CHAP. X.] Ascends a Precipice. 185 
lair, he observed one of the martins flying out of the cave, 
and shot it. Instead of dropping at his feet, it fell on the 
top of the cliff. How was he to get at the bird? He 
might have gone round a considerable way, and thus reach- 
ed the top of the rock; but this would have involved the 
loss of considerable time, and he was anxious to get home 
to his work. 
There was another way of getting at the bird, and that 
was by scrambling directly up the face of the cliff. He de- 
termined on adopting the latter course. Usually, when as- 
cending rocks, he used to tie his gun to his back, as both 
hands were required to grip and clutch the edges of the 
rock above him. But on this occasion, not wishing to lose 
further time by buckling on his gun, he determined, dan- 
gerous though it was, to ascend the precipice gun in hand. 
By grasping the stones above him with his hands and nails, 
and putting the tips of his shoes into the crevices of the 
rocks, or sometimes only on to a little tuft of grass, he con- 
trived to haul himself up. He managed very well until he 
reached about the middle of the ascent, where a bend oc- 
curs in the rocks. There he became fixed. To come down, 
unless headlong, was impossible; and to go up seemed 
equally impracticable. In that case he would have had to 
drop his gun, and smash it to bits on the rocks below. This 
he could not afford to do. Still, he could not stay there. 
With bated breath and steady eye, he clutched a little pro- 
jection of rock standing out far above him. He caught it, 
clambered a little way up, then secured a firmer footing, 
and at last reached the summit in safety. 
His troubles were not over. They were only beginning. 
He looked about for the bird. It lay only a few yards 
from him. It was on the edge of the cliff, and seemed ap- 
parently dead. On stooping to pick it up, it fluttered, raised 
one of its wings, and went over the precipice. In his ea- 
gerness to catch it, or perhaps from the excited state in 
which he was from mounting the cliff, Edward grasped at 
