CHAP. X.] Dragged out of his Vise. 187 
two long and oval pieces of rock, and quite unable to set 
himself free. The two countrymen went round by the Tar- 
lair pathway, in order to get Edward out of his fixture. It 
seemed to him an age before they arrived. 
They at first took him by the shoulder and tried to lift 
him out; but this was so painful to him that at last they 
desisted. They then tried to remove one of the rocks be- 
tween which he lay clasped : this also proved fruitless. Ed- 
ward then observed that the other rock, which they had not 
yet tried to remove, consisted of a loose shale. It had ei- 
ther dropped from the cliff, or been tossed inshore by the 
sea. Edward desired them to try and move it a little; but 
their joint efforts proved unavailing. Many attempts were 
made to no purpose. A stout fisherman then appeared on 
the scene. He put his shoulder to the rock, and the block 
was at last moved sufficiently far so as to enable Edward 
to be dragged out of the vise. 
He sat down and felt himself all over. His left shoulder 
and left side were extremely sore. The back of his head 
was also very painful. But he was thankful to find that 
neither his arms nor his legs were broken. He was not so 
sure about his left ribs. He was very much bruised and cut 
on that side. One of the splinters of the gun-stock was 
found sticking through his coat. An old copper powder- 
flask, which he had in his left pocket, was as flat as a floun- 
der: allits contents were dashed out. 
Edward entreated the men to help him to get to the cave. 
He thought that, if left there for a time, he would soon re- 
cover. He got upon his feet with difficulty, and found that 
his spine had been hurt. With the help of two of the men, 
he was at last able to walk very slowly to the cave. They 
urged him to allow them to carry him to the cottage near 
the mineral well. But he preferred to rest in the cave. 
They prepared a bed of sea-weed for him, on which he lay 
down. His protectors then left him, and, spite of his pain, 
he fell asleep. He must have slept some time, for he was 
