit deep into soft black soil in the 
crannies between the vertical strata. When at length I reached 
the top of the gully, I saw to my surprise my goatherd tending 
the rope at the exact spot where Admiral Farquhar had joined 
me two years before. It was some little time before I could 
recover my breath sufficiently to discuss matters and, when | did 
so, he explained that he had climbed down, since my signals were 
not understood and they feared I might be in serious trouble. Glad 
as I was to see him, I felt some misgivings when I recalled how 
the lowering party was now reduced to Hamond and one other. 
But I could not but admire the pluck of my goatherd who, true to 
the traditions of his class, thoroughly mistrusting all ropes, had 
without touching mine actually climbed down the successive low 
cliffs above me by means of slippery grass-grown gullies to the 
perilous point he now occupied. What this meant can in some 
degree be imagined from the sketch at the end of the book. 
The upward struggle had told severely on me and for one brief 
moment the thought arose: was it worth it?) My recent experience 
of being hauled up by two men was distinctly discouraging and the 
prospects of another such descent and a similar return journey were 
enough to deter anybody save and except one of the birdsnesting 
guild inebriated with the exuberance of his calling. My intrepid 
assistant craned his neck over the abyss and muttered ‘ J/a/o": he 
was a man of few words and I knew well what that word con- 
veyed when he used it and was not greatly encouraged thereby. 
I fancied I detected in his impassive face a lurking contentment 
