CROSSING THE LADDER. 57 



singular appendages which bear the fructification ; 

 narrow forked straps or thongs, not more than a 

 quarter of an inch in thickness, but stretching to a 

 length of several yards, and springing from a point in 

 the centre of each cup-like base. 



After rounding in this manner the face of the cliff 

 for a considerable distance, we came at length to some 

 rocks which were high and dry above water, where, 

 as we stood, the wide mouth of the dark cavern 

 yawned immediately in front of us. Between us and 

 it, however, lay an ample area, strewn with boulders 

 of various shapes and sizes, but almost all covered 

 with the sea, which was breaking over them with a 

 formidable surge. 



Now another council of war. How are we to pass 

 this Scylla and Charybdis in one ? The ladder comes 

 again into requisition ; when laid down horizontally, 

 its extremities just reach across the space, from our 

 position to a dry rock at the cave's mouth ; its middle 

 being supported by the top of a boulder which rose 

 above the surface. 



We looked rather blank at this precarious cause- 

 way ; our only chance of getting over dry lay in the 

 nimbleness of our heels ; for every breaking sea washed 

 away the ladder, despite the efforts of the servants to 

 hold it firm at the ends. To him who was not agile 

 enough to skip across in the interval between one sea 

 and another, a ducking was inevitable. 



By Captain Jack's advice, all of us took off our 

 stockings and our upper, garments, tucking up our 



