386 THE JOURNEYMAN. 



museum of specimens of geology, botany, conchology, 

 &c., and he had a good many books, hardly a library. 

 He used to read passages of a book he was engaged in 

 writing, and courted criticism, though now and then his 

 eye flashed ominously, if the critic diverged into irrever- 

 ent fun. 



'To follow so daring a cragsman had for me the 

 zest of danger, and he would sometimes heighten my 

 terrors by indulgence in a practical humour bordering 

 on malice. On one occasion, for example, we had 

 to ascend almost perpendicularly from the sea-beach, 

 which had become impassable by the advance of the 

 tide during our explorations, Hugh of course in 

 advance to show the way. The cliff was some 150 or 

 200 feet high. After mounting steadily to within 

 20 or 30 feet of the top, we arrived at a perfectly per- 

 pendicular wall />f solid stone, to be scaled cat-fashion, 

 by clinging successively to bits of clinging ivy. The 

 situation was anything but pleasant, and Hugh suddenly 

 startled me by saying, in what I believe to have been 

 merely an assumed tone of doubt and concern, " I can't 

 get up any further." To go down safely was impossible ; 

 even to look down at the creamy edge of the little waves 

 beating the shore immediately beneath would have 

 made me giddy. I mastered my fears as well as I could, 

 and replied, " Never mind, hold on where you are, and 

 I will climb over you and help you up." He started off, 

 and was in an instant- on the top. I arrived almost at 

 the same moment, and threw myself on the grass pant- 

 ing out, " Hugh, you deserve hanging at the very least." 

 He was always investigating, and for the moment may 

 have forgotten that his curious inspection of my nervous 

 system might have cost me my life. He seemed to me 

 to have a stern pleasure in danger, a pleasure, I confess, 



