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 1>. IS.
 
 THE 
 
 CLIFF-CLIMBERS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE LONE HOME IN THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 A SEQUEL TO "THE PLANT-HUNTERS." 
 
 BT 
 
 CAPTAIN MAYNE REID, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE DESERT HOME," "THE BOY HDSTERS," ETC., ETC. 
 
 WITH ILLVSTRATIONS. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 T I C K N O R AND F I E I^ D S . 
 
 1 8 6 o .
 
 University Press: 
 
 Welch, Bigelow, and Company, 
 
 Cambridge.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 — f-^ 
 
 Chafteb Fagb 
 
 I. The Himalayas 1 
 
 II. A View from Chumulaki 7 
 
 ni. The Plant-Hunter and his Companions . . 13 
 
 IV. Home to the Hut 18 
 
 V. A Midnight Inteudek 22 
 
 VI. A Talk about Elephants ...... 27 
 
 VII. Re-stocking the Guns 32 
 
 Vni. Inspecting the Cliffs 36 
 
 IX. A Reconnoissance Interrupted .... 40 
 
 X. OssAROo on the Obelisk 45 
 
 XI. A Wholesale Tumble 48 
 
 Xn. A Ring Performance ...... 63 
 
 XHI. An Odd Appearance 58 
 
 XIV. A Curious Nest ■ . 62 
 
 XV. The Hoenbill 67 
 
 XVI. A Four-footed Burglar 71 
 
 XVn. Fritz Interferes 75 
 
 XVni. "Death to the Rogue!" 79 
 
 1542451
 
 VI CONTEXTS. 
 
 XIX. A Home in Ruins 84 
 
 XX. Up a Tree again! ...-.., 89 
 
 XXI. An Implacable Besieger . . . . ,93 
 
 XXII. Drawing their Drink 97 
 
 XXin. A Gigantic Syringe 101 
 
 XXIV. Swallowed Wholesale 104 
 
 XXV". The Deodar 109 
 
 XXVI. The Scaling Ladders 117 
 
 XXVII. An Empty Larder 122 
 
 XXVIII. Going abroad for Breakfast . . . 126 
 
 XXIX. Caspar on a Stalk 130 
 
 XXX. The Double Decoy 134 
 
 XXXI. The Signal of the Shikaree . . . .139 
 
 XXXn. The Ibex 143 
 
 XXXm. Goats and Sheep 148 
 
 XXXIV. A Battle of Bucks 155 
 
 XXXV. The Bearcoots 162 
 
 XXXVI. A Hope built upon the Bearcoot . . 169 
 
 XXXVH. The Log on the Leg ...... 174 
 
 XXXVIII. Further Experiments 181 
 
 XXXIX. The Eagle's Escape 185 
 
 XL. Fritz and the Falcons 189 
 
 XLI. Fritz Offended . 195 
 
 XLH. a" Kite! ... .... 198 
 
 XLin. The Paper-Tree 204
 
 CONTENTS. Vii 
 
 XLIV. Flying the Kite 211 
 
 XLV. The Rope Ladder 217 
 
 XL VI. OssAEoo makes a quick Descemt . . . 223 
 
 XLVn. The Escape of the Kite ..... 228 
 
 XLVni. No more Paper-Trees 234 
 
 XLIX. Aerostatics 239 
 
 L. Thr Skin Balloon 246 
 
 LL Making Ready for the Ascent . . . 252 
 
 LIL Inflation and Failure 267 
 
 Lin. Another Spell of Despair .... 260 
 
 LIV.' The Bean of Pythagoras .... 266 
 
 LV. An Aquatic Harvest 270 
 
 LVI. The Adjutants 274 
 
 LVIL The Standing Sleepers 279 
 
 LVin. Fritz Among the Feathers .... 283 
 
 LIX. Capturing the Storks 289 
 
 LX. A Labelled Leg ..,,,. 294 
 
 LXI. Mail-Carriers on Wings 298 
 
 LXU. Conclusion , 302
 
 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 "Who has not heard of the Himalayas, — those Titanic 
 masses of mountains that interpose themselves between 
 the hot plains of India and the cold table-lands of Thibet, 
 — a worthy barrier between the two greatest empires in 
 the world, the Mogul and the Celestial ? The veriest 
 tyro in geography can tell you that they are the tallest 
 mountains on the surface of the earth ; that their sum- 
 mits — a half-dozen of them at least — surmount the 
 sea-level by more than five miles of perpendicular 
 height ; that more than thirty of them rise above twenty 
 thousand feet, and carry upon their tops the eternal 
 snow ! 
 
 The more skilled geographer, or geognosist, could 
 communicate hundreds of other interesting facts in rela- 
 tion to these majestic mountains; vast volumes might be 
 filled with most attractive details of them, — their fauna, 
 their sr/lva, and their Jlora. But here, my reader, we 
 have only space to speak of a few of the more salient 
 points, that may enable you to form some idea of the 
 Titanic grandeur of these mighty masses of snow- 
 1 ▲
 
 2 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 crowned rock, which, towering aloft, frown or smile, as 
 the case may be, on our grand empire of Ind. 
 
 It is the language of writers to call the Himalayas a 
 " chain of mountains." Spanish geographers would call 
 them a "sierra" (saw), — a phrase which they have 
 applied to the Andes of America. Either term is inap- 
 propriate when speaking of the Himalayas : for the vast 
 tract occupied by these mountains — over 200,000 square 
 miles, or three times the size of Great Britain — in 
 shape bears no resemblance to a chain. Its length is 
 only six or seven times greater than its breadth, — the 
 former being about a thousand miles, while the latter in 
 many places extends through two degrees of the earth's 
 latitude. 
 
 Moreover, from the western termination of the Hima- 
 layas, in the country of Cabul, to their eastern declension 
 near the banks of the Burrampooter, there is no con- 
 tinuity that would entitle them to the appellation of a 
 " chain of mountains." Between these two points they 
 are cut transversely — and in many places — by stu- 
 pendous valleys, that form the channels of great rivers, 
 which, instead of running east and west, as the moun- 
 tains themselves were supposed to trend, have their 
 courses in the transverse direction, — often flowing due 
 north or south. 
 
 It is true that, to a traveller approaching the Hima- 
 layas from any part of the great plain of India, these 
 mountains present the appearance of a single range, 
 stretching continuously along the horizon from east to 
 west. This, however, is a mere optical illusion ; and, 
 instead of one range, the Himalayas may be regarded 
 as a congeries of mountain ridges, covering a superficies
 
 THE HIMALAYAS. 3 
 
 of 200,000 square miles, and running in as many differ- 
 ent directions as there are points in the compass. 
 
 Within the circumference of this vast mountain tract 
 there is great variety of climate, soil, and productions. 
 Among the lower hills — those contiguous to the plains 
 of India — as well as in some of the more profound 
 valleys of the interior — the flora is of a tropical or 
 subtropical character. The palm, the tree fern, and 
 bamboo here flourish in free luxuriance. Higher up 
 appears the vegetation of the temperate zone, repre- 
 sented by forests of gigantic oaks of various species, by 
 sycamores, pines, walnut, and chestnut trees. Still 
 higher are the rhododendrons, the birches, and heaths ; 
 succeeded by a region of herbaceous vegetation, — by 
 slopes, and even table-plains, covered with rich grasses. 
 Stretching onward and upward to the line of the eternal 
 snow, there are encountered the Gryptogamia — the 
 lichens and mosses of Alpine growth — just as they are 
 found within the limits of the polar circle ; so that the 
 traveller, who passes from the plains of India towards 
 the high ridges of the Himalayas, or who climbs out of 
 one of the deeper valleys up to some snow-clad summit 
 that surmounts it, may experience within a journey of a 
 few hours' duration every degree of climate, and observe 
 a representative of every species of vegetation known 
 upon the face of the earth ! 
 
 The Himalayas are not uninhabited. On the con- 
 trary, one considerable kingdom (Nepaul), with many 
 petty states and communities (as Bhotan, Sikhim, Gur- 
 whal, Kumaon, and the famed > Cashmere), are found 
 within their boundaries, — some enjoying a sort of 
 political independence, but most of them living under
 
 4 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 the protection either of the Anglo-Indian empire, on the 
 one side, or that of China upon the other. The inhabi- 
 tants of these several states are of mixed races, and 
 very different from the people of Hindostan. Towards 
 the east — in Bhotan and Sikhim — they are chiefly of 
 the Mongolian stock, in customs and manners resembHng 
 the people of Thibet, and, like them, practising the 
 religion of the Lamas. In the western Himalayas there 
 is an admixture of Ghoorka mountaineers, Hindoos from 
 the south, Sikhs from Lahore, and Mahometans from the 
 old empire of the Moguls ; and here, also, are to be 
 found, in full profession, the three great representative 
 religions of Asia, — Mahometan, Buddhist, and Brah- 
 min. 
 
 The population, however, is exceedingly small com- 
 pared with the surface over which it is distributed ; and 
 there are many tracts in the Himalayan hills, thousands 
 of square miles in extent, where no human being dwells, 
 — where no chimney sends up its smoke. Indeed, there 
 are vast tracts, especially among the high snow-covered 
 summits, that have either never been explored, or only 
 very rarely, by the adventurous hunter. Others there 
 are quite inaccessible ; and it is needless to say, that the 
 highest peaks — such as Chumulari, Kinchinjunga, Don- 
 kia, Dawalghiri, and the like — are far beyond the reach 
 of even the most daring climber. Perhaps no one has 
 ever ascended to the height of five miles above the level 
 of the sea ; and it is a question whether at that eleva- 
 tion a human being could exist. At such a height it is 
 probable that animal liie would become extinct, by 
 reason either of the extreme cold or the rarity of the 
 atmosphere.
 
 THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 Though the Himalaya mountains have been known 
 from the earliest historic times — for they are the Imaus 
 and Emodus of the ancient writers — it is only within 
 the present century that we in Europe have obtained 
 any definite knowledge of them. The Portuguese and 
 Dutch — the first European colonists of India — have 
 told us very little about them; and even our own 
 Anglo-Indian writers were long silent upon this inter- 
 esting theme. Exaggerated accounts of the hostility 
 and cruelty of the Himalayan highlanders — more espe- 
 cially the Ghoorkas — prevented private explorations ; 
 and with the exception of some half-dozen books, most 
 of them referring to the western section of the Hima- 
 layas, and comparatively valueless, from the want of 
 scientific knowledge on the part of their authors, this 
 vast tract has remained almost a terra incognita up to 
 the present time. 
 
 Of late, however, we have obtained a better acquaint- 
 ance with this interesting portion of the earth's sur- 
 face. The botanist, lured thither by its magnificent 
 Jlora, has opened to us a new world of vegetation. 
 Royle and Hooker have ably achieved this task. The 
 zoologist, equally attracted by its varied fauna, has 
 made us acquainted with new forms of animal life. 
 Hodgson and Wallich. are the historians in this depart- 
 ment. Scarcely less are we indebted to the sportsman 
 and hunter, — to Markham, Dunlop, and Wilson the 
 " mountaineer." 
 
 But in addition to these names, that have become 
 fatnous through the published reports of their explora- 
 tions, there are others that still remain unrecorded. 
 The plant-hunter — tbe humble but useful commissioner
 
 fa THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 of the enterprising nurseryman — has found his way 
 into the Himalayas ; has penetrated their most remote 
 gorges ; has climbed their steepest declivities ; and wan- 
 dered along the limit of their eternal snow. In search 
 of new forms of leaf and flower, he has forded the 
 turbid stream, braved the roarmg torrent, dared the 
 dangerous avalanche, and crossed the dread crevasse of 
 the glistening glacier ; and though no printed book may 
 record his adventurous experience, not the less has he 
 contributed to our knowledge of this great mountain 
 world. His lessons may be read on the parterre, in 
 the flowers of the purple magnolia, the deodar, the 
 rhododendron. They may be found in the greenhouse, 
 in the eccentric blossoms of the orchis, and curious 
 form of the screw-pine, — in the garden, in many a 
 valuable root and fruit, destined erelong to become 
 favorites of the dessert-table. It is ours to chronicle 
 the story of an humble expedition of tliis kind, — the 
 adventures of a young plant-himter, the employe of 
 an enterprising " seedsman " well known in the world's • 
 metropolis.
 
 A VIEW FKOM OHUMULAUI. 
 
 CHAPTER II, 
 
 A VIEW FROM CHUMULARI. 
 
 OuK scene lies in the very heart of the Himalayas, — 
 in that district of them least explored by English travel- 
 lers, though not the most distant from the Anglo-Indian 
 capital, Calcutta. Almost due north of this city, and 
 in that portion of the Himalayan ranges embraced by 
 the great bend of the Burrampooter, may be found 
 the spot upon which our interest is to be fixed. Liter- 
 ally may it be termed a spot, when compared in super- 
 ficies with the vast extent of wilderness that surrounds 
 it, — a wilderness of bleak, barren ridges, of glistening 
 glaciers, of snow-clad summits, soaring one above an- 
 other, or piled incongruously together like cumuli in 
 the sky. 
 
 In the midst of this chaos of rock, ice, and snow, Chu- 
 mulari raises his majestic summit, crowned and robed 
 in white, as becomes his sacred character. Around are 
 other forms, his acolytes and attendants, less m stature, 
 but mighty mountains nevertheless, and, like him, wear- 
 ing the vestment of everlasting purity. 
 
 Could you stand upon the top of Chumulari, you 
 would have under your eye, and thousands of feet 
 below your feet, the scene of our narrative, — the arena 
 in which its various incidents were enacted. Not so 
 unlike an amphitheatre would that scene appear, — only
 
 8 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 differing from one, in the small number of the dramatis 
 personce, and the entire absence of spectators. 
 
 From the top of Chumnlari, looldng down among 
 the foot hills of this majestic momitain, you might be- 
 hold a valley of a singular character, — so singular as 
 at once to fix your attention. You would note that it 
 is of a regidar oval shape ; and that, instead of being 
 bounded by sloping declivities, it is girt by an almost 
 vertical cliff that appears to be continuous all around 
 it. This cliff of dark granitic rock you might guess 
 with your eye to rise several hundi-ed feet sheer from 
 the bottom of the valley. If it were in the season of 
 summer, you might further observe, that receding from 
 its brow a dark-colored declivity of the mountain rises 
 stni liigher, terminating all around in peaks and ridges, 
 — which, being above the snow-line are continually 
 covered with the pure white mantle that has fallen upon 
 them from the heavens. 
 
 These details would be taken in at the first glance ; 
 and then your eye would wander into the valley below, 
 and rest there, — fixed by the singularity of the scene, 
 and charmed by its soft loveliness, — so strongly con- 
 trasting with the rude sxirroundings on which you had 
 been hitherto gazing. 
 
 The form of the valley would suggest the existence 
 of the grand elliptical crater of some extinct volcano. 
 But instead of the black sulphuric sconce, that you 
 might expect to see strewed over its base, you behold a 
 verdant landscape of smiling loveliness, park-like plains 
 interposed with groves and copses, here and there a 
 mound of rock-work, as if piled artificially and for 
 ornament. Aroimd the cliffs appears a belt of forest
 
 A VIEW FROM CHUiVITrLARI. 9 
 
 of darker green ; and occupying the centre a limpid 
 lake, on whose silver sitrface at a certain hour of the 
 day you might see reflected part of the snow-crowned 
 summit on wliich you are standing, — the cone of 
 Chumulaii itself. 
 
 With a good glass you might distinguish quadi'upeds 
 of several species straying over the verdant pastures ; 
 bu'ds of many kinds upon the wing, and others disport- 
 ing themselves upon the surface of the lake. 
 
 You would be tempted to look for a grand mansion. 
 You would send your glance in every dii'ection, expect- 
 ing to see chimneys and turrets overtopping the trees ; 
 but in this you would be disappointed. 
 
 On one side of the valley, near to the base of its 
 bounding cliff, you might see a white vapor ascending 
 from the surface of the earth. It would be an error to 
 believe it smoke. It is not that, — only the rime rising 
 over a hot-spring bubbling out from the rocks and 
 forming the little rivulet, that, like a silver string, con- 
 nects it with the lake. 
 
 Charmed with the view of this lovely valley, you 
 would desire to visit it. You would descend the long 
 slope of Chumulari, and struggling through the laby- 
 rinth of rugged foot hills that surround it, you would 
 reach the brow of the bounding precipice ; but there 
 you must come to a halt. No path leads downward ; 
 and if you are still determined to set foot on the shores 
 of that smiling lake, you will have to make the descent 
 of the cliffs by means of a rope or rope-ladder several 
 hundred feet in length. 
 
 With comrades to help you, you may accomplish this ; 
 but once in the valley, you can only get out of it by 
 1*
 
 10 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEES. 
 
 remounting your rope-ladder: for you will find no 
 other means of exit. 
 
 At one end of the valley you may perceive a gap in 
 the cliiFs ; and fancy that tlirough this you may make 
 your way out to the side of the mountain. The gap 
 may be easily reached, by going up a gentle acclivity ; 
 but having passed through it, you wUl discover that it 
 only guides you into a gorge, like the valley itself, 
 bounded on both sides by precipitous cliffs. This gorge 
 is half filled by a glacier ; on the surface of which you 
 may pass for a certain distance downward. At the end 
 of that descent you will find the glacier cut by a deep 
 crevasse, a hundi-ed feet in depth and a hundred in 
 width. Without bridging the crevasse, you can go no 
 farther; and if you did succeed in bridging it, farther 
 down you would find others deeper and wider, over 
 which it would be impossible for you to pass. 
 
 Return then, and examine the singular valley into 
 which you have made your way. You will find there 
 trees of many kinds, quadrupeds of many kinds, birds 
 of many kinds, and insects of many kinds ; you will 
 find every form of animal life, except that of the human 
 being. If you find liot man, however, you may discover 
 traces of him. Close to the hot-spring, and forming a 
 sort of " lean-to " against the cliff, you may observe a 
 rude hut built with blocks of stone, and plastered with 
 mud from the bed of the rivulet. Enter it. You will 
 find it empty, cold, untenanted by living thing. No 
 furniture. Stone couches covered with sedge and grass, 
 VLTpon which men may have slept or lain, and two or 
 three blocks of granite upon which they may have sat. 
 That is all. Some pieces of skin hanging aroimd the
 
 / 
 
 A VIEW FROM CHUMULARI. 11 
 
 walls, and the bones of animals strewed over the ground 
 outside, give a clew to the kind of food upon which the 
 inhabitants of the hut may have subsisted. Hunters 
 they must have been. That will be your natural con- 
 jecture. 
 
 But how did they get into this valley, and how got 
 they out of it ? Of course, like yourself, they descended 
 into it, and then ascended out again, by means of a 
 rope-ladder. 
 
 That would be the explanation at wliich you would 
 ai'rive ; and it would be a satisfactory one, but for a cir- 
 cumstance that just now comes vmder your observation. 
 
 Scanning the fagade of the cliflP, your eye is arrested 
 by a singular appearance. You perceive a serried line, 
 or rather a series of serried lines, running from the base 
 in a vertical direction. On drawing nearer to these, 
 curious objects, you discover them to be ladders, the 
 lowest set upon the earth, and reaching to a ledge upon 
 which the second is rested ; this one extending to a 
 second ledge, on which the tliird ladder finds support ; 
 and so on throughout a whole series of six. 
 
 At first sight it would appear to you as if the ci- 
 devant denizens of the hut had made their exodus from 
 the valley by means of these ladders ; and such would 
 be the natural conviction, but for a circumstance that 
 forbids belief in this mode of exit : the ladders do not 
 continue to the top of the cliff! A long space, which 
 would require two or three more such ladders to span 
 it, still intervenes between the top of the highest and 
 the brow of the precipice ; and this could not have been 
 scaled without additional ladders. "Where are they ? 
 It is scarcely probable they had been drawn up ; and
 
 12 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 had they fallen hack into the valley, they would still bo 
 there. There are none iijoon the ground. 
 
 But these conjectures do not require to be continued. 
 A short examination of the cliff suffices to convince you 
 that the design of scaling it by ladders could not have 
 succeeded. The ledge against which rests the top of 
 the highest must.have been found too narrow to support 
 another ; or rather, the rocks above and projecting over 
 would render it impossible to place a ladder upon this 
 ledge. It is evident that the scheme had been tried 
 and abancfoned. 
 
 The very character of the attempt proves that they 
 who had made it must have been placed in a desperate 
 situation, — imprisoned within that cliff-girt valley, with 
 no means of escaping from it, except such as they them- 
 selves might devise. 
 
 Moreover, after a complete exploration of the place, 
 you can find no evidence that they ever did escape from 
 their strange prison ; and your thoughts can only shape 
 themselves into conjectures, as to who they were that 
 had wandered into this out-of-the-way corner of the 
 world ; how they got into, and how out of it ; and, 
 finally, whether they ever succeeded in getting out at 
 all. Your conjectures will come to an end when you 
 have read the history of the Cliff-climbers.
 
 THE PLANT-HUNTER AND HIS COMPANIONS. 13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PLANT-HUNTER AND HIS COMPANIONS. 
 
 Karl Linden, a young German student who had 
 taken part in the revolutionary struggles of 1848, had 
 by the act of banishment sought an asylum in London. 
 Like most refugees, he was without means ; but instead 
 of giving himself up to idle habits, he had sought and 
 obtained employment in one of those magnificent " nur- 
 series " which are to be met with in the suburbs of the 
 world's metropolis. His botanical knowledge soon at- 
 tracted the attention of his employer, the proprietor of 
 the nursery, — one of those enterprising and spirited 
 men, who, instead of contenting themselves with merely 
 cultivating the trees and flowering-plants already intro- 
 duced into our gardens and greenhouses, expend large 
 sums of money in sending emissaries to all parts of the 
 earth, to discover and bring home other rare and beau- 
 tifiil kinds. • 
 
 These emissaries — botanical collectors, or " plant- 
 hunters," as they may be called — in the pursuit of 
 their calling have explored, and are still engaged in 
 exploring, the wildest and most remote countries of the 
 globe, — such as the deep, dark forests upon the Ama- 
 zon, the Orinoco, and the Oregon in America ; the hot 
 equatorial regions of Africa ; the tropical jungles of 
 Lidia ; the rich woods of the Oriental islands ; and, in
 
 14 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS- 
 
 short, wherever there is a prospect of discovering and 
 obtaining new floral or sylvan beauties. 
 
 The exploration of the Sikhim Himalaya by the 
 accomplished botanist, Hooker, — recorded in a book 
 of travels not inferior to that of the great Humboldt, — ■ 
 had drawn attention to the rich and varied jiora of these 
 mountains ; and in consequence of this, the enterprising 
 " seedsman " who had given Karl Linden temporary 
 employment in his garden, promoted him to a higher 
 and more agreeable field of labor, by sending him as a 
 *' plant-hunter " to the Thibetan Himalayas. 
 
 Accompanied by his brother, Caspar, the young bota- 
 nist proceeded to Calcutta ; and, after a short residence 
 there, he set out for the Himalayas, taking a direction 
 almost due north from the city of the Ganges. 
 
 He had provided himself with a guide, in the person 
 of a celebrated Hindoo hunter, or " shikaree," called 
 Ossaroo ; and this individual was the sole attendant and 
 companion of the two brothers, with the exception of a 
 large dog, of the boar-hound species, which had been 
 brought with them from Europe, and that answered to 
 the name of Fritz. 
 
 The young botanist had come to India furnished with 
 a letter of feitroduction to the manager of the Botanical 
 Garden of Calcutta, an establishment of world-wide 
 renown. There he had been hospitably received on his 
 arrival in the Oriental city, and during his sojourn he 
 had spent much of his time within its boundaries. 
 Moreover, the authorities of the place, interested in his 
 expedition, had given him all the information in their 
 power as to the route he intended pursuing, — though 
 that was not much, for the portion of the Himalayas he
 
 THE rLANT-IIUNTEK AND HIS COMPANIONS. 15 
 
 was aboiit to explore was at that time a terra incognita 
 to Engiislimen, even in the city of Calcutta ! 
 
 It is not necessary here to detail the many adventures 
 that befell our plant-himter and his party during the 
 progress of their journey towards the Himalayas, and 
 after they had entered within the grand gorges of these 
 mountains. Suffice it to say, that in pursuit of a beau- 
 tiful little animal — a " musk-deer " — they had gone 
 up a gully filled by one of those grand glaciers so com- 
 mon in the higher Himalayas ; that the pursuit had led 
 them far up the ravine, and afterwards conducted them 
 into a singular crater-like valley, the one already de- 
 scribed ; that once in this valley, they could find no 
 way out of it, but by the ra\dne through which they 
 had entered ; and that on returning to make their exit, 
 they discovered to their great consternation that a cre- 
 vasse in the glacier over which they had passed had 
 opened during their absence, and to such an extent as 
 to render their exit impossible ! 
 
 They had endeavored to span this crevasse, and had 
 spent much time in making a bridge of pine-trees for 
 the purpose. They had succeeded at length in gettmg 
 across the chasm, but only to find others in the glacier 
 below, which no ingenuity could enable them to get 
 over. 
 
 They were compelled to abandon the idea, and return 
 again to the valley, which, though lovely to the eye, 
 had now become hateful to their thoughts, since they 
 knew it to be their prison. 
 
 During their residence in the place, many adventures 
 befel them with wild animals of various kinds. There 
 chanced to be a small herd of " yaks," or grunting oxen,
 
 16 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 in the valley, and these formed for a time the staple 
 article of their food. Caspar, who, though younger 
 than Karl, was the more skilled hunter of the two, had 
 a very narrow escape from the old yak bull, though he 
 succeeded at length ia killing the dangerous animal. 
 Ossaroo was very near being eaten up by a pack of 
 wild dogs, every one of which he afterwards succeeded 
 in killing ; and Ossaroo was also iu danger of being 
 swallowed up by an enemy of a very diiFerent kind, — 
 that is, by a quicksand, into which he had got his legs 
 while engaged in taking fish out of a net. 
 
 Karl was not without his hair-breadth " 'scape," — 
 having been chased by a bear along a ledge of the cliff, 
 from which he was compelled to make a most perilous 
 descent. The bear itself took refuge in a cave, where 
 it was afterwards pursued and killed, by all three acting 
 in concert, materially assisted by the dog Fritz. They 
 liad incurred great risk in this chase of the bear ; for, 
 although they had succeeded in destroying the formid- 
 able animal, they lost themselves in the great labyrin- 
 thine cavern, and were only able to find their way out 
 by making a fire with the stocks of their guns, and 
 rendering the bear's grease available for candles, — 
 which fortunately enabled them to extricate themselves. 
 
 During the pursuit of the bear, and their subsequent 
 endeavors to find their way out, our adventurers had 
 been struck by the enormous dimensions of the cavern 
 in which the animal had taken refuge ; and, in the hope 
 that some of its great galleries might lead out through 
 the mountain, and offer them a way of escape from the 
 valley, they had made torches, and explored it from 
 end to end. It was all to no purpose ; and, becoming
 
 THE PLANT-HUNTER AND HIS COMPANIONS. 17 
 
 satisfied that there was no exit by way of the cavern, 
 they had at length desisted from the search. 
 
 From this point shall we continue, in more circum- 
 stantial detail, the history of their attempts to escape 
 from their mountain prison, which they were now con- 
 vinced could only be done by climbing the cliff that 
 encircled it.
 
 18 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HOME TO THE HUT. 
 
 EsiERGiNG from the cave after their fruitless ex- 
 
 • 
 
 pi oration, all three — Karl, Caspar, and Ossaroo — sat 
 down upon the rocks in front of the cliff, and for some 
 time remained sUeut. The looks of all betokened a 
 deep and hopeless despair. The same thought was 
 passing in their minds. A painful thought it was, — 
 that they were completely cut off from all communica- 
 tion with the world, and might never again look on 
 human faces, save their own! 
 
 Caspar was the ffrst to give expression to this gloomy 
 foreboding. 
 
 " brother ! " groaned he, addressing himself to Karl, 
 who sat nearest to him, " O, it is an awful fate ! Here 
 must we live, here must we die, far away from home, 
 far away from the world — alone — alone ! " 
 
 " No," replied Karl, deeply moved by the distress of 
 his brother, — " no, Caspar, not alone ; God is with us. 
 Let Him be our world." 
 
 However Caspar in his conscience might have ac- 
 knowledged the justice of the admonition, it faUed to 
 cheer him. Indeed, he coidd not help perceiving that 
 Karl had uttered the speech half doubtingly, and with 
 the design of affording consolation. Moreover, the 
 effort which I^-l was making to look hopeful and
 
 HOME TO THE HUT. 19 
 
 clieerful was evidently constrained, and only the more 
 convinced his companions that neither hope nor joy was 
 in his breast 
 
 To Karl's consolatory words his brother made no re- 
 joinder. Ossaroo, however, gave vent to his thoughts 
 by an ambiguous shake of the head, and a brief speech 
 characteristic of that belief in fatalism peculiar to his 
 race. 
 
 "Ah, sahibs," said he, addressing himself to both, 
 "if the Great Sahib in the sky will we go out from 
 here, we go, — if He no will, we no go, — nivvamore." 
 
 Ossaroo's speech, however compatible with a true 
 faith, did not contribute much towards cheering the 
 spirits of the party ; and for another long interval all 
 remained silent. 
 
 Caspar and Ossaroo appeared completely prostrated 
 by the new disappointment. Karl, on the other hand, 
 seemed less disposed to view things despairingly ; and 
 as he sat, was evidently engaged in active thought. 
 
 After a wliile his companions observed this, though 
 neither made any attempt to revise him from his reverie. 
 They guessed that whatever was passing in his mind 
 would soon be communicated to them. 
 
 They were right in this conjecture, for in a few 
 minutes Karl terminated the silence by addi-essing them. 
 
 " Come ! " said he, speaking in a tone of encourage- 
 ment, " we are wrong in so soon yielding to despair. 
 Let us not give up till we are beaten at all points. I 
 have told you what my object was when I first mounted 
 upon that ledge, and discovered the cave and its surly 
 occupant the bear. I thought then, that if we could 
 find a series of ledges one above another, and sufficient-
 
 20 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 ly near each other, we might plant ladders upon them, 
 and so reach the top. You see that there is such a 
 succession of ledges — just before your faces there. 
 Unfortunately there is one of the spaces high up yon- 
 der — where the cliff is darkest — that cannot be less 
 than sixty or seventy feet in width. I have ascertained 
 that by comparing it with the height from the ground 
 to the cave, — which I had just finished measuring when 
 I met the bear. It would be impossible for us to make 
 a ladder that length, — or even to hoist it up there if 
 made, — so that all thought of scaling the cliff at this 
 point must be given up." 
 
 " Perhaps," interposed Caspar, catching at Karl's idea, 
 " there may be some other part of the precipice where 
 the ledges are nearer to each other ? Did you examme 
 it all around?" 
 
 " No. I had got no farther than this place when I 
 met Master Bruin; and, as you loiow, our adventures 
 with him, and our exploration of the cave, have taken 
 up our time ever since, and, indeed, driven the design 
 of the ladders quite out of my head. Now, however, 
 we may return to it ; and our next move will be to go 
 all round, and see whether a better place may not be 
 discovered. To-night it is too late. It already begins 
 to darken, and we must have clear daylight for such a 
 purpose. Let us go home to our hut, and have some 
 supper, and then go to rest, — having fii-st prayed to 
 Him for success. We may rise in better spirits, and 
 continue our examination in the morning." 
 
 To this proposal there was no objection on the part 
 of either Caspar or Ossaroo. On the contrary, the 
 mention of supper — both being very hungry — had
 
 HOME TO THE HUT. 21 
 
 caused them to start to their feet with remarkable alac- 
 rity, and Karl, taking the lead, they followed him, 
 Fritz in turn following them. 
 
 On arriving at their hut, supper was cooked, and 
 eaten with that zest which hunger always gives, even 
 to the coarsest viands ; and, having carried out the 
 remaining part of the programme which Karl had sug- 
 gested — that is, the offering up a prayer for success 
 on the morrow — the trio 'sought their grass-covered 
 couches with a feeling of renewed hopefulness.
 
 22 THE CHFF-CLIMBER8. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A MIDNIGHT INTRUDER. 
 
 Thet had been asleep several hours when all three 
 were suddenly awakened by the barking of Fritz. 
 During night hours the faithful creature stayed habitu- 
 ally within the hut, — where he also had his bed of 
 dry grass. On hearing any unusual noise without, he 
 would rush forth and prowl about for a while ; and, 
 after satisfying himself that there was no enemy in 
 the neighborhood, woidd return quietly to his lair. 
 
 Fritz was far from being a noisy dog. He had seen 
 too much servise, and gathered too much wisdom to 
 waste his breath in idle barking ; and it was only upon 
 grand and important occasions that he condescended to 
 give tongue. Then, however, his bark — or bay, it 
 should rather be termed — was terrific. 
 
 On the occasion in question — which happened just 
 about the hour of midnight — the three sleepers were 
 suddenly awakened by his expansive " yowl," that filled 
 the whole valley, and, reverberating from the cliffs, ap- 
 peared continuous. The dog, after uttering this warn- 
 ing note, had rushed out of the hut, — which had no 
 door to it, — and it was from some place down near 
 the lake that his barking appeared to proceed. 
 
 " What can it be ? " was the prompt and very natural 
 inquiry of the three individuals, whom Fritz had so 
 abruptly awakened from their slumbers.
 
 A MIDNIGUT INTRUDER. 23 
 
 " Something Fritz is frightened at," said Caspar, who 
 knew the dog's nature better than either of the others. 
 " He don't bark that way at any sort of game that he 
 knows he can conquer. It 's some animal that 's a 
 match for him, I warrant. If the old yak bull were 
 still alive, I should say it was he." 
 
 " There may be tigers in this valley ; I never thought 
 of that," rejoined Karl. " Now that I do think of it," 
 continued he, drawing upon the reminiscences of his 
 zoological reading, " it is quite probable. People be- 
 lieve the tiger to be exclusively an inhabitant of trop- 
 ical or subtroi^ical regions. That is an error. On this 
 continent (the speaker was in Asia) the royal Bengal 
 tiger rancfes at least as far north as the latitude of Lon- 
 don. I know he is found on the Amoor as high as the 
 fiftieth degree." 
 
 " Mercy on us ! " broke in Caspar ; " it may be a 
 tiger, and we have never thought of having a door to 
 our hut ! If it should be one — " 
 
 Here the hypothetic speech of Caspar was abruptly 
 brought to a conclusion by a singular noise from with- 
 out, which was heard mingling in chorus with the bay- 
 ing of Fritz. 
 
 The noise in question bore some resemblance to the 
 sound of a trumpet, only sharper and more treble in its 
 character. It was in effect more like the squeak of a 
 penny trumpet than the real article ; and yet, withal, 
 there was something terrifying in the sound. 
 
 It must have terrified Fritz : for the moment after it 
 was heard, the dog came rushing back into the hut, as 
 if pursued by a legion of horned bulls, and though he 
 kept up his angry baying, he appeared altogether disin- 
 clined to venture out again.
 
 24 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 Just then the singular noise was heard outside the 
 door, — something between a shriek and a whistle, — 
 and this time witli a far more terrifying effect, since 
 whatever produced it — bird, beast, or man — was evi- 
 dently near, and still approaching nearer. 
 
 Of the three individuals witliin the hut, only one had 
 ever before heard a sound exactly similar to that. Os- 
 saroo was the one. The old shikaree recognized the 
 noise the moment it reached his ears, and knew per- 
 fectly well the sort of instrument that must have been 
 producing it ; but he was hindered for a time from pro- 
 claiming his knowledge, by surprise, as well as a strong 
 feeling of terror at hearing such a sound in such a 
 place. 
 
 ' " By de wheels ob Juggernaut car ! " he gasped out. 
 " Can't be — can't be ; no possible him be here." 
 
 " Who ? What ? " demanded Karl and Caspar in a 
 breath. 
 
 " See, sahibs ! it him — it liim ! " hurriedly rejoined 
 the Hindoo, in a sort of shrieking whisper. " We all 
 perish — it him — it him — de god — de mighty — de 
 terrible — " 
 
 There was no light within the hovel, except a faint 
 glimmer from the moon shining brightly enough out- 
 side ; but it did not requii-e any light to tell that the 
 shikaree was frightened pretty nearly out of his senses. 
 His companions could discover by liis voice that he had 
 suddenly changed position, and was retreating back- 
 ward to that corner of the hut farthest from the door- 
 way. At the same time his words reached them ia 
 whispers, cautioning them to lie close and keep sUent. 
 
 Both, without knowing what the danger was, of
 
 A MIDNIGHT INTRUDER. 25 
 
 course obeyed injunctions thus emphatically delivered, 
 and remained sitting up on their couches without utter- 
 ing a word. Ossaroo, after having delivered his cau- 
 tioning speeches, kept equally sUent. 
 
 Once more the strange sound fell upon their ears, 
 this time as if the instrument that produced it had been 
 thrust into the doorway of the hovel. At the same 
 instant the turf outside, hitherto glistening under a 
 bright moonlight, became darkened by the shadow of 
 an enormous creature, as if the queen of night had sud- 
 denly disappeared behind the blackest of clouds ! Still 
 the light could be seen beyond, and the moon was shin- 
 insr. It was no cloud that had obscured her, but some 
 vast body moving over the earth, and which, having 
 come up to the front of the hovel, was there halting. 
 
 Karl and Caspar fancied they could see a gigantic 
 living form, with huge, thick limbs, standing outside ; 
 but indeed both were as much terrified by the appari- 
 tion as Ossaroo himself, though perhaps for a different 
 reason, 
 
 Fritz must have been as much frightened as any of 
 the four, and fear had produced upon him an effect ex- 
 actly similar to that it had produced upon Ossaroo. It 
 kept him silent. Cowering in a corner, Fritz was now 
 as quiet as if he had been born a voiceless dingo. 
 
 This speechless trance seemed to have its influence 
 upon the awe-insijiring shadow outside the door ; for, 
 after giving utterance to another specimen of shrill pip- 
 ing, it withdrew with as much silence as if it had been 
 but the shadow it aj^peared. 
 
 Caspar's curiosity had become too strong to be kept 
 any longer under the control of his fears. As soon as 
 
 2
 
 26 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 the strange intruder was seen moving away from the 
 hut he stole forward to the entrance, and looked out. 
 Karl was not slow in following him ; and Ossaroo also 
 ventured from his hiding-place. 
 
 A dark mass — in form like a quadi'uped, but one of 
 gigantic size — could be seen going off in the direction 
 of the lake. It moved in majestic silence ; but it could 
 have been no shadow, for, on crossing tlie stream, — 
 near the point where the latter debouched into the lake, 
 — the plashing of its feet could be heard as it waded 
 through the water, and eddies could be seen upon the 
 calm surface. A simple shadow would not have made 
 such a commotion as that. 
 
 " Saliibs," said Ossaroo, in a tone of mysterious grav- 
 ity, " he be one ob two ting. He eider be de god Brah- 
 ma, or — " 
 
 " Or what ? " demanded Caspar. 
 
 " An ole rogue."
 
 A TALK ABOUT ELEPHANTS. 27 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A TALK ABOUT ELEPHANTS. 
 
 "An old rogue?" said Caspar, repeating the words 
 of the shikaree. " Wliat do you mean by that, Ossy ? " 
 
 " What you Feringhee, sahib, call rogue elephant." 
 
 " O, an elephant ! " echoed Karl and Caspar, both con- 
 siderably relieved at this natural explanation of what had 
 appeared so like a supernatural apparition. 
 
 " Certainly the thing looked like one," continued Cas- 
 par. 
 
 " But how could an elephant enter this valley ? " 
 
 Ossaroo could not answer this question. He was 
 himself equally puzzled by the appearance of the huge 
 quadruped, and still rather inclined to the belief that it 
 was some one of his trinity of Brahminee gods, that had 
 for the nonce assumed the elephantine form. For that 
 reason he made no attempt to explain the presence of 
 such an animal in the valley. 
 
 " It is possible for one to have come up here from the 
 lower country," remarked Karl, reflectively. 
 
 " But how could he get into the valley ? " again in- 
 quired Caspar. 
 
 " In the same way as we got in ourselves," was Karl's 
 reply ; " up the glacier and through the gorge." 
 
 " But the crevasse that hinders us from getting out ? 
 You forget that, brother. An elephant could no more 
 cross it than he oould fly ; surely not 1 "
 
 28 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 " Surely not," rejoined Karl. " I did not say that he 
 could have crossed the crevasse." 
 
 " O, you mean that he may have come up here before 
 we did?" 
 
 " Exactly so. If it he an elephant we have seen, — 
 and what else can it be?" pursued Karl, no longer 
 yielding to a belief in the supernatural character of 
 their nocturnal visitant, — " it must of course have got 
 into the valley before us. The wonder is our- having 
 seen no signs of such an animal before. You, Caspar, 
 have been about more than any of us. Did you never, 
 in your rambles, observe anything like an elephant's 
 track?" 
 
 " Never. It never occurred to me to look for such a 
 thing. Who would have thought of a great elephant 
 h&,ving climbed up here? One would fancy such un- 
 wieldy creatures quite incapable of ascending a moun- 
 tain." 
 
 " Ah ! there you would be in error : for, singular as 
 it may appear, the elephant is a wonderful climber, and 
 can make his way almost anywhere that a man can go. 
 It is a fact, that in the island of Ceylon the wild ele- 
 phants are often found upon the top of Adam's Peak, 
 — to scale, which is trying to the nerves of the stoutest 
 travellers. It would not be surprising to find one here. 
 Rather, I may say, it is not: for now I feel certain 
 what we have just seen is an elephant, since it can be 
 nothing else. He may have entered this valley before 
 us, — by straying uji the glacier as we did, and crossing 
 the chasm by the rock bridge, — which I know he coidd 
 have done as well as we. Or else," continued Karl, in 
 his endeavor to account for the presence of the huge
 
 A TALK ABOUT ELEPHANTS. 29 
 
 creature, " he may have come here long ago, even be- 
 fore there was any crevasse. "V\liat is there improbable 
 in his having been here many years, — perhaps all his 
 life, and that may be a hundred years or more ? " 
 
 " I thought," said Caspar, " that elephants were only 
 found on the plains, where the vegetation is tropical 
 and luxuriant." 
 
 " That is another popular error," replied Karl. " So 
 far from affectmg tropical plams, the elephant prefers 
 to dwell high up on the mountains ; and whenever he 
 has the opportunity, he climbs thither. He likes a 
 moderately cool atmosphere, — where he may be less 
 persecuted by flies and other troublesome insects : since, 
 notwithstanding his great strength and the thickness of 
 his hide, so small a creature as a fly can give him the 
 gi-eatest annoyance. Like the tiger, he is by no means 
 exclusively a tropical animal ; but can' live, and thrive 
 too, in a cool, elevated region, or in a high latitude of 
 the temperate zone." 
 
 Karl again expressed surprise that none of them had 
 before that time observed any traces of this gigantic 
 quadruped, that must have been their neighbor ever 
 since the commencement of their involuntary residence 
 in the valley. Of course this surprise was fully shared 
 by Caspar. Ossaroo participated in it, but only to a 
 very slight degree. The shikaree was still inclined to- 
 wards indulging in his superstitious belief, that the crea- 
 ture they had seen was not of the earth, but some ap- 
 parition of Brahma or Vishnu. 
 
 Without attempting to combat this absurd fancy, his 
 companions continued to search for an explanation of 
 the strange circumstance of their not having sooner 
 encountered the elephant.
 
 30 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 "After all," suggested Caspar, "there is nothing so 
 strange about it. There are many large tracts of the 
 valley we have not explored ; for instance, that wide 
 stretch of black forest that lies at its upper end. Nei- 
 ther of us has ever been through there since the first 
 two days, when we followed the deer all round, and 
 went afterwards to examine the cliif. For myself, I 
 never strayed that way while hunting, — because I 
 always found the game in the open grounds near the 
 lake. Now the elephant may have his lair m that piece 
 of forest, and only come out at night. As for tracks, 
 no doubt there are plenty, but I never thought of look- 
 ing for them. You know, brother, we have been too 
 busy in making our tree-bridge, and afterwards explor- 
 ing the cavern, to think of much else." 
 
 Karl admitted the truth of these observations ; for 
 it was as Caspar had alleged. During the whole time 
 of their residence in the valley, the minds of all thi-ee, 
 filled with anxiety about the future, had been k/Benly 
 bent upon devising some means of escape ; and on this 
 account they had given very little attention to anything 
 that did not in some way contribute to that end. Even 
 Caspar, in his hunting excursions, had not gone over 
 one half of the valley ; nor had these excursions been 
 very numerous. In three or four days he had procured 
 as much meat as was necessary. This had been care- 
 fully cured by Ossaroo, and formed the staple of their 
 daily food. Only ujjon rare occasions were the guns 
 afterwards used to procure a little fresh provision, — 
 such as a brace of wild ducks from the lake, or one of 
 the smaller game animals which could be found almost 
 any morning within gunshot distance of the hut. For
 
 A TALK ABOUT ELEPHANTS. 31 
 
 these reasons many parts of the valley had been left 
 unvisited ; and it was deemed possible enough for even 
 a great elephant to have been all the time dwelhng 
 within its boundaries, unseen by any of the party. 
 
 Indulging in these conjectures, all three remained 
 awake for more than an hour; but as the subject of 
 their speculations appeared to have gone altogether 
 away, they gradually came to the conclusion that he 
 was not going to return at least for that night, — and 
 their confidence being thus restored, they once more 
 betook themselves to sleep, — resolved in future to keep 
 a sharp lookout for the dangerous neighbor that had 
 60 unexpectedly presented himself to their view.
 
 32 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 EE-STOCKING THE GUNS. 
 
 Next morning all three were astir betimes, and out 
 of the hut by the earliest light of day. Karl and 
 Caspar were anxious to obtain more definite information 
 about the elephant, whose existence Ossaroo was still 
 inclined to doubt. Indeed, with the exception of the 
 three or four shrieking whistles to which the animal 
 had given utterance, so silently and mysteriously had 
 he come and departed, that they might almost have 
 fancied the whole thing a dream. 
 
 But such an immense creature could not move about, 
 without leaving some traces of his presence ; and as 
 he had crossed the stream, or rather a little embayment 
 of the lake into which the stream emptied itself, no 
 doubt his tracks would be found on the sandy shore. 
 
 As soon, therefore, as the day broke, all three started 
 for the spot where the creature had been seen to cross. 
 
 On reaching it, they could no longer doubt that an 
 elephant had paid them a visit. Huge footprints — 
 nearly as big as the bottom of a bushel measjire — were 
 deeply indented in the soft sand ; and looking across the 
 " straits " (for so they were in the habit of calling the 
 narrow mouth of the bay), they could see other similar 
 tracks on the opposite shore, where the animal had 
 waded out.
 
 RE-STOCKING THE GUNS. 33 
 
 Ossaroo was no longer doubtful as to the character 
 of the creature that had made those tracks. He had 
 hunted elephants in the jungles of Bengal, and knew 
 all the peculiarities of the grand quadruped. Such 
 footmarks as were now under his eyes could not have 
 been made by a mere visionary animal, but only by a 
 real elephant in the flesh. 
 
 " And one of the biggest kind," asserted the shikaree, 
 now speaking in full confidence, and declaring, at the 
 same time, that he could tell its height to an inch. 
 
 " How can you do that ? " asked Caspar, in some 
 surprise. 
 
 " Me berra easy tell, young sahib," replied Ossaroo ; 
 " only need takee size ob de rogue's foot. Dis way, 
 sahibs." 
 
 Saying this, the shikaree drew forth from one of 
 his pockets a piece of string, and choosing one of the 
 tracks which had made the clearest impression, he 
 carefully applied the string around its outer edge. In 
 this way the circumference of the elephant's foot was 
 obtained. 
 
 " Now, sahibs," said Ossaroo, holding the string be- 
 tween his fingers, — that portion of it which had been 
 applied around the footprint, — " twice the length of 
 dis reachee to the top of he shoulder ; that how Ossaroo 
 know he biggee elephant." 
 
 The circumference of the foot thus measured being 
 nearly six feet, it would follow, from the rule laid down 
 by the shikaree, that the elephant in question was nearly 
 twelve feet high, and this Karl knew to be one of the 
 largest. Nor did Karl question the correctness of the 
 deduction, for he had often heard, from hunters whose 
 2*
 
 34 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 word was not to be doubted, that the height of an ele- 
 phant is exactly twice the circumference of his foot. 
 
 Ossaroo having now yielded up his belief that the 
 elephant was one of his gods in disguise, declared with 
 full confidence that the animal was a rogue. Karl 
 needed no explanation of w^at was meant by this. He 
 knew that the rogue elephant is an old male who for 
 some reason or other — perhaps for bad behavior — has 
 had the cold shoulder given him by the rest of the herd, 
 and from whose association he has been driven away. 
 Thus cut by his former acquaintances, he is compelled 
 to lead a solitary life, the consequence of which is, that 
 he becomes exceedingly spiteful and morose in his dis- 
 position, and will not only attack any other animal that 
 may chance to cross his path, but will even seek them 
 out, as if for the mere purpose of indulging in a sj^irit 
 of revenge ! There are many such in the jungles of 
 India, as well as in Africa ; and since man himself is 
 not excepted from this universal hostility, a rogue ele- 
 phant is regarded as an exceedingly dangerous creature 
 in the neighborhood where he takes up his abode. 
 There are many instances recorded — and well authen- 
 ticated, too — where human beings have been sacrificed 
 to the fury of these gigantic monsters ; and cases are 
 known where a rogue elephant has purposely placed 
 himself in waiting by the side of a frequefited path, 
 with the object of destroying the imwary traveller ! In 
 the valley of the Dheira Doon, an elephant of this class 
 — one, too, that had once been tamed, but had escaped 
 from his servitude — is known to have taken the lives 
 of nearly twenty unfortunate people before his destruc- 
 tion could be effected. 
 
 Well knowing these proclivities on the part of the
 
 EE-STOCKING THE GUNS. 35 
 
 rogue, Ossaroo at once counselled caution in the future 
 movements of all, — a counsel which Karl was too pru- 
 dent to reject, and even the bold, rash Caspar did not 
 think it proper to dissent from. 
 
 It was resolved, therefore, before continuing their 
 projected exploration of the cliffs, to set their weapons 
 once more in proper order, against any chance of an 
 encounter with the elephant. 
 
 Their suns had to be re-stocked, and a new handle 
 put into the axe, — as well as a shaft into the boar-spear 
 of Ossaroo, — for all the woodwork of these weapons 
 had been broken up and burnt into ashes in the manu- 
 facture of the candles of bear's grease that had lighted 
 them out of the cave. 
 
 The search after the ledges must necessarily be post- 
 poned, until they could go upon that errand properly 
 armed and equipped against any enemy that might 
 ojipose their progress. 
 
 Having come to tliis wise determination, they re- 
 turned to their hut, kindled a fire, cooked breakfast, 
 and having despatched the meal, at once set about se- 
 lecting pieces of wood for the various purposes for 
 which they were required. 
 
 They had no difficulty in procuring just what was 
 wanted: for the valley contained many valuable sorts 
 of timber ; and several kinds that had been already cut 
 for other purposes, now well seasoned and ready to 
 hand, were found lying about the hut. 
 
 Setting about their work in earnest, and laboring dili- 
 gently from morning to night, — and even into the night 
 hours, — they knew' they would not be long in accom- 
 plishing a task so trifling as the stocking of a gun, or 
 putting the handle to a boar-spear.
 
 36 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 - CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 INSPECTING THE CLIFFS. 
 
 Working diligently with their knives two days suf- 
 ficed to make guns, axe, and spear as good as ever. 
 Ossaroo also made himself a new bow and a full quiver 
 of arrows. 
 
 On the third morning, after breakfasting, all thi'ee set 
 out with the determination not to leave any portion of 
 the cliff unexamined. 
 
 The part which lay between their hut and the cave 
 Karl had already scrutinized with great care ; so they 
 went direct to the point where he had left off, and there 
 commenced their new svirvey. 
 
 It is true they had already examined the cliffs all 
 around ; but this was just after they arrived in the val- 
 ley, and the purpose of that exploration was very differ- 
 ent from that of the present one. 
 
 Then they were only looking for a place by which 
 they might climb out ; and the idea of making ladders 
 had not occurred to them. 
 
 Kow that this scheme had suggested itself, they 
 entered upon their second survey with the view of 
 ascertaining whether it was practicable or possible. 
 Consequently, they went in search of facts of a differ- 
 ent nature, — namely, to see if there existed a series of 
 ledges, one above another, that could be spanned by an
 
 INSPECTING THE CLIFFS. 37 
 
 equal number of such ladders as they might be able to 
 construct. 
 
 That they could make ladders of a prodigious length 
 
 — allowing sufficient time for the execution of the work 
 
 — all felt confident. They knew that the Thibet pine- 
 trees — the same sort as they had used in making the 
 bridge for the glacier crevasse — grew in great numbers 
 not far from their hut; and by selecting some of the 
 slenderest trunks of these, they would have the sides of 
 as many ladders as they might want, almost ready made, 
 and each forty or fifty feet in length. 
 
 If there should only be discovered a series of ledges, 
 with not more than forty feet space between each two, 
 there would be a fair hope of their being able to esca- 
 lade the cliiF, and escape from a place which, although 
 one of the pleasantest-looking spots in the world, had 
 now become to them loathsome as the interior of a 
 dungeon. 
 
 Sure enough, and to the great joy of all, such a set 
 of shelves was soon after presented to their eyes, — hav- 
 mg, at l(»st in appearance, all the requirements of which 
 they were in search. The spaces between no two of 
 them appeared to be greater than thirty feet, some were 
 much nearer to each other. 
 
 The part of the cliff where these terraces were found 
 was not quite so low as that where Karl had made his 
 measui'ement. It did not appear, however, to be more 
 than three himdi'ed and fifty feet, — a fearfixl height, it is 
 true, — but nothing when compared with other sections 
 of the same precipice. To reach to its top, more than 
 a dozen ladders would be required, — each between 
 twenty and thirty feet in length. The labor of making
 
 38 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 these ladders, with such tools as they had, might he 
 looked upon as something stupendous, — sufficient, you 
 miglit suppose, to deter them from the task. But you 
 must endeavor to realize the situation in which they 
 were placed, — with no other hope of being delivered 
 from their mountain prison, — and with this idea in your 
 mind, you wUl comprehend why they should have been 
 wUling to undertake even a far greater labor. Of 
 course, they did not expect to complete it in a day, 
 neither in a week, nor in a month : for they well knew 
 that it would take several months to make the number 
 of ladders that would be required. And then there 
 would be the additional labor of getting each into its 
 place : as all, after the first one, would have to be carried 
 up the cliff to the ledge for which it should be con- 
 structed. Indeed, to raise ladders of thirty feet in the 
 manner contemplated, would seem an impossibility, — 
 that is, for such strength or mechanism as they could 
 command. 
 
 And so it might have proved, had they intended to 
 make these ladders of the ordinary weight. JBut. they 
 foresaw this difficulty, and hoped to get over it by 
 making them of the very lightest kind, — sometliing 
 that would just carry the weight of a man. 
 
 Becoming more than half satisfied that at this point 
 the precipice might be scaled in the manner contem- 
 plated, they remained upon the ground in order to give 
 it a thorough examination. That done, they intended 
 to make the complete circuit of the valley, and ascertain 
 whether there might not be some other place still easier 
 of ascent. 
 
 The point where they had halted was behind the
 
 IKSPECTING THE CLIFFS. 39 
 
 tract of heavily-timbered forest of whicli Caspar had 
 spoken, and which up to this time none of them had 
 entered. Between the trees and the cliff they were 
 now contemplating there was a narrow strip of ground 
 destitute of timber, and covered with a shingle of loose 
 stones which had fallen from the mountain above. Sev- 
 eral bowlders of large dimensions rested upon the 
 ground, at sliort distances apart ; and there was one of 
 a pillar shape that stood some twenty feet high, while 
 it was only about five or six in diameter. It bore a 
 sort of rude resemblance to an obelisk, and one might 
 easily have fancied that the hand of man had accom- 
 plished its erection. For all that, it was a mere freak 
 of nature, and had probably been set up by ancient 
 glacier ice. Up one of its sides there was a series of 
 projections, by wliich an active man might climb to the 
 top ; and Ossaroo did climb it, partly out of playful- 
 ness, and partly, as he said, to get a better view of the 
 cliff. The shikaree stayed only a few mmutes on its 
 top ; and his curiosity having been satisfied, he had let 
 himself down again.
 
 4.0 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A EECONNOISSANCE INTERRUPTED. 
 
 Though the three had set out that morning with a 
 wholesome dread of the elephant, and a determination 
 to go about their reconnoissance with caution, their joy 
 at the discovery of the ledges, and the eagerness with 
 which they were scanning them, had for the moment 
 banished from their minds all thoughts of the great 
 quadruped. They were thinking only of ledges and 
 ladders, and talking loudly of how the latter might best 
 be made and placed upon the former. 
 
 Just then, and just at the moment Ossaroo descended 
 from the obelisk rock, Fritz, who had been prowling 
 about among the trees, set up a fearfiil baying, — such 
 another as that to which he had given utterance on the 
 night when the elephant had paid its visit to the hut. 
 
 There was a certain intonation of terror in the dog's 
 voice, as if whatever called it forth was something that 
 inspired him with fear. The apprehension that it was 
 the elephant occurred to all three at once, and with 
 a simultaneous impulse they faced towards the spot 
 whence the baying of the dog appeared to proceed. 
 Simidtaneously, too, they clutched more firmly their 
 respective weapons, — Karl his rifle, Caspar his double- 
 barrel, and Ossaroo his bow, with an arrow at the 
 string.
 
 A KECONXOISSANCE INTERKUPTED. 41 
 
 It is superfluous to say that there was a certain 
 amounl of constei-nation visible in the countenances of 
 all three, which was rather increased than diminished 
 by the sight of Fritz dasliing suddenly out of the under- 
 wood, and runnuig towards them at full speed, with his 
 tail considerably below the horizontal. Fritz, more- 
 over, was giving utterance to something that very 
 closely resembled a howl. The dog had evidently been 
 attacked by some animal that had put him to flight ; 
 and his masters knew that it must be a formidable crea- 
 ture that was causing the valiant Fritz to behave in 
 such an ignominious manner. 
 
 They were not kept long in doubt as to the character 
 of Fritz's conqueror and pursuer, for close behind his 
 hips, almost touching them, appeared a long, cylindrical, 
 or trumpet-shaped object; of a bluish-gray color, pro- 
 truding between two yellowish crescents, like a pair of 
 huge ivory horns. Beliind these appeared a pair of 
 large ears, like flaps of sole-leather ; and in the rear of 
 these last aj)pendages came the round, massive form 
 of an enormous elephant ! 
 
 Crashing through the underwood, the monstrous crea- 
 ture soon cleared his body from the timber, and rushed 
 straight across the open ground, winding his terrible 
 trumpet as he went. He was following Fritz as straight 
 as he could go, and evidently enraged at the dog. 
 
 The latter, on escaping from the tangle of the thicket, 
 made direct for the spot occvipied by his masters, thus 
 directing the elephant upon them. 
 
 It was no longer a question of protecting Fritz from 
 his formidable pursuer ; for the elephant, on seeing 
 three adversaries more worthy of his tusks, seemed to
 
 42 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 forget all about the puny four-footed creature who had 
 provoked him, and at once directed his attack upon the 
 upright bipeds, as if resolved to punish them for the 
 misbehavior of their subordinate. 
 
 The three, standmg close together, saw at a glance 
 tliat Fritz was no longer the object of the elephant's 
 animosity, for the massive monster was now charging 
 directly down upon them. 
 
 There was no time for concerted coimsel, — neither 
 to take nor to give it. Each had to act upon his own 
 mslinct, and following this each acted. Karl sent the 
 bullet from his rifle right between the tusks of the 
 advancing foe, wliile Caspar fired both barrels of his 
 piece " bang " into the forehead of the monster. Ossa- 
 roo's arrow was seen sticking through the elephant's 
 trunk, and the moment after Ossaroo's heels were pre- 
 sented to the enemy. 
 
 Karl and Caspar also ran: for it would have been 
 sheer madness to have remained a moment longer in 
 that perilous proximity. Indeed, it is but justice to the 
 shikaree to say, that Karl and Caspar ran first, for they 
 had been the first to deliver their fire, and as soon as 
 they had done so, each scampered as ue best could. 
 They ran together ; and fortunately for both a large 
 tree was near, with low horizontal limbs, which favored 
 a rapid ascent towards its top. 
 
 There was only a second of time between the com- 
 mencement of their flight and that of Ossaroo, but short 
 as it was it decided the preference of the pm'suer, and 
 Ossaroo became the sole object of pursuit. 
 
 The shikaree would fain have made for the tree, to 
 which the others were retreating ; but the proboscis of
 
 A RECONNOISSANCE INTEKRUPTED. 43 
 
 the elephant was already so far advanced in that di- 
 rection, that there was every probability it might get 
 lapped upon him before he could climb beyond reach. 
 For a moment he was in a dilemma, and his customary 
 coolness seemed to have forsaken him. 
 
 The elephant was advancing upon him, its little switch 
 of a tail oscillating rapidly in the air, and its trunk 
 stretched horizontally towards him, with Ossaroo's own 
 arrow still sticking in it. It seemed to know that it 
 was he who had sent that skewer through its gristly 
 snout, — perhaps giving it far more pain than the leaden 
 missiles that had flattened against its thick skull ; and 
 for this reason*it had chosen him as the first victim of 
 its vengeance. 
 
 In truth Ossaroo's position was one of extreme peril, 
 so much so that Karl and Caspar — now perceiving 
 themselves comparatively safe from the pursuit — ut- 
 tered a simultaneous cry: both believing that their 
 faithful guide and follower was "^ on the point of "com- 
 ing to grief." 
 
 Ossaroo seemed bewildered at th(B very imminence of 
 the dangen But it was only for a moment, — only 
 while he hesitated as to whether he should try to reach 
 the tree. On perceiving that he could not do this with 
 a fair chance of safety, he turned and ran in an oppo- 
 site direction. 
 
 Wliither? To the obelisk. Yes, by good fortune, 
 the pillar from which he had just descended was only 
 ten paces distant ; and Ossaroo, in returning towards it, ^ 
 measured the ground with less than five. Flmging 
 away his now useless weapons, he clutched hold of the 
 prominent points of the rock, and "'swarmed " up it like 
 a squirrel.
 
 44 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 He had good occasion to employ all his powers of 
 agility. A second — half a second more — and he 
 would have been too late ; for ere he had reached the 
 summit of the pillar, the digit point of the elephant's 
 trunk was inserted under the skirt of his tunic ; and had 
 the garment been of tougher material, Ossaroo would 
 have been jerked back to the ground more rapidly than 
 he had ascended. 
 
 As it was, the cotton fabric — frail from long wear 
 and exposure — gave way with a loud " screed " ; and 
 although the shikaree was stripped of his coat-tail, and 
 suffered a rather ignominious exposure, still he had the 
 satisfaction of knowing that to this circuijistance he was 
 indebted for the safety of his skin.
 
 OSSAROO ON THE OBELISK. 45 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OSSAKOO ON THE OBELISK. 
 
 The moment after, Ossaroo stood ui^on the summit 
 of the obelisk. But even there he was far from being 
 confident of security : for the pursuer had not aban- 
 doned the hope of being able to reach him. On the 
 contrary, the infuriated animal on finding itself balked 
 by the worthlessness of the fabric composing the skirt 
 of the shikaree, spitefully tossed the piece of cloth from 
 its trunk ; and, rearing itself on its hind-legs, threw its 
 body into an erect attitude, with its fore-feet resting 
 high up against the rock. 
 
 One might have fancied that it was about to climb 
 the obelisk ; and this it would certainly have done had 
 the thing been possible. As it was, however, Ossaroo 
 was not out of danger : for as the elephant stood on its 
 hind-legs, with its prehensile proboscis extended to the 
 full length, the tip of the latter was not more than six 
 inches from the soles of his feet. 
 
 The shikaree stood upright like a statue on its pedes- 
 tal, — though unlike to a statue in his features, which 
 were anything but unmoved. On the contrary, his 
 countenance exhibited the utmost consternation. And 
 no wonder : for he could plainly perceive that, should 
 the elephant succeed in lengthening its carcass only 
 another twelve mches, he himself would be brushed 
 from the summit like a fly.
 
 46 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 In fearful suspense, therefore, did he stand, contem- 
 plating the monster which was making every effort to 
 reach him. 
 
 These efforts were made with as much sagacity as 
 energy. Not only did the quadruped erect itself to its 
 greatest height, — standing, as one might say, upon its 
 toes, — but on finding that it was not tall enough, it 
 fell back upon all fours, and then reared ujj afresh in 
 an endeavor to stretch still higher. 
 
 Several times did it repeat the attempt, — on each 
 occasion trying a different side of the rock, — as if in 
 hopes that a greater elevation of the ground around 
 the base might give it that advantage of twelve inches 
 which it required for seizing its victim. 
 
 Fortunately for Ossaroo, the elephant had reached 
 its very highest on first rearing up ; and though it kept 
 going round and round the rock, from no side could it 
 do more than just touch with the top of its trunk the 
 edge of the little flat space, upon which the feet of the 
 shikaree were resting. 
 
 Ossaroo was beginning to be satisfied with this fact ; 
 and probably might have come to believe himself secure 
 in his position, but for a circumstance that was making 
 him uneasy. It was, that, standing upon such a limited 
 surface, — a pedestal whose diameter was but little over 
 the length of his own feet, — he found it exceedingly 
 difficult to keep his balance. Had he been on the 
 ground, there woidd have been no difficulty about it ; 
 but, perched as he was fidl twenty feet aloft, the tiling 
 was quite different ; and, with nerves unstrung by the 
 fearful danger that threatened him below, it was just as 
 much as he could do to keep his equilibrium.
 
 OSSAROO ON THE OBELISK. 47 
 
 Though only a " mild Hindoo," Ossaroo was possessed 
 of a high degree of courage ; and, most of his life hav- 
 ing been spent as a shikaree, he had become well inured 
 to the risk of losing it. Had he been a coward, or un- 
 used to such perils as at that moment surrounded liim, 
 he woidd in all likelihood have succumbed through fear ; 
 and toppled helplessly over upon the shoulders of the 
 merciless monster that was threatening to destroy him. 
 With all his bravery, however, it was just as much as 
 he coidd do to keep his balance. Unfortunately, in 
 climbing up the rock, he had been compelled to aban- 
 don his boar-spear : else with that he might have sup- 
 ported himself. His long knife was still in his belt; 
 and this he drew forth, — not with the design of using 
 it upon his antagonist, but only the better to balance 
 himself. It is true he would have been fain to take a 
 chop or two at the gristly proboscis of the elephant; 
 but he dared not bend liis body into a stooping attitude, 
 lest his centre of gravity might get beyond the support- 
 ing base, and thus bring about the residt he dreaded. 
 
 No other course remained for him, than to preserve 
 his body in an upright attitude ; and, conscious of this 
 fa^t, he braced his nerves to the utmost, and maintained 
 himself erect and rigid as a statue of bronze.
 
 48 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A WHOLESALE TUMBLE. 
 
 In this attitude he remained for several minutes, — 
 the elephant all the while continuing its efforts to reach 
 him. 
 
 Karl and Caspar, seatfed upon the branches of the 
 tree to which they had retreated, were witnesses of 
 the whole scene from be^inninoj to end. The situation 
 of Ossaroo would have been sufficiently ludicrous for 
 Caspar to have laughed at it, but for the danger in 
 which the shikaree was placed. This was so evident, 
 that, instead of indulging in anything akin to levity, 
 Caspar looked on with feelings of deep anxiety, Karl 
 being equally apprehensive about the result. Neither 
 could do anything to aid or rescue hira, as they were 
 unarmed, — both having dropped their pieces when 
 ascending: the tree. 
 
 I have said that Karl was as uneasy about the result 
 as his brother. He was even more so. It was not 
 that he liked Ossaroo better, or would have more bit- 
 terly lamented his fate, had the latter perished by the 
 proboscis of the elephant. No, that was not the rea- 
 son ; but simply that Karl more clearly comprehended 
 the danger in which the shikaree was placed. 
 
 After watching the efforts of the elephant for a short 
 time, Caspar had become convinced that the animal
 
 A WHOLESALE TUJIBLB. 49 
 
 could not reach Ossaroo, — so long as the latter pre- 
 served his balance npon the summit of the rock. Karl 
 was equally satis lied of this ; and both by their shouts 
 kept encouraging the shikaree to stand firm. But Karl 
 soon noted another circumstance, which was as yet 
 unperceived by Caspar ; and it was this that was in- 
 spiring him with keener apprehension than that felt by 
 his brother. He had noticed that, each time as the 
 elephant erected himself against the obelisk, the rock 
 seemed slightly to shake. Ossaroo was himself well 
 aware of the circumstance, — and more troubled at it 
 than any of them, — for it rendered it more difficult 
 for him to preserve his equilibrium. Caspar at length 
 also observed the trembling of the rock, but it gave 
 him no particular uneasiness : as, after what had passed, 
 he felt confident that Ossaroo would be able to keep 
 his place. Nor was it the fear of his falling in that 
 way that was distressing the young botanist ; but rather 
 a deduction which he drew from the circumstance, not 
 apparent to the less philosophic mind of his brother. 
 
 The shaking of the rock had suggested to Karl a 
 dangerous contingency. What was it ? The speech 
 addressed by him at that moment to Caspar will ex- 
 plain. 
 
 " O brother ! " he exclaimed, on perceiving the dan- 
 ger, " if the rock should fall — " 
 
 " No danger of that," said Casjjar, interrupting him ; 
 "it stands firm enough. True, I see it shake a httle, 
 but only a very little ; and that only when the brute 
 springs up against it. No danger, I should think ! " 
 
 " But I fear there is danger," rejoined Karl, in a tone 
 of undiminished anxiety. " Not," added he, " so long 
 
 8 C
 
 50 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 as the elephant acts as he is doing; but he may not 
 continue thus. These creatures are wonderfully saga- 
 cious ; and if he only perceives that the pillar moves 
 under his weight, a new idea may get into his brain, 
 and then it will be all up with Ossaroo." 
 
 " Ha ! I begin to comprehend you," said Caspar, 
 beginning to share the alarm of his brother. "There 
 is danger in that. What is to be done? If we only 
 had our guns up here, we might open fire on the brute. 
 "Whether we succeeded in killing him or not, we might 
 at all events divert his attention from Ossaroo, and 
 perhaps hinder him from thinking of the plan you 
 speak of. We might go down and get our guns. What 
 is to hinder us? — the elephant is too busy to no- 
 tice us." 
 
 " True, — an excellent idea of yours, brother Caspar." 
 
 "Well, then, to put it in execution. I shall slip 
 down to the ground ; you follow to the lowest branch, 
 and I can hand the guns up to you. Keep steady, and 
 don't you fear, Ossy ! " added the young hunter in a 
 louder voice, addressing himself to the shikaree. " We '11 
 fetch him away from you directly, — we '11 tickle him 
 with an ounce or two of lead through that thick hide of 
 his." 
 
 So sayiag, Caspar commenced letting himself rapidly 
 down from branch to branch, Karl following more 
 leisurely. 
 
 Caspar had got upon the lowest limb of the tree, and 
 Karl on that immediately above it, when a loud crash, 
 accompanied by a piercing shriek, arrested the progress 
 of both, causing them suddenly to turn their faces to- 
 wards the obelisk. During the short time that their
 
 Its cumbrous body losiaj; balauce by the impetus which it had thrown iuto the effort. 
 
 P. 51.
 
 A WHOLESALE TUMBLE. 51 
 
 eyes had been averted from it, a complete change had 
 taken place in that curious tableau. Li stead of a tall 
 column of stone, standing twenty feet perpendicular, the 
 same column was now seen lying along the earth in a 
 nearly horizontal position, with a huge mass of broken 
 boughs and branches of trees crushed under its top. 
 Near its base, now upturned and standing almost verti- 
 cally, was the elephant, no longer on its hind feet, nor 
 yet on all fours, but down upon its back, kicking its 
 huge hoofs in the air, and making the most stupendous 
 efforts to recover its legs. Ossaroo was nowhere to be 
 seen ! 
 
 The contingency dreaded by Karl had come to pass. 
 The elephant, finding it impossible to reach the shikaree 
 with its trunk, — and no doubt judging by the " feel '* 
 that the rock was not immobile, — had at length dropped 
 down on all fours ; and, placing its broad shoulder 
 against it, backed by the enormous weight of its bulky 
 body, had sent the column crashing among the tops of a 
 chestnut-tree growing near, — the trunk of which, yield- 
 ing to the weight, gave way with a crash, and trunk, 
 limbs, and branches were all borne downward to the 
 earth ! 
 
 The elephant itself, not calculating that it should find 
 the task so easy of performance, had fallen at the same 
 time, — its cumbrous body losing balance by the impetus 
 which it had thrown into the effort. In short, of the 
 four objects that formed the tableau, — rock and tree, 
 quadruped and man, — not one was standing any longer 
 in its place, — for it is superfluous to say that Ossaroo 
 had gone down with the obelisk. 
 
 But where was Ossaroo ? That was the question that 
 occurred to both Karl and Caspar.
 
 52 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 " brother ! " groaned Caspar, " I fear he is killed ! " 
 
 Karl made no reply ; but for all that, Caspar's reflec- 
 tion, delivered iji a loud tone, was not left without 
 rejoinder. Directly after the phrase had issued from 
 liis lips, an answer was heard proceeding from among 
 the branches of the fallen chestnut-tree, in a voice and 
 with words that caused the hearts of the brothers to 
 beat with joy. 
 
 " No, young sahibs," replied the unseen Ossaroo ; " me 
 no liillee, me no bit damage. If I only can get pass 
 de old rogue, I safe and sound as ibber. Here go for 
 run ! " 
 
 At the same moment the shikaree was seen shooting 
 out from among the branches under which he had been 
 for the time buried ; and, then running with all his 
 might towards the tree upon which the brothers had 
 found refuije. 
 
 Long before the elephant could regain its feet, Ossa- 
 roo had reached a position of perfect security among 
 the upper branches of the great tree ; which Karl and 
 Caspar, no longer thinking of their guns, had also re- 
 ascended.
 
 A RING PERFORMANCE. 53 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A RING PERFORMANCE. 
 
 As the tree into wliicli they had retreated was a very 
 large one, there was no longer any present fear of 
 danger from the elephant, however furious the latter 
 might be ; and they could look down upon it and watch 
 its movements with a feeling of perfect security. The 
 only one of the party that was in dangerous proximity 
 to that dreaded proboscis was Fritz; but Fritz had 
 already been well warned of the wicked designs of the 
 gi-eat brute, and was sufficiently swift-footed and sage 
 enough to give the animal a wide berth. 
 
 As for the elephant itself, having recovered its feet, it 
 stood for some seconds flapping its huge ears, and ap- 
 parently in a kind of quandary, — as if taken aback by 
 the unexpected accident that had befallen it. Not for 
 long, however, did it continue in this tranquil attitude. 
 The arrow still sticking in its trunk reminded it of its 
 purposes of vengeance. Once more angrily elevating 
 its tail, and sounding its sha-ill trumpet, it rushed towards 
 the fallen tree, and buried its long proboscis among 
 the branches. One by one it turned them over, as 
 if in search of some object. It was searching for the 
 shikaree. 
 
 After a time it desisted from this manoeuvre, and 
 looked around, — evidently with a puzzled aii", and won-
 
 54 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 dering wliat had become of the man. It had not seen 
 him as he rushed towards the great tree : for his retreat 
 had been made while the creature was sprawling upon 
 its back. Just then Fritz chanced to show himself, — 
 crouching under the branches upon which his masters 
 had taken refuge, and evidently envying them their 
 secure situation. 
 
 The sight of Fritz was enough. It was he who had 
 fij'st challenged the elephant on its approach through 
 the woods, and had conducted it imder that terrible bat- 
 tery of bullets and arrows. As soon, therefore, as the 
 latter set eyes upon the dog, its fury not only became 
 rekindled, but apparently redoubled ; and, hoisting its 
 taU on high, it charged full tilt upon its original adver- 
 sary. 
 
 Had the assailant been a boar, or even a bull, no doubt 
 Fritz would have stood his ground, or only swerved to 
 one side, the better to elude the onset, and make an 
 attack in turn. But with a quadruped as big as a house, 
 
 — and of which Fritz, not being of Oriental origin, 
 knew so little ; and of that little nothing that was good, 
 
 — one, too, evidently provided with most formidable 
 weapons, a tongue several feet long, and tusks in pro- 
 portion, — it is not to be wondered at, nor is it any great 
 blot upon his escutcheon, that Fritz turned tail and fled. 
 So fast fled he, that in less than a score of seconds he 
 was out of sight, — not only of his masters in the tree, 
 but of his pursuer, the elephant. The latter only fol- 
 lowed him for some half-dozen lengths of its own car- 
 cass ; and seeing that the pursuit was likely to be a wild- 
 goose chase, declined following Fritz any farther. 
 
 They in the tree, as the elephant started after the
 
 A RING PERFORMANCE. 55 
 
 dog, were in hopes that the pursuit might carry the 
 dangerous animal to some distance, and thus give them 
 time to get back to the ground and make their escape 
 from the spot. 
 
 In this, however, they were doomed to disappoint- 
 ment ; for having desisted from the chase of the dog, 
 the great pachyderm returned to the point from whence 
 it had started ; and, after once more tossing the broken 
 branches of the fallen chestnut-tree upon the point of 
 its proboscis, it commenced pacing round and round the 
 fallen obelisk, keeping in regidar circles, as if it were 
 training itself for some performance in an amphi- 
 theatre. 
 
 For more than an hour did the brute continue this 
 circular promenade, at intervals stopping to give utter- 
 ance to its shrieking note ; but most of the time moving 
 on in sullen silence. Now and then it directed its eyes, 
 and once or twice its trunk, towards the branches of the 
 prostrate tree as if it had still some suspicion that he 
 who sent that stuaging arrow was there concealed. In- 
 deed, it appeared by its movements to be keeping guard 
 over that particular spot, lest its enemy should escape. 
 It had long since extracted the arrow, by placing its 
 great foot upon the shaft and drawing it forth. 
 
 Fritz had stolen back to the edge of the thicket, but 
 kept cowering so close that the elephant could not see 
 him. 
 
 The parties perched above were more than annoyed 
 by their imprisonment thus procrastinated, and began to 
 think of how they might set themselves free. They 
 talked of making a rush to possess themselves of their 
 guns ; but to Karl this appeared too perilous to be
 
 56 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 attempted. It was not twenty yards from the tree to 
 the spot where rested the dismounted monolith ; and 
 the elephant, whose eye was in a state of continual 
 activity, could not fail to see them descending fi-om the 
 branches. The massive creature, though it moved about 
 with apparently a gentle gliding step, could go almost 
 as fast as a galloping horse ; and should it espy them in 
 time, there would be but slight chance of eluding its 
 prehensile trunk. 
 
 Moreover, the sight of them — even should they 
 succeed in regaining the tree — would rekindle its rage, 
 and cause it to prolong its stay upon the ground. 
 
 There was yet another consideration that influenced 
 them to remain patiently on their perch. They knew 
 that they had provided themselves with only a very 
 limited quantity of ammunition. That article had be- 
 come scarce with them ; and they had prudently de- 
 termined to economize it. Karl had only two bullets 
 left, with just powder enough to make two charges ; 
 while Caspar's horn and pouch were not better filled. 
 They might fire their whole stock of lead into the 
 elephant, and still not succeed in killing a creature that 
 sometimes walks off triumphantly with a score of bullets 
 " under his belt." These shots miglit only have the 
 effect of incensing it still more, and causing it to stay 
 upon the ground to an indefinite period. 
 
 It was a true rogue, — Ossaroo had long since pro 
 nounced it one, — and an " old tusker " at that. It 
 was therefore a most dangerous creatnre ; and though 
 they knew they would never be safe in that valley 
 until it should be destroyed, it was agreed by all that 
 it would be more prudent to leave it undisturbed until
 
 A RING PERFORMANCE. 57 
 
 some more favorable opportunity occurred for effecting 
 its destruction. 
 
 For these various reasons they resolved to remain 
 quiet in the tree, and patiently await the termination 
 of that curious " ring performance," which the old tusker 
 still continued to keep up. 
 
 S*
 
 58 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 AN ODD APPEARANCE. 
 
 For the full length of another hour did the trio in 
 the tree have their patience tested. During aU that 
 time the " rogue " remained upon the ground, continu- 
 ing his perambulations around the rock, — until he had 
 trodden out a path that resembled the arena of a circus 
 at the close of a night's performance. 
 
 It is not necessary to say that the time hung heavily 
 upon the hands of the spectators, — to say nothing of 
 Fritz, who would no doubt have been satisfied with a 
 much shorter programme. 
 
 As regards the former, the hour might have been 
 spent less pleasantly than it was ; for it so chanced that 
 an interlude was introduced, of so interesting a charac- 
 ter to all, but more especially to the naturalist Karl, 
 that for a while the proximity of their savage besieger 
 was forgotten, and they scarcely remembered that they 
 were besieged. 
 
 Favored by the accident of their situation, they be- 
 came spectators of a scene, — one of those scenes only 
 to be viewed amid the wild solitudes of Nature. 
 
 Not far from the tree on which they had found shel- 
 ter stood another of equal dimensions, but of an en- 
 tu'ely different species. It was a sycamore, as even 
 Caspar, without any botanical skill, could testify. Its
 
 AN ODD APPEARANCE. 59 
 
 smooth bark, piebald with white and green spots, its 
 widely-straggling limbs and leaves, left no doubt about 
 its being one. It was the sycamore, identical with its 
 European congener, the Platanus orientalis. 
 
 It is the habit of this fine tree to become hollow. 
 Not only does the lower part of its trunk exhibit the 
 phenomenon of great cavities, but holes are found high 
 up in its main shaft or in the larger limbs. 
 
 The tree in question stood within a few yards of 
 that on which Karl, Caspar, and Ossaroo were perched. 
 It was just before their eyes, whenever they looked in 
 a horizontal direction ; and occasionally, when tired 
 with watching the monotonous movements of the ele- 
 phant, one or other of them did look horizontally. 
 The scanty foliage upon the sycamore enabled them 
 to see its trunk and most of its larger limbs, without 
 any obstruction of leaves or branches. 
 
 Caspar had not cast his eyes more than twice in the 
 direction of this tree, when he saw there was something 
 peculiar about it. Caspar was a youth of quick sight 
 and equally quick perception. In the main stem of the 
 tree, and about six feet above its first forking, he per- 
 ceived an object that at once fixed his attention. It 
 looked like a goat's horn, only that it was more like 
 the curving tusk of a rhinoceros or a very young ele- 
 phant. It was sticking out from the tree, with the 
 curve directed downwards. Altogether, it looked quite 
 different from a branch of the sycamore, or anything 
 belonging to the tree. 
 
 Once or twice, while Caspar had his eyes upon it, he 
 thought or fancied that it moved ; but not being sure of 
 this, he said nothing, lest the others might laugh at him.
 
 60 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 It -would not have been the first time that Karl, from 
 his superior knowledge, had indidged in a laugh at his 
 brother's expense. 
 
 Caspar's attention being now engrossed by the pe- 
 culiar appearance he had noted, he continued to scruti- 
 nize it ; and soon perceived that around the curved ex- 
 crescence there was a circular disk some eisrht or ten 
 inches in diameter, and diiFering in color from the bark 
 of the sycamore — by being many shades darker. This 
 disk appeared composed of some substance that was not 
 ligneous : for it no more resembled wood than the curved 
 ivory-like object that protruded from its centre. Had 
 Caspar been asked what it did look like, he would have 
 answered that it resembled the agglutinated mud used 
 by swallows in building their nests, — so like it, that it 
 might have been the same substance. 
 
 Caspar continued to scrutinize these two curious ob- 
 jects, — the tusk-like excrescence, and the dark disk 
 from which it protruded ; and not until he became fully 
 aware that the former had life in it, did he communi- 
 cate his discovery to his companions. Of this fact he 
 was convinced by seeing the crescent suddenly disap- 
 pear, — as if drawn witlim the tree, while in its place a 
 dark round hole was alone visible. Presently the yel- 
 lowish horn reappeared through the hole, and protruded 
 outside, filling it up as before ! 
 
 Caspar was too much astonished by this exhibition to 
 remam any longer the sole proprietor of such a myste- 
 rious secret, and without more delay he communicated 
 his discovery to Karl, and indirectly to Ossaroo. 
 
 Both at tlie same time turned their eyes towards the 
 tree, and bent them iipon the indicated spot. Karl was
 
 AN ODD APPEARAXCE. 61 
 
 as mucli mystified by the strange appearance as had 
 been Caspar liimself. 
 
 Not so Ossaroo. The moment he saw the enrving 
 ivory and the dark-colored disk, he pronounced in a 
 tone of careless indifference, the simple phrase, — 
 
 " HornhiU, — de bird on him nest."
 
 62 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 A CURIOUS NEST. 
 
 Just then the curved projection was observed to re- 
 cede within the tree ; and in its place appeared a small 
 dark hole, apparently the entrance to a larger cavity. 
 Karl, as Caspar had done the moment before, saw this 
 with surprise. 
 
 "Nest!" repeated Caspar, astonished at the shika- 
 ree's statement. "A bird's nest? Is that what you 
 mean, Ossy?" 
 
 "That just it, sahib. Nest of great biggee bird. 
 Feringhees him call horneebiU." 
 
 " Well," rejoined Caspar, not greatly enlightened by 
 Ossaroo's explanation, " that 's very curious. We have 
 seen something like a horn sticking out of the tree, 
 though it looks more like ivory than horn. It may be 
 the bill of a bird ; but as to a bird itself, or the nest 
 of one, where is that, pray ? " 
 
 Ossaroo intimated that the nest was inside the tree ; 
 and that the bird was on the nest just behind its beak, 
 where it ought to be. 
 
 " What ! the bird is in that hole where we saw the 
 white thing sticking out ? Why, it quite filled the hole, 
 and if there 's a bird there, and what we saw be its bill, 
 I have only to say that its bill must be as big as its 
 body, — else how can it get out and in through so small
 
 A CURIOUS NEST. 63 
 
 an aperture? Certainly I see no hole but the one. 
 O, perhaps the bird is a toucan. I have heard there 
 are some of that sort that can go through any place 
 where they can pass their beaks. Is it a toucan, Ossa- 
 roo ? " 
 
 Ossaroo could not tell what a toucan was, never hav- 
 ing heard of such a bird. His ornithological knowledge 
 went no further than to the birds of Bengal ; and the 
 toucan is found only in America. He stated that the 
 bird in the tree was called by the Feringhees a " horn- 
 bill " ; but it was also known to some as the " rhinoceros 
 bird," Ossaroo added, that it was as large as a goose ; 
 and that its body was many times thicker than its bill, 
 thick as the latter appeared to be. 
 
 " And you say it has its nest inside that hole ? " inter- 
 rogated Caspar, pointing to the little round aperture, 
 which did not appear to be over three inches in diameter. 
 
 " Sure of it, young sahib," was Ossaroo's reply. 
 
 "Well, certainly there is some living creature in 
 there, since we have seen it move ; and if it be a bird 
 as large as a goose, wUl you explain to me how it got 
 in, and how it means to get out? There must be a 
 larger entrance on the other side of the tree." 
 
 " No, sahib," confidently asserted Ossaroo ; " that you 
 see before your eye, — that the only way to de hornee- 
 bill nest." 
 
 " Hurrah for you, Ossy ! So you mean to say that a 
 bird as large as a goose can go in and out by that hole ? 
 Why, a sparrow could scarcely squeeze itself through 
 there!" 
 
 " Horneebill he no goee in, he no goee out. He stay 
 inside till him little cliickees ready for leavee nest."
 
 64 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 " Come, Ossy ! " said Caspar, in a bantering way ; 
 " that story is too good to be true. You don't expect 
 us to believe all that ? "What, stay in the nest till the 
 young are ready to leave it ! And how then ? How 
 will the young ones help their mother out of the scrape ? 
 How will they get out themselves : for I suppose they 
 don't leave the nest till they are pretty well grown? 
 Come ! good shikaree ; let us have no more circumlocu- 
 tion about the matter, but explain all these apparently 
 inexplicable circumstances." 
 
 The shikaree, thus appealed to, proceeded to give the 
 explanation demanded. 
 
 The hornbill, he said, when about to bring forth its 
 young, selects a hollow in some tree, just large enough 
 conveniently to hold the nest which it builds, and also 
 its own body. As soon as the nest is constructed andgs. 
 the eggs all laid, the female bird takes her seat upon 
 them, and there remains ; not only until the eggs are 
 hatched, but for a long time afterwards, — in fact, until 
 the young are nearly fledged and able to take care of 
 themselves. In order that she may be protected during 
 the period of her incubfltion against weasels, polecats, 
 ichneumons, and all such " vermin," a design, exhibiting 
 either wonderful instinct or sagacity, is carried into exe- 
 cution by the male. As soon as his mate has squatted 
 upon her eggs, he goes to work at the masonic art ; and 
 using lois great horned mandibles, first as a hod, and 
 afterwards as a trowel, he walls up the entrance to the 
 nest, — leaving an aperture just large enough to be filled 
 up by the beak of the female. The material employed 
 by him for this purpose is a kind of agglutinated mud, 
 which he procures from the neighboring watercourse or
 
 * A CURIOUS NEST. 65 
 
 quagmire, and somewhat similar to that used by the 
 common house-swallow for constructing its peculiar nest. 
 When dried, this mud becomes exceedingly hard,— 
 bidding defiance to the teeth and claws of all would-be 
 intruders, whether bird or quadruped; and with the 
 horny beak of the old hen projected outward, and quite 
 filling up the aperture, even the slippery tree-snake 
 cannot find room enough to squeeze his body through. 
 The female, thus free from all fear of being molested, 
 quietly continues her incubation ! 
 
 When Ossaroo had got thus far with his explanation, 
 Caspar interrupted him with a query. 
 
 " What ! " said he, " sit all the time — for weeks, I 
 suppose — without ever coming out, — without taking 
 an airing? And how does she get her food?" 
 
 As Caspar put this question, and before Ossaroo had 
 time to answer, a noise reached their ears which 
 appeared to proceed from the sky above them. It 
 was a noise well calculated to inspire terror in those 
 who had never before heard it, or did not know what 
 was causing it. It was a sort of fluttering, clattering 
 sound, or rather a series of sounds, resembling the 
 quickly repeated gusts of a violent storm. 
 
 The moment Ossaroo heard it, he knew what it was ; 
 and instead of giving a direct answer to Caspar's ques- 
 tion, he simply said, — 
 
 " Wait a bit, sahib. Here come old cockee hornee- 
 bill ; he show you how de hen getee her food." 
 
 The words had scarcely passed from the lips of the 
 shikaree, when the cause of that singular noise became 
 known to his companions. The maker of it appeared 
 before them in the form of a great bu-d, that with a strong 
 
 E
 
 66 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 flapping of its wings flew past the tree in which they 
 were seated, towards that which contained the nest. 
 
 In an instant afterwards, it was seen resting on a spur- 
 like projection of the trunk, just below the aperture ; 
 and it needed not Ossaroo to tell them that it was the 
 cock hornbiU that had there alighted. The large beak 
 — the tip of it resembling that which they had already 
 seen sticking out of the hole, and which was once more 
 visible and in motion — surmounted by an i m mense hel- 
 met-like protuberance, rising upon the crown, and run- 
 ning several inches along the top of the upper mandible, 
 which might have been taken for a second beak, — this 
 singular appendage could belong to no other bird than 
 the hornbill.
 
 THE HORNBILL. 67 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE HORNBILL. 
 
 Karl, although he had never seen one of these birds 
 alive, had yet examined stuffed specimens of them in 
 museums, and he had no difficulty in recognizing the 
 bird. He was able even to identify the species, for there 
 are many species of hornbill, known under the generic 
 name, Bucerus. That before their eyes was the Buce- 
 rus rhinoceros, or " rhinoceros hornbill," called also the 
 " topau," and sometimes the " horned Indian raven," 
 from a sort of resemblance which it bears both in shape 
 and habits to the well-known bird of this name. 
 
 Ossaroo had not exaggerated the size of these birds 
 when he compared it to that of a goose. On the con- 
 trary, he had rather moderated the dimensions : for the 
 one in question looked much larger than either goose or 
 gander. It was rather more than three feet in length, — 
 reckoning from the tip of its tail to the point of its curv- 
 ing beak, which of itself was nearly a foot long ! Its 
 color was black above, and yellowish-white underneath, 
 the tail feathers being a clear white, with a broad black • 
 band crossing them near the middle. Its bill, like that 
 of its mate already observed, was of a yellowish-white, 
 the upper mandible being reddish around the base, while 
 the casque-Uke protuberance exhibited a mottled surface 
 of white and black.
 
 68 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 Ossaroo had to tell them pretty nearly all he knew 
 in relation to this curious bird ; for although there are 
 several species of hornbills natives of India, it is by no 
 means a common creature, even at home in its own 
 country. 
 
 Karl could have told them much more about its spe- 
 cies and habits, and no doubt he would have done so had 
 they been otherwise engaged. But situated as they 
 were, with an angry elephant besieging them in the tree, 
 and now for a while interested in observing the move- 
 ments of the bird itself, Karl was in no humor to deliver 
 an ornithological lecture. He might have told them that 
 ornitholo2"ist3 have differed much about the classification 
 of the hornbill, — some of them placing it among the 
 toucans, while others assert that it belongs to the crow 
 family. Its immense beak — out of all proportion to its 
 body — is not the only point of resemblance it bears to 
 the toucans. Like them, it flings its food into the air, 
 catching and swallowing it as it comes down. Unlike 
 the toucans, however, it cannot climb trees, and is there- 
 fore not of the Scausorial order. It is said to be omniv- 
 orous in its food ; and in this it resembles the crows and 
 ravens : but, indeed, as already stated, there arc many 
 species of hornbills, and the habits of the different kinds, 
 by no means uniform or alike, have been confoiuided by 
 most writers. There are species in Africa, others in 
 India and the Indian islands, and New Guinea is known 
 to have one or two distinct species of its own. All these 
 differ not only in size, color, shape of their beak, and the 
 protuberance that surmounts it ; but also in the kind of 
 food which they live upon. For instance, the African 
 hornbills, and one or more of the Asiatic species, are
 
 THE HORNBILL. 69 
 
 carnivorous, and some even carrion-eaters. These are 
 filthy birds, their flesh and feathers smelling rank as those 
 of vultures. On the other hand, there is a species in 
 the Indian islands — the Moluccas more particularly — 
 whose sole food is the nutmeo- which a;ives to its flesh an 
 exquisite aromatic flavor, causing it to be much relished 
 at the tables of Oriental epicures. The bill of this 
 species after a certain time appears with a number of 
 grooves or furrows in it. As these furrows are observed 
 only on the beaks of the old birds, the Dutch colonists 
 established in the Moluccas believe them to indicate 
 their age, each wrinkle standing for a year. Hence the 
 hornbill has obtained among the colonists the name of 
 Terrvogel (year bird). 
 
 Karl, as I have said, was acquainted with all these 
 facts in the natural history of the hornbill ; but just then 
 he did not think of making them known to his compan- 
 ions, — all three being too much occupied in watching 
 the movements of the male bird. It was evident that 
 he was not one of the vegetable feeders : for on liis 
 alighting they could see hanging from his beak a long 
 cylindrical object, which they were able to identify as 
 a portion — the head and part of the body — of a dead 
 snake. It was equally evident that his mate was not 
 accustomed to a vegetable diet: for from the way in 
 which he was manoeuvrmg, the spectators saw that the 
 mutilated reptile was intended for her. No doubt it was 
 her dinner, for it had now got to that hour of the day. 
 
 She was not to be kept waiting any longer. Almost 
 on the instant her provider alighted on the projecting 
 spur, with a toss of his head he jerked the piece of snake 
 up into the air, and then caught it as it came down
 
 70 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 again, — not witla the intention to swallow it, but only to 
 get a better grip, in order that he might deliver it the 
 more adroitly into the mandibles of his mate, — now pro- 
 trudmg through the aperture, and opened to receive it. 
 
 In another instant the savory morsel was transferred 
 from the beak of the male to that of the female; and 
 then the ivory forceps of the latter, with the snake held 
 tightly between them, disappeared witliin the cavity. 
 
 The old cock stayed not a moment longer upon the 
 tree. He had served his mate with her dinner, and per- 
 haps he had yet to bring on the dessert. Whether or 
 not, he rose immediately afterwards into the air, with 
 the same clangorous clapping of his wings ; but this 
 time the noise was accompanied by the clattering of liis 
 horny mandibles, like a pair of castanets, causing a sound ' 
 not only singular, but, if heard by strangers, calculated 
 to beget within them a considerable feeling of alarm.
 
 A FOUR-FOOTED BUKGLAR. 71 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A FOUR-FOOTED BURGLAR. 
 
 After the departure of the bird, that had taught our 
 young adventurers so interesting a chapter of natural 
 history, the elephant once more engrossed their atten- 
 tion. Not that there was anything new in the move- 
 ments of the latter, — for it was acting just as before, — 
 but simply because they knew that, so long as it re- 
 mained upon the ground, they would have to stay in the 
 tree ; and they naturally bent their eyes upon it, to see 
 if it was showing any signs of moving off. They could 
 perceive none. Not the slightest appearance to indicate 
 its intention of departing from the spot. 
 
 While engaged in regarding the besieger, their eyes 
 were of course removed from the sycamore ; nor might 
 they have been again turned towards that tree, — at 
 least, not for a good while, — but for a sound that 
 reached their ears, and which appeared to proceed from 
 the direction of the liornbiU's nest. It was a soft and 
 rather plaintive sound, — unlike any that had been made 
 by the rhinoceros bird ; nor was it at all like the voice 
 of a bird, of any kind. It was more like the utterance of 
 some four-footed creature ; or it might even have been a 
 human voice pronouncing the syllable "wha," several 
 times repeated. 
 
 That it was neither bird nor human being, Ossaroo
 
 72 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 could tell the moment he heard the first " wha." Almost 
 as soon were the others convinced that it was neither : 
 for on turning their eyes to the sycamore, they saw upon 
 the projecting spur that had been so lately occupied by 
 the hornbill, a creature of a very different kind, — in 
 short, a quadruped. 
 
 Had it been in an American forest, they might have 
 taken the creature for a raccoon, though a very large one. 
 On closer scrutinj'^, many points of resemblance, and also 
 of difference, would have become apparent. Like the 
 raccoon, it had plantigrade feet, a burly, rounded body, 
 and a very thick hairy tail, — ringed also like that of the 
 American animal, — but unlike the latter, its muzzle, 
 instead of being long and slender, was short, round, and 
 somewhat cat-like ; while its hair, or more jiroperly its 
 fur, formed a thick even coat all over its body, limbs, 
 and tail, and presented a smooth and shining surface. 
 Its general color was a very dark brown, streaked and 
 mottled with golden yellow ; and Caspar remarked, upon 
 the moment of seeing it, that it was one of the hand- 
 somest creatures he had ever beheld. 
 
 The naturalist Cuvier had made the same remark 
 long before Caspar's time. So said Karl, on hearing 
 the observation escape from the lips of his brother. 
 
 Ossaroo knew that tlie animal was the " wha," a name 
 derived from its ordinary call ; and that it was some- 
 times known as the " chetwa," and also the " panda." 
 
 Karl, on hearing Ossaroo's name for it, and indeed 
 on hearing it pronounced by the creature itself, was 
 able to identify the animal, and to give it still another 
 name, — that which has been bestowed upon it by 
 Frederick Cuvier, — ailuriis. This is the generic name,
 
 A POUR-POOTED BURGLAR. 73 
 
 of wliich, up to the present time, it has been left in 
 undisturbed possession. Since only one species has 
 been discovered, it has the name all to itself; and there- 
 fore would not require any specific appellation. But 
 for all that, one has been given to it. On account of 
 its shining coat, it has been called the ailunis fulgens. 
 
 Though the closet naturalists, in following out their 
 pedantic propensities, have created a genus ■ expressly 
 for this animal, there is nothing either in its appearance 
 or habits to separate it from the badgers, the raccoons, 
 the coatimondis, and such other predatory creatures. 
 Like them it preys upon birds and their eggs, as also 
 on the smaller kinds of quadrupeds ; and, like the rac- 
 coon, it is a nimble tree-climber. 
 
 The situation in which the particular panda, of which 
 we are writing, first appeared to the eyes of Karl and 
 Caspar, proved this capacity, and its actions the moment 
 after testified to its fondness for birds'-eggs. It had not 
 been a minute under the eyes of the spectators, when 
 they saw that it was after the eggs of the hornbill ; 
 perhaps, too, it might have had a design of tasting the 
 flesh of their owner. 
 
 Resting its thick plantigrade hind feet upon the pro- 
 jection of the tree, it erected itself Wka a httle bear ; 
 and with its fore-paws commenced scraping at the 
 barrier wall which the male bird had spent so much 
 time and taken so much pains in building. It is possi- 
 ble that, if it had been left to itseF, it might in time 
 have succeeded in forcing an entrance into the nest, and 
 highly probable too, — or it would scarcely have en- 
 tered upon the task. But it was not left to itself. Not 
 that the sitter inside could have done much to hinder 
 4
 
 74 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 it : though it was evident, from the way in which her 
 beak was repeatedly projected and drawn back through 
 the hole, and also from her angry hissing, that she 
 knew there was danger without, and that an enemy was 
 assailing her citadel. 
 
 Most likely after a time, and by constant scraping, 
 the clay wall would eventually have been pulled down ; 
 but before that event came to pass, a loud flapping and 
 fluttering, and cracking and clattering, was heard among 
 the tops of the trees ; and in an instant afterwards the 
 broad, shadowy wings of the old male hornbill were 
 swashing about the ears of the four-footed robber, while 
 the long cutlass-like beak, armed at its edges, at once 
 interrupted the intent. 
 
 The panda, taken by surprise, quailed at this first 
 onset : for like any other pater familias who on return- 
 ing home finds a burglar breaking into his house, the 
 cock bird charged in the full tide of impetuous fury. 
 
 The robber, however, evidently used to this sort ■^f 
 thing, soon recovered his self-possession; and instead 
 of retreating from the tree, he only planted himself 
 more firmly upon the projection ; and, facing towards 
 his feathery assailant, prepared to show fight. 
 
 And fight was instantly shown on both sides, — the 
 bird swooping repeatedly at its adversary, striking with 
 its strong wings and thrusting with its ensiform beak ; 
 while the quadruped played back both with teeth and 
 claws, — several times plucking a mouthful of feathers 
 from the breast of its winged adversary.
 
 FRITZ INTERFERES. 75 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 FRITZ INTERFERES. 
 
 How the affair might have ended had the panda and 
 the hornbill been the only parties to the combat, can bnt 
 be guessed at. In all likelihood the quadruped would 
 have triumphed over the biped ; the entrance would 
 have been forced ; the old hen dragged off her nest — 
 perhaps killed and eaten — and the eggs after her. 
 
 But it was not written in the book of destiny that this 
 should be the denouement of that little drama : for at 
 that moment an incident occurred which changed the 
 whole character of the contest, — followed by a series of 
 other incidents which brought the affair to a termination 
 unexpected by all parties engaged, as well as by those 
 who witnessed it. 
 
 The first of these incidents, — and that which formed 
 the key to this change in the circumstances of the com- 
 bat, was one of a very ludicrous character, — so much so 
 as to elicit laughter from the spectators in the tree. 
 
 It chanced that the eyes of the panda, as the animal 
 stood erect on its hind quarters, were directly opposite 
 the little aperture that represented the entrance to the 
 nest. Not dreaming of any danger in that direction, the 
 robber only thought of guarding his " daylights " against 
 the hornbill upon the wing. But the hen bird inside the 
 nest — who could see well enough what was passing
 
 76 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 outside — tad no idea of remainftg a passive spectator ; 
 and perceiving her opportunity — for she vras within 
 striking distance — she quietly drew back her long ivory 
 beak, and, throwing all the strength of her neck into the 
 eflFort, — assisted by the weight of her heavy helmeted 
 head, — as if with the blow of a pickaxe, she struck the 
 panda right in the eye, — the sharp point penetratuag 
 ahnost to its skull. 
 
 Terror-stricken, partly by surprise at this unexpected 
 stroke, and partly by the pain caused by it, the quadru- 
 ped uttered a shrill cry ; and at once scrambling down 
 from the tree, seemed only anxious to make his escape. 
 In this design he, no doubt, would have succeeded, with 
 only the loss of an eye ; but the eye of still another 
 enemy had been upon him, — one whom he had yet to 
 . encounter. Fritz, from his position neai- the bottom of 
 the tree, attracted by the noise of the strife, had drawn 
 nearer ; and looking up, had been watching the combat 
 throughout. It is scarcely probable that the sympathies 
 of honest Fritz could have been otherwise than in favor 
 of the innocent bird, and against the guilty beast ; but 
 whatever way they may have been inclined, certain it is 
 that as the panda came to " grass," the dog " jumped " 
 it upon the instant, and commenced worryuig it, as if 
 the creature had been the oldest and bitterest of his 
 enemies ! 
 
 Despite the suddenness of this new attack — equally 
 unexpected as the peck in the eye — the fierce panda 
 showed no signs of yielding without a struggle ; and, 
 although far overmatched by its canine antagonist, it 
 was likely to give the latter a scratch or two, as souve- 
 nirs that he would carry to his grave.
 
 FRITZ INTEKl'EllES. 77 
 
 But at tliis moment a much gi-eater danger was 
 threatening Fritz than any harm he might suffer from 
 the claws of the panda ; and had chance not favored 
 him, as he jumped about in the struggle, by turning his 
 eyes in a particular direction, he would have found him- 
 self in the clutches of an antagonist, that would have 
 shown him as little mercy as he was himself extending 
 to the poor panda. 
 
 But he was favored by chance : for it was nothing 
 more that directed his glance towards his old pursuer, 
 the elephant ; and showed him the latter, at that mo- 
 ment advancing upon him at a charging pace, with eyes 
 sparkling in silent vengeance, and trunk extended to 
 seize him. Under the circumstances, it did not cost 
 Fritz a moment's calculation as to what course he should 
 pursue. Suddenly dropping the panda — as if he had 
 discovered the quadi-uped to be a lump of poison — he 
 bounded from the spot in a direction the very opposite 
 to that by which the elephant was approaching ; and in 
 less than a score of seconds the only part of him to be 
 seen was the tip of his tail just disappearmg into the 
 t\icket. 
 
 Of all the creatures that had borne part in this curious 
 affray, the poor panda was perhaps the most to be pitied. 
 At all events he was the most unfortunate : for with the 
 drama ended also his life. In every one encountered by 
 him he had found an enemy ; and in the last he met 
 with a dread foe that soon made a finish of him. This 
 last was the elephant. The great animal, rushing for- 
 ward upon Fritz, seeing that the latter had escaped, was 
 determined this time not to be balked of a victim. In- 
 stead of carrying out the design it had only partially
 
 78 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 resolved upon, — that of following Fritz into the forest, 
 — it suddenly altered its plan, and transferred its hos- 
 tility to the jianda. It saw that the latter was within 
 reach : for, half blinded by the beak of the bird, and half 
 worried to death by the dog, the creature did not per- 
 ceive, as Fritz had done, the approach of the elephant. 
 It is possible it may have seen the danger, but not untU 
 the elephant had got in such dangerous proximity as left 
 it no chance of escape. 
 
 Before the panda could make the slightest effort to get 
 away from the ground, the elephant had lapped its pre- 
 hensile proboscis around it, and lifted it into the air. as if 
 ite body had been no heavier than a feather. Holding 
 it aloft, the merciless monster took several long strides 
 in the direction of the fallen obelisk; and then, as if 
 choosing a spot suitable for its design, it placed the stUl 
 struggling body of the panda upon the ground, set its 
 huge fore-feet upon it, and using them alternately, con- 
 tinued to trample it until the only vestige left of the 
 crushed creature was a shaj)eless mass of for and flesh ! 
 
 It was a painful spectacle to those in the tree ; but it 
 was succeeded by a sight that was pleasant to all three : 
 the sight of the elephant's hind quarters as it walked off 
 toward the woods, evidently with the intention of retir- 
 ing from the ground. 
 
 Whether its vengeance had been satisfied by the de- 
 struction of the jDanda, or whether it had gone off in 
 search of Fritz, none of the three could conjectui-e ; but 
 whatever may have been the motive, certain it is that it 
 guided the rogue from the spot, and raised a siege that 
 was on the point of becomiug exceedingly u'ksome.
 
 = DEATH TO THE ROGUE." 79 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 "death to the rogue." 
 
 As soon as the elephant was fairly out of sight, the 
 besieged took counsel among themselves about descend- 
 ing to the earth. They were sorely tired of the positions 
 which they had been so long constrained to keep ; for, to 
 tell the truth, sitting astride upon the hard branch of 
 a tree, though easy enough for a short spell, becomes 
 in time so painful as to be almost vmendurable. Caspar 
 especially had grown impatient of this irksome inaction ; 
 and highly exasperated at the rogue who was forcing it 
 upon them. Several times had he been on the point 
 of forsaking his perch, and stealing down for his gun; 
 but Karl, each time perceiving his design, very prudently 
 persuaded him to forego it. 
 
 All were anxious enough to get out of the tree ; and 
 they would have vacated their seats at once on the disap- 
 pearance of their dreaded enemy, had they been certain 
 that he was gone for good ; but they were suspicious that 
 it might be only a temporary absence, — perhaps some 
 ruse of the rogue to decoy them down : for elejihants of 
 this character hav6 been known to practise tricks with 
 almost as much cunning as rogues among men. 
 
 While holding counsel as to how they had best act, 
 Ossaroo cut short their deliberations by volunteering 
 to descend first ; and by stealing a short way along the
 
 80 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 track wMcli the elephant had taken, ascertain whether 
 he was really gone from the ground, or only lying in 
 ambush near the skirt of the forest. 
 
 As the shikaree could creep through imderwood as 
 silently as a snake, there could be no great danger in his 
 doing this, provided he did not go too far. He could 
 not fail to see the elephant before approaching too near 
 to it ; and in the event of its turning and pursuing him, 
 he could once more flee to their tree-fortress. 
 
 He scarcely waited for the consent of his comjDanions ; 
 but, immediately after conceiving the idea, he let him- 
 self down among the branches ; and once on the ground, 
 glided hurriedly, but cautiously, off in the direction taken 
 by the elephant. 
 
 Karl and Caspar stayed some five minutes longer upon 
 their perch ; but the shikaree not returning as soon as 
 they had expected, they became impatient, and also 
 dropped down from the tree. 
 
 Their first act was to recover their guns, and reload 
 them ; and then, taking stand in a position from which, 
 in case of being suddenly attacked, they could easily 
 spring back among the branches, they awaited the return 
 of Ossaroo. 
 
 A considerable time elapsed, without their either see- 
 ing or hearing aught of the shikaree. Indeed, they heard 
 nothing: for a complete silence reigned around them, 
 broken only now and then by the fluttering of the wings 
 of the old male hornbill, — who was still keeping in the 
 neighborhood of the nest, apparently puzzled to make 
 out by what mysterious combination of circumstances he 
 had been so abruptly disembarrassed of his adversary, 
 the panda.
 
 "death to the kogue." 81 
 
 The movements of the bird had no longer any interest 
 for Karl and Caspar, — who were beginning to grow 
 uneasy at the prolonged absence of Ossaroo. 
 
 Soon after, however, they were relieved from their 
 suspense, by seeing the sliikaree emerging from the 
 underwood, and advancing at a quick pace to the open 
 ground. They had the additional pleasure of beholding 
 Fritz following at his heels. The dog had joined Ossa- 
 roo near the edge of the timber, — where he had been 
 quietly secreting himself from the eyes of the dreaded 
 elephant. 
 
 As Ossaroo drew near, both Karl and Caspar noticed 
 an expression upon his countenance, which, combined 
 with his hurried advance, told that he had something 
 of an important nature to communicate. 
 
 " Well, Ossy," asked Caspar, who was the first to 
 speak, " what news ? Have you seen anything more of 
 the rogue?" 
 
 " Ah, rogue indeed ! " replied Ossaroo, in a tone ex- 
 pressive of some secret fear. " You speakee true, sahib ; 
 the rogue, if he no worse." 
 
 " Why, what now ? Have you seen anything since 
 you left us?" 
 
 " Seen, sahibs ! Where you tinkee he now gone ? " 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " Hee go for de hut." 
 
 "For the hut?" 
 
 " Straight trackee. Ah, sahibs ! " continued the shik- 
 aree, speaking in a low voice, and with an air of super- 
 stitious terror ; " dat animal too wise for dis world ; he 
 know too much. I fear him be no elphan' after all, but 
 
 4* F
 
 82 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 only de Devil, who hab takee elephan' shape. Why he 
 go back there ? " 
 
 " Ah ! why, I wonder," inquired Caspar. " Do you 
 thmk," added he, " it is in the hope of finding us there ? 
 If that 's his purpose," he continued, without waiting for 
 a reply, " we shall have no peace so long as he remains 
 alive. We must either kill him, or he will do as much 
 for us." 
 
 "Sahibs," observed the Hindoo, with a significant 
 shake of the head, " we no able kUlee him ; that ele- 
 phan' he nebba die." 
 
 « O, nonsense, Ossy ! If that 's what you mean," re- 
 joined Caspar, disdainfully repudiating the superstitious 
 belief of the shikaree ; " there is not much doubt of our 
 being able to kill him, if we once get a fair shot ; and 
 by my word, the sooner we set about it the better. It 's 
 evident, from his having gone back to our hut, that he 
 has some wicked design. Very likely he remembers 
 being first attacked there by Fritz ; and as he may be 
 under the belief that the dog has retreated there, he is 
 gone in search of him. Ho, Fritz, old fellow ! you 
 need n't be afraid. You can easily get out of his way, 
 whenever you like. Your masters are in more danger 
 than you, my boy." 
 
 " You are sure, Ossaroo," said Karl, who had stood for 
 some time silently reflecting, — " you are sure he has 
 gone to the hut ? " 
 
 In reply to this interrogation, Ossaroo would not state 
 positively that he had seen the elephant arrive on the 
 very spot where the hovel stood ; but he had followed 
 his track through the belt of heavy timber ; and then, 
 having climbed a tree, had descried the great quadi-uped
 
 "DEATH TO THE ROGUE." 83 
 
 mo vine: in the direction of the hut. He had no doubt 
 it was for that point he was making, though with what 
 design Ossaroo could not guess, — his superstitious dread 
 having hindered him from ventm'ing upon any conjec- 
 ture. 
 
 " One thing is clear," said Karl, after another interval 
 spent in reflection : " it vrill be no use our attempting to 
 continue the survey we have commenced, until the ele- 
 phant be got out of the way. What you say, brother 
 Caspar, is quite true. Now that he has become aware 
 of our presence, and has, moreover, been roused to fury 
 by the wounds we have given him, it is not likely he 
 will forget what has passed ; and we can hope for neither 
 peace nor safety till we have succeeded in destroying 
 him. There is no reason why we should not set about 
 it at once, but every reason why we should. Our very 
 lives depend upon his destruction; and they will not be 
 safe till that has been accomphshed." 
 
 " Let us after him at once, then," cried Caspar ; " and 
 be our motto, ' Death to the rogue ! ' " 
 
 t 
 
 5-
 
 84 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A HOME IN KUINS. 
 
 "Without farther delay, our adventurers took the 
 back track towards the hut, which was exactly that 
 which the elephant had taken, — as they could tell by 
 traces of the animal all along the route, which the ex- 
 perienced eye of the shikaree had already discovered, 
 and which he now pointed out to his companions as they 
 passed on. Here and there its great footprints were 
 visible in the turf, in places where the ground was soft ; 
 and at other places where no tracks appeared, leaves 
 and twigs freshly strewn upon the earth, and also 
 branches of considerable size broken off from the trees, 
 and borne for some distance before being dropped, clear- 
 ly indicated to Ossaroo the route which the rogue had 
 taken. 
 
 The shikaree had often followed the spoor 'of wild 
 elephants through the jungles of Bengal, and knew 
 everything about their way of travelling. He was, 
 therefore, able to tell the others that the rogue had not 
 been browsing as he went, — for the leaves and twigs 
 showed no signs of his teeth, — but, on the contrary, he 
 had moved forward rapidly, and as if with some special 
 determination. The broken branches which they saw 
 were more likely to have been torn off out of spite at 
 the ill-usage he had received, and the disappointment at 
 not having succeeded in his purposes of vengeance.
 
 A HOME IN RUINS. 85 
 
 It did not need for Ossaroo to caution his companions 
 to circumspection. They knew as well as he that an 
 elephant enraged as this one was, whether a rogue ele- 
 phant or an honest one, was anything but a safe customer 
 to come in contact with ; and that this particular rogue 
 was most particularly angry they had just had both ocu- 
 lar and auricular evidence. 
 
 They went forward, therefore, with imusual caution, 
 taking care to keep both their eyes and ears on the alert, 
 and at the same time moving in perfect silence, or con- 
 versing only in whispers. 
 
 The path upon which they were returning was not 
 that by which they had gone forth. The reconnoissance 
 of the cliffs had carried them a good distance around 
 the edge of the valley ; but now they were followuig 
 the track taken by the elephant, which, as already ascer- 
 tained by Ossaroo, led almost in a direct line to the hut. 
 
 As they drew nearer to their rude habitation, they 
 saw indications that the enemy was stUl before them. 
 As they knew that in the immediate neighborhood of 
 the hot-sprmg, and consequently of the hut itself, there 
 were no large trees or other place of safety to which 
 they might retreat in case of being again attacked, they 
 began to advance with increased caution. From the 
 direction in which they were approaching, the hovel 
 could not be seen until they shovdd get within less than 
 two hundi'ed yards of it. There was a belt of rather 
 tall jungle to be passed through, and then it would be in 
 sight. 
 
 .Through this jungle they commenced advancing ; and 
 there, to their no slight uneasiness, they also observed 
 fresh traces of the elephant. They were now certain
 
 86 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 that he had passed through it before them, still going 
 direct for the hut. 
 
 What on earth can he want there ? was the query- 
 that once more suggested itself to the minds of all three. 
 It certainly looked as if he had proceeded there in search 
 of them! As if, missing them from the scene of the 
 encounter, he believed they had returned home, and was 
 following up their acquaintance. 
 
 From what they had observed, they could not help 
 attributing to the great quadi-uped the possession of an 
 intelligence sometliing more than natural ; and this, 
 though it may have been only an absurd fancy on their 
 part, had the effect of begetting within their minds a 
 very painful feeling of apprehension. What they saw 
 on coming out on the other side of the jungle not only 
 strengthened this feeling of apprehension, but increased 
 it all at once to a positive terror. 
 
 The hut, which should now have been before their 
 eyes, and at a distance of not quite two hundred paces, 
 was no longer there ! The ruins of it alone were visible. 
 The large bowlders with which its walls had been built, 
 the beams and thatch that had composed its roof, the 
 grass couches upon which they had slept, the rude im- 
 provised utensUs and other articles wliich had served 
 them for furniture, were all strewed far and wide over 
 the ground ; and not the semblance of a house, or even 
 hovel, remained to show that the spot had been occupied 
 by a human habitation ! 
 
 Yes, — in what had been their rude dwelling our ad- 
 venturers beheld only a ruder ruin, — scarce one stone 
 standing upon another ! 
 
 They beheld all this with feelings of fear, — ay,
 
 A HOME IN ^UINS. 87 
 
 Bometliing stronger, — with awe. The Pagan worship- 
 per of Brahma or Vishnu was no longer alone in his 
 superstitious imaginings. His young Christian com- 
 panions were almost equally victims to a belief in the 
 supernatural. They comprehended well enough what 
 had caused the destruction of the house. Though the 
 author of that mischief was nowhere to be seen, they 
 knew it was the elephant. There was no alternative 
 but to accept that explanation ; and it was not the act 
 itself that was awing them, but the contemplation of the 
 human-like, or rather demon-like, intelligence that had 
 guided the animal thither, and instructed it to this act 
 of retribution, perhaps only preliminary to a still greater 
 one. 
 
 Though the work of devastation could not have been 
 completed many minutes before their arrival, the eler 
 phant appeared to have gone away from the ground. 
 At least, it was not to be seen anywhere near the spot ; 
 and it is needless to say that it was carefully looked for. 
 Dreading its dangerous proximity, they had kept under 
 cover of the bushes while contemplating the ruin from 
 a distance ; and it was not until after a considerable in- 
 terval had elapsed that they ventured forward over the 
 open space to ascertain the full extent of the damage. 
 
 This they at length did, and found that it was total 
 destruction. So far as the hut was concerned, not a 
 vestige of construction remained, — walls and roof had 
 been alike levelled with the ground. But what was a 
 greater source of chagrin to the now homeless plant- 
 hunters, was that their little store of ammunition, — the 
 gunpowder, which during all the period of their impris- 
 onment they had been carefully hoarding, — was spilled
 
 88 THE CUFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 among the rubbish, and of course irrecoverable. It had 
 been deposited in a large goui'd-shell prepared for the 
 purpose ; and this, among other similar chattels, the en- 
 raged quadruped had crushed under its feet. Their 
 cured provisions had also been turned out from their 
 place of deposit, and trampled into the dust of the earth. 
 But this, though also a chagrin, was one of less bitter- 
 ness. Other provisions might be obtained, — not now 
 so easily, since the powder was destroyed, — but the 
 latter they could not replace.
 
 UP A TREE AGAIN ! 89 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 UP A TREE AGAIN 
 
 They miglit have remained longer on the ground 
 lamenting this irreparable loss, but that they were still 
 apprehensive of the return of the elephant. Whither 
 had it gone ? That was the question which one was ad- 
 dressing to the other, while the eyes of all kept turning 
 in different directions, and with glances that betrayed 
 their uneasiness. 
 
 The rogue could not have been off the groxmd more 
 than a very few minutes : the grass that he had trampled 
 down was stUl wet with its own sap, crushed out by his 
 ponderous weight. And yet he might have been seen 
 all around for nearly a quarter of a mile's distance. 
 There was no timber within that distance that could 
 have given concealment to an animal so bulky as an 
 elephant ? 
 
 So thought Karl and Caspar; but Ossaroo was of a 
 different opinion. The bit of jungle through which 
 they had passed would suffice to screen the rogue, said 
 he ; adding at the same time a piece of intelligence de- 
 rived from his shikaree experience : that an elephant, 
 large as it is, can hide ia a slight cover with wonderful 
 cunniag ; that its sagacity enables it to select the best 
 place for concealment ; and that, although it neither 
 crouches nor squats, it contrives, by keeping perfectly
 
 90 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 still, — added to the circumstance of its being a shape- 
 less sort of mass, — ofttimes to elude the eye of the 
 most vigilant hunter. Though Karl and Caspar could 
 scarcely credit him, Ossaroo expressed his belief, not 
 only that the elephant might be hid in the scant jungle 
 they were talking about, but that it actually was there. 
 
 Unfortunately for them, Ossaroo's argument was too 
 soon to be supported by facts which left no doubt of its 
 accuracy. As they stood scanning the jungle with keen 
 glances, and with ears acutely bent to catch every sound 
 that might issue from it, a movement was perceptible 
 among the tops of some tall saplings that grew near its 
 centre. In the next moment a brace of the beautiful 
 argus pheasants rose on whirring wing, at the same time 
 giving forth their loud note of alarm. 
 
 The bu'ds, forsaking the jungle, in their flight passed 
 over the heads of our adventurers, and by their cries 
 caused such a clangor as to set Fritz ofl" into a prolonged 
 fit of braying. 
 
 Whether it was that the enemy had been only lying 
 in ambush, waiting for a good opportunity to charge, or 
 whether the voice of the dog — already known and 
 hated — had been just then heard by the elephant, stir- 
 ring him to a fresh thirst for vengeance, certain it is, 
 that before a sentence could be exchanged among the 
 terrified trio, the long conical trunk and broad massive 
 shoulders were visible through the scanty jungle ; and 
 it was plain to all that the monster was making towards 
 them with that deceptive shamble which, though only a 
 walk, carries the huge quadruped over the ground al- 
 most with the speed of a galloping horse. 
 
 For a moment our adventurers stood their ground, —
 
 UP A TREE AGAIN ! 91 
 
 not, however, with any idea of awaiting the attack or 
 attempting to repel it ; but simply because they knew 
 not in what direction to retreat. 
 
 So dismayed were they at the sight of the advancing 
 enemy, that it was some seconds before any of the thi-ee 
 could suggest a plan that offered a jjrospect of escape. 
 Rather mechanically than otherwise did Karl and Cas- 
 par bring theii" pieces to the level, with the intention of 
 firing in the face of the foe : for they had but little hope 
 that the lead from their guns, both of light calibre, would 
 stop his impetuous charge. 
 
 Both fired at the same instant ; and then Caspar de- 
 livered his second shot ; but, just as they had expected, 
 the elephant continued to charge onward. 
 
 Fortimately for them, the shikaree had not conde- 
 scended to draw the string of his bow. Experience 
 had taught him that under such circumstances an arrow 
 was an useless weapon. He might as well have at- 
 tempted to kick the elephant, or stick a pin into its 
 trunk ; either of which proceedings would have damaged 
 the animal nearly as much, and perhaps irritated it a 
 little less, than would one of Ossaroo's arrows. 
 
 Knowing tliis, the sliikaree, instead of bothering him- 
 self with his bow, or wasting time by any thoughts of 
 resistance, had occupied the few seconds left for consid- 
 eration in a rapid reconnoissance of the neighborhood, 
 — to see if it offered any chance of escape. 
 
 To tell the truth, the vicinity ajipeared rather un- 
 promising. The chffs offered no ledge upon which they 
 might have climbed out of reach of the rogue ; the 
 jungle might have afforded them a temporary shelter ; 
 but, although it had concealed the elephant from their
 
 92 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 eyes, it could not long conceal them from the eyes of 
 such a sagacious creature as their antagonist appeared 
 to be. Besides, the elephant was between them and it, 
 and to retreat in that direction would be to run point 
 blank upon its proboscis ! 
 
 Fortunately, in this moment of uncertainty and ir- 
 resolution, a point of safety appeared to the eye of the 
 shikaree, in the shape of a tree, — the only one near 
 the spot. It was a tree that had already been instru- 
 mental in saving his life : for it was the same that stood 
 by the little straits where Ossaroo had set his nets, and 
 by means of which Caspar had been enabled to hoist 
 him up out of the quicksand. 
 
 This tree was a very large one ; and standing alone, 
 its branches, free to extend their growth, had spread 
 far out in every direction, almost stretching across the 
 straits. 
 
 Ossaroo wasted not the precious moments in idle re- 
 flection, but shouting to the young sahibs, and signaling 
 them to follow his example, he struck off towards the 
 tree with all the speed that lay in his legs ; and not tUl 
 he had got up to the third or fourth tier of branches, did 
 he look behind him to see whether his advice had been 
 taken. 
 
 The young sahibs had adopted his suggestion with 
 alacrity, without staying a moment to question its pro- 
 priety ; and both were up the tree almost as soon as the 
 shikaree himself.
 
 AN IMPLACABLE BESIEGER. 93 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 AN IMPLACABLE BESIEGER. 
 
 Fritz had retreated with his masters as far as the 
 bottom of the tree ; but, possessing only canine claws, 
 he was not a climber ; and, of course, could follow them 
 no farther. But, if he could not ascend the tree, he had 
 no intention of remaining under it, — when he saw no 
 chance of avoiding the vengeance of the elephant, — 
 and, without pausing for a moment, he plunged into the 
 water, and swam across the straits. Then wading out 
 on the opposite bank, he scuttled off into a cover of 
 reeds which grew along the shore of the lake, and there 
 concealed himself. 
 
 This time the elephant paid no attention to the dog. 
 It was upon the hunters alone that its eyes were fixed ; 
 and towards them its vindictive designs were now 
 specially directed. It had been close upon their heels, 
 as they ran over the open ground, and distinctly saw 
 them ascending into the tree. Indeed, so near was it, 
 that both Karl and Caspar were once more obliged 
 to let go their guns, in order that they might have 
 both hands free for climbing. Otherwise they might 
 have been too late to get out of reach, and the least 
 delay on their part might have been fatal to one or 
 both. 
 
 Karl was the last to climb up ; and just as he lifted
 
 94 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 his feet from a branch to set them on one higher up, 
 the rogue twisted his trunk around the former, and 
 snapped it in two, as if it had been only a slender 
 reed. 
 
 But Karl, with the others, was now beyond his reach ; 
 and all thi'ee congratulated themselves on once more 
 having escaped from a danger that was nothing short 
 of death itself. 
 
 If possible, the elephant was now more enraged than 
 ever. It had not only been a second time balked in 
 its vengeance, but had received three fresh bullet- 
 wounds ; which, though mere scratches upon the skin 
 of its huge cranium, were sore enough to irritate it to 
 an extreme degree. Uttering its shrill, trumpet-like 
 screech, it flourished its proboscis high in the air ; and 
 seizing the branches that were within its reach, it 
 snapped them off from the main stem as if they had 
 been tiny twigs. 
 
 In a short time the tree, which had been furnished 
 with low-spreading limbs, was completely stripped of 
 these to a height of nearly twenty feet from the ground ; 
 while the space underneath had become strewn with 
 twigs, leaves, and broken branches, crushed into a litter 
 under the broad, ponderous hooves of the mammoth as 
 he kept moving incessantly over them. 
 
 Not content with stripping the tree of its branches, 
 the old tusker seized hold of its trunk, — lapping his 
 own trunk as far as he could around it, — and com- 
 menced tugging at it, as if he had hopes of being able 
 to drag it up by the roots. 
 
 Perceiving after trial that this feat was beyond his 
 power, he relaxed his hold, and then set about another
 
 AN IMPLACABLE BESIEGER. 95 
 
 experiment, — that of pushing down the tree with his 
 shoulder. 
 
 Although he succeeded in causing the tree to tremble, 
 he soon became satisfied that it stood firm enough to 
 resist all his strength, great as it was ; and under this 
 conviction he at length desisted from the attempt. 
 
 He showed no sign, however, of any intention to 
 leave the groimd ; but, on the contrary, took his stand 
 under the tree : since the very opposite was the deter- 
 mination which he had formed in his mind. 
 
 Although confident that they were in security, our 
 adventurers were anything but exultant. They saw 
 that they were only safe for the time ; and, that al- 
 though their dreaded adversary might after a while 
 withdraw and leave them free to descend, still there 
 could be no security for the future. They had now 
 less hope of being able to destroy this powerful enemy : 
 as they had only one charge left for their guns, and that 
 might not be sufiicient to take away his life. The 
 spilling of their powder by the elephant itself seemed 
 like a piece of strategy on his part, leaving them in a 
 sad dilemma. 
 
 Inside any house they might build they would be no 
 better protected against him than on the open ground : 
 for the rogue had proved himself capable of demolish- 
 ing the strongest walls they might construct ; and to be 
 out of his reach, they would be obliged^ to keep eter- 
 nally among the tops of the trees, and lead the Ufe of 
 monkeys or squirrels, — which would be a very disa- 
 greeable kind of existence. 
 
 Just then an idea occurred to Caspar that offered 
 them an alternative to this unpleasant prospect of an
 
 96 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 arboreal life. He bethouglit him of the cave in which 
 they had killed the bear. It could only be reached by 
 a ladder, and would of course be inaccessible to the 
 elephant. Once out of their present dilemma, they 
 might seek refuge there.
 
 DRAWING THEIR DRINK. 97 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 DRAWING THEIR DRINK. 
 
 The idea about the cave was a good one, and gave 
 them some little comfort in the midst of their tribula- 
 tion. 
 
 Still, it was not much ; for although they would be 
 safe enough while in the cavern, they could not accom- 
 plish anything there. The want of light would hinder 
 them from working at the ladders ; and while cutting the 
 timber out of which to make them, and every hour that 
 they might be engaged upon them, they would be ex- 
 posed to the attacks of their implacable enemy. 
 
 The prospect was sufficiently discouraging, — even 
 with the knowledge that the cave would offer them a 
 safe asylum to which they could retreat whenever pur- 
 sued. 
 
 As the elephant remained comparatively tranquU for 
 a length of time, these thoughts of future operations had 
 engaged then' attention. Confident in their present 
 security, they were not troubled by the fear of any 
 inmiediate danger. 
 
 Very soon, however, this confidence began to forsake 
 them. How long were they going to be kept in the 
 tree ? That was a question that now presented itself; 
 and as the time passed, became a source of uneasiness. 
 
 Though none of them could answer this question, yet 
 
 5 O
 
 98 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 all could understand that the siege promised to be a 
 long one, — perhaps much longer than that which had 
 so lately been raised : for the rogue, inspired by a rage 
 profound and implacable, exhibited in his sullen look 
 a determination to stand his ground for an indefinite 
 period of time. Seeing this, our adventurers once more 
 became uneasy. Not only was their situation irksome, 
 — from the fact of their having to sit astride slender 
 branches, — but should the siege be continued, they 
 would be subjected to that danger peculiar to all people 
 besieged, — the danger of starvation. Even at the out- 
 set aU three were as hungry as wolves. They had eaten 
 but a very light breakfast, and nothing since : for they 
 had not found time to cook dinner. It was now late in 
 the afternoon ; and should the enemy continue there all 
 night, they would have to go to bed supperless. Ah ! 
 to bed indeed. Perhaps there would be neither bed nor 
 sleep that night : for how could they slumber upon 
 those hard branches ? Should they lose consciousness 
 for a moment, they would drop off, and tumble down 
 upon their sleepless besieger ! Even should they tie 
 themselves in the tree, to go to sleep upon such narrow 
 couches would be out of the question. 
 
 Thus, then, they saw no prospect of either supper or 
 sleep for that night. But there was another appetite 
 now annoying them far worse than either- hxmger or 
 longing for sleep. It was the desire to drink. The 
 rough and varied exercise which they had been com- 
 pelled to take since starting in the morning, — climbing 
 trees, and skulking through pathless jungles, — com- 
 bined with tlie varied emotions which their repeated 
 perils had called up, — all had a tendency to produce
 
 DRAWING THEIR DRINK. 99 
 
 thirst ; and thirst they now felt in an extreme degree. 
 It was not lessened by the sight of the water shining 
 beneath them. On the contrary, this only increased the 
 craving to an extent that was almost unendurable. 
 
 For a considerable time they bore the pam, without 
 any hope of being able to get relieved of it ; and with 
 the lake glistening before their eyes under the clear 
 sunlight, and the current gently gliding through the 
 straits underneath, they could realize, in something more 
 than fancy, what must have been the terrible sufferings 
 of poor Tantalus. 
 
 After submitting to this infliction for a considerable 
 length of time, an exclamation escaping from Caspar 
 drew upon him the attention of the others. 
 
 " Dunder und blitzen ! " cried he ; " what have we 
 been thinking about all this time? The thi'ee of us 
 sitting here choking with thirst, and a river of water 
 within our reach ! " 
 
 " Within our reach ? I wish it were, Caspar," rejoined 
 Karl, in rather a desponding tone. 
 
 " Certainly it is within our reach. Look here ! " 
 
 As Caspar spoke, he held out his copper powder- 
 flask, now nearly empty. Karl did not yet quite com- 
 prehend him. 
 
 " What is to hinder us from letting this down," he 
 inquired, " and drawing it up again full of water ? 
 Nothing. Have you a piece of string about you, 
 Ossy ? " 
 
 " Yes, sahib, T have," briskly replied the shikaree, at 
 the same time drawing a roll, of hempen twist out of 
 the breast of his cotton shirt, and holding it out towards 
 the young hunter.
 
 100 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 " Long enough, it is," said Caspar, taking the cord ; 
 which the next moment he attached around the neck 
 of the flask. After pouring the powder into his bullet- 
 pouch, he permitted the flask to drop down till it be- 
 came immersed under the current. Allowing it to re- 
 main there, till it had become filled with water, he drew 
 it up again ; and with a congratulatory exclamation 
 presented it to Karl, telling him to drink to his heart's 
 content. This injunction Karl obeyed without the slight- 
 est reluctance. 
 
 The flask was soon emptied ; and once more let down 
 and refilled, and again emptied; and this series of 
 operations was continued, until all were satisfied, and 
 there was no longer a thirsty individual in the top of 
 that tree.
 
 A GIGANTIC SYRINGE. 101 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A GIGANTIC STRINGE. 
 
 Having by Caspar's ingenious artifice obtained as 
 mucb water as they wanted, the besieged felt better 
 able to endure their irksome situation. They were 
 resigning themselves with as much philosophy as they 
 could command to bear it a little longer, when to their 
 great astonishment they were treated to more water 
 than they wanted, and from a source as curious as was 
 unexpected. 
 
 Whether the elephant had taken a hint from seeing 
 the flask plunged down into the water, or whether the 
 idea had occurred to it without being suggested by 
 anything in particular, it would be difficult to say. Cer- 
 tain it is, that just after the last flaskful had been 
 pulled up, and before the eddying rij^ples had subsided 
 from the surface, the rogue was seen to make a rush 
 into the water, at the same time deeply submerging his 
 proboscis, as if about to take a drink. 
 
 For some moments he remained in a stationary atti- 
 tude, apparently filling his capacious stomach with the 
 fluid. 
 
 There was no reason why he should not be as thirsty 
 as themselves ; and the spectators in the tree had no 
 other thought, than that the great quadruped had waded 
 into the pool simply for the purpose of quenching his 
 thirst.
 
 102 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 There was something about his movements, however, 
 and the style in which he had set about sucking up the 
 water, which betrayed a different determination ; and it 
 was not long before this was evinced by a performance 
 which, under other circumstances, might have evoked 
 lauofhter from those who witnessed it. In this instance, 
 however, the spectators were themselves the victims 
 of the joke, — if joke it might be terme'd, — and dm-ing 
 its continuance, not one of the three felt the slightest 
 inclination to indulge in mirth. It was thus that the 
 elephant acted: — 
 
 Having filled its trunk with the water of the stream, 
 it raised it aloft. Then pointing it towards the tree, 
 and even directing it with as much coolness and pre- 
 cision as an astronomer would have used in adjusting 
 his telescope, it sent the fluid in a drenching stream 
 into the faces of the three individuals whom it was 
 holdins: in sie^e. All three, who chanced to be sittinoj 
 close together, were at the same instant, and alike, the 
 victims of this unexpected deluge ; and before any of 
 them could have counted half a score, they were wet 
 from head to foot, every rag upon their backs, and 
 fronts too, becoming as thoroughly saturated as if they 
 had been exposed for hours to a drenching rain-storm ! 
 
 But the elephant was not satisfied with giving them 
 a single shower-bath. As soon as its first supply was 
 exhausted, it once more immersed its pliant sucker, 
 refilled the reservoir, took a good aim, and ejected the 
 fluid into their faces. 
 
 In this way the creature continued drawing up the 
 water from the stream, and squirting it from its vast 
 muscular syringe, until it had douched them nearly a 
 dozen times.
 
 A GIGANTIC SYKINGE. 103 
 
 Their situation was anything but ^nviable ; for the 
 watery stream, propelled against them with as much 
 force as from the hose-pipe of a fire-engine, almost washed 
 them from their unstable seats ; to say nothing of the 
 gi'eat discomfort which the douche occasioned them. 
 
 It would be difficult to guess what could be the object 
 of the elephant in this curious performance. Perhaps 
 it may have conceived a hope either of driving them out 
 of the tree, or forcibly washing them from the branches ; 
 or perhaps it merely designed to make their situation as 
 uncomfortable as possible, and thus to some extent sat- 
 isfy its spite. 
 
 It would be equally difiicult to tell how long the per- 
 formance might have lasted. Perhaps for hours longer, 
 — since the supply of water was inexhaustible ; but it 
 was brought to a conclusion which neither the great 
 pachyderm himself foresaw, nor they who were the 
 subjects of his aqueous dispensation.
 
 104 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SWALLOWED WHOLESALE. 
 
 Just while it was in the midst of its performance, 
 keeping its water-battery in full play, and apparently 
 with malicious enjoyment, it was seen all at once to 
 desist ; and then its huge body commenced rocking from 
 side to side, one shoulder now upheaving, then the other, 
 while the long trunk was swept in circles through the 
 air, at the same time emitting, instead of water, shrill 
 sounds, that proclaimed either pain or terror. 
 
 What could it mean ? The quadruped was evidently 
 smitten with some sudden fear ; but who and what was 
 the enemy it dreaded ? So, mentally inquired Karl and 
 Caspar ; but before either had time to shape his thought 
 into an interrogative speech, the shikaree had answered it. 
 
 " He-ho ! " he exclaimed. " Goot ! Vair goot ! — 
 praise to the God of the Great Gangee ! See, sahibs, 
 the rogue he go down, down, — he sinkee in de quick- 
 sand that near swalley Ossai'oo ; he-ho ; sinkee ! he 
 sinkee ! " 
 
 Karl and Caspar easily comprehended the meaning of 
 Ossaroo's broken but exultant speeches. Bending their 
 eyes on the brute below, and watching its movements, 
 they at once perceived that the shikaree had spoken the 
 truth. The elephant was evidently sinking in the quick- 
 sand !
 
 SWALLOWED "NYHOLESALE. 105 
 
 They had noticed that when it first entered the bed 
 of the stream, the water had not reached far above its 
 knees. Now it was up to its sides, and slowly but 
 gradually rising higher. Its violent struggles, moreover, 
 — the partial and alternate raising of its shoulders, its 
 excited shrieks, — and the proboscis, rapidly extended 
 now to this side, now to that, as if searching to grasp 
 some support, — all proved the truth of Ossaroo's asser- 
 tion, — the rogue was sinking in the quicksand. And 
 rapidly was the creature going down. Before the spec- 
 tators had been watching it five minutes, the water 
 lapped up nearly to the level of its back, and then inch 
 by inch, and foot by foot, it rose higher, until the round 
 shoulders were submerged, and only the head and its 
 long trumpet-like extension appeared above the surface. 
 
 Soon the shoulders ceased to play ; and the vast body 
 exhibited no other motion, save that gentle descent by 
 which it was being drawn down into the bowels of the 
 earth ! 
 
 The trunk still kept up its vibratory movement, now 
 violently beating the water into foam, and now feebly 
 oscillating, all the while breathing forth its accents of 
 agony. 
 
 At length the upturned head and smooth protuberant 
 jaws sank beneath the surface ; and only the proboscis 
 appeared, standing erect out of the water like a gigantic 
 Bologna sausage. It had ceased to give out the shrill 
 trumpet scream; but a loud breathing could still be 
 heard, interrupted at intervals by a gurghng sound. 
 
 Karl and Caspar kept their seats upon the tree, look- 
 ing down upon the strange scene with feelings of awe 
 depicted in their faces. Not so the shikaree, who was
 
 106 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 no longer aloft. As soon as he had seen the elephant 
 fairly locked in the deadly embrace of that quicksand 
 that had so nearly engulfed his own precious person, he 
 lowered himself nimbly down from the branches. 
 
 For some moments he stood upon the bank, watching 
 the futile efforts which the animal was making to free 
 itself, all the while talking to it, and taunting it with 
 spiteful speeches, — for Ossaroo had been particularly 
 indignant at the loss of his skirt. When at length the 
 last twelve inches of "the elephant's trunk was all that 
 remained above the surface, the shikaree could hold 
 back no longer. Drawing his long knife, he rushed out 
 into the water; and, with one clean cut, severed the 
 muscular mass from its supporting stem, as a sickle 
 would have levelled some soft succulent weed. 
 
 The parted tube sank instantly to the bottom ; a few 
 red bubbles rose to the surface ; and these were the last 
 tokens that proclaimed the exit of that great elephant 
 from the surface of the earth. It had gone down into 
 the deep sands, there to become fossilized, — perhaps 
 after the lapse of many ages to be turned up again by 
 the spade and pickaxe of some wondering quarryman. 
 
 Thus by a singular accident were our adventurers 
 disembarrassed of a disagreeable neighbor, — or rather, 
 a dangerous enemy, — so dangerous, indeed, that had 
 not some chance of the kind turned up in their favor, it 
 is difficult to conjecture how they would have got rid 
 of it. It was no longer a question of pouring bullets 
 into its body, and killing it in that way. The spilling 
 of their powder had spoiled that project ; and the three 
 charges that still remained to them might not have been 
 sufficient with guns of so small a cahbre as theirs.
 
 It had guue ilowu into the deep sands, thei'e to become fossihzed. 
 
 P. 106.
 
 SWALLOWED WHOLESALE. 107 
 
 No doubt in time such gallant hunters as Caspar and 
 Ossaroo, and so ingenious a contriver as Karl, would 
 have devised some way to circumvent the rogue, and 
 make an end of him ; but for all that they were very 
 well pleased at the strange circumstance that had re- 
 lieved them of the necessity, and they congratulated 
 themselves on such a fortunate result. 
 
 On hearing them talking together, and perceiving that 
 they were no longer in the tree, Fritz, who had all this 
 whUe been skulking only a few paces from the spot, 
 now emerged from his hiding-place, and came running 
 up. Little did Fritz suspect, whUe swimming across 
 the straits to rejoin his masters, that the huge quad- 
 ruped which had so frequently given him chase was at 
 that moment so very near him ; and that his own claws, 
 while cutting the water, came within an inch of scratch- 
 ing that terrible trunk, now truncated to a frustrurn of 
 its former self! 
 
 But although Fritz had no knowledge of the strange 
 incident that had occurred during his absence, — and 
 may have been wondering in what direction the enemy 
 had gone off, — while swimming across the straits, the 
 red color of the water at a particular place, or more 
 likely the scent of blood upon it, admonished liim that 
 some sanguinary scene had transpired ; and drew from 
 him a series of excited yelps as he buoyantly breasted 
 the wave. 
 
 Fritz came in for a share of the congratulations. Al- 
 though the faithful creature had retreated on each occa- 
 sion of his being attacked, no one thought of casting a 
 slur upon his canine courage. He had only exhibited a 
 wise discretion : for what chance would he have stood
 
 108 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 against such a formidahle adversary ? He had done 
 better, therefore, by taking to his heels ; for had he 
 foolishly stood his ground, and got killed in the first 
 encounter by the obelisk, the elephant might still have 
 been alive, and besieging them in the tree. Besides, it 
 was Fritz who had sounded the first note of warning, 
 and thus given time to prepare for the reception of the 
 assailant. 
 
 All of the party regarded Fritz as worthy of reward ; 
 and Ossaroo had made up his mind that he should have 
 it, in the shape of a dinner upon elephant's trunk. But 
 in wading back into the stream, the shikaree perceived 
 to his chagrin that the brave dog must be disappointed : 
 since the piece which he had so skilfully lopped off, had 
 followed the fortunes of the part from which it had 
 been severed, and was now far below the surface of the 
 sand ! 
 
 Ossaroo made no attempt to dig it up again. He had 
 a wholesome dread of that treacherous footing ; and 
 treading it gingerly, he lost no time in returning to the 
 bank, and following the sahibs, — who had already taken 
 their departure from the water's edge, and were pro- 
 ceeding in the direction of the ruined hut.
 
 THE DEODAR. 109 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 . THE DEODAR. 
 
 The idea that had od^urred to them — of making the 
 cave their home — was no longer deemed worthy of be- 
 ing entertained. The dangerous proximity of the ele- 
 phant had alone suggested it ; and this no longer existed. 
 It was not likely that there was another rogue in the 
 valley. Indeed, Ossaroo was able to set their minds at 
 rest on this point, — assuring them that two animals of 
 the kind are never found occupying the same district : 
 since two creatures of such malignant dispositions would 
 certainly enact the tragedy of the Kilkenny cats, — 
 though Ossaroo did not illustrate his meaning by quot- 
 ing this celebrated exj^ression. 
 
 Possibly there might be other animals in the neigh- 
 borhood as much to be dreaded as the elephant had been. 
 There might be panthers, or leopards, or tigers, or even 
 another bear ; but against any of these the cave would 
 be no safe asylum, — not safer than their old hut. They 
 could reconstruct it more strongly than ever ; and put a 
 stout door upon it to keep out any midnight intruder ; 
 and to this work did they apply themselves as soon as 
 they had eaten dinner, and dried their garments, — so 
 thoroughly saturated by the colossal syringe of the de- 
 funct elephant. 
 
 Several days were spent in restoring the hovel, — this
 
 110 THE CLIFI^-CLniBERS. 
 
 time with considerable improvements. The winter 
 weather had now fairly set in ; and household warmth 
 had become an important object : so that not only did 
 they fill up the chinks with a thick coating of clay, but 
 a fireplace and chimney were constructed, and a strong 
 door was added. 
 
 They knew that it would take them a long time to make 
 the ladders, — more than a dozen long ladders, — each of 
 which must be light as a reed sftid straight as an arrow. 
 
 During the milder days of winter they might work 
 in the open air ; indeed, the greater part of their work 
 they must needs do outside the hut. Still it would be 
 necessary to have shelter, not only during the nights, but 
 in times of storm and severe weather. 
 
 Prudence, therefore, counselled them to providence ; 
 and before proceeding further with their design of scal- 
 ing the cliff, they made all snug within doors. 
 
 They hac^ no fear of suffering from the winter's cold, 
 — either for want of clotliing by day or covering by 
 night. Some of the yak skins were still in good preser- 
 vation, — with the pelts of several other animals that 
 had fallen before the double-barrel of Caspar, — and 
 these would suffice for warm clothing by day and bed- 
 covering by night. 
 
 About their winter's food they were a little more 
 anxious. The elephant had succeeded not only in de- 
 stroying their means of obtaining provisions, but had 
 also damaged the stock which was on hand, by trampling 
 it in the mud. Those portions of the dried venison and 
 yak-beef that the brute had not succeeded in completely 
 spoiling were once more collected, and stored in a safe 
 place ; while it was resolved, in the event of their not
 
 THE DEODAR. Ill 
 
 being able to procure more, that they should go on ra- 
 tions proportioned to the time which they miglit have to 
 continue in their rock-bound prison. Of course, though 
 their ammunition was exhausted, they were hot without 
 hopes of being able to add to their store of provisions. 
 The arrows of Ossaroo still existed, independent of 
 either powder or lead. Snares and traps would enable 
 them to capture many of the wild creatures that, like 
 themselves, appeared to have found a prison in that se- 
 cluded and singular valley. 
 
 When all the arrangements regarding their winter 
 residence were completed, they returned once more to 
 the survey of the cliffs, which had been interrupted by 
 the elephant. 
 
 After a prolonged examination of the ledges, that had 
 been discovered on that eventful day, they continued on 
 until they had made the circuit of the valley. Not a 
 foot of the precipice was passed without the most elabo- 
 rate inspection being bestowed upon it ; and of course 
 the twin cliffs which hemmed in the gorge of the glacier 
 were examined with the rest. 
 
 There proved to be no place offering such advantages 
 for an ascent by ladders as that already discovered ; and 
 although there was no positive certainty that they might 
 be able to accomplish their formidable task, they de- 
 termined to make a trial, and without further delay set 
 about preparing the ladders. 
 
 The preliminary step was to select and cut down a 
 .sufficient quantity of timber of the right length. They 
 were about to have recourse to the beautiful Thibet pine, 
 ■ — the sort which had served them for bridging the 
 crevasse, — when a new tree was discovered by them,
 
 112 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 equally beautiful, and more suitable for their purpose. 
 It was the cedar (ptnus deodara). Ossaroo once more 
 lamented the absence of his beloved bamboos, — alleff- 
 ing that with a sufficient number of these he could have 
 made ladders enough for scaling the cliff, in less than a 
 quarter of the time it would take to construct them out 
 of the pines. This was no exaggeration : for the culm 
 of the great bamboo, just as it is cut out of the brake, 
 serves for the side of a ladder, without any pains taken 
 with it, further than to notch out the holes ui which to 
 insert the rounds. Moreover, the bamboo being light, 
 would have served better than any other timber for such 
 ladders as they required, — enabling them with less 
 trouble to get them hoisted up to the ledges, — an 
 operation in which they apprehended no little difficulty. 
 But although there was a species of cane growing in the 
 valley, — that known to the hill people as the " ringall," 
 — its culms were neither of sufficient lensfth nor thick- 
 ness for their purpose. It was the great bamboo of- the 
 tropical jungles that Ossaroo sighed for ; and which on 
 their way up through the lower ranges of the Himalayas 
 they had seen growing m vast brakes, its tall stems often 
 rising to the height of a hundred feet. 
 
 The deodar, under favorable circumstances, attains to 
 vast dimensions, trunks being often met with in the 
 mountains upwards of ten feet in diameter, and rising 
 to the height of one hundred feet. A few sticks of this 
 description would have made their labor both short and 
 easy. 
 
 Failing the bamboo, therefore, they selected the sec- 
 ond best material which the forest afforded them, — 
 the tall "deodar." This tree, which is known to the
 
 THE DEODAR. 113 
 
 Anglo-Indian residents of the Himalayan countries as 
 the " cedar," has long since been introduced into Eng- 
 lish parks and arboretums, under the name of deodara, 
 — its specific botanical appellation. It is a true pine, 
 and is found in most of the hills and valleys of the 
 Himalayan chain, growing at almost any elevation and 
 on any kind of ground, — in the low warm valleys as 
 well as near the line of everlasting snow. Its favorite 
 habitat, however, is on the lower hills, and though by 
 no means a beautiful tree, it is valuable on account of 
 the great quantity of tar which can be extracted from 
 its sap. 
 
 Where many deodar trees are growing together, they 
 shoot up in long tapering shafts, with short branches, 
 and present the acute conical form characteristic of 
 the pines. When individual trees stand singly, or at 
 some considerable distance apart, their habit is different. 
 They then stretch out long massive arms in a horizontal 
 direction; and as the separate twigs and leaves also 
 extend horizontally, each branch thus presents a surface 
 as level as a table. The deodar often reaches the height 
 of one hundred feet. 
 
 The wood of the deodar is everywhere esteemed 
 throughout the countries where it is found. It is excel- 
 lent for building purposes, easily worked, almost im- 
 perishable, and can be readily split into planks, — an 
 indispensable requisite in a country where saws are 
 almost unknown. In Cashmere, bridges are built of it : 
 and the long time that some of these have been stand- 
 ing affords a proof of its great durability. A portion 
 of these bridges are under water for more than half 
 the year ; and although there are some of them nearly 
 
 H
 
 114 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 a hundred years old, they are still in good preservation, 
 and safe enough to be crossed. 
 
 When the deodar is subjected to the process by which 
 tar is extracted from other pines, it yields a much thin- 
 ner liquid than tar, — of a dark-red color,, and very 
 pungent smell. This liquid is known as " cedar oil " ; 
 and is used by the hUl people as a remedy for skin 
 diseases, — as also for all scrofulous complaints in cattle. 
 
 The deodar is of very slow growth ; and this unfits 
 it for being introduced into European countries, — ex- 
 cept as an ornamental timber for parks and pleasure- 
 grounds. 
 
 It was chiefly on account of its property of being 
 easily split into planks, or pieces of light scantling, that 
 the deodar was selected for making the sides of the lad- 
 ders. To have cut down the trunks of heavy trees to 
 the proper thickness for light ladders, — with such im- 
 perfect implements as they were possessed of, — would 
 have been an interminable work for our inexperienced 
 carpenters. The little axe of Ossaroo and the knives 
 were the only tools they possessed available for the 
 work. As the deodar could be split with wedges, it 
 was just the timber wanted under these circumstances. 
 
 While engaged in "prospecting" among the deodar 
 trees, a pine of another species came under the obser- 
 vation of our adventurers. It was that known as the 
 " cheel." . 
 
 It might have been seen by them without attracting 
 any particular notice, but for Karl ; who, upon exam- 
 ining its leaves, and submitting them to a botanical test, 
 discovered that within the body of the "cheel" there 
 existed qualities that, in the circumstances in which they
 
 THEDEODAK. 115 
 
 were placed, would be of great value to them. Karl 
 knew that the " cheel " was one of those pines, the wood 
 of which, being fuU of turpentine, make most excellent 
 torches ; an^ he had read, that for this very purpose it is 
 used by all classes of people who dwell among the Him- 
 alaya mountains, and who find in these torches a very 
 capital substitute for candles or lamps. Karl could also 
 have told his companions, that the turpentine itself — 
 which oozes out of the living tree — is used by the peo- 
 ple as an ointment for sores, and that for chai^ped hands 
 it is a speedy and effectual cure. The "cheel" pine 
 is nearly always found side by side with the deodar, — 
 especially where the latter forms the chief growth of the 
 forest. 
 
 Karl could also have informed them that the deodar 
 and the cheel are not the only pifies indigenous to the 
 Himalayas. He could have mentioned several other 
 species, as the " morenda," a large and handsome tree, 
 with very dark foliage, and one of the tallest of the 
 coniferce, — often rising to the stupendous height of two 
 hundi'ed feet; the "rye" pine, of almost equal height 
 with the morenda, and perhaps even more ornamental ; 
 and the " Kolin," or common pine, which forms exten- 
 sive forests, upon the ridges that rise from six to nine 
 thousand feet above sea-level. The last thrives best in 
 a dry, rocky soil ; and it is surprising in what places 
 it will take root and grow. In the perpendicular face 
 of a smooth granite rock, large trees of this species may 
 be seen. In the rock there exists a little qj-evice. Into 
 this a seed in some manner finds its way, vegetates, and 
 in time becomes a great tree, — flourishing, perhaps, for 
 centuries, where, to all appearance, there is not a particle
 
 116 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 of soil to nourish it, and probably deriving sustenance 
 from the rock itself! 
 
 It was with no slight gratification that Karl beheld 
 the "cheel" growing so near. He knew that from it 
 they would obtain brilliant torches, — as many as they 
 might stand in need of; so that during the dark nights, 
 instead of sitting idle for the want of light, they could 
 occupy themselves tUl a late hour within the hovel, in 
 making the " rounds " of the ladders, and doing such 
 other little " chores " as the occasion might require.
 
 THE SCALING LADDERS. 117 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE SCALING LADDERS. 
 
 The cutting down of the trees did not occupy them 
 a very long time. They chose only those of slender 
 girth, — the more slender the better, so long as they 
 answered the requirements as to length. Trees of about 
 fifty feet in total height were the best : as these, when 
 the weaker part of the tops was cut off, yielded lengths 
 of thirty or more feet. Where they were only a few 
 inches in diameter, there was very little trouble in re- 
 ducing them to the proper size for the sides of the 
 ladders, — only to strip off the bark and split them in 
 twain. 
 
 Making the rounds was also an easy operation, — 
 except that it required considerable time, as there were 
 60 many of them. 
 
 The most difficult part of the work — and this they 
 had foreseen — would be the drilling of the holes to 
 receive the rounds ; and it was the task which proved the 
 most dilatory, — taking up more time in its accomplish- 
 ment than both the cutting of the timber and reducing 
 it to its proper shapes and dimensions. 
 
 Had they owned an auger or a mortising chisel, or 
 even a good gimlet, the thing would have been easy 
 enough. Easier still had they possessed a " breast bit." 
 But of course not any of these tools could be obtained ;
 
 118 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 nor any other by wMch a hole might be bored big 
 enough to have admitted the points of their little fingers. 
 Hundreds of holes would be needed ; and how were they 
 to be made? With the blades of their small knives 
 it would have been possible to scoop out a cavity, — 
 that is, with much trouble and waste of time ; but vast 
 time and trouble would it take to scoop out four hun- 
 dred ; and at least that number would be needed. It 
 would be a tedious task, and almost interminable, even 
 supposing that it could be accomplished ; but this was 
 doubtful enough. The blades of the knives might be 
 worn or broken, long before the necessary number of 
 holes could be made. 
 
 Of course, had they been possessed of a sufficient 
 number of nails, they might have done without holes. 
 The steps of the ladders could have been nailed upon the 
 sides, instead of being mortised into them. But nails 
 were a commodity quite as scarce with them as tools. 
 "With the exception of those in the soles of their shoes, 
 or the stocks of their guns, there was not a nail in the 
 valley. 
 
 It is not to be denied that they were in a dilemma. 
 But Karl had foreseen this difficulty, and provided 
 aeainst it before a stick of timber had been cut. In- 
 deed, close following on the first conception of the scal- 
 ing ladders, this matter had passed through his mind, 
 and had been settled to his satisfaction. Only theoret- 
 ically, it is true ; but his theory was afterwards reduced 
 to practice, — and, imlike many other theories, the prac- 
 tice proved in correspondence with it. 
 
 Karl's theory was to make the holes by fire, — in 
 other words, to bore them with a red-hot iron.
 
 THE SCALING LADDERS. 119 
 
 "Where was this iron to be obtained ? That appeared 
 to offer a difficulty, as great as the absence of an auger 
 or a mortise-chisel. But by Karl's ingenuity it was also 
 got over. He chanced to have a small pocket pistol : it 
 was single-barrelled, the barrel being about six inches in 
 length, without any thimbles, beading, or ramrod at- 
 tached to it. What Karl intended to do, then, was to 
 heat this barrel red-hot, and make a boring-iron of it. 
 And tliis was exactly what he did do ; and after heating 
 it some hundreds of times, and applying it as often to 
 the sides of the different ladders, he at last succeeded in 
 burning out as many holes as there were rounds to go 
 into them, multiplied exactly by two. 
 
 It is needless to say that this wonderful boring opera- 
 tion was not accomplished at a single " spell," nor yet 
 in a single day. On the contrary, it took Karl many 
 an hour and many a day, and cost him many a wet skin 
 
 — by perspiration, I mean — before he had completed 
 the boring of those four hundred holes. Numerous 
 were the tears drawn from the eyes of the plant-hunter, 
 
 — not by grief, but by the smoke of the seething cedar 
 wood. 
 
 When Karl had finished the peculiar task he had thus 
 assigned to himself, but little more remained to be done, 
 
 — only to set each pair of sides together, stick in the 
 rounds, bind fast at each end, and there was a ladder 
 finished and ready to be scaled. 
 
 One by one they were thus turned off; and one by 
 one carried to the foot of the cliff, up winch the ascent 
 was to be attempted. 
 
 Sad are we to say that it was still only an attempt ; 
 and sadder yet, that that attempt proved a failure.
 
 120 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 One by one were the ladders raised to their respective 
 ledges, — until three fourths of the cliff had been suc- 
 cessfully scaled. Here, alas ! was their climbing brought 
 to a conclusion, by a circumstance up to this time unfore- 
 seen. On reaching one of the ledges, — the fourth from 
 the top of the cliff, — they found, to their chagrin, that 
 the rock above it, instead of receding a little, as with all 
 the others, hung aver, — projecting several inches beyond 
 the outer line of the ledge. Against that rock no ladder 
 could have been set ; none would have rested there, — 
 since it could not be placed even perpendicularly. There 
 was no attempt made to take one up. Though the pro- 
 jection could not be discerned from below, Karl, standing 
 on the topmost round of the last ladder that had been 
 planted, saw at once, with the eye of an engineer, that 
 the difficulty was insurmountable. It would be as easy 
 for them to fly, as to stand a ladder upon that ill-starred 
 ledge ; and with this conviction fully impressed upon his 
 mind, the young plant-hunter returned slowly and sor- 
 rowfully to the ground to communicate the disagreeable 
 intelligence to his companions. 
 
 It was no use for either Caspar or Ossaroo to go up 
 again. They had been on the ledge already ; and had 
 arrived at the same conviction. Karl's report was final 
 and conclusive. 
 
 All their ingenuity defeated, — all their toil gone for 
 notliing, — their time wasted, — their hopes blighted, — 
 the bright sky of their fiiture once more obscured with 
 darkest clouds, — all through that unforeseen circum- 
 stance. 
 
 Just as when they returned out of the cavern, — after 
 that patient but fruitless search, — just as then, sat
 
 THE SCALING LADDERS. 121 
 
 they down upon the rocks, — each staggering to that 
 which was nearest him, — sad, dispirited, forlorn. 
 
 There sat they, with eyes now fixed upon the ground, 
 now turning towards the cliff and gazing mechanically 
 upon that serried hne, like the stairway of some gigantic 
 spider, — those long ladders, planted with so much pains, 
 climbed only once, and never to be climbed again !
 
 122 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 AN EMPTY LARDER. 
 
 Long sat they in this attitude, all three, observing a 
 profound silence. The air was keenly cold, for it was 
 now mid-winter ; but none of them seemed to feel the 
 cold. The deep disappointment, the bitter chagrin that 
 filled their minds, hindered them from perceiving bodily 
 pain ; and at that moment had an avalanche threatened 
 to slide down upon them from the snowy summit above, 
 not one of the three would have much cared to escape 
 out of its way. * 
 
 So tired had they become of their aerial prison, — so 
 terrified by the prospect of its continuing forever, — or 
 at least, as long as they might live, — they could have 
 contemplated even death without adtlitional terror. 
 
 The straw, to which they had so long and so fondly 
 clung, was snatched from their grasp. Agaia were tjiey 
 drowning. 
 
 For nearly an hour sat they thus, moody and despond- 
 ing. The purple-colored tints, that began to play o\er 
 the surface of the eternal snows above, admonished 
 them that the sun was far down in the heavens, and that 
 night was approacliing. 
 
 Karl was the first to become conscious of this, — the 
 first to break silence. 
 
 " brothers ! " said he, under the impress of their
 
 AN EMPTY LARDER. 123 
 
 common misfortune including Ossaroo in the fraternal 
 appellation. " Come away ! It is useless to stay longer 
 here. Let us go home ! " 
 
 " Plome ! " repeated Caspar, with a melancholy smile. 
 " Ah ! Karl, I wish you had not spoken the word. So 
 sweet at other times, it now rings in my ears like some 
 unearthly echo. Home, indeed ! Alas, dear brother ! 
 we shall ne'er go home." 
 
 To this pathetic speech Karl made no reply. He 
 could oiFer no word of hope or consolation ; and there- 
 fore remained silent. He had already risen to his feet, 
 — the others following his example, — and all three 
 walked moodily away from the spot, taking the most 
 direct route towards their rude dwelling, which now 
 more than ever they had reason to regard as their home. 
 
 On reaching the hut they found stiU another cause of 
 inquietude. Their stock of provisions, which had sur- 
 vived the destructive onset of the elephant, had been 
 economized with great care. But as they had been too 
 busy in making the ladders to waste time on any other 
 species of industry, notliing had been added to the lar- 
 der, — neither fish, flesh, nor fowl. On the contrary, it 
 had dwindled down, until upon that day when they 
 issued forth to try their ladders against the cliff, they 
 had left behind them only a single piece of dried yak 
 beef, — about enough to have furnished them with a 
 single meal. 
 
 Hungry after the day's fruitless exertion, they were 
 contemplating a supper upon it, and not without some 
 degree of pleasant anticipation : for nature under all 
 circumstances will assert her rights, and the cravings of 
 appetite are not to be stifled even by the most anguished 
 suffering of the spirit.
 
 124 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 As they drew nearer to the hut, but more especially 
 when they came in sight of it, and perceived its rude but 
 hospitable doorway open to receive them, — as from the 
 chill atmosphere through which they were passing they 
 beheld its sheltering roof of thatch, and thought of its 
 snug, cosey interior, — as, keenly experiencing the pangs 
 both of cold and hunger, they beheld in fancy a bright 
 fagot fire crackling upon the hearth, and heard the jkh 
 beef hissing and sputtering in the blaze, their spirits be- 
 gan to return to their natural condition ; and if not actual 
 joy, something that very much resembled cheerfulness 
 might have been observed in the demeanor of all. 
 
 It is ever thus with the mind of man, and perhaps for- 
 tunate that it is so. The human soul finds its type in 
 the sky, — cloud and sunshine, sunsliine and cloud. 
 
 With our adventurers the dark cloud had for the 
 moment passed ; and a gleam of light was once more 
 shining upon their hearts. 
 
 It was not destined to shine long. A light had been 
 struck, and a fire kindled that soon blazed brightly. 
 So far one desire had been satisfied. They could warm 
 themselves. But when they came to think of gratifying 
 an appetite of a far more craving character, — when they 
 essayed to search for that piece of yak flesh that was to 
 furnish forth their supper — they found it not. 
 
 During their absence, the burglar had also been 
 abroad. Their larder had been assailed. The hung 
 beef was hanging there no lonsjer. 
 
 Some wild animal, — wolf, panther, or other preda- 
 tory creature, — had entered by the open doorway, — ■ 
 left open in the excitement of that hopeful departure. — • 
 found open upon their return, — but, like the door of
 
 AN EMPTY LARDER. 125 
 
 that oft-quoted stable, not worth shutting, since the steed 
 had been stolen. 
 
 Not a morsel, not a mouthful remained, — either of 
 yak beef or food of any other kind, — and all three, 
 Fritz making the fourth, had to go supperless to sleep.
 
 126 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 GOING ABROAD FOR BREAKFAST. 
 
 The exertions whicli they had made in carrying and 
 erecting the ladders had so wearied them, that, despite 
 their empty stomachs, all three were able to sleep. 
 Their slumber, however, was neither profound nor pro- 
 longed ; and one and another of them awoke at intervals 
 during the night and lay awake, reflecting upon the 
 miserable fate that had befallen them, and the poor pros- 
 pects now before them. 
 
 They were even without the ordinary consolation of 
 knowing that they might find something to eat in the 
 morning. Before they could have any breakfast, they 
 knew they would first have to find it in the forest. 
 They would have to search, find, and kill, before they 
 could eat. 
 
 But they had reason now not only to be in doubt 
 about procuring their breakfast, but their dinner and 
 supper, — in short, their whole future subsistence. Cir- 
 cumstances had become changed. The larder, hitherto 
 amply provided by Caspar's hunting skill, was now quite 
 empty; and although he could soon have replenished it 
 had their ammimition not been destroyed, it was now 
 quite a different thing. Caspar's power was gone along 
 with his powder ; and the deer and other quadrupeds, 
 which were known to be yet numerous in the valley, — •
 
 GOING ABROAD FOR BREAKFAST. 127 
 
 to say nothing of the winged creatures that frequented 
 it, — could now smile at any attempt on the part of Cas- 
 par to trouble them any longer with his double-barrelled 
 detonator. The gun would hereafter be as useless as a 
 bar of iron. 
 
 Only one charge of powder for each barrel remained, 
 and one more for Karl's rifle. When these three should 
 be fired off, not another shot might ever again be heard 
 ringing through that silent valley, and waking the 
 echoes of the surrounding cliffs. 
 
 But it had not yet entered their minds that they might 
 be unable to kill any of the wild animals with which 
 the place abounded. Had they thought so, they would 
 have been unhappy indeed, — perhaps so anxious as not 
 to have slept another wink for that night. But they did 
 not yet contemplate the future so despondingly. They 
 hoped that, even without their guns, they would still be 
 enabled to procure sufficient game for their support ; and 
 as they all lay awake, just before the breaking of the 
 day, tliis became the subject of their conversation. 
 
 Ossaroo still felt full confidence in his bow and arrows ; 
 and should these fail, there was his fishing-net ; and if 
 that also were to draw blank, the experienced shikaree 
 knew a score of other schemes for circumventing the 
 beasts of the earth, the birds of the air, and the finny 
 denizens of the water. Karl expressed his determina- 
 tion, as soon as spring should return, to commence culti- 
 vating certain edible roots and plants, which grew rather 
 sparsely around, but, by the careful propagation of which, 
 a crop might be procured of sufficient abundance. More- 
 over, they resolved that in the following year tliey 
 should store up such wild fruits and berries as were
 
 128 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 fit for food ; and thus insure -themselves against any 
 chance of famine for months to come. The failure of 
 their late attempt with the ladders had reproduced within 
 them the firm though fearful conviction, that for the rest 
 of their lives they were destined to dwell within the 
 mountain valley, — never more to go beyond the bounds 
 of that stupendous prison-like wall that encircled them. 
 
 With this impression now freshly stamped upon their 
 minds, they returned to speculate on the means of pres- 
 ent existence, as also on that of their more immediate 
 future ; and in this way did they pass the last hour of 
 the night, — that which was succeeded by the daybreak. 
 
 As the first streaks of dawning day appeared upon 
 the snowy summits, — several of which were visible 
 from the door of the hut, — all three might have been 
 seen outside preparing themselves for the execution of 
 some important design. Their purpose might easily be 
 told from the character of their preparations. Caspar 
 was charging his double-barrelled gun ; and carefully, 
 too, — for it was the " last shot in his locker." 
 
 Karl was similarly employed with his rifle, while 
 Ossaroo was arming himself in his peculiar fashion, 
 looking to the string of his bow, and filling the little 
 wicker bag, that constituted his quiver, with sharp- 
 pointed arrows. 
 
 From this it was evident that the chase was the occu- 
 pation immediately intended, and that all three were 
 about to engage in it. In truth, they were going out in 
 search of sometliing for their breakfast ; and if a keen 
 appetite could insure success, they could scarce fail in 
 procuring it: for they were aU three as hungry as 
 wolves.
 
 GOING ABROAD FOR BREAKFAST. 129 
 
 Fritz, too, was as hungry^s any of them ; and looked 
 as if he meant to do his best in helping them to procure 
 the material for a meal. Any creature, beast or bird, 
 that should be so unfortunate as to come within clutch- 
 ing distance of his gaunt jaws, would have but little 
 chance on that particular morning of escaping from 
 them. 
 
 It had been resolved upon that they should go in dif- 
 ferent directions : as by that means there would be 
 three chances of finding game instead of one ; and as 
 something was wanted for breabfiist, the sooner it could 
 be procured the better. If Ossaroo should succeed in 
 killing anytliing with his arrows, he was to give a shrill 
 whistle to call the others back to the hut ; while if 
 either of them should fire, of course the shot would be 
 heard, and that would be the signal for all to return. 
 
 With this understanding, and after some little badinage 
 about who would be the successful caterer, they all set 
 forth, Caspar going to the right, Ossaroo to the left, and 
 Karl, followed by Fritz, taking the centre. 
 
 6*
 
 130 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 CASPAR ON A STALK. 
 
 In a few minutes the three hunters had lost sight of 
 one another, Karl and Caspar proceeding round the lake 
 by opposite sides, but both keeping under cover of the 
 bushes ; while Ossaroo wended his way along the bottom 
 of the cliff, — thinking he might have a better chance in 
 that direction. 
 
 The .game which Caspar expected first might fall in 
 his way was the " kakur," or barking deer. These little 
 animals appeared to be more numerous in the valley 
 than any other creatures. Caspar had scarcely ever 
 been abroad upon a shooting excursion without. seeing 
 one ; and on several occasions a kakur had constituted 
 his whole " bag." He had learnt an mgenious way of 
 bringing them within range of his gun, — simply by 
 placing himself in ambush and imitating theii* call ; 
 which, as may be deduced from one of their common 
 names, is a sort of bark. It is a sound very much re- 
 sembling the bark of a fox, only that it is much louder. 
 This the kakur sends forth, whenever it suspects the 
 presence of an enemy in its neighborhood ; and keeps 
 repeating it at short intervals, until it believes either 
 that the danger has been withdrawn, or withdraws itself 
 fi'om the danger. 
 
 The simple little ruminant does not seem to be aware
 
 CASPAR ON A STALK. 151 
 
 that this sound, — perhaps mtended as a note of warn- 
 ing to its comi^anions, — too often becomes its own 
 death-signal, by betraying its whereabouts to the sports- 
 man or other deadly enemy. Not only the hunter, 
 man, but the tiger, the leopard, the cheetah, and other 
 predatory creatures, take advantage of this foolish habit 
 of the bai'king-deer ; and stealing upon it unawares, 
 make it their victim. 
 
 The bark is very easily imitated by the human voice ; 
 and after a single lesson, with Ossaroo as instructor, 
 not only coidd Caspar do the decoy to a nicety, but 
 even Karl, who only overheard the shikaree instructing 
 his pupil, was able to produce a sound precisely similar. 
 
 Present hunger prompted Caspar to go in search of 
 the kakur, as that would be the game most likely to 
 turn up first. There were other quadrupeds, and some 
 birds too, whose flesh would have served better, as being 
 of superior delicacy : for the venison of the barking-deer 
 is none of the sweetest. In the autumn it is not bad, — 
 nor up to a late period in the winter, — though it is 
 never very delicious at any season. 
 
 On that morning, however, Caspar was not at all fas- 
 tidious ; and he knew that neither were the others, — 
 hunger having robbed them of all delicacy of appetite. 
 Even kakur venison would be palatable enough, could 
 he procure it ; and for this purpose was he going in 
 a particular direction, and not wandering hither and 
 thither, as sportsmen usually do when in search of 
 game. 
 
 He knew of a spot where kakur were almost sure of 
 being found. It was a pretty glade, surrounded by 
 thick evergreen shrubbery, — not far from the edge of
 
 132 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEES. 
 
 the lake, and on the side opposite to that where the hut 
 was built. 
 
 Caspar had never entered this glade — and he had 
 gone through it several times — without seeing kakur 
 browsing upon the grassy turf, or lying in the shade of 
 the bushes that grew around its edge. It was but fair 
 to presume, therefore, that on that morning, as upon 
 others, the glade would furnish him with this species of 
 game. 
 
 Without making stop anywhere else, he walked on 
 till he had got within a few rods of the spot where he 
 expected to procure the materials of the breakfast ; and 
 then, entering among the underwood, he advanced more 
 slowly and with greater caution. To insure success, he 
 even dropped upon his knees, and crawled cat-like, using 
 his arms as forelegs and his hands as paws ! After this 
 fashion he worked his way forward to the edge of the 
 opening, — all the while keeping a thick leafy bush be- 
 fore his body to screen himself from the eyes of any 
 creature — kakur or other animal — that might be 
 within the glade. 
 
 On gettuig close up beliind the bush, he came to 
 a halt ; and then, cautiously raising his shoulders, he 
 j)eeped through between the leafy branches. 
 
 It took him some seconds of time to survey the whole 
 surface of the glade ; but when he had finished his scru- 
 tiny, a shadow of disappointment might have been seen 
 passing over his countenance. There was no game 
 there, — neither kakur nor animals of any other kind. 
 
 Not without a certain feeling of chagrin did the young 
 hunter perceive that the opening was empty : for, to say 
 nothing of the annoyance he felt on not being able to
 
 CASPAR ON A STALK. 133 
 
 procure a joint of venison for breakfast, lie had been 
 flattering himself that, from his superior knowledge of 
 the ground, he would be the first to find the material for 
 their matutinal meal, — about which he had some little 
 feeling of hunter-pride and rivalry. 
 
 He did not permit this preliminary disappointment to 
 rob him of all hope. If there were no kakur within the 
 glade, there might be some in the bushes near its edge ; 
 and perhaps, by adopting the decoy he had several times 
 already practised — that of imitating their call — he 
 might entice one out into the open ground. 
 
 Acting upon this idea, he squatted close behind the 
 bush, and commenced barking, as near as he could a la 
 kakur.
 
 134 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 THE DOUBLE DECOY. 
 
 It was some considerable time before he heard any re- 
 sponse to cheer him, or observed any sign that indicated 
 the presence or proximity of an animal. 
 
 He repeated his bark many times, with intervals of 
 silence between, — and was about yielding to the con- 
 viction that not only the open ground, but the bushes 
 around it, were going to draw blank. 
 
 He had uttered his last bark, with all the alluring in- 
 tonation that he could throw into the sound ; and was 
 about starting to his feet to proceed elsewhere, when 
 just then the real cry of the kakur responded to his 
 feigned one, — apparently coming from out the thicket 
 on the opposite side of the glade. 
 
 The sound was heard only faintly, as if the animal 
 was at a great distance off; but Casj)ar knew that if it was 
 a response to his call — which he believed it to be — it 
 would soon draw nearer. He lost no time, therefore, in 
 giving utterance to a fresh series of barks of the most 
 seductive character ; and then once more strained his 
 ears to listen for the reply. 
 
 Again the barks of the kakur came back upon the 
 breeze, — repeated serially, ^nd so resembling his own, 
 that had Caspar not known that they proceeded from 
 the throat of a deer, he might have fancied them to be
 
 THE DOUBLE DECOY. 135 
 
 ecHoes. He did not allow many seconds to elapse be- 
 fore barking again, and again, with an equal straining 
 at allurement. 
 
 This time, to the surprise of the young himter, there 
 was no response. He listened, but not a sound came 
 back, — not even an echo. 
 
 He barked again, and again listened. As before, si- 
 lence profound, unbroken. 
 
 No, — it was not unbroken. Although it was not 
 the call of the kakur, another sound interrupted the 
 stillness, — a soimd equally welcome to the ear of the 
 young hunter. It was a rustling among the leaves on 
 the opposite side of the glade ; just such as might indi- 
 cate the passage of an animal through the bushes. 
 
 Directing his eye towards the spot where the sound 
 appeared to proceed, Caspar saw, or fancied he saw, 
 some twigs in motion. But it was no fancy : for the 
 moment after he not only saw the twigs move, but behind 
 the bush to which they belonged he could just make out 
 a darkish-colored object. It could be nothing else than 
 the body of the kakur. Although it was very near, — 
 for the glade was scarce twenty yards across, and the 
 deer was directly beliind the line of low shrubs which 
 formed a sort of selvedge around it, — Caspar could not 
 get a good view of the animal. It was well screened 
 by the foliage, and better perhaps by the absence of a 
 bright light : for it was yet only the gray twilight of 
 morning. There was light enough, however, to take 
 aim ; and as the intervening branches were only tiny 
 twigs, Caspar had no fear that they would interfere with 
 the direction of his bullet. There was no reason, there- 
 fore, why he should delay longer. He might not get a
 
 136 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 better chance ; and if he waited longer, or barked again, 
 the kakur might discover the decoy, and run back into 
 the bushes. 
 
 " Here goes, then ! " muttered Caspar to himself ; at 
 the same time placing himself firmly on one knee, rais- 
 rog his gun, and cocking it. 
 
 It was a splendid lock, — that upon the right-hand 
 barrel of Caspar's gun, — one in which the cock, on 
 being drawn to the full, gives tongue to tell that the 
 spring is in perfect order. 
 
 In the profound stillness of the morning air, the 
 " click " sounded clear enough to have been heard across 
 the glade, and much farther. Caspar even feared that 
 it might be loud enough to affright the deer, and kept 
 his eye fixed upon the latter as he drew back the cock. 
 The animal stirred not; but instead — almost simulta- 
 neous with the click of his gun, and as if it had been its 
 echo — another click fell upon the hunter's ear, appar- 
 ently commg from the spot on which the kakur was 
 standing ! 
 
 Fortunate was it for Caspar that his own spring had 
 clicked so clear, — and fortunate also he had heard that 
 apparent echo, — else he might either have shot his 
 brother, or his brother him, or each might have shot the 
 other ! 
 
 As it was, the second click caused Caspar to start to 
 his feet. Karl at the same instant was seen hurriedly 
 rising erect upon the opposite side of the glade ; while 
 both with cocked guns in their hands stood eying each 
 other, like two individuals about to engage In a deadly 
 duel of rifles ! 
 
 Had any one seen them at that moment, and in that
 
 THE DOUBLE DECOY. 137 
 
 attitude, their wild looks would have given color to the 
 supposition that such was in reality their intent ; and 
 some time would have elapsed before any action on the 
 part of either would have contradicted this fearful belief: 
 for it was several seconds before either could find speech 
 to exjjress their mutual surprise. 
 
 It was something more than surprise, — it was awe, — 
 a deep tragical emotion of indefinable terror, gradually 
 giving way to a feeling of heartfelt thankfulness, at the 
 fortunate chance that had made them aware of each 
 other's presence, and saved them from a mutual frat- 
 ricide. 
 
 For some seconds, I have said, not a word was spoken ; 
 and then only short exclamations of similar import came 
 trembling from the lips of both. Both, as if acting under 
 a common impulse, flung their guns to the ground. 
 Then, rushing across the glade, they threw their arms 
 around each other, and remained for some moments 
 locked in a brotherly embrace. 
 
 No explanation was needed by either. Karl, after 
 passing round the lake by the other side, had strayed by 
 chance in the direction of the glade. On nearing it, he 
 had heard the barking of a kakur, — not dreaming that 
 it was Caspar acting as a decoy. He had answered the 
 signal ; and finding that the kakur still kept its place, he 
 had advanced toward the opening with the intention, of 
 stalking it. On getting nearer he had ceased to utter 
 the call, under the belief that he should find the deer out 
 in the open ground. Just as he arrived by its edge, 
 Caspar was mimicking the kakur in such an admirable 
 manner, and so energetically, that Karl could neither 
 fail to be deceived as to the character of the animal, nor
 
 138 THE CLIFF-CLIilBEKS. 
 
 remain ignorant of its position. ,The darkish disk visible 
 behind tlie evergreen leaves could be no other than the 
 body of the deer ; and Karl was just about cocking his 
 rifle, to bore it with a bullet, when the click of Caspar's 
 double-barrel sounding ominously in his ear, fortunately 
 conducted to a far different denotcement than that fatal 
 Jinale which was so near having occurred.
 
 THE SIGNAL OF THE SHIKAREE. 139 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE SIGNAL OP THE SHIKAEEE. 
 
 As if sent to cheer and distract their minds from the 
 feeling of dread awe which still held possession of them, 
 just then the shrill whistle of Ossaroo came pealing 
 across the lake, reverberating in echoes from the cHff 
 toward which he had gone. Shortly after the signal 
 sounded again in a slightly different direction, — show- 
 ing that the shikaree had succeeded in bagging his game, 
 and was returning towards the hut. 
 
 On hearing the signal, Karl and Caspar regarded each 
 other with glances of peculiar significance. 
 
 " So, brother," said Caspar, smiling oddly as he spoke, 
 "you see Ossaroo with his despised bow and arrows 
 has beaten us both. What, if either of us had beaten 
 him?" 
 
 " Or," replied Karl, " what if we had both beaten him ? 
 Ah ! brother Caspar," added he, shuddering as he spoke, 
 " how near we were to making an end of each other ! 
 It 's fearful to thmk of it ! " 
 
 " Let us think no more of it, then," rejoined Caspar ; 
 " but go home at once and see what sort of a breakfast 
 Ossy has procured for us. I wonder whether it be flesh 
 or fowl." 
 
 "One or the other, no doubt," he continued, after a 
 short pause. " Fowl, I fancy : for as I came round the
 
 140 THE CLIFF-CLIBICERS. 
 
 lake I heard some oddish screaming in the direction of 
 the clifF yonder, which was that taken by Ossaroo. It 
 appeared to proceed from the throat of some bu'd ; yet 
 such I think I have never heard before." 
 
 " But I have," replied Karl ; " I heard it also. I 
 fancy I know the bu-d that made those wild notes ; and 
 if it be one of them the shikaree has shot, we shall have 
 a breakfast fit for a prince, and of a kind LucuUus 
 delighted to indulge in. But let us obey the signal 
 of our shikaree, and see whether we 're in such good 
 luck. 
 
 They had already regained possession of their gmis. 
 Shoiddering them, they started forth from the glade, — 
 so near being the scene of a tragical event, — and, turn- 
 ing the end of the lake, walked briskly back in the 
 direction of the hut. ^ 
 
 On coming within view of it, they descried the shika- 
 ree sitting upon a stone, just by the doorway ; and lying 
 across his knee a most beautiful bird, — by far the most 
 beautiful that either flies in the air, swims in the water, 
 or walks upon the earth, — the peacock. Not the half 
 turkey-shaped creature that struts around the farmyard, 
 
 — though he is even more beautiful than any other bird, 
 
 — but the wild peacock of the Ind, — of shape slender 
 and elegant, — of plumage resplendent as the most price- 
 less of gems, — and, what was then of more consequence 
 to our adventurers, of flesh dehcate and savory as the 
 choicest of game. This last was evidently the quality 
 of the peacock most admired by Ossaroo. The elegant 
 shape he had already destroyed ; the resplendent plumes 
 he was plucking out and casting to the winds, as though 
 they had been common feathers ; and his whole action
 
 THE SIGNAL OF THE SUIKAKEE. 141 
 
 betokened that he had no more regard for those gi'and 
 tail-feathers and that gorgeous purple corselet, than if it 
 had been a goose, or an old turkey-cock that lay stretched 
 across his knee. 
 
 Without saying a word, when the others came up, there 
 was that in Ossaroo's look, — as he glanced furtively to- 
 wards the young sahibs, and saw that both were empty- 
 handed, — that betrayed a certain degree of pride, — 
 just enough to show that he was enjoying a triumph. 
 To know that he was the only one who had made a coup, 
 it was not necessary for him to look up. Had either 
 succeeded in killing game, or even in finding it, he must 
 have heard the report of a gun, and none such on that 
 morning had awakened the echoes of the valley. Ossa- 
 roo, therefore, knew that a brace of empty game-bags 
 were all that were brought back. 
 
 Unlike the young sahibs, he had no particular adven-' 
 ture to relate. His " stalk " had been a very quiet one, 
 — ending, as most quiet stalks do, in the death of the 
 animal stalked. He had heard the old peacock screech- 
 ing on the top of a tall tree ; he had stolen up within 
 bow range, sent an arrow through his glittering gorget, 
 and brought him tumbling to the ground. He had then 
 laid liis vulgar hands upon the beautiful bird, grasping it 
 by the legs, and carrying it with draggling wmgs, — jiist 
 as if it had been a common dunghill fowl he was taking 
 to the market of Calcutta. 
 
 Karl and Caspar did not choose to waste time in tell- 
 ing the shikaree how near they had been to leaving him 
 the sole and undisputed possessor of that detached 
 dwelling and the grounds belonging to it. Hunger 
 prompted them to defer the relation to a future time ;
 
 142 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEUS. 
 
 and also to lend a hand in the culinary operations 
 already initiated by Ossaroo. By their aid, therefore, a 
 fire was set ablaze ; and the peacock, not very cleanly 
 plucked, was soon roasting in the flames^ — Fritz having 
 already made short work with the giblets.
 
 THE IBEX. 143 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE IBEX. 
 
 Big as was the body of the peacock, there was not 
 much of it left after that dejeuner a la doigts ! Only the 
 bones ; and so clean picked were they, that, had Fritz 
 not already been made welcome to the giblets, he would 
 have had but a scanty meal of it. 
 
 The savory roast did a good deal towards restoring 
 the spirits of the party ; but they could not help dwell- 
 ing upon the indifferent prospect they now had of pro- 
 curing a fresh stock of provisions, — so much changed 
 were circumstances by their powder having been de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 The bow and arrows of Ossaroo were stUl left ; and 
 other bows could be made if that one was to get broken. 
 Indeed, Caspar now determined on having one of his 
 own ; and practising archery under the tutelage of* the 
 shikaree, until he should be able to use that old-fashioned 
 and universal weapon with deadly effect. 
 
 Old-fashioned we may well term it : since its exist- 
 ence dates far beyond the earliest times of historical 
 record ; and universal : for go where you will, into the 
 most remote corners of the earth, the bow is found in 
 the hands of the savage, copied from no model, intro- 
 duced from no external source, but evidently native to 
 the country and the tribe, as if when man was first
 
 144 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 created the weapon had been put into his liands by the 
 Creator himself! 
 
 Indeed, the occurrence of the bow, — with its neces- 
 sary adjunct, the arrow, — among tribes of savages liv- 
 ing widely apart, and who, to all appearance, could 
 never have commimicated the idea to one another, — is 
 one of the most curious circumstances in the history of 
 mankind ; and there is no other way of explaining it, 
 than by the supposition that the propelling power which 
 exists in the recoil of a tightly-stretched string must 
 be one of the earhest phenomena that presents itself to 
 the human mind ; and that, therefore, m many parts of 
 the world this idea has been an indigenous and original 
 conception. 
 
 The bow and arrow is certainly one of the oldest 
 weapons on the earth, — as well as one of the most uni- 
 versally distributed. It is a subject that, in the hands 
 of the skilled etlmologist, might become one of the most 
 interesting chapters in the history of tlie human race. 
 
 I have said that after eating the peacock our adven- 
 turers were in better spirits ; but for all that, they could 
 not help feeling some little apprehension as to how their 
 food was to be obtained for the future. Ossaroo's skill 
 had provided their breakfast ; but how about their din- 
 ner ? And after that their supper ? Even should some- 
 thing turn up for the next meal, they might not be so 
 fortunate in obtaining the next after that ; and this pre- 
 carious way of subsistence, — living, as it were, from 
 hand to mouth, — would be a constant exposure of their 
 lives to the chances of starvation. 
 
 As soon, therefore, as they had finished with the flesh 
 of the peacock, — and while Ossaroo, who continued eat-
 
 THE IBEX. 145 
 
 ing longer than any of them, was still engaged in polish- 
 ing off tlie " drumsticks," — the point of replenishing 
 the larder became the subject of their conversation ; and 
 all agreed that to get up a stock of provisions had now 
 become a matter of primary importance. They resolved, 
 therefore, to devote themselves entirely to this business, 
 — using such means as were in their power for capturing 
 game, and devising other means should these prove in- 
 sufficient. 
 
 First and foremost, then, what were they to have for 
 dinner ? Was it to be fish, flesh, or fowl ? They did 
 not think of having all three : for in their situation they 
 had no desire for a fashionable dinner. One course would 
 be sufficient for them ; and they would only be too thank- 
 ful to have one course assured to them. 
 
 Whether they would choose to go fishing with Ossa- 
 roo's net, and have fish for their dinner, or whether they 
 would try for another peacock, or an argus pheasant, or 
 a brace of Braliminy geese ; or whether they would take 
 to the woods and search for grander game, had not be- 
 come a decided point ; when an incident occurred that 
 settled the question, as to what they were to have for 
 dinner. Without any exertion on their part, — without 
 the wasting of a single shot, or the spending of an ar- 
 row, they were provided with meat; and in quantity 
 sufficient, not only for that day's dinner, but to ration 
 them for a whole week, with odds and ends fallinnj to 
 the shai-e of Fritz. 
 
 They had gone out of the hut again ; and were seated, 
 
 as oft before, on some large stones that lay upon the 
 
 ground in front. It was a fine, bright morning ; and, 
 
 although cold in the shade, the sun shining down upon 
 
 7 J
 
 14G THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 them, reflected from the white snow on the mountains 
 above, made it warm enough to be pleasant. For that 
 reason, and because there was some smoke inside tlie 
 hut, where they had cooked tlieir breakfast, they had 
 preferred eating it in the open air ; and here also they 
 were holding council as to their future proceedings. 
 
 While thus engaged, a sound fell upon their ears that 
 bore some resemblance to the bleating of a goat. It 
 appeared to come down from the sky above them ; but 
 they knew that it must be caused by some animal on the 
 cliffs overhead. 
 
 On looking upwards, they beheld the animal ; and if 
 its voice had already appeared to them to be like that of 
 a goat, the creature itself in its personal appearance, to a 
 very great extent, carried out the resemblance. 
 
 To speak the truth, it was a goat ; though not one of 
 the common kind. It was an ibex. 
 
 Once more Karl had the advantage of his companions. 
 His knowledge of natural history enabled him to iden- 
 tify the animal. At the first glance he pronounced it an 
 ibex ; although he had never seen a living ibex before. 
 But the goat-like shape of the animal, its shaggy coat, 
 and, above all, the immense ringed horns curving regu- 
 larly backwai'd over its shoulders, were all characteristic 
 points, which Karl was able to identify by a comparison 
 with pictures he had seen in books, and stuffed skins he 
 had examined in a museum. 
 
 Ossaroo said it was a goat, — some kind of d, wild 
 goat, he supposed ; but as Ossaroo had never before 
 been so high up the mountains, and therefore never in 
 the regions frequented by the ibex, he knew it not. His 
 conjecture that it was a goat was founded on the general
 
 THE IBEX. 147 
 
 resemblance wliicli it bore to a goat ; and this Caspar 
 had observed as well as Ossaroo. 
 
 They could see the creature from head to foot, stand- 
 ing in a majestic attitude on a prominent point of the 
 cliff; but although it was in reality much larger than the 
 common domestic goat, it was so distant from them as 
 not to appear bigger than a kid. It was en 'profile, how- 
 ever, to their eyes ; and against the blue sky they could 
 trace the outlines of the animal with perfect distinct- 
 ness, and note the grand sweeping curvature of its 
 horns. 
 
 The first thought of Caspar was to lay hold of his gun 
 with the idea of taking a shot at it ; but both the others 
 interposed to prevent this, — pointing out the impos- 
 sibility of hitting at such a distance. Although seem- 
 ingly much nearer, the ibex was considerably more than 
 a hundred yards from where they were seated : for th6 
 point of the precipice upon which it stood was quite four 
 hundred feet above the level. 
 
 Caspar, reflecting upon this, was easily dissuaded from 
 his design ; and the next moment was wondering why he 
 had been so near playing the fool as to tlirow away 
 a shot — his penultimate one, too — at an animal placed 
 full fifty yards beyond the carry of liis gun !
 
 148 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 GOATS AND SHEEP. 
 
 As the ibex kept its ground, without showing any 
 signs of retreating, or even moving a muscle of its tody, 
 they remained watching it. Not, however, in silence : 
 for as the animal was standing as if to have its portrait 
 painted, Karl, in words addressed to his two compan- 
 ions, but chiefly intended for the instruction of Caspar, 
 proceeded to execute that very task. 
 
 " The ibex," said he, " is an animal whose name has 
 been long famous, and about which the closet naturalists 
 have written a great deal of nonsense, — as they have 
 about almost every other animal on the earth. After all 
 that has been said about it, it is simply a goat, — a wild 
 goat, it is true, but still only a goat, — having all the 
 habits, and very much of the appearance characteristic 
 of the domestic animal of this name. 
 
 " Everyone knows that the common goat exists in as 
 many varieties as the countries it inhabits. Indeed, 
 there are more kinds of goats than countries : for it is 
 not uncommon to meet with three or four sorts within 
 the boundaries of a sing-le kingdom, — as in Great 
 Britain itself These varieties differ almost as much 
 from each other as the 'breeds' of dogs; and hence 
 there has been much speculation among zoologists as 
 to what species of wild goat they have all originally 
 sprung from.
 
 GOATS AND SHEEP. 149 
 
 " Now, it is my opinion," continued the plant-hunter, 
 " that the tame goats found among different nations 
 of the earth have not all descended from the same stock, 
 but are the progeny of more than one wild species, — 
 just as the domesticated breeds of sheep have sprung 
 from several species of wild sheep ; though many zoolo- 
 gists deny this very plain fact." 
 
 "There are different species of wild goats, then?" 
 said Caspar, interrogatively. 
 
 "There are," replied the plant-hunter, "though they 
 ai'e not very numerous, — perhaps in all there may be 
 about a dozen. As yet there are not so many known to 
 zoologists, — that is, not a dozen that have been identi- 
 fied and described as distinct species ; but no doubt when 
 the central countries, both of Asia and Africa — with 
 their grand chains of mountains — have been explored 
 by scientific naturalists, at least that number wUl be 
 found to exist. 
 
 " The speculating systematists — who decide about 
 genera and species, by some slight protuberance upon a 
 tooth — have already created a wonderfid confusion in 
 the family of the goats. Not contented with viewing 
 them all as belonging to a single genus, they have di- 
 vided them into five genera, — though to most of the 
 five they ascribe only one species! — thus uselessly mul- 
 tiplying names, and rendering the study of the subject 
 more complicated and difficult. 
 
 " There can be no doubt that the goats, both wUd and 
 tame, — including the ibex, which is a true wild goat, 
 — form of themselves a separate family in the animal 
 kingdom, easily distinguishable from sheep, deer, ante- 
 lopes, or oxen. The wild goats often bear a very close
 
 150 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 resemblance to certain species of wild sheep ; and the 
 two are not to be distinguished from each other, by the 
 goats being covered with hair and the sheep with wool, 
 — as is generally the case with tame breeds. On the 
 contrary, both sheep and goats in a wild state have hairy 
 coats, — the sheep as much as the goats ; and in many 
 instances the hair of both is quite as short as that of an- 
 telopes or deer. Even where there are almost no exter- 
 nal marks to distinguish wild goats from certain kinds 
 of wild sheep, there are found moral characteristics 
 which serve as guides to the genus. The goat is bolder, 
 and of a fiercer nature ; and its other habits, even in 
 the wild state, differ essentially from those of the wild 
 sheep. 
 
 " The ibex which we see above us," continued Karl, 
 looking up to the quadruped upon the cliff, " is neither 
 more nor less than a wild goat. It is not the only spe- 
 cies of wild goat inhabiting the Himalayas ; for there is 
 the ' tahir,' a stronger and larger animal than it ; and it 
 is believed that when these great mountains have been 
 thoroughly ransacked [Karl here smiled at the very un- 
 scientific word he had made use of], there will turn up 
 one or two additional species. 
 
 " It is not the only sjoecies of ibex neither," continued 
 he, " for there is one found in the European Alps, 
 known by the name of ' steinboc ' ; another, in the Pyr- 
 enees, called the ' tur ' ; a third, in the Caucasus, the 
 *zac'; and one or two others in the mountains of Africa. 
 
 " With regard to the animal now before, or rather 
 above us," continued Karl, " it differs very little from 
 others of the same family ; and as both its appearance 
 and habits have been very ably described by a noted
 
 GOATS AND SHEEP. 151 
 
 sportsman, who was also an accomplished naturalist, I 
 cannot do better than quote his description: since it 
 gives almost every detail that is yet authentically known 
 of the Himalayan ibex. 
 
 " ' The male,' writes this gentleman author, ' is about 
 the size of the tahir [here he speaks of the other well- 
 known species of Himalayan wild goat, and which is it- 
 self much larger than any of the domesticated kinds]. 
 Except just after changing their coats, when they are of 
 a grayish hue, tlie general color of the ibex is a dirty 
 yellowish brown. I have, however, killed the younger 
 animals, both male and female, with their coats as red as 
 that of a deer in his red coat; but never saw an old 
 male of that color, for the reason, I imagine, that he 
 lives much higher, and sheds his hair much later in the 
 season. The hair is short, something in texture like 
 that of the burrell and other wild sheep ; and in the cold 
 weather is mixed with a very soft downy wool, resem- 
 blmg the shawl wool of Thibet. This and the old hair 
 is shed in May and June ; and m districts occupied by 
 the flocks at that season the bushes and sharp corners 
 of rocks are covered with their cast-off winter coats. 
 The striking appearance of the ibex is chiefly owing to 
 the noble horns which nature has bestowed upon it. In 
 full-grown animals the horns, which curve gracefully 
 over the shoulders, are from three to four feet in length 
 alonof the curve, and about eleven inches in circumfer- 
 ence at the base. Very few attain a greater length than 
 four feet ; but I have heard of their being three inches 
 longer. Then- beards, six or eight inches in length, are 
 of shaggy black hair. The females, light grayish-brown 
 in color, are hardly a third the size of the males ; and
 
 152 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 their horns are round and tapering, from ten inches to a 
 foot in length. Their appearance upon the whole is 
 clean-made, agile, and gi-aceful. 
 
 " ' In the summer they everywhere resort to the high- 
 est accessible places where food can be found, — often to 
 a part of the country several marches distant from their 
 winter haunts. This migration commences as soon as 
 the snow begins to disappear ; and is very gradually 
 performed, — the animals receding from hiU to hill, and 
 remaining a few days upon each. 
 
 " ' At this season the males keep in large flocks, apart 
 from the females ; and as many as a hundred may occa- 
 sionally be seen together. During the heat of the day 
 they rarely move about, but rest and sleep, — either on 
 the beds of snow in the ravines, or on the rocks and 
 shingly slopes of the barren hillsides, above the limits 
 of vegetation. Sometimes, but very rarely, they will lie 
 down on the grassy spots where they have been feeding. 
 Towards evening they begin to move, and proceed to 
 their grazing-grounds, — which are often miles away. 
 They set out walking slowly at first ; but, if they have 
 any considerable distance before them, soon break into a 
 trot ; and sometimes the whole flock will go as hard as 
 they can lay legs to the ground. From what we could 
 Satlier from the natives, we concluded that they remain 
 in these high regions until the end of October ; when 
 they begin to mix with the females, and gradually de- 
 scend to their winter resorts. The females do not wan- 
 der so much or so far, — many remaining on the same 
 ground tliroughout the year, — and those that do visit 
 the distant hills are generally found lower down than 
 the males, seldom ascending above the limits of vegeta-
 
 GOATS AND SHEEP. 153 
 
 tion. They bring forth their young in July, having gen- 
 erally two at a birth ; though, like other gregarious 
 animals, many are frequently found barren. 
 
 " ' The ibex are waiy animals, gifted with very sharp 
 sight and an acute sense of smell. They are very easily 
 alarmed, and so wild, that a single shot fired at a flock 
 is often sufficient to drive them away from that particu- 
 lar range of hills they may be upon. Even if not fired 
 at, the appearance of a human being near their haunts 
 is not unfrequently attended with the same result. Of 
 this we had many instances during our rambles after 
 them, and the very first flock of old males we found gave 
 us a proof. They were at the head of the Asrung val- 
 ley, and we caught sight of them just as they were com- 
 ing down the hill to feed, — a noble flock of nearly a 
 hundred old males. It was late in the day, and we had 
 a long way to return to camp. Prudence whispered, 
 " Let them alone till to-morrow," but excitement carried 
 the day, and we tried the stalk. Having but little day- 
 light remaining, we may have hurried, and consequently 
 approached them with less caution than we should have 
 done had we had time before us. However it might be, 
 we failed ; for long before we got within range, some of 
 them discovered us, and the whole flock decamped with- 
 out cfivinff us the chance of a shot. Not having fixed 
 at, or otherwise disturbed them, more than by approach- 
 ing the flock, we were in great hopes of finding them 
 the next day ; but that and several succeeding ones were 
 passed in a fruitless search. They had entirely forsaken 
 that range of hills. 
 
 " ' All readers of natural history are familiar with the 
 wonderful climbing and saltatory powers of the ibex ; 
 7*
 
 154 THE CLIFF-CLIlVrBEES. 
 
 and, altliougli they cannot (as lias been described in 
 print) make a spring and hang on by their horns until 
 they gain footing, yet in reality, for such heavy-looking 
 animals, they get over the most inaccessible-looking 
 places in an almost miraculous manner. Notliing seems 
 to stop them, nor to impede in the least their progress. 
 To see a flock, after being fired at, take a direct line 
 across country, which they often do, over all sorts of 
 seemingly impassable ground ; now along the naked 
 face of an almost perpendicular rock, then across a for- 
 midable landslip, or an inclined plane of loose stones or 
 sand, which the slightest touch sets in motion both above 
 and below ; diving into chasms to which there seems no 
 possible outlet, but instantly reappearing on the opposite 
 side ; never deviating in the slightest from their course ; 
 and at the same time getting over the ground at the rate 
 of something like fifteen miles an hour, is a sight not 
 easily to be forgotten. There are few animals, if any, 
 that excel the ibex in endurance and agility.' "
 
 A BATTLE OF BUCKS. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 A BATTLE OF BUCKS. 
 
 Karl had scarcely finished speaking, when, as if to 
 illustrate still further the habits of the ibex, a curious 
 incident occurred to the animal upon which their eyes 
 were fixed. 
 
 It ceased to be a solitary individual : for while they 
 were gazing at it another ibex made its appearance upon 
 the cliff, advancing towards the one first seen. The new- 
 comer was also a male, as its huge cimeter-shaped horns 
 testified ; while in size, as in other respects, it resembled 
 the one already on the rock as much as if they had been 
 brothers. It was not likely they were so. At all 
 events, the behavior of the former evinced anything but 
 a fraternal feeling. On the contrary, it was advancing 
 with a hostile mtent, as its attitudes clearly proved. Its 
 muzzle was turned downward and inward, until the 
 bearded chin almost touched its chest ; while the tips of 
 its horns, instead of being thrown back upon its shoul- 
 ders, — their usual position when the animal stands 
 erect, — were elevated liigh in the air. Moreover, its 
 short tail, held upright and jerking about with a quick, 
 nervous motion, told that the animal meditated mis- 
 chief. Even at so great a distance the spectators could 
 perceive this : for the forms of both the ibex were so 
 clearly outlined against the sky, that the slightest motion
 
 156 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 on the part of either could be perceived with perfect 
 distinctness. 
 
 The new-comer, when first observed, appeared to be 
 approaching by stealth, — as if he intended to play the 
 cowardly assassin, and butt the other over the cliff! In- 
 deed, this was his actual design, as was discovered in the 
 sequel ; and had the other only remained for six seconds 
 longer in the attitude in which he had been first seen, 
 his assailant would no doubt have at once succeeded in 
 his treacherous intent. 
 
 We are sorry to have to say that he did succeed, — 
 though not without a struggle, and the risk of being 
 himself compelled to take that desj)erate leap which he 
 had designed for his antagonist. 
 
 It was probably the voice of Caspar that hindered 
 the immediate execution of this wicked intention ; 
 though, alas ! it only stayed it for a short time. Caspar, 
 on seeing the treaclierous approach, had involuntarily 
 uttered a cry of warning. Though it could not have 
 been understood by the imi^erilled ibex, it had the effect 
 of startUng him from his dreamy attitude, and causing 
 liim to look around. In that look he perceived his dan- 
 ger, and quick as thought took measures to avert it. 
 Suddenly raising himself on his hind legs, and using 
 them as a pivot, he wheeled about, and then came to 
 the ground on all fours, face to face with his adversary. 
 He showed no sign of any desire to retreat, but seemed 
 to accept the challenge as a matter of course. Indeed, 
 from his position, it would have been impossible for him 
 to have retreated with any chance of safety. The cliff" 
 upon which he had been standing was a sort of promon- 
 tory projecting beyond the general line of the precipice ;
 
 A BATTLE OF BUCKS. 157 
 
 and towards the mountain slope above his escape had 
 been ah-eady cut off by his challenger. On all other 
 sides of him was the beetling cliff. He had no alterna- 
 tive but fight, or be "knocked over." It was less a 
 matter of choice than necessity that determined him- 
 upon standing his ground. 
 
 This determination he had just time to take, and just 
 time to put himself in an attitude of defence, when his 
 antagonist charged towards him. Both animals, at the 
 same instant, uttered a fierce, snorting sound, and rising 
 upon their hind-legs, stood fronting each other like a 
 brace of bipeds. In this movement the spectators rec- 
 ognized the exact mode of combat practised by common 
 goats ; for just in the same fashion does the ibex exhibit 
 his prowess. Instead of rushing horizontally, head to 
 head, and pressing each other backwards, as rams do in 
 their contests, the ibex after rearing aloft, come down 
 again, horns foremost, using the weight of their bodies 
 as the propelling power, each endeavoring to crush the 
 other between his massive crest and the earth. 
 
 Several times in succession did the two combatants 
 repeat their roarings aloft, and the downward strokes of 
 their horns ; but it soon became evident that the one 
 who had been the assailant was also to be the conqueror. 
 He had an advantage in the ground : for the platform 
 which his adversary occupied, and from which he could 
 not escape, was not wide enough to afford room for any 
 violent movements ; and the imminent danger of getting 
 a hoof over the cliff evidently inspired him with fear 
 and constraint. The assailant, having plenty of space to 
 move in, was able to " back and fill " at pleasure, now 
 receding foot by foot, then rushing forward, rising erect,
 
 158 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 and striking down again. Eacli time he made his on- 
 slaught with renewed impetus, derived from the advan- 
 tage of the ground, as well as the knowledge that if his 
 blow failed, he should only have to repeat it ; whereas, 
 on the part of his opponent, the failure of a single stroke, 
 or even of a guard, would almost to a certainty be the 
 l^relude to his destruction. 
 
 Whether it was that the ibex attacked was the weaker 
 animal of the two, or whether the disadvantage of the 
 ground was against Mm, it soon became evident that he 
 was no match for his assailant. From the very first, he 
 appeared to act only on the defensive ; and in all likeli- 
 hood, had the road been open to him, he would have 
 turned taU at once and taken to his heels. 
 
 But no opportunity for flight was permitted him at 
 any moment from the beginning of the contest; and 
 none was likely to be given him untU it should end. 
 The only chance of escape that appeared, even to him, 
 was to make a grand leap, and clear his adversary, horns 
 and all. 
 
 This idea seemed at length to take possession of his 
 brain : for all on a sudden he was seen to forsake his 
 attitude of defence, and bound high into the air, — as 
 if to get over his adversary's horns, and hide himself 
 among the safer snow-drifts of the mountains. 
 
 If such was his intent, it proved a sad failure. While 
 soaring in the air, — all his four feet raised high off the 
 ground, — the huge horns of his adversary were im- 
 pelled with fearful force against his ribs, the stroke toss- 
 ing him like a shuttlecock clear over the edge of the 
 cliff! 
 
 The blow had been delivered so as to project his body
 
 A BATTLE OF BUCKS. 159 
 
 with a revolving impetus into the air ; and turning round 
 and round, it fell with a heavy concussion into the bot- 
 tom of the valley ; where, after rebounding full six feet 
 from the ground, it fell back again dead as a stone. 
 
 It was some seconds before the spectators could re- 
 cover from surprise at an incident so curious ; though it 
 was one that may often be witnessed by those who wan- 
 der among the wild crags of the Himalayas, — where 
 combats between the males of the ibex, the tahir, the 
 burrell or Himalayan wild sheep, and also the rams of 
 the gigantic Ovis ammon, are of common occurrence. 
 
 These battles are often fought upon the edge of a 
 beetling precipice, — for it is in such places that these 
 four species of animals delight to dwell, — and not un- 
 frequently the issue of the contest is such as that wit- 
 nessed by our adventurers, — one of the combatants 
 being "butted" or pushed right over the cliff. 
 
 It does not follow that the animal thus put hors de 
 combat is always killed. On the contrary, unless the 
 precij^ice be one of stupendous height, an ibex, or tahir, 
 or burrell, will get up again after one of those fearful 
 falls ; and either run or hmp away from the spot, — 
 perhaps to recover, and try his luck and strength in 
 some future encounter with the same adversary. One 
 of the most remarkable instances of this kind is related 
 by the intelligent sportsman, Colonel Markham, and by 
 him vouched for as a fact that came under his own ob^ 
 servation. "We copy his account verbatim : — 
 
 " I witnessed one of the most extraordinary feats j)er- 
 formed by an old tahir, that I, or any other man, ever 
 beheld. I shot him when about eighty yards overhead 
 upon a ledge of rocks. He fell perpendicularly that
 
 160 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 distance, and, without touching the ground or the sides 
 of the precipice, rebounded, and fell again about fifteen 
 yards farther down. I thought he was knocked to atoms, 
 but he got up and went off; and although we tracked 
 him by his blood to a considerable distance, we were, 
 after all, unable to find him ! " 
 
 My young readers may remember that many similar 
 feats have been witnessed in the Rocky Mountains of 
 America, performed by the " bighorn," — a wild sheep 
 that inhabits these mountains, so closely resembling the 
 Ovis ammon of the Himalayas as to be regarded by 
 some naturalists as belonging to the same species. The 
 hunters of the American wilderness jDositively assert 
 that the bighorn fearlessly flings himself from high 
 cliffs, alighting on liis horns ; and, then rebounding into 
 the air like an elastic ball, recovers his feet unhurt, and 
 even unstunned by the tremendous " header ! " 
 
 No doubt there is a good deal of exaggeration in 
 these " hunter stories " ; but it is nevertheless true that 
 most si^ecies of wild goats and sheep, as well as several 
 of the rock-loving antelopes, — the chamois and klip- 
 springer, for instance, — can do some prodigious feats in 
 the leaping line, and such as it is diificidt to believe in 
 by any one not accustomed to the habits of these ani- 
 mals. It is not easy to comprehend how Colonel Mark- 
 ham's tahir could have fallen eighty yards, — that is, two 
 hundred and forty feet, — to say nothing of the supple- 
 mentary descent of forty -five feet farther, — without being 
 smashed to " smithereens." But although we may hesitate 
 to give credence to such an extraordinary statement, it 
 would not be a proper thing to give it a flat contradiction. 
 Who knows whether there may not be in the bones of
 
 A BATTLE OF BUCKS. 161 
 
 these animals some elastic principle or quality enabling 
 them to counteract the effects of such great falls ? 
 
 There are many mechanical contrivances of animal 
 life as yet but very imperfectly understood ; and it is 
 well known that Nature lias wonderfully adapted her 
 creatures to the haunts and habits for which she has de- 
 signed them. It may be, then, that these wild goats 
 and sheep, — the Bloudins and Leotards of the quadru- 
 ped world, — are gifted with certain saltatory powers, 
 and furnished with structural contrivances which are 
 altogether wanting to other animals not requiring them. 
 It would not be right, therefore, without a better knowl- 
 edge of the principles of animal mechanism, to contra- 
 dict the statement of such a respectable authority as 
 Colonel Markham, — especially since it appears to be 
 made in good faith, and without any motive for exag- 
 geration. 
 
 Our adventurers had entered into no discussion of this 
 subject on observing the descent of the ibex. Indeed, 
 there was nothing to suggest such speculations ; for the 
 creature had fallen from such an immense height, and 
 come down with "such a thump" upon the hard turf, 
 that it never occurred to any of them to fancy that there 
 was a single gasp of breath left in its body. Nor was 
 there ; for on reaching the ground after its rebound, the 
 animal lay with limbs loose and limp, and without sign 
 of motion, — evidently a carcass. 
 
 K
 
 162 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE BEARCOOTS. 
 
 Our adventurers were congratulating themselves on 
 this unexpected accession to their larder ; which, like 
 the manna of old, had, as it were, rained down from the 
 sky. 
 
 '' Our dinner ! " shouted Caspar, gleefully, as the 
 " thump " of the falling ibex sounded in their ears. 
 " Our supper, too," he added. " Ay, more ! In such a 
 large carcass there must be provision to last us for a 
 week!" 
 
 All three rose to their feet, and were about starting 
 forward to secure the prize ; when a shrill scream twice 
 repeated fell upon their ears, — coming down apparently 
 from the top of the cliffs, or rather from the mountain 
 that trended stUl higher above them. 
 
 Could it be the cry of the conquering ibex, — his slo- 
 gan of triumph ? No ; it was not his voice, nor that of 
 a quadruped of any kind. Neither did the spectators 
 for an instant believe it to be so. On turning their eyes 
 ujjward, they saw the creature, or the creatures, — for 
 there were two of them, — from whose throats those 
 screams had proceeded. 
 
 The victorious ibex was still standing conspicuously 
 upon the cliff. During the few seconds that the atten- 
 tion of the spectators had been occupied elsewhere, he
 
 THE BEAKCOOTS. 163 
 
 appeared to have been contemplating the dire deed of 
 destruction he had just accomplished, and perhaps in- 
 dulging in the triumph he had obtained over his unfor- 
 tunate rival. At all events he had stepjied forward 
 upon the projecting point of the rock, — to the very 
 Sf)ot so lately occupied by his adversary. 
 
 The cry, however, which had been heard in the valley 
 below had reached his ears at the same time, and per- 
 haps a little sooner : for as the spectators looked up, 
 they saw that he had been startled by it, and was look- 
 ing around him with evident alarm. In the air above 
 and not many yards distant from him, were two dark 
 objects, easily recognizable as birds upon the wing. 
 They were of large size, nearly black in color, and with 
 that peculiar sharpness of outline and sweep of wing 
 that distinguish the true birds of prey. There was no 
 mistaking their kind, — they were eagles, — of a species 
 known in the Himalayas and the steppes of Thibet as 
 the "bearcoot." 
 
 They were swooping in short, abrupt curves, at inter- 
 vals repeating their shrill screams, both crying out to- 
 gether, and from their excited mien, and the character 
 of their movements, no doubt could be entertained as to 
 the object of their noisy demonstrations. They were 
 about to assault an enemy, and that enemy was no other 
 than the ibex. 
 
 The animal appeared to be fully aware of their 
 intent ; and seemed for a moment to be irresolute as to 
 how it should act. Instead of placing itself in a bold, 
 defiant attitude, — such as it had lately assumed towards 
 an antagonist of its own kind, — it stood cowering, and 
 apparently paralyzed with fear. It was this very effect
 
 164 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 which the eagles, by their screaming, had designed to 
 produce ; and certainly the fierce birds were succeeding 
 to the utmost of their expectations. 
 
 The spectators kept their eyes fixed upon the actors 
 of this new drama, — watching every movement, both of 
 the birds and the beast, with intense interest. All were 
 desirous of seeing the latter punished for the cruel act 
 he had just committed, and which they regarded as savor- 
 ing very strongly of fratricide. 
 
 It was written in the book of fate that their desire 
 should be gratified, and that the destroyer should him- 
 self be destroyed. They were expecting to witness a 
 somewhat prolonged combat ; but in this expectation 
 they were disappointed. The duration of the conflict 
 was as brief as the preliminaries that led to it ; and 
 these were of the shortest kind : for scarce ten seconds 
 had elapsed, after they had uttered their first scream, 
 before the bearcoots swooped down to the level of the 
 cliff", and commenced a joint attack uj^on the ibex, strik- 
 ing at him alternately with beak and claws. 
 
 For a short time the quadruped was shi'ouded, — al- 
 most hidden, — under the broad, shadowy wings of the 
 birds ; but even when its figure could be traced, it 
 apjieared to be making no very energetic efforts at de- 
 fending itself. The sudden attack made by such strange 
 enemies, seemed to have completely disconcerted the 
 ibex ; and it remained as if still under the paralysis of 
 fear. 
 
 After a moment or two had passed, the ibex appeared 
 to recover self-possession ; and then he, rearing up, 
 struck out with his horns. But the bearcoots were on 
 the alert ; and each time that the animal attempted a
 
 Ill another instant the ibex was in mid-air, — falling, — falling. 
 
 P. 165.
 
 TIIK BEARCOOTS. 165 
 
 forward movement, they easily avoided the- blow by 
 shying to one side or the other ; and then qnickly wheel- 
 ing, they would swoop back upon it from behind. 
 
 In this way was the conflict progressing, the ibex 
 holding the ground upon which he had been first at- 
 tacked, turning round and round, with his two fore hoofs 
 held close together, or else rearing aloft on his hind-legs, 
 and using them as a pivot. 
 
 It would have been better for the ibex had he kept to 
 his forefeet altogetlier ; as in that attitude he might have 
 held his ground a little longer, — perhaps until he had 
 either beaten off his winged assailants, or wearied them 
 out by a prolonged defence. 
 
 But to fight on " all fours " did not chance to be his 
 fashion. It was contrary to the traditions of his family 
 and race, — all of whose members, from time immemo- 
 rial, had been accustomed, when battling with an enemy, 
 to stand erect upon their hind-legs. 
 
 Following this fashion, he had raised himself to his 
 full- perpendicular, and was about aiming a "butt" 
 airainst the breast of one of the bearcoots that was tan- 
 talizing him in front, when the other, that had made a 
 short retrocession in order to gain impetus, came swoop- 
 ing back with the velocity of an arrow, and seizing the 
 ibex under the chin, by a quick, strong jerk of its talons, 
 it struck the head of the animal so far backward, that it 
 lost its balance and went toppling over the cliff. In 
 another instant the ibex was in mid-air, — filling, — ■ 
 falling, -^ through that same fearful space tliat had just 
 been traversed by his own victim. 
 
 The spectators looked to see him strike the ground 
 without receiving further molestation from his winged
 
 166 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 assailants. Not so, however, did it result. Just as the 
 ibex had got about half-way down the face of the preci- 
 pice, the second eagle was seen shooting after him with 
 the velocity of a flash of lightning ; and before he could 
 reach the ground, the bearcoot was seen striking him 
 once more, and causing him to diverge from his vertical 
 descent. The body came to the ground at length, — 
 but at a considerable distance from where the other was 
 lying, — the eagle descending with it to the earth, and 
 even remaining over it with wings and limbs extended, 
 as if still clutching it in his talons ! 
 
 Why the bearcoot was thus retaining the ibex in his 
 clutch was not quite so clear : foi- the animal was evi- 
 dently dead ; and apparently had been so long before 
 reaching the earth. There was something strange about 
 this proceeding on the part of the bird, — as there had 
 also been in its mode of descent through the last forty 
 or fifty yards of space. From the manner in which it 
 had extended its wings after striking its prey, and from 
 the way in which it still kept exercising them, the spec- 
 tators began to think that its singular descent, and its 
 remaining over the carcass in that cowering attitude, 
 were neither of them voluntary acts on its part. 
 
 The truth was soon made clear, — proving the con- 
 trary to be the case : for as the bearcoot continued to 
 flap its wings, or rather, flutter them in a \aolent, irregu- 
 lar motion, it became evident that instead of desiring to 
 remain by the fallen body of its victim, it was doing its 
 very best to get away from it ! This was all the more 
 easily believed, when it commenced uttering a series of 
 wild screams ; not, as before, indicating rage or menace, 
 but in tones expressive of the greatest terror !
 
 THE BEARCOOTS. 1C7 
 
 The spectators, wlio liad already risen from their seats, 
 rau towards the spot, — surmising that there was some- 
 thing amiss. 
 
 On getting close up to the still screaming and flutter- 
 ing bird, they were able to understand what had ap- 
 peared so incomprehensible. 
 
 They saw that the bearcoot was in a dilemma ; that 
 its talons were buried in the body of the ibex, and so 
 firmly fixed, that with all the strength of its sinewy legs, 
 backed by the power of its elastic pinions, it was unable 
 to free itself! 
 
 In striking the ibex in his descent, the bird had buried 
 its crooked claws deeply into the soft abdomen of the 
 animal, but in attempting to draw them out again, had 
 found, — no doubt, to its great chagrin, — that the thick 
 coating of " poshm " which covered the skin of the ibex, 
 had become entangled round its shanks ; and the more 
 it fluttered to free itself, turning round and round in the 
 effort, the stronger and tighter became the rope which 
 it was twisting out of that celebrated staple, — the 
 shawl-wool of Cashmere ! 
 
 Beyond a doubt, the bearcoot was in a bad fix ; and, 
 although it was soon relieved from its tether of poshm, 
 it was only to find itself more securely tied by a stronger 
 string taken out of the pocket of Ossaroo. 
 
 The other bearcoot having followed close after, seemed 
 determined upon rescuing its mate out of the hands of 
 its captors ; and uttering loud screams, it flew, first at 
 one, then at another of them, — Avith its long pointed 
 talons menacing each of them in turn. ■ 
 
 As all of them had weapons in their hands, they suc- 
 ceeded in keeping tlie angry bird at bay ; but it might
 
 168 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 not have fared so well with Fritz, — who, in turn, be- 
 came the object of its furious attack, and who had no 
 weapon but his teeth. 
 
 These would scarce have been sufficient protection 
 against the talons of an eagle ; and Fritz would very 
 likely have lost one of his eyes, or perhaps both of them, 
 had it not been for an arrow springing from the bow of 
 the shikaree ; which, transfixing the great bird right 
 through the gizzard, brought it down with a " flop " 
 upon the surface of the earth. 
 
 It was not killed outright by the arrow ; and the dog, 
 on seeing it bite the dust, would fain have "jumped" it. 
 But, perceiving the strong, curving beak, and the sharp 
 talons, extended towards him, Fritz was easily persuaded 
 to remain at a prudent distance, and leave the shikaree 
 to make a finish of the bearcoot with his long boar- 
 spear.
 
 A HOPE BUILT UPON THE BEARCOOT. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 A HOPE BUILT UPON THE BEARCOOT. 
 
 In this unexpected supply of food, — which might be 
 said almost literally to have descended from heaven, — 
 Karl could not help recognizing the hand of Providence, 
 and pointing it out to his companions. Even the less 
 reflecting mind of Caspar, and the half-heathen heart 
 of the Hindoo, were impressed with a belief that some 
 other agency than mere chance had befriended them ; 
 and they were only too willing to join with Karl in a 
 prayerful expression of their gratitude to that Being, 
 who, although unseen, was with them even in that lone 
 valley. 
 
 For a time they stood contemplating with curiosity, 
 not only the two ibex, but also the eagles, — interesting 
 on account of the knowledge that all four animals had 
 but lately been roaming freely beyond the boundaries of 
 that mountain jjrison, — and had just arrived, as it were, 
 from the outside world, with which they themselves so 
 eagerly longed to hold communication. "Wliat would 
 they not have given to have been each provided with a 
 pair of wings like that bearcoot, — the one that still 
 lived ? Furnished in that fashion, they would soon have 
 Bought escape from the valley, — to them a valley of tears, 
 — and from the snowy mountains that surrounded it. 
 
 While reflecting thus, a thought shaped itself in the 
 8,
 
 170 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEIcS. 
 
 mind of the philosophic Karl, which caused his face to 
 brighten up a little. Only a little : for the idea which 
 had occurred to him was not one of the brightest. 
 There was something in it, however ; and, as the drown- 
 ing man will clutch even at straws, Karl caught at a 
 singular conception, and after examining it a while, com- 
 municated it to the others. 
 
 It was the bearcoot that had brought forth this con- 
 ception. The bird was a true eagle, strong of wing and 
 muscle like all of his tribe, and one of the strongest of 
 the genus. Like an arrow, he could fly straight up 
 towards the sky. In a few minutes, — ay, in a few 
 seconds, — he could easily shoot up to the summits of 
 the snowy mountains that towered above them. 
 
 " Wliat is to hinder him ? " asked Karl, pointing to 
 the bird, " to carry — " 
 
 " To carry what ? " said Caspar, interrupting the in- 
 terrogation of his brother, who spoke in a hesitating and 
 doubtful manner. " Not us, Karl ? " continued he, with 
 a slight touch of jocularity in his manner, — " you don't 
 mean that, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Not us," gravely repeated Karl, " but a rope that 
 may carry ms." 
 
 " Ha ! " exclaimed Caspar, a gleam of joy over- 
 spreading his face as he spoke. There 'a something in 
 that." 
 
 Ossaroo, equally interested in the dialogue, at the 
 same moment gave utterance to a joyous ejaculation. 
 
 " What do you think of it, shikaree ? " inquired Karl, 
 speaking in a serious tone. 
 
 The reply of Ossaroo did not bespeak any very san- 
 guine hope on his part. Still he was ready to counsel
 
 A HOPE BUILT UPON THE BEARCOOT. 171 
 
 a trial ef the scheme. They could try it without any 
 great trouble. It would only need to spin some more 
 rope from the hemp, — of which they had plenty, — 
 attach it to the leg of the bearcoot, and give the bird its 
 freedom. There was no question as to the direction the 
 eagle would take. He had already had enough of the 
 valley ; and would no doubt make to get out of it at the 
 very first flight he should be permitted to make. 
 
 The scheme superficially considered appeared plausi- 
 ble enough ; but as its details were subjected to a more 
 rigorous examination, two grand difficulties presented 
 themselves, — so grand that they almost obliterated the 
 hope, so suddenly, and with too much facility, conceived. 
 
 The first of these difficulties was, that the bearcoot, 
 notwithstanding his great strengh of wing, might not be 
 able to carry up a rope which would be strong enough 
 to carry one of themselves. A cord he might easily 
 take to the top of the cliff", or even far beyond ; but a 
 mere cord, or even a very slender rope, would be of no 
 use. It would need one strong enough to support the 
 body of a man, — and that, too, while engaged in the 
 violent exertion of climbing. The rope would require 
 to be of great length, — two hundred yards or more ; 
 and every yard would add to the weight the eagle would 
 be required to carry up. 
 
 It is not to be supposed that they intended to 
 " swarm " i;p this rope hand by hand. For the height 
 of a dozen yards or so, any of them could have accom- 
 plished that. But there would be a hundred and fifty 
 yai'ds of " swarming " to be done before they could set 
 foot upon the top of the cliff"; and the smartest sailor 
 that ever crawled up a mainstay, — even Sinbad himself,
 
 172 . THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 — could not have done half the distance. They had 
 foreseen this difficulty from the very first ; and the in- 
 genuity of Karl had at once provided a remedy for it, — 
 as will be seen in the sequel. 
 
 The second question that presented itself was, — ad- 
 mitting that the bearcoot might bear up a rope stout 
 enough for the purpose, whether there would be any 
 possibility of getting this rope stayed at the top ? 
 
 Of course, they could do nothing of themselves ; and 
 that point would be a matter of mere chance. There 
 was a chance, — all acknowledged that. The bird, in 
 fluttering over the mountain to make its escajje, might 
 entangle the rope around a rock, or some sharp angle of 
 the frozen snow. There was a chance, which could be 
 determined by trying, and only by trying; and there 
 were certain probabilities in favor of success. 
 
 The first difficulty, — that relating to the strength 
 and weight of the rope, — admitted of rational discussion 
 and calculation. There were data to go upon, and oth- 
 ers that might be decided conjecturally, yet sufficiently 
 near the truth for all preliminary purposes. They could 
 tell pretty nearly what stoutness of rope it would take 
 to hang any one of them ; and this would be strong 
 enough to carry them up the cliffi The strength of the 
 eagle might also be presumed pretty nearly ; and tliere 
 was no doubt but that the bearcoot would do his very 
 best to get out of the valley. After the roiTgh handluig 
 he had already experienced, he would not require any 
 further stimulus to call forth his very utmost exertions. 
 
 On discussing the subject in its diffiirent bearings, it 
 soon became evident to all, that the matter of supreme 
 importance would be the making of the rope. Could
 
 A HOPE BUILT UPON THE BEARCOOT. 173 
 
 this be manufactured of sufficient fineness not to over- 
 burden the bearcoot, and yet be strong enough to sus- 
 tain the weight of a man, the first difficulty would be 
 got over. The rope, therefore, should be made with the 
 greatest care. Every fibre of it should be of the best 
 quality of hemp, — every strand twisted with a perfect 
 uniformity of thickness, — every plait manipulated with 
 an exact accuracy. 
 
 Ossaroo was the man to make such a cord. He could 
 spin it with as much evenness as a Manchester mill. 
 There would be no danger that in a rope of Ossaroo's 
 making the most critical eye could detect either fault or 
 flaw. 
 
 It was finally determined on that the rope should be 
 spun, — Ossaroo acting as director, the others becoming 
 his attendants rather than his assistants. 
 
 Before proceeding to work, however, it was deemed 
 prudent to secure against a hungry day by curing the 
 flesh of the brace of ibex. The dead bearcoot was to be 
 eaten while fresh, and needed no curing. 
 
 And so indeed it was eaten, — the bird of Jove fur- 
 nishing them with a dinner, as that of Jimo had given 
 them a breakfast !
 
 174 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE LOG ON THE LEG. 
 
 As soon as they had hung the ibex-meat upon the 
 curing-strings, and pegged out the two skins for drying, 
 they turned their attention to the making of the rope by 
 which they were to be pulled out of their prison. By 
 good fortune they had a large stock of hemp on hand 
 all ready for twisting. It was a store that had been 
 saved up by Ossaroo, — at the time when he had fabri- 
 cated his fish-net ; and as it had been kef)t in a little dry 
 grotto of the cliff, it was stUl in excellent preservation. 
 They had also on hand a very long rope, though, imfor- 
 tunately, not long enough for their present purpose. It 
 was the same which they had used in projecting their 
 tree-bridge across the crevasse ; and which they had long 
 ago unrove from its pulleys, and brought home to the 
 hut. This rope was the exact thickness they would re- 
 quire: for anything of a more slender gauge would 
 scarcely be sufficient to support the weight of a man's 
 body ; and considering the fearful risk they would have 
 to run, while hanging by it against the face of such a 
 cliff, it was necessary to keep on the safe side as regarded 
 the strength of the rope. They could have made it of 
 ample thickness and strength, so as to secure against the 
 accident of its breaking. But then, on the opposite 
 hand, arose the difficulty as to the strength of the eagle's
 
 THE LOG ON THE LEG. 175 
 
 wing. Should the rope prove too heavy for the bearcoot 
 to carry over the top of the cliff, then all the'r labor 
 would be in vain. 
 
 "Why not ascertain this fact before making the 
 rope ? " 
 
 This was a suggestion of Karl himself. 
 
 " But how are we to do it ? " was the rejoinder of 
 Caspar. 
 
 " I think we can manage the matter," said the bota- 
 nist, apparently busying his brain with some profound 
 calculation. 
 
 "I can't think of a way myself," replied Caspar, 
 looking inquiringly at his brother. 
 
 " I fancy I can," said Karl. " What is to hinder us 
 to ascertain the weight of the rope before making it, 
 and also decide as to whether the bird can carry so 
 much ? " 
 
 " But how are you to weigh the rope until it is made ? 
 You know it 's the trouble of making it we wish to avoid, 
 — that is, should it prove useless afterwards." 
 
 " 0, as for that," rejoined Karl, " it is not necessary to 
 have it finished to find out what weight it would be. 
 We know pretty near the length that will be needed, 
 and by weighing a piece of that already in our hands, 
 we can calculate for any given length." 
 
 " You forget, brother Karl, that we have no means of 
 weighing, even the smallest piece. We have neither 
 beam, scales, nor weights." 
 
 " Pooh ! " replied Karl, with that tone of confidence 
 imparted by superior knowledge. " There 's no difficulty 
 in obtaining all these. Any piece of straight stick be- 
 comes a beam, when properly balanced ; and as for scales, 
 they can be had as readily as a beam."
 
 176 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERg. 
 
 "But the weights?" interrupted Caspar. "What 
 about them ? Your beam and scales would be useless, 
 I apprehend, without proper weights ? I think we should 
 be ' stumped ' for the want of the pounds and ounces." 
 
 " I am surprised, Caspar, you should be so unreflect- 
 ing, and allow your ingenuity to be so easily discouraged 
 and thwarted. I believe I could make a set of weights 
 under any circumstances in which you might place me, 
 
 — giving me only the raw material, such as a piece of 
 timber and plenty of stones." 
 
 " But how, brother ? Pray, tell us ! " 
 
 " Why, in the first place, I know the weight of my 
 own body." 
 
 " Granted. But that is only one weight ; how are you 
 to get the denominations, — the pounds and ounces ? " 
 
 " On the beam I should construct I would balance my 
 body against a lot of stones. I should then divide the 
 stones into two lots, and balance these agamst one 
 another. I should thus get the half weight of my body, 
 
 — a known quantity, you will recollect. By again 
 equally dividing one of the lots I should find a standard 
 of smaller dimensions ; and so on, till I had got a weight 
 as small as might be needed. By this process I can find 
 a pound, an ounce, or any amount required." 
 
 " Very true, brother," replied Caspar, " and very in- 
 genious of you. No doubt your plan would do, — but 
 for one little circumstance, which you seem to have over- 
 looked." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 "Are your data quite correct?" naively inquired 
 Caspar. 
 
 " My data ! "
 
 THE LOG ON THE LEG. 177 
 
 "Yes, — the original standard from wliicli yon pro- 
 pose to start, and on which you would base your calcu- 
 lations. I mean the weight of your body. Do you know 
 that?" 
 
 "Certainly," said Karl; "I am just 140 pounds 
 weight, — to an ounce." 
 
 " Ah, brother," replied Caspar, with a shake of the 
 head, expressive of doubt, "you were 140 pounds in 
 Loudon, — I know that myself, — and so was I nearly 
 as much ; but you forget that the fret and worry of this 
 miserable existence has reduced both of us. Indeed, 
 dear brother, I can see that you are much thinner since 
 we set out from Calcutta ; and no doubt you can per- 
 ceive the like change in me. Is it not so?" 
 
 Karl was forced to give an affirmative reply to the 
 question, at the same time that he acknowledged the 
 truth of his brother's statement. His data were not 
 correct. The weight of his body, — which, not bemg a 
 constant quantity, is at all times an unsafe standard, — 
 would not serve in the present instance. The calcula- 
 tion they desired to make was of too important a char- 
 acter to be based upon such an untrustworthy foundation. 
 Karl perceived this plainly enough ; but it did not dis- 
 courage him from prosecuting his purpose to make the 
 attempt he had proposed. 
 
 " Well, brother ! " said he, looking smilmgly towards 
 the latter, and apparently rather pleased at Caspar's 
 acuteness ; " I acknowledge you have had the better of 
 the argument this time ; but that 's no reason why I 
 should give up my plan. There are many other ways 
 of ascertaining the weight of an object ; and no doubt 
 if I were to reflect a little I could hit upon one ; but as 
 
 8* I*
 
 178 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 luck has it, we need not trouble ourselves further about 
 that matter. If I mistake not, we have a standard of 
 weight in our possession that is just the thing itself." 
 
 " What standard ? " demanded Caspar. 
 
 " One of the leaden bullets of your own gun. They 
 are oimce bullets, I Ve heard you say ? " 
 
 " They are exactly sixteen to the pound, and, there- 
 fore, each of them an ounce. You are right, Karl, that 
 is a standard. Certainly it will do." 
 
 The subject required no further sifting ; and without 
 delay they proceeded to ascertain the weight of two 
 hundred yards of rope. A balance was soon constructed 
 and adjusted, as nicely as if they had meant to put gold 
 in the scale. Twenty yards of the rope already in hand 
 was set against stones, — whose weight they had already 
 determined by reduplicating a number of bullets, — and 
 its quantity ascertained in pounds and ounces. Eight 
 times that gave one hundred and sixty yards, — the 
 probable amount of cord they should require. 
 
 This being determined upon, the next thing was to 
 find out whether the eagle could carry such a burden 
 into the sky. Of course, the bird would not have the 
 whole of it to carry at first, as part would rest upon the 
 ground ; but should it succeed in reaching the top of the 
 cliff, — even at the lowest part, — there wovdd then be 
 the weight of at least one hundred yards upon its leg ; 
 and if it ascended still higher, a greater amount in pro- 
 portion. 
 
 It was natural to suppose that the bearcoot in going 
 out would choose the lowest part of the precipice, — 
 especially when feeling his flight impeded by the strange 
 attachment upon his leg ; and if this conjecture should
 
 THE LOG ON THE LEG. 179 
 
 prove correct, there would be all the less weight to be 
 sustained. But, indeed, by the cord itself they could 
 guide the bearcoot to the lowest jmrt, — since by hold- 
 ing it in their hands, they could hinder liim taking flight 
 in any other dh-ectiou. 
 
 Considering all these circumstances, and rather 
 cheered by the many points that appeared to be in 
 their favor, they proceeded to make trial of the eagle's 
 strength. 
 
 It would not take long to decide ; but, conscious of 
 the great importance of the result, they set about it with 
 due deliberation. 
 
 A log of wood was procured, and chopped down, till 
 it was exactly the weight of the rope to be used. To 
 this the piece of twenty yards, — already employed for 
 a different purpose, — was attached at one end, — the 
 other being tightly knotted around the shank of the 
 eagle. 
 
 When all was ready, the bird was stripped of his 
 other fastenings ; and then all retired to a distance to 
 give him sjiace for the free use of his wings. 
 
 Fancying himself no longer under restraint, the bear- 
 coot sprang up from the rock on which he had been 
 placed ; and, spreading his broad wings, rose almost ver- 
 tically into the air. 
 
 For the first twenty yards he mounted with a vigor- 
 ous velocity ; and the hopes of the spectators found ut- 
 terance in joyful ejaculations. 
 
 Alas ! these hopes were short-lived, ending almost on 
 
 the instant of their conception. The rope, carried to 
 
 ^its full length, became suddenly taut, — jerking the 
 
 eagle several feet back towards the earth. At the same
 
 180 THE CLITF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 time the log was lifted only a few inches from the ground. 
 The bird fluttered a moment, taken aback by this unex- 
 pected interruption ; and, after recovering its equilibri- 
 um, again essayed a second flight towards the sky. 
 
 Once more the rope tightened, — as before raising the 
 log but very little from the ground, — while the eagle, 
 as if this time expecting the pluck, suffered less de- 
 rangement of its flight than on the former occasion. 
 For all that, it was borne back, until its anchor " touched 
 bottom." Then after making another upward effort, 
 with the like result, it appeared to become convinced of 
 its inability to rise vertically, and directed its flight in a 
 horizontal line along the cliffs. The log was jerked 
 over the ground, bounding from point to point, occasion- 
 ally swinging in the air, but only for a few seconds at a 
 time. 
 
 At length the conviction forced itself upon the minds 
 of the spectators, — as it seemed also to have done upon 
 that of the performer, — that to reach the top of the 
 cliff", — with a cord upon its leg, equal in weight to that 
 log, — was more than a bearcoot could accomplish. 
 
 In short, the plan had proved a failure ; and, no longer 
 hoping for success, our adventurers turned their disap- 
 pointed looks upon each other, — leaving the eagle free 
 to drag his wooden anchor whithersoever he might wish.
 
 In short, the plan liad proved a faiUire. 
 
 P. 180.
 
 FURTHER EXPERIMENTS. 181 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 FURTHER EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 The usual silence which succeeds a disappointment 
 was for some time preserved by the three individuals 
 who had been spectators of the unsuccessful attempt of 
 the eagle. Caspar seemed less cast down than the 
 others ; but why it was so, neither of them thought of 
 asking him. 
 
 It was not a silence of very long duration, nor was 
 the chagrin that had caused it of much longer continu- 
 ance. Both were evanescent as the summer cloud that 
 for a moment darkens the sky, and then glides oif, — 
 leaving it bright and serene as ever. 
 
 It was to Caspar the party was indebted for this 
 happy change of feeling. An idea had occurred to the 
 young hunter, — or rather a new scheme, — which was 
 at once communicated to his companions. 
 
 Strictly speaking, Caspar's scheme could not be 
 termed a new one. It was only supplementary to that 
 already set before them by Karl ; and the bearcoot, as 
 before, was to be the chief actor in it. 
 
 While calculating the length of rope it would take to 
 reach to the top of the cliff, Caspar had already be- 
 thought him of a way by which it might be shortened, 
 — in other words, how it might be arranged, that a 
 shorter rope would suffice. He had for some time car-
 
 182 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 tied this idea in his mind ; but had declined communi- 
 cating it to the others, until after witnessing the test of 
 the eagle's strength. Now that the bearcoot had been 
 " weighed and found wanting," you might suppose that 
 the creature would be no longer cared for, — excepting 
 to furnish them with a meal. This was the reflection 
 of Karl and Ossaroo ; but Caspar thought diiferently. 
 He was impressed with a belief that the bird might stUl 
 do them a service, — the very one which he had under- 
 taken so unsuccessfully. 
 
 Caspar reflected, and very correctly, that it was the 
 extra weight that had hindered the eagle from ascend- 
 ing. It was not so much beyond his strength neither. 
 Perhaps had it been only half as heavy, or even a little 
 more, he might have succeeded in carrying it over the 
 cliff. 
 
 What if the weight should be reduced ? 
 
 To make the rope more slender did not enter into 
 Caspar's calculations. He knew this could not be 
 done : since it was a point already discussed and decided 
 upon. 
 
 But how if the rope were to be shorter, than that 
 which had been theoretically considered ? How if it 
 were to be only fifty yards, instead of one himdred and 
 fifty ? Of course, then the eagle might fly with it, to 
 whatever height its length would allow. 
 
 Caspar felt satisfied of this fact ; nor did either of the 
 others question its truth, — but what then ? 
 
 " What," inquired Karl, " would be the use of a rope 
 of fifty yards, though the eagle might carry it up to the 
 moon ? Even at the lowest part of the cliffs, — should 
 the bearcoot take one end over, the other would be fifty 
 yards above our heads ? "
 
 FURTHER EXPERIMENTS. 183 
 
 " Not a yard, brother, — not a foot. The other end 
 would be iu our hands, — m our hands, I tell you." 
 
 " Well, Caspar," calmly rejoined the philosopher, 
 " you appear to be confident enough ; though I can't 
 guess what you are driving at. You know this hideous 
 precipice is at no point less than a hundi-ed yards in 
 sheer height ? " 
 
 " I do," replied Caspar, still speaking in the same tone 
 of confidence ; " but a rope of only fifty, — ay, of not 
 more than half that length, — may be held in our hands, 
 while the other end is over the top of the cliff." 
 
 Karl looked perplexed ; but the shikaree, on this 
 occasion quicker of perception than the philosopher, 
 catching at Caspar's meaning, cried out: 
 
 " Ha, ha ! young sahib meanee from top ob da ladder ! 
 Dat meanee he." 
 
 " Exactly so," said Caspar ; " you 've guessed right, 
 Ossy. I mean just that very thing." 
 
 " then, indeed," said Karl, in a drawling tone, at 
 the same time lapsing into a reflective silence. 
 
 " Perhaps you are right, brother," he added, after a 
 pause. " At all events, it will be easy to try. If your 
 scheme succeed, we shall not require to make any more 
 cord. What we have will be sufficient. Let us make 
 trial at once ! " 
 
 " Where is the bearcoot ? " asked Caspar, looking 
 around to discover the bird. 
 
 " Yonner he be, young sahib," answered Ossaroo, 
 pointing towards the precipice ; " yonner sitee he, — 
 ober da rock." 
 
 The eagle was perceived, perched, or rather crouch- 
 ing, on a low ledge of the cliff", — upon which it had
 
 184 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 dropped down after its unsuccessful attempt at flight. 
 It looked crestfallen, and as if it would suifer itself to 
 be caught by the hand. But as Ossaroo approached it 
 with this intention, the bird seemed to fancy itself free, 
 and once more rose, with a bold swoop, into the air. 
 
 It was only to feel the check-string tighten afresh 
 upon his leg. It came fluttering down again, first drawn 
 back by the weight of the log, and afterwards by the 
 strong arm of the shikaree. 
 
 The log was now removed, and the whole rope they 
 had on hand — a length of rather more than fifty yards 
 • — was knotted in its place. 
 
 The bearcoot was again set free, — Ossaroo taking 
 care to keep the leash well in hand ; and now the beau- 
 tiful bird of Jove rose into the air, as if not the summit 
 of the cliff, but the proud peak of Chumulari, was to be 
 the limit of its flight. 
 
 At the height of fifty yards its soaring ambition was 
 suddenly curbed, by the check-string of Ossaroo, remind- 
 ing it that it was still a captive. 
 
 The experiment had proved successful. Caspar's plan 
 promised well ; and they at once proceeded to take the 
 necessary steps for carrying it into practical effect.
 
 THE eagle's escape. 185 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 THE eagle's escape. 
 
 The first tiling to be done, was to look to the quality 
 of the rope, and test its strength. The ladders were 
 already in place, just as they had been left. The rope 
 once proved, there would be nothing further to do but 
 make it secure to the shank of the-bearcoot, ascend the 
 cliff to the highest ledge reached by the ladders, and 
 then fly the bird. 
 
 Should they succeed in getting the creature to go over 
 the cliff, and by some means entangle the cord at the top, 
 they might consider themselves free. The very thought 
 of such a result — now apparently certain — once more 
 raised their spirits to the highest pitch. 
 
 They did not count on being able to " swarm " up a 
 piece of slender cord of nearly fifty yards in length, — 
 a feat that would have baffled the most agile tar that 
 ever " slung the monkey " from a topgallant stay. They 
 had no thoughts of climbing the rope in that way ; but 
 in another, long before conceived and discussed. They 
 intended — once they should be assured that the cord 
 was secure above — to make steps upon it, by inserting 
 little pieces of wood between the " strands " ; and these, 
 which they could fix at long distances, one after the 
 other, would form supports, upon which they might rest 
 their feet in the ascent.
 
 186 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 As we have said, all this had been settled beforehand, 
 and no longer occupied their attention, — now wholly 
 absorbed in contriving some way to prove the reliability 
 of the rope, upon which their Uves were about to be im- 
 perilled. 
 
 It was not deemed sufficient to tie the rope to a tree, 
 and pull upon it with all their united strength. Karl 
 and Caspar thought this would be a sufficient test ; but 
 Ossaroo was of a different opinion. A better plan — 
 according to the shikaree's way of thinking — was one 
 which had generated in his Oriental brain ; and which, 
 without heeding the remonstrances of the others, he pro- 
 ceeded to make trial of. Taking one end of the rope 
 with him, he cUmbed into a tall tree ; and, after getting 
 some way out on a horizontal branch, — full fifty feet 
 from the ground, — he there fastened the cord securely. 
 By his directions the young sahibs laid hold below ; and, 
 both together, raising their feet from the ground, re- 
 mained for some seconds susj^ended in the air. 
 
 As the rope showed no symptoms either of stretching 
 or breaking under the weight of both, it was evident that 
 it might, under any circumstances, be trusted to carry 
 the weight of one ; and in this confidence, the shikaree 
 descended from the tree. 
 
 With the eagle carried under his right arm, and the 
 coil of rope swinging over his left. Ossaroo now pro- 
 ceeded towards the place where the ladders rested 
 against the cliff. Karl and Caspar walked close after, 
 with Fritz following in the rear, — all four moving in 
 sUence, and with a certain solemnity of look and gesture, 
 as befitted the important business upon which they were 
 bent.
 
 THE eagle's escape. 187 
 
 The new experiment, like the trial of the eagle's 
 strength, did not occupy any great length of time. Had 
 it proved successful, our adventurers would have been 
 longer occupied, and in the end would have been seen 
 triumphantly standing upon the summit of the cliff, with 
 Fritz frisking up the snowy slope beyond, as if he in- 
 tended to chase the great oris ammon upon the heaven- 
 kissing crest of Chumulari. 
 
 Ah ! how different was the spectacle presented on the 
 evening of that eventful day ! A little before sunset the 
 three adventurers were seen slowly and sadly returning 
 to their hut, — that despised hovel, under whose homely 
 roof they had hoped never to seek shelter again ! 
 
 Alas ! in the now lengthened list of their unsuccessful 
 struggles, they had once more to record a failure ! 
 
 Ossaroo, bearing the bearcoot under his arm, had 
 climbed the ladders up to the highest ledge that could 
 be attained. From it he had " flown " the eagle, — 
 freely dealing out all the cord in his possession. That 
 was a perilous experiment for the shikaree to make ; 
 and came very near provmg the last act in the drama of 
 his life. 
 
 Thinking that the bearcoot would rise upward into 
 the air, he had not thought of anything else ; and as he 
 stood balancing himself on that narrow shelf, he was but 
 ill prepared for what actually came to pass. Instead of 
 soaring upwards, the eagle struck out in a horizontal 
 direction, not changing its course till it had reached the 
 end of its tether; and then not changing it, nor even 
 pausing in its flight, but with the fifty yards of rope 
 trailing behind it, — which, fortunately for Ossaroo, he 
 was himself no longer at the end of, — it continued on
 
 188 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 across the valley towards the cliffs on the opposite side, 
 the summit of which it would have no difficulty in attain- 
 ing by following the diagonal line in wliich it was 
 making that unexpected escape from the clutches of the 
 shikaree. 
 
 Not without chagrin did Karl and Caspar behold the 
 spectacle of the bearcoot's departure ; and for a while 
 they were under the impression that Ossaroo had bun- 
 gled the business with which he had been intrusted. 
 
 Ossaroo's explanations, however, were soon after re- 
 ceived, and proved satisfactory. It was evident from 
 these, that, had he not let go in the right time, he would 
 have been compelled to make a leap, that would have 
 left him no opportimity for explaining the nature of the 
 eagle's escape.
 
 FKITZ AND THE FALCONS. 189 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 FRITZ AND THE FALCONS. 
 
 "With feelings of sad and bitter disappointment did 
 our adventurers turn their backs upon those ladders, — 
 that had once more deluded them, — and make their way 
 towards the hut. 
 
 As upon the former occasion, they walked with slow 
 steps and downcast mien. Fritz, by his slouching gait 
 and drooped tail, showed that he shared the general 
 despondency. 
 
 They had arrived nearly at the hut before any of the 
 three thought of speaking ; when the sight of that rude 
 homestead, to which they had so often fancied themselves 
 on the eve of bidding farewell, — and to which as often 
 had they been compelled to return, — suggested a theme 
 to Karl : causing him to break silence, as they advanced 
 towards the doorway. 
 
 " Our true friend," said he, pointing to the hovel, " a 
 friend, when all else fails us. Rough it is, — like many 
 a friend that is nevertheless worthy. I begin to like its 
 honest look, and feel regard for it as one should for a 
 home." 
 
 Caspar said nothmg in reply. He only sighed. The 
 young chamois-hunter of the Bavarian Alps thought of 
 another home, — far away towards the setting sun ; and, 
 60 long as that thought was in his mind, he could never
 
 190 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 reconcile liimself to a forced residence in the Hima- 
 layas. 
 
 The thoughts of Ossaroo were equally absent from 
 that spot. He was tliinking of a bamboo hut by the 
 borders of some crystal stream, overshadowed by palms 
 and other tropical trees. He was thinking still more of 
 rice curry and chutnee ; but above all, of liis beloved 
 " betel," for which the " bang " of the cannabis sativa 
 was but a poor substitute. 
 
 But Caspar had another thought in his mind ; one 
 which proved that he had not yet abandoned all hope of 
 returning to the home of his nativity ; and, after they 
 had finished eating their supper of broiled venison, he 
 gave utterance to it. 
 
 He had not volunteered to break the silence. It was 
 done in obedience to a request of Karl ; who, having 
 noticed the abstracted air of his brother, had asked for 
 an explanation. 
 
 " I 've been tliinking," said Caspar, " ever since the 
 eagle has escaped us, of another bird I know something 
 about, — one that might perform the service we want 
 quite as well, if not better, than a bearcoot." 
 
 '• Another bird ! " inquired Karl ; " of what bird are 
 you speaking? Do you mean one of those Brahminy 
 geese upon the lake ? We might catch one alive, it is 
 true ; but let me tell you, brother, that their wings are 
 constructed just strong enough to carry their own pon- 
 derous bodies ; and if you added another pound or two, 
 by tying a cord to their legs, they could no more mount 
 out of this valley than we can. No, — no. I fancy we 
 may as well give up that idea. There 's no bird but an 
 eagle with wing strong enough to do what you wish."
 
 ' FRITZ AND THE FALCONS. 191 
 
 " The bird I was thinking of," rejoined Caspar, " is of 
 the same genus as the eagle. I believe that 's correctly 
 scientific language. Is n't it, my BufFon of a brother ? 
 Ha! ha! Well, shall I name it? Surely, you have 
 already divined the sort of bird to wliich I allude .'' " 
 
 "No, indeed," replied Karl. "There are no other 
 birds in this valley of the same genus as the eagle, — 
 except hawks ; and according to the closet naturalists, 
 they are not of the same genus, — only of the same 
 family. K you mean a hawk, there are several species 
 in this place ; but the largest of them could not carry 
 anything over the cliff heavier than a string of twine. 
 See, there 's a brace of them now ! " continued Karl, 
 pointing to two birds that were circling in the air, some 
 twenty yards overhead. " ' Churk ' falcons they are 
 called. They are the largest of the Himalayan hawks. 
 Are these your birds, brother ? " 
 
 " A couple of kites, are they not ? " interrogated Cas- 
 par, turning his eyes upward, and regarduig the two 
 winged creatures circling above, and quartering the air 
 as if in search of prey. 
 
 "Yes," answered the naturalist, "they are of that 
 species ; and, correctly described, of the same genus as 
 the eagles. You don't mean them, I suppose ? " 
 
 " No, — not exactly," replied Caspar, in a drawling 
 tone, and smiling significantly as he spoke ; " but if they 
 be kites — Ho ! what now?" exclaimed the speaker, his 
 train of thought, as well as speech, suddenly interrupted 
 by a movement on the part of the falcons. " Wliat the 
 mischief are the birds about ? As I live, they seem to 
 be making an attack upon Fritz ! Surely they don't 
 suppose they have the strength to do any damage to our 
 brave old do£r ? "
 
 192 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 As Caspar spoke, the two falcons were seen suddenly 
 to descend, — from the elevation at which they had 
 been soaring, — and then sweep in quick short circles 
 around the head of the Bavarian boarhound, — where 
 he squatted on the ground, near a little copse, some 
 twenty yards from the hut. 
 
 " Perhaps their nest is there, — in the copse ? " sug- 
 gested Karl ; " that 's why they are angry with the dog : 
 for angry they certainly appear to be." 
 
 So any one might have reasoned, from the behavior 
 of the birds, as they continued their attack upon the 
 dog, — now rising some feet above him, and then dart- 
 ing downward in a sort of parabolic curve, — at each 
 swoop drawing nearer and nearer, until the tips of their 
 wings were almost fiapjjed in his face. These move- 
 ments were not made in silence : for the falcons, as they 
 flew, kept uttering their shrill cries, — that sounded like 
 the voice of a pair of angry vixens. 
 
 " Their young must be near ? " suggested Karl. 
 
 "No, sahib," said Ossaroo, "no nest, — no chickee. 
 'Fritz he hab suppa, — de piece ob meat ob da ibex. 
 Churk wantee take de dog suppa away." 
 
 " Oh ! Fritz is eatmg something, is he ? " said Caspar. 
 " That explains it then. How very stupid of these birds, 
 to fancy they could steal his sujiper fi-om our vahant 
 Fritz : more especially since he seems to relish it so 
 much himself! Why, he takes no notice of them!" 
 
 It was quite true that Fritz, up to this time, had 
 scai-cely noticed the brace of winged assailants ; and 
 their hostile demonstrations had only drawn from him 
 an occasional " yir." As they swooped nearer, however, 
 and the tips of their wings were " wopped " into his
 
 FRITZ AND THE FALCONS. 193 
 
 very eyes, the thing was growing nnbearable ; and Fritz 
 began to lose temper. His " yirs " became more fre- 
 quent ; and once or twice he rose from his squatting 
 attitude, and made a snap at the feathers that were 
 nearest. 
 
 For more than five minutes this curious play was kept 
 up between the boarhound and the birds ; and then the 
 episode was brought to a somewhat singular and — in 
 Fritz's estimation, no doubt — a very unpleasant termi- 
 nation. 
 
 From the first commencement of their attack, the two 
 falcons had followed a separate course of action. One 
 appeared to make all its approaches from the front ; 
 whUe the other confined its attacks exclusively to Fritz's 
 rear. In consequence of these tactics on the part of his 
 assailants, the dog was compelled to defend himself both 
 before and behind ; and to do this, it became necessary 
 for him to look " two ways at once." Now, he would 
 snarl and snap at the assailant in front, — anon, he must 
 slew himself round, and in like manner menace the more 
 cowardly " churk " that was attacking him in the rear. 
 Of the two, however, the latter was the more demon- 
 strative and noisy ; and at length, not content with giv- 
 ing Fritz an occasional " wop " with its wing, it had the 
 daring aixdacity to strike its sharp talons into a part of 
 his posteriors approximate to the seat of honor. 
 
 This was something more than canine flesh and blood 
 could bear ; and Fritz determined not to submit to it 
 any longer. Dropping the " quid " he had been chew- 
 ing, he started up on all fours ; wheeled suddenly to- 
 wards the kite that had clawed him ; and bounded aloft 
 into the air with the design of clutching it. 
 
 9 31
 
 194 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 But the wary bird had foreseen this action on the part 
 of the quadruped ; and, ere the latter could lay a fang 
 upon it, had soared off, — far beyond the highest leap 
 that any four-footed creature might accomplish. 
 
 Fritz, with a disappointed growl, turned round again 
 to betake himself to his piece of meat ; but still more 
 disappointed was his look, when he perceived that the 
 latter was no longer within reach ! Churk falcon number 
 one had clawed him over the croup, but churk falcon 
 number two had deprived him of his supper ! 
 
 The last look Fritz ever had of that piece of ibex 
 venison was seeing it in the beak of the bird, liigh up in 
 air, growing smaller by degrees and beautifully less, — 
 until it disappeared altogether in the dim distance.
 
 FRITZ OFFENDED. 195 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 FRITZ OFFEKDED. 
 
 This odd little episode, between the boarhound and 
 the churk falcons, had interrupted the conversation of 
 the two brothers on the subject which Caspar had intro- 
 duced. Nor was it resumed immediately, on the ter- 
 mination of the affair : for the look with which Fritz 
 regarded the departure of the bird, that had so adroitly 
 bilked him out of his bit of venison, was so supremely 
 ludicrous, as to elicit long, loud peals of laughter from 
 the spectators. 
 
 Fritz's " countenance " betrayed the presence of rare 
 emotions. Profound surprise and chagrin — strongly 
 blended with a feeling of concentrated rage — were visi- 
 ble not only in his eyes, but his attitude, and, for some 
 time, he stood with head erect and muzzle high in air, 
 his glances speaking unutterable vows of vengeance, as 
 they followed the flight of the falcons. 
 
 Never in all his hfe — not even when the trunk of 
 the elephant was trumpetuig at his taU — had Fritz so 
 sensibly felt the want of wings. Never had he so re- 
 gi'etted the deficiency in his structure that left him with- 
 out those useful appendages ; and had he been gifted 
 with the " wand of a fairy," the use to which he would 
 at that moment have applied it would have been to fur- 
 nish himself with a pair, not of " beautiful wings " — for
 
 196 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 that was a secondary consideration, — but of strong and 
 long ones, such as would have enabled him to overhaul 
 those churk falcons, and punish them for their unheard- 
 of audacity. 
 
 For more than a minute Fritz preserved the attitude 
 to which we have alluded : the demeanor of a dog that 
 had been regularly duped and " sold " by a brace of 
 bemgs, for whose strength and capacity he had exhibited 
 supreme contempt ; and it was this mingling of surprise 
 and rage that imparted to him that serio-comic appear- 
 ance that had set them all a-laughing. Nor was his 
 countenance less ludicrous under the expression with 
 which, on turning round, he regarded his trio of human 
 companions. He saw that they were making merry at 
 his expense ; and his look of half-reproach, half-appeal 
 had no other effect than to redouble their mirth. Glan- 
 cing from one to the other, he appeared to seek sympa- 
 thy from each in turn, — from Karl, Caspar, and Ossaroo. 
 
 It was an idle a^jpeal. All tlu^ee had equally sur- 
 rendered themselves to hilarity, — unsympathetic, as it 
 was uncontrollable. Fritz had not a friend on the 
 ground. 
 
 Full ten minutes must have elapsed before any of 
 them could check his loud cachinnations ; but long 
 before that time, the butt of their richcule had betaken 
 himself out of sight, — having moved away from the 
 spot, where he had been robbed of his supper, and re- 
 tired, with an offended and sneaking air, to the more 
 friendly concealment of the hovel. 
 
 It was some time before our adventurers could re- 
 cover their serious mood ; but the subject of their mirth 
 being now out of their sight, went gradually also out of 
 their minds.
 
 FRITZ OFFENDED. 197 
 
 It miglit be wondered that, circumstanced as they 
 were, they had thus given way to a fit of jollity. But, 
 indeed, there was nothing wonderful about it. On the 
 contrary, it was perfectly natural — perfectly true to the 
 instincts of the human soul — to be thus stirred ; joy 
 and sorrow following each other in periodic succession, 
 
 — as certainly as day follows night, or fair weather suc- 
 ceeds to the storm. 
 
 Though we know not the why and the wherefore of 
 this, we can easily believe that a wise Providence has 
 ordered it so. A poet who has sung sweetly says, 
 that 
 
 " Spring would be but gloomy weather, 
 If we had nothing else but spring"; 
 
 and our own experience proclaims the truth conveyed 
 in the distich. 
 
 He who has lived in the tropical lands of ever-spring, 
 
 — where the leaves never fall, and the flowers never 
 fade, — can well confirm the fact : that even spring it- 
 self may in time become tiresome ! We long for the 
 winter, — its frost and snow, and cold, bitter winds. 
 Though ever so enamored of the gay green forest, we 
 like at intervals to behold it in its russet garb, with the 
 sky in its coat of gray, sombre, but picturesque. Strange 
 as it may appear, it is true : the moral, like the natural 
 atmosphere, stands in need of the storm !
 
 198 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 A KITE 
 
 As soon as their mirth had fairly subsided, Karl and 
 Caspar resumed the conversation, which had been broken 
 off so abruptly. 
 
 " And so, brother," said Karl, who was the first to re- 
 turn to the subject, " you say there is a bird of the eagle 
 genus, that might carry a rope over the cliff for us. Of 
 what bird are you speaking ? " 
 
 " Why, Karl, you are dull of comprehension this morn- 
 ing. Surely the presence of the two kites should have 
 suggested what I mean." 
 
 " Ha ! you mean a kite, then ? " 
 
 " Yes, one with a very broad breast, a very thin body, 
 and a very long tail : such as you and I used to make not 
 so many years ago." 
 
 " A paper kite" said Karl, repeating the phrase me- 
 chanically, at the same time settling down into a reflect- 
 ing attitude. " True, brother," he added, after a pause, 
 " there might be something in what you have suggested. 
 If we had a j^aper kite — that is, a very large one — it is 
 possible it would carry a rope over the summit of the 
 cliff; but alas! — " 
 
 " You need not proceed further, Karl," said Caspar, 
 interrupting him. " T know what you are going to say: 
 that we have no paper out of which to make the kite ;
 
 A kite! 199 
 
 and that, of course, puts an end to the matter. It 's no 
 use our thinking any more about it, since we have not 
 got the materials. The body and bones we could easily 
 construct ; and the tail too. But then the wings, — 
 ah, the wings. I only wish we had a file of old news- 
 pajjers. But what 's the use of wishing ? We have n't." 
 
 Karl, though silent, did not seem to hear, or at all 
 events heed, what Caspar had been just saying. He 
 appeared to be buried either in a reverie, or in some 
 profound speculation. 
 
 It was the latter, as was very soon after made manifest 
 by his speech. 
 
 " Perhaps," said he, with a hopeful glance towards the 
 wood, " we may not be so deficient in the material of 
 which you have spoken." 
 
 " Of paper, do you mean ? " 
 
 " We are in the very region of the world where it 
 grows," continued Karl, without heeding the interro- 
 gation. 
 
 " What ! where paper grows ? " 
 
 " No," replied Karl, " I do not mean that the paper 
 itself grows here ; but a ' fabric ' out of which that 
 useful article may be made." 
 
 " Wliat is that, brother ? " 
 
 " It is a tree, or rather a shrub, belonging to the order 
 of the Thymelacece, or " Daphnads." The plants of this 
 order are found in many countries ; but chiefly in the 
 cooler regions of India and South America. There are 
 even representatives of the order in England: for the 
 beautiful " spurge laurel " of the woods and hedges — 
 known as a remedy for the toothache — is a true daph- 
 nad. Perhaps the most curious of all the Thymelaceae
 
 200 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 is the celebrated Lagetta, or lace-bark tree of Jamaica ; 
 out of which the ladies of that island know how to manu- 
 facture cuffs, collars, and berthas, that, when cut into 
 the proper shapes, and bleached to a perfect whiteness, 
 have all the appearance of real lace ! The Maroons, and 
 other runaway negroes of Jamaica, before the abolition 
 of slavery, used to make clothing out of the lagetta, 
 which they found growing in plenty in the mountaiQ 
 forests of the island. Previous also to the same abo- 
 lition of slavery, there was another, and less gentle, use 
 made of the lace-bark, by the masters of these same 
 negroes. The cruel tyrants used to spin its tough fibres 
 into thongs for their slave-whips." 
 
 " And you think that paper can be made out of these 
 trees ? " asked Caspar, impatient to know whether there 
 might be any chance of procuring some for the covering 
 of a kite. 
 
 " There are several species of daphnads," replied the 
 botanist, "whose bark can be converted into paper. 
 Some are found at the Cape of Good Hope, and others 
 in the island of Madagascar ; but the best kinds for the 
 purpose grow in these very mountains, and in China. 
 There is the ' Daphne Bholua,' in Nepaul, from which 
 the Nepaulese make a strong, tough packing-paper ; and 
 I have reason to believe that it also grows in the Bhotan 
 Himalayas, at no very great distance from our position 
 here. Besides, in China and Japan, on the other side 
 of these mountains, there are two or three distinct kinds 
 of the same plant, out of which the Chinese make the 
 yellowish-colored paper you may have seen in their 
 books, and pasted upon their tea-chests. So then," 
 added the botanist, looking wistfully towards the woods,
 
 A KITE ! 201 
 
 " since the paper-yielding daphne grows in China, to the 
 east of us, and in Nejiaul and Bhotan to the west, it is 
 but reasonable to conclude that some species of it may- 
 be found in this valley, — where the climate is just that 
 which it affects. Its seed may have been ti-ansported 
 hither by birds : since many species of birds are fond 
 of its berries, and eat them without receiving any injury ; 
 though, strange to say, they are poisonous to all kinds of 
 quadrupeds ! " 
 
 " Do you think you would know the shrub, if you saw 
 it, brother?" 
 
 " Well, to say the truth, I do not think I could recog- 
 nize it by its general appearance ; but if I had a flower 
 of the daphne, I could no doubt tell it by its botanical 
 characteristics. The leaves of the paper-yielding spe- 
 cies are of a lanceolate form and purplish hue, glabrous 
 and shining, like the leaves of laurels, — to which genus 
 the daphne is closely allied. Unfortunately, the shrub 
 would not be in flower at this season ; but if we can find 
 one of the berries, and a leaf or two, I fancy I shall be 
 able to identify it. Besides, the bark, which is very 
 tough, would help to guide us. Indeed, I have some 
 reason to think that we shall find it not far off; and that 
 is why I speak with such confidence, in saying, that we 
 might not be so deficient in the materials for paper-mak- 
 ing." 
 
 " What reason, brother Karl ? Perhaps you have 
 Been something like it ? " 
 
 "I have. Some time ago, when I was strolling 
 about, I passed through a thicket of low shrubs, — 
 the tops of which reached up to my breast. They 
 were then in flower, — the flowers being of a lilac color, 
 
 9*
 
 202 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 and growing at the tops of the branches in little cymes. 
 They had no corolla, — only a colored calyx. Now 
 these characters correspond with those of the daplme. 
 Besides, the leaves were lanceolate, velvety on the sur- 
 face, and of purplish color ; and the flowers were of an 
 exceedingly sweet scent, — as is the case with all the 
 daphnads. I did not think of examining them at the 
 time ; but, now that I recall these characteristics, I feel 
 almost certain that the shrubs were of this eenus." 
 
 " Do you think you can find the thicket again ? " 
 
 " O yes, easily enough. It is not very distant from 
 the place where we were so near fighting that fearful 
 duel." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! " laughed Caspar, in reply to the sig- 
 nificant remark of the botanist. " But, brother ! " con- 
 tinued he, " suppose it should prove to be the shrub you 
 speak of, what good would there be in our finding it, so 
 long as we don't understand the process of manufactur- 
 ing it into paper ? " 
 
 " How do you know that we don't ? " said Karl, chal- 
 lenging the too positive declaration of Caspar. " I am 
 not so sure that we don't. I have read the whole ac- 
 count of the process, as given by one of the old writers 
 upon China. It is very simple ; and I think I remem- 
 ber enough to be able to follow it Perhaps not to 
 make fine paper, that one might write upon ; but some- 
 thing that would serve our purpose just as well. "We 
 don't want the best " cream-laid." Unfortunately, we 
 have no post-offico here. I wish we had. If we can 
 fabricate anything as fine as the coarsest packing-paper, 
 it will do well enough for a kite, I fancy." 
 
 " True," replied Caspar. " It would be all the better
 
 A kite! 203 
 
 to be coarse and strong. But, dear Karl, suppose we 
 go at once, and see if we can discover the trees." 
 
 " That is just what we shall do," replied Karl, rising 
 as he spoke, and preparing to set out in search of the 
 daphne. 
 
 All, of course, went together: for Ossaroo was as 
 much interested in the result of the exploration as any 
 of them ; and Fritz, from within the hut, perceiving that 
 they were about to depart upon some new expedition, 
 managed partially to coax himself out of his ni-humor ; 
 and, sallying forth from his hiding-place, trotted sUently 
 after them.
 
 204: THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 THE PAPER-TREE. 
 
 To the great delight of the party, it turued out just 
 as Karl had conjectured. The thicket that he had 
 spoken of was composed chiefly of daphne shrubs, — 
 judging by the aj^pearance of the fallen leaves, and some 
 berries that stiU remained on the branches, Karl be- 
 lieved them to be of this species. But the bark was 
 also a characteristic : being exceedingly tenacious, and, 
 moreover, of a strongly acrid taste, — so much so as to 
 cauterize the skin of Ossaroo's mouth, who had been 
 foolish enough to chew it too freely. 
 
 After duly examining the leaves, berries, and bark, 
 the botanist came to the conclusion that the shrub must 
 be a true daphne ; and so in reality it was, — that spe- 
 cies known in Nepaul as the Daphne Bholua, — from 
 which, as already stated, the Nepaulese manufacture a 
 coarse, but soft paper. 
 
 As soon as this point was determined to their satisfac- 
 tion, they resolved upon carrying Caspar's hint into exe- 
 cution, — by trying the experiment of a paper kite. 
 
 But for Karl's practical education, — wliich had made 
 him acquainted not only with the botanical characters of 
 plants and trees, but also with their uses, — and in some 
 cases with the mode of using them, — the mere discovery 
 of the daphne would have availed them nothing. As it
 
 THE PAPER-TREE. 205 
 
 stood in tlie thicket, it was no more like paper tlian any 
 of the trees that grew around it. Indeed, there were 
 many others that would have yielded bark in broader 
 flakes than it, and much more resembling paper : for that 
 of the daphne, stripping off as it did in narrow pieces, 
 looked like the last thing in the world of which to make 
 a kite out of. But Karl knew the process by which it 
 could be metamorphosed into paper ; and without further 
 delay, he entered upon the performance, — the others 
 placing their services at his disposal, and acting in obe- 
 dience to his orders. . 
 
 The knife-blades of all three were called into requi- 
 sition ; and in an incredibly short space of time, some 
 scores of the little trees were stripped of their bark, — 
 from their roots up to the lower branches. The trees 
 themselves were not cut down ; as that was not neces- 
 sary. They could be peeled more readily, as they stood ; 
 and for this reason they were left standing. 
 
 Up to the hour of sunset did these " cascarilleros " 
 work, — with only a few minutes of interruption, while 
 they went back to the hut and ate a hurried luncheon of 
 ibex-meat, — and just as the sun was sinking behind the 
 summit of the great Chumulari, they might have been 
 seen trudging homeward, — each bearing a heavy bun- 
 dle of bark, with Fritz following gleefully at their heels. 
 
 The thicket from which they had taken theii- depart- 
 ure gave evidence of the industry with which they had 
 been working all day long. Over a space of nearly 
 half an acre in extent the trees were seen standing, each 
 with its tiny trunk completely divested of bark : as if a 
 whole gang of goats had been browsing upon them ! 
 
 On reaching the hovel, our bark-gatherers did not
 
 206 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 desist from their labor. They only entered upon a new 
 branch of industry : by becoming paper manufacturers. 
 
 It was after night ; and they had to work by the light 
 of their torches of cheel-pine, already prepared. But 
 as these burnt with a clear, steady flame, they served 
 quite as well as candles would have done. 
 
 The first process in the paper-making did not require 
 much nicety in its execution ; and, moreover, it could be 
 performed as well inside the hut as in the largest room 
 of a paper-mill. All they had to do was to pick the 
 bark to shreds. This occupied them the whole evening, 
 — during which there was much conversation of a cheer- 
 ful kind, with a joke or two about oakum-picking in a 
 prison ; and of this, not only the task in which they 
 were engaged, but the situation in which they were exe- 
 cuting it, did not fail to remind them. 
 
 "VVTien they had finished, they ate their frugal supper 
 and retired to rest, — full of the idea of continuing the 
 paper manufacture in the morning. 
 
 When morning came, they had not much to do : for 
 the next process was one which requii'ed the exercise of 
 patience rather than of labor. 
 
 When the bark of the daphne has been thoroughly 
 picked to pieces, it is put into a large pot or caldron 
 filled with water. A lixivium of wood-ashes is then 
 thrown in along with it; and it is suffered to boil for 
 several hours. 
 
 As our manufacturers were without pot or caldron 
 of any kind, there would have been here an interruption 
 of an insurmountable kind : had it not been that they 
 had plenty of water already on the boil, and perpetually 
 boiling, — in the hot spring near the hut.
 
 THE PAPER-TREE. 207 
 
 Apparently all they should have to do would be to im- 
 merse the prepared bark in the spring, and there leave 
 it for a proper length of time. But then the water, 
 where it was hottest, was constantly in motion, bubblin"' 
 up and running off; so that not only would the strmgs 
 of bark be carried away, but the ashes would be sepa- 
 rated from the mass, and consequently of no service in 
 aiding to macerate it. 
 
 How was this difficulty to be got over? Easily 
 enough. They had not proceeded thus far without 
 thinking of a plan ; and this plan was, to place the bark 
 along with the ashes in one of the large yak-skins' still in 
 good preservation, and after making it up into a sort of 
 bundle, — like clothes intended for the laundry, — to 
 plunge the skin and its contents into the spring, and 
 there leave them, until the boiling water should perform 
 its part. By this ingenious contrivance did they get 
 over the difficulty of not being provided with a pot. 
 
 When Karl thought that the bark was sufficiently 
 boiled, it was taken out of the water, and also out of its 
 yak-skin wrapper. It was then placed, in mass, upon 
 a flat rock near by, where it was left to drip and get 
 dry. 
 
 During the time that it was in the water — and also 
 while it was dripping and drying on the rock — none of 
 them were idle. Caspar was engaged in fashioning a 
 stout wooden mallet, — a tool which would be needed in 
 some after operations, — while Ossaroo was equally busy 
 upon an article of a very different kind. This was 
 a sort of sieve made of thin splints of cane, set in a 
 frame of thicker pieces of the same cane, — ringall 
 bamboo.
 
 208 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 Ossaroo liad undertaken this special task, as none of 
 the others knew so well how to fashion the baml5bo into 
 any required utensil ; and although he was now making 
 something altogether new to him, yet, working under the 
 direction of Karl, he succeeded in making a sieve that 
 was likely to serve the purpose for which the plant- 
 hunter designed it. That purpose will presently be 
 spoken of. 
 
 As soon as the fibre was nearly dry, the mallet was 
 brought into requisition, — and with this the mass was 
 pounded upon the flat surface of the rock, until it became 
 reduced to a complete state of " pulji." 
 
 This pulp was once more put into the yixk-skin, — 
 which had been gathered up around the edges so as to 
 form a sort of concavity or rude vat, — and again im- 
 mersed under water, — not of the boiling spring, but the 
 cool water of the lake, — until the bag became full. 
 The pulp was next stirred with a stick, which brought 
 the coarse dirty parts to the surface. These were 
 skimmed off, and thrown away as refuse, — and the pro- 
 cess was repeated with fresh water, untU the whole sub- 
 stance, which was of a mucilaginous character, was 
 rendered pure, and soft to the touch. 
 
 The next and last operation was in fact the making 
 of the paper, and was performed by Karl himself. It 
 was simple enough, though requiring a certain dexterity, 
 or sleight of hand, to do it well. It consisted in placing 
 a quantity of the pulp upon the sieve before mentioned, 
 and cradling the frame about — all the time held under 
 water — untU the substance became equally and uni- 
 formly spread over the whole surface. The sieve was 
 then taken out of the water — being raised gently and
 
 THE PAPER-TREE. 209 
 
 kept in a horizontal position, — so as not to derange the 
 even stratum of pulp that covered it. This done, noth- 
 ing more remained but to place the frame across a pair 
 of bars, and leave the pulp to get drained, and event- 
 ually become dry. When dry, it would be 'paper ! 
 
 Of course, with one sieve, the whole quantity required 
 could not be made at a single cast ; but, as soon as one 
 sheet became sufficiently dry to be taken off the frame, 
 the sieve was again repulped ; and so on, till the whole 
 of the boiled bark was converted into paper ; and they 
 found themselves in possession of a sufficient number of 
 broad sheets to make a kite as big as a coach-house 
 door. 
 
 In consequence of their having to wait for the drying 
 of each sheet, the process occupied them for several 
 days, — but during this time they had not been either 
 idle or inactive. Karl and Caspar had been hard at 
 work in getting up the "bones" of the kite, while Ossa- 
 roo had undertaken to fabricate the tail. 
 
 The rope with which it was to be " flyed " occupied 
 more time, and required more care, than any other por- 
 tion of their work. Every strand had to be twisted with 
 the greatest exactness ; and almost every fibre tested, 
 as to its strength and fitness. Could they have used 
 a rope of stouter build, it would not have been necessary 
 to be so particular ; but a thick rope would have been 
 too heavy for the kite to carry, — just as it had been too 
 heavy for the strength of the eagle. A slender cord, 
 therefore, like that they were obliged to make, required 
 to be faultless, else the life of some one of them might 
 be sacrificed while attempting the ascent. 
 
 With a foreknowledge of this, it is hardly necessary
 
 210 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 to say that Ossaroo did his best La the manufacture of 
 that rope, — every strand of it being twisted between 
 his index finger and his thumb, as smoothly and evenly 
 as if he had been spinning- it for a fishing-line. 
 
 The framework of the kite was made out of split 
 culms of the ringall bamboo ; which, on account of its 
 strength, elasticity, and lightness, was far superior for 
 the purpose to any species of exogenous wood ; while 
 the glue for laying on the paper was procured from the 
 root of an arum, — grated, and then boUed into a glu- 
 tinous starch. 
 
 In about a week after the notion of a kite had been 
 •' hatched " in the brain of Caspar, the bird itself might 
 have been seen outside the door of the hut, — fiill-fledged 
 and ready for flight !
 
 FLYING THE KITE. 211 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 FLYING THE KITE. 
 
 The kite having been thus prepared, they only waited 
 for an opportunity of flying it, — for a day when the 
 wind should be sufhciently strong, and blowing from the 
 right quarter, — that is, towards that portion of the pre- 
 cipice over which it appeared best that the paper bird 
 should be despatched. Tliis was the same place, where 
 the ladders had been set, and where they had unsuccess- 
 fully endeavored to send up the bearcoot. 
 
 They had already ascended one of the isolated cairns 
 of rock, that stood within the valley nearly opposite this 
 part of the cliff ; and from its top they had been able to 
 get a view, — though not a very good one, — of a por- 
 tion of the sloping declivity of the mountain above. It 
 appeared to be covered with snow, — here and there 
 supporting huge masses of something, either bowlders of 
 rock, or dark-colored lumps of ice. The eyes of our 
 adventurers rested on these with the greatest interest : 
 as they had done upon a former occasion, when about to 
 send the bearcoot among them. Now they had con- 
 ceived higher hopes than ever, — founded upon the pres- 
 ence of these masses. If they should succeed in flying 
 the kite into their midst, and there dropping it, it was 
 not only possible, but highly probable, that it might 
 either get the rope warped around one of them, or itself
 
 212 THE CLIFF-CLI3IBERS. 
 
 become caught between two, so as to hold fast. To ren- 
 der this the more practicable, they had furnished its 
 wings with spurs, — in others words, they had left the 
 cross-piece of bamboo to extend on each side about a 
 foot beyond the edge of the paper ; and near the end of 
 each extension they had placed other pieces transversely, 
 and lashed them firmly, — so that they might act as the 
 flukes of an anchor. 
 
 They had spared neither pains nor ingenuity to in- 
 sure success. They had done all, that man could do, to 
 deserve it. 
 
 Fortune was so far favorable, as not to keep them 
 long in suspense. Only two or three days had passed, 
 when one came, on which the wind blew in their favor, 
 — exactly as they wanted it. It was a stiff breeze, 
 steady in the right direction, and strong enough to carry 
 up the largest of paper kites. 
 
 Proceeding to the place where the ladders were set, 
 with the huge bu'd carried in the arms of Ossaroo, they 
 made ready for its flight. Karl was to start the kite, 
 and guide its ascent from the ground ; while Caspar and 
 the shikaree were to run out with the rope : as it would 
 require the united strength of both to hold such a broad- 
 breasted bird against the wind. They had taken the 
 precaution to cut away the bushes to a long distance 
 backwards from the cliff, and so clear the track : there 
 was therefore nothing to impede them while paying out 
 the string. 
 
 It was arranged that Karl should have direction of 
 the movement, and give out the signal for them to start. 
 
 It was a moment of vivid emotion, as each of the three 
 placed himself in the position assigned to him, — Karl
 
 They had spared neither paius uor iugeuuity to insure success. 
 
 P. 212.
 
 FLYING THE KITE. 213 
 
 by the kite, with its backbone in one hand, and its tail in 
 the other, — Ossaroo clutching the rope, — and Caspar 
 by his side, holding the great coil in readiness for de- 
 livery. 
 
 Karl poised the creature upon the stump of its tail ; 
 and then, lifting with all his strength, — so as to raise it 
 several feet from the ground, — he gave forth the signal 
 at the highest pitch of his voice. 
 
 At the same instant, Caspar and the shikaree ran 
 backward, — tightening the rope as they went ; and like 
 a vast vulture with outspread wings the bird soared 
 silently upward into the air. 
 
 It rose with a regular, majestic motion, soon overtop- 
 ping the trees that grew near, and still mounting on 
 towards the summit of the cliff. 
 
 Karl cheered as he saw it ascend. The others were 
 too busy in the performance of their parts to find time 
 for this expression of triumph ; and not until the kite 
 had soared high into the heavens, and appeared many 
 yards above the brow of the beetling precipice, did Cas- 
 par and Ossaroo respond to the cheering of Karl. Then 
 both together gave vent to their excited feelings in a 
 long-continued hurrah ! 
 
 " Let go now, Ossaroo ! " cried Karl, shouting so as to 
 be heard above the wind. " You, Caspar, keep hold of 
 the end of the cord." 
 
 Ossaroo, obedient to the order, suddenly slackened his 
 hold, — at the same time springing towards Caspar, and 
 prudently seizing the end along with him. 
 
 The kite thus released, like some huge bird that had re- 
 ceived its death-wound, turned head downwards towards 
 the earth ; and, after making various sinuous evolutions
 
 214 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 through the air, flouting its long tail first In one di- 
 rection, then in another, — it was seen darting down 
 towards the acclivity of the mountain. At length, 
 passing behind the summit of the cliffs, it was no longer 
 visible to the eyes of those who had aided it in its 
 lofty flight, and then left it helplessly to fall. 
 
 So far they had succeeded to the utmost of their 
 expectations. The kite had ahghted just where they 
 wanted it. 
 
 But now arose the question, — would it stay there ? 
 In other words, would it be caught among the rocks, and 
 hold fast ? 
 
 If not, they would have to fly it again and again, un- 
 til it should get fastened above, or until the experiment 
 should prove a failure. 
 
 Karl stepped forward to decide the point, — the others 
 looking on with an eagerness of glance, that betrayed 
 how deep was their interest in the result. 
 
 Karl's hand trembled as he laid hold of the cord. At 
 first he pulled upon it in a gentle way, — hand over 
 hand, — so as merely to take in the slack. 
 
 At length it began to tighten, requiring greater 
 strength to take it in : as if the kite was still free, and 
 dragging over the snow. 
 
 This produced anything but a pleasant anticipation ; 
 and as the rope came to hand, foot after foot, and yard 
 after yard, a shadow, that had stolen over the counte- 
 nances of all three, became sensibly darker. 
 
 Only for a shoi't while did this shadow remain. It 
 vanished more suddenly than it had arisen, when they 
 saw the rimning cord become abruptly checked, and 
 then tighten as Karl continued to di'aw it in. He pulled
 
 FLYING THE KITE. 215 
 
 upon it, at first exerting only a part of his strength, as if 
 afraid that it miglit again come loose. After a while, 
 gaining confidence, he pidled with all his power. It still 
 held fast ! 
 
 Ossaroo and Caspar now joined their strength to his ; 
 and all three pulled together. 
 
 Hurrah ! the kite would not come ! The cord kept 
 its place, stretching to the bottom of the cliff, as taut as 
 the mainstay of a slii2) ! 
 
 Ejaculations of joy escaped from all three at the same 
 instant of time : and for some moments they stood, tight- 
 ly clutching the rope, and holding it firmly : as if in 
 dread of its being dragged out of their grasp by some 
 hostile and invisible hajid. 
 
 At length Karl suggested the propriety of making 
 the cord secure, by fastening it to some object. A large 
 upright stone, close by the bottom of the cliff, appeared 
 to be the most proper thing ; and to this they deter- 
 mined upon tying it. 
 
 Still keeping it taut, — lest by slackening it they 
 might disturb the anchor aloft, — they moved hand over 
 hand along the rope, until they had got close to the bot- 
 tom of the precipice. Then, while Karl and Caspar still 
 held on, Ossaroo gathered up the slack ; and, turning it 
 several times round the stone, securely belayed it. 
 
 Nothing more remained but to make the steps, — 
 which had been already designed, — adjust them in their 
 places, — climb up to the top of the cliff, — and be free 
 as the mountain breeze, which would there be blowins 
 around them ! 
 
 The thought of such a lucky deliverance filled them 
 once more with joyous imaginings ; and they stood
 
 216 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 around the stone, to whicli the rope had been attached, 
 — congratulating themselves, as if they had already es- 
 caped. 
 
 They knew there would still be some time required to 
 make the steps, and fix them in their places ; but, since 
 they no longer doubted their ability to accomplish the 
 ascent, the interval of time might be passed cheerfully 
 enough; and, with this pleasant anticipation, they went 
 back to their workshop in the best of spirits, and cooked 
 themselves a more careful dinner than they had eaten 
 since the discovery of the daphne trees.
 
 TUE ROPE LADDER. 217 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 THE ROPE LADDER. 
 
 It took them another day — with their blades all, 
 busy from morning till night — to prepare the pegs 
 which were to constitute the " rounds " of their rope 
 ladder. More than a hundred were required: as the 
 cliff where the rope passed up was over a hundred 
 yards in height; and the steps were intended to be 
 placed at equal distances of about two feet apart. 
 
 It had been their design at first to insert the steps in 
 the rope, — between the strands of which it was com- 
 posed ; but, on reflection, a better plan suggested itself. 
 By opening the strands to let in the pieces of wood, the 
 rope might be weakened, so much as to endanger its 
 breaking ; and this alone, above all things, was to be 
 avoided. It was deemed more prudent to leave the 
 cord untouched, and place the sticks crosswise outside 
 of it. Wliipped round with strong pieces of other cgrd, 
 they could easily be made to keep their places, — more 
 especially as, with the hands of the climber grasjiing 
 the rope above, no one stick would have to carry the full 
 weight of his body ; and, even should one of them slip a 
 little out of place, there would be no great danger of an 
 accident arising out of the circumstance. 
 
 It occupied them a second day in twuiing the pieces 
 of string, required for tying the sticks in their places ; 
 10
 
 218 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 and, upon the morning of the third, they returned to the 
 cliff, with the intention of transforming the cord that 
 the kite had carried up into a rope ladder. 
 
 The mode by which they intended to effect this pur- 
 pose will be easily understood, — after what has been 
 already said respecting it. The little sticks were to be 
 laid transversely against the rope, and then so tightly 
 tied in their places as to prevent them from slipping 
 down. The first was to be attached about the height of 
 a man's waist from the ground ; and the second on a 
 level with his chin. Then with the feet resting upon 
 the first, and the left hand grasping the rope above, it 
 would be possible to fix another at the height of the 
 chin, as it would then be. By climbing up to the second, 
 a fourth could be placed at a little distance above ; and 
 thus iu succession, till the top of the cliff should be 
 attained. 
 
 It was not supposed that any one could continue the 
 process of attaching the steps, till all were set in their 
 places ; nor did they contemplate being able to complete 
 the work ia a little time. On the contrary, they expected 
 it to occupy them for days ; and they knew, moreover, 
 that long intervals of rest would be required by any one 
 who should have to execute it. Standing upon such 
 unstable footing, for any considerable length of time, 
 would be both irksome and fatiguing; and they were 
 about to enter upon the task with a full knowledge of 
 its difficulties. 
 
 On reaching the cord they at once set to work upon 
 it. Rather should it be said, that one of them did so : 
 for only one could work at a time in this, the last labor, 
 as they supposed, they woidd have to perform in that 
 lone valley.
 
 THE ROPE LADDER. 219 
 
 In attacliing the steps to the rope, Ossaroo was al- 
 lowed to act as sole operator : since neither of the others 
 understood the handling of cordage so well as he. They 
 could but act as spectators ; and the only purpose which 
 their presence could serve; was to cheer the sliikaree by 
 their company and conversation. 
 
 By good fortune it was not necessary for Ossaroo to 
 fix any steps to the first thirty feet of the kite cord. 
 One of the long ladders wliich they had made enabled 
 Mm to ascend that far without using the sticks ; and, in- 
 deed, all of the ladders might have served in this way, 
 had the kite carried its cord up the cliff within reach of 
 them. Unfortunately, this did not happen to be the 
 case ; and only the first ladder could be made available. 
 
 Placing it nearly parallel with the rope, Ossaroo 
 mounted up ; and, when near its to^i, commenced attach- 
 ing the steps. He had carried up along with him about 
 a dozen of the little sticks, with cords to correspond, — 
 in a sort of pouch, which he had formed with the skirts 
 of his cotton tunic. 
 
 Karl and Caspar below, seated upon stones, and Fritz 
 squatted on the ground, watched the movements of the 
 shikaree with deep and si^eechless interest. 
 
 It was not a very long time before he had adjusted 
 the first two pegs in their proper places ; and, then let- 
 ting himself off the ladder, and placing both his feet 
 upon the first cross-piece, in a way that they balanced 
 one another and kept the stick in a horizontal position, 
 he proceeded to attach the third about the height of 
 his chin. 
 
 To do this required a good deal of adroitness ; but 
 Ossaroo was gifted with this quality to a high degree ;
 
 220 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 and, so far as his footing was concerned, the Hindoo was 
 as much at home npon a rope, as would have been one 
 of those monkeys sacred to the believers in his Brah- 
 ministic creed. 
 
 Any other feet would soon have become tired, — rest- 
 ing upon such a slender support ; but Ossaroo had been 
 accustomed to climbing the tall, lofty palms, until his 
 toes had acquired a certain degi'ee of prehensile power ; 
 and the smallest branch or protuberance on the trunk 
 of a tree, or even a knot on a rope, was footing enough 
 to enable him to hold on for many minutes at a time. 
 He had no difficulty, therefore, in balancing himself 
 upon the sticks which he had already attached ; nor as- 
 cending from one to the other, as each was got into its 
 place. In this way he proceeded, until the stock which 
 he had taken up with him was exhausted, and his apron 
 hung empty. Then, letting liimself down from step to 
 step, and cautiously returning to the wooden ladder, he 
 descended to the bottom of the cUff. 
 
 Karl or Caspar might have rendered his coming down 
 unnecessary, as either could have carried so light a 
 " hod " up the ladder ; but there was good reason why 
 Ossaroo should make the descent, — that was, to rest and 
 refresh himself. 
 
 He did not remain very long below, — just long 
 enough to let the blood circulate along the soles of his 
 naked feet, — and then, with his apron distended, — be- 
 ing once more full of sticks, — he reclimbed the ladder, 
 swung himself out upon the cord, and clambered up the 
 steps he had already fixed in their places. 
 
 His second stock of sticks becoming exhausted as 
 the first, he again revisited the earth, — again allowed
 
 THE ROPE LADDER. 221 
 
 himself an interval of rest, — and then ascended as he- 
 fore. 
 
 With Ossaroo proceeding in this fashion, the remain- 
 der of the day was spent, a long interval being allowed 
 for dinner, which Karl and Caspar, having nothing else 
 to do, had cooked with extra care. They did not go 
 home to the hut to perform their culinary operations. 
 There would have been no advantage in doing so, since 
 the kitchen accommodation there was not a whit better 
 than where they were at work ; and the larder contained 
 nothing more than what they had brought along with 
 them, — some dried ibex-meat. But Karl had not been 
 idle for a portion of the time, and had collected various 
 roots and fruits that, when roasted, not only helped out 
 the meal, but rendered it sufficiently luxmious for stom- 
 achs like theirs, no longer fastidious. 
 
 After dinner, Ossaroo indidged in a long smoke of his 
 favorite "bang"; and, stimulated by this, returned to 
 his task with renewed energy. 
 
 So successful was he in its accomplishment, that, be- 
 fore sunset, he had full fifty steps in place ; which, along 
 with the wooden ladder, enabled him to climb nearly 
 a third of the way up the cliff. 
 
 Of course darkness put an end to his operations for 
 that day ; and with the intention of continuing them on 
 the morrow, both the operator and spectators wended 
 their way back to the hut, — Karl and Caspar showing 
 as much respect to Ossaroo as if he had been the master 
 architect, and they only his assistants or laborers. Even 
 Fritz appeared to be impressed with the belief that the 
 shikaree was the most important personage in the party : 
 for every time that the latter descended from the cliff the
 
 222 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 dog had paid his " devoirs " to him, frisking around, leap- 
 ing up, and looking steadfastly in his face, as if congratu- 
 lating him on being their deliverer ! 
 
 On the road home Fritz continued these demonstra- 
 tions, — springing against the legs of the shikaree so as 
 occasionally to impede his progress, evidently convinced 
 — either from Ms own observation or from the respect 
 which he saw the others were paying him — that the 
 Hindoo was the hero of the day!
 
 OSSAROO MAKES A QUICK DESCENT. 223 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 OSSAROO MAKES A QUICK DESCENT. 
 
 Next morning, as soon as they had despatched an 
 early meal, they returned to their work, — that is, Ossa- 
 roo to work, the others to watch. 
 
 Unfortunately on this day the weather was unfavor- 
 able for operations. There was a high wind, not con- 
 tinuous, but blowing in short, quick puffs, — gusty and 
 violent. 
 
 As Ossaroo hung upon the rope half-way up the preci- 
 pice, the wind acting upon his body, carried him at times 
 several feet out from the face of the cliff, — causing him 
 also to oscillate violently from side to side, notwith- 
 standing that the rope was fast at both ends ! 
 
 It was fearful to look at him thus suspended, and 
 swinging in mid-air. At times the hearts of the specta- 
 tors were filled with consternation lest the brave shika- 
 ree should either have his brains dashed out against the 
 beetling cliff, or, bemg forced to let go his hold, be flung 
 far out, and, falling upon the rocks below, get crushed 
 to atoms. 
 
 Often during the earlier part of the day were the 
 • alarms of Karl and Caspar raised to such a height that 
 they shouted to Ossaroo to come down; and, when 
 down, entreated him not to go up again until, by the 
 lulling of the wind, the danger should become dimin- 
 ished.
 
 224 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEKS. 
 
 Their entreaties, however, were of no avail. The 
 shikaree, accustomed all his life to braving the elements, 
 felt no fear of them ; but, on the contrary, seemed to 
 feel a pride, if not an actual pleasure, in thus daring 
 danger. 
 
 Even wliile swinging out from the cliff, and oscil- 
 lating along its fagade, — like the pendulum of some 
 gigantic clock, — he was seen tying the strings and ad- 
 justing the pieces of stick, as coolly as if he had beeu 
 standing upon terra firma at the bottom ! 
 
 Thus, nearly to the hour of noon, did Ossaroo continue 
 his arduous undertaking, — of course with the usual in- 
 tervals of rest, during each of which Karl and Caspar 
 reiterated their entreaties for him to desist, and leave the 
 work to be executed at a more favorable opportunity. 
 Fritz, too, while lavishing his caresses on the daring 
 climber, seemed to look persuadingly into his face, as 
 if he knew there was danger in "what the Hindoo was 
 doinor, 
 
 D 
 
 It was all in vain. The shikaree, wliile resisting all 
 their efforts to restrain him, seemed to scorn the danger 
 which they dreaded, and, without hesitation, returned to 
 his perilous task. 
 
 And no doubt he would have succeeded in accom- 
 plishing it, allowing due time for its completion. It was 
 not the wind that would have shaken him from that 
 rope, to which he clung with the tenacity of a spider. 
 Had the support proved true, he could have held on, 
 even though it had been blowing a hurricane ! 
 
 It was not in this that his chief danger lay ; nor from 
 such source was it to come, — but from one altogether 
 unexpected and unthought-of.
 
 OSSAROO MAKES A QUICK DESCENT. 225 
 
 It was near the hour of noon, and Ossaroo had already 
 succeeded in setting the steps up to about half the height 
 of the cliff". He had descended for a fresh supply of 
 sticks ; and, having gone up the tree-ladder, and swung 
 himself back upon the kite cord, was just commencing to 
 clamber up it, — as he had already done nearly a score 
 of times. 
 
 The eyes of Karl and Caspar were upon him, follow- 
 ing his movements, as they had been doing all along, — 
 for, despite his frequent repetition of the ascent, it was 
 always a perilous performance, and interesting to be- 
 hold. 
 
 Just as he had got free from the ladder, and fairly out 
 upon the rope, a cry came from his lips that tlirilled the 
 hearts of the spectators with alarm, for they knew that 
 the utterance was one of terror. They needed no expla- 
 nation of that cry, — for at the same moment that it 
 reached their ears they perceived the danger that had 
 caused Ossaroo to utter it. He was descending along 
 the fagade of the cliff", — not gliding down the rope of 
 his own free will, but as if the kite had got loose at the 
 top, and, yielding to the weight of his body, was being 
 dragged over the surface of the snow ! 
 
 At first he appeared to be descending only very slowly ; 
 and, but for the cries he was putting forth, and the 
 slackening of the rope below, they upon the ground 
 might not have been aware of what was going on. But 
 they had not regarded his movements for many seconds 
 before perceiving the true state of the case, and the 
 fearftd peril in which their faithful shikaree was now 
 placed. 
 
 Beyond doubt the kite had become detached above, 
 10* o
 
 226 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 and, yielding to tLe strain upon the rope, caused by 
 Ossaroo's weight, was being pulled towards the edge of 
 the precipice ! 
 
 "Would the resistance be equal to the weight of the 
 man's body ? Would it let him down easily ? Or would 
 the dragging anchor arrive at a place where the surface 
 was smooth, and then gliding rapidly over it, increase 
 ^the velocity of the descent? In other words, was the 
 shikaree about to be projected through a fall of thirty 
 feet to the bottom of the cliff? 
 
 The spectators were left but little time to speculate on 
 probabilities. Not a moment was allowed them to take 
 measures for securing the safety of their companion. 
 Before they could recover from the surprise with which 
 his first shout had inspired them, they saw that his de- 
 scent was every moment becoming more accelerated : 
 now in gradual declination, then in quick, short jerks, — 
 untU he had got within about twenty feet of the ground. 
 They were in hopes that he might continue to descend 
 in this fashion for a few yards farther, and then the dan- 
 ger would be over ; but, just at that moment, the broad 
 breast of the kite was seen poising itself over the top of 
 the cliff; and like a great living bird, it sprang off from 
 the rocks, and soared out over the valley ! 
 
 Ossaroo, still clinging to the cord, was carried some 
 distance from the cliff; but, fortunately for him, the 
 weight of his body overbalanced the resistance which 
 the atmosphere offered to the broad surface of the kite ; 
 else he might have been carried much higher into the 
 air. Equally fortunate was it, that the amount of over- 
 balance was exceedingly slight, — otherwise he might 
 have been dashed with violence to the earth !
 
 OSSAEOO MAKES A QUICK DESCENT. 227 
 
 As it was, he came down as gently as a dove, alight- 
 ing upon his legs, and remaining erect upon them, like 
 Mercury upon the top of his " sky-kissmg mountain." 
 
 The moment that the shikaree felt his feet touching 
 terra Jirma, he sprang nunbly to one side, at the same 
 instant letting go the rope, as if it had been a rod of 
 red-hot iron ! 
 
 The great kite, no longer held in poise against the 
 wind, commenced darting hither and thither ; at each 
 turn descending lower and lower, — until by one last 
 swoop, in which it seemed to concentrate all its failing 
 strength, it came down towards Ossaroo like a gigantic 
 bird of prey descending upon its victim ! 
 
 It was just as much as the shikaree could do to get 
 out of the way ; and, had he not ducked his head in the 
 very nick of time, he would certainly have received a 
 blow upon his skull, that would have endangered its 
 entirety.
 
 228 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEES. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 THE ESCAPE OF THE KITE. 
 
 The joy which all felt at the miraculous escape of 
 Ossaroo more than compensated for their chagrin at the 
 circumstance of the kite having returned to them : more 
 especially, as they believed that the accident was not 
 without remedy. It might be attributed to the wind, 
 which no doubt had lifted the kite from where it lay, de- 
 tacliing it from the rock, or whatever other object that 
 had for the time entangled it. 
 
 They doubted not but that they might again succeed 
 in sending it up, and getting it fast as before ; and this 
 confidence hindered them from grieving over the unfor- 
 tunate occurrence as they might otherwise have done. 
 
 As the wind on that day was in the wrong quarter for 
 flying a kite towards the cliff, they determined to post- 
 pone the attempt, till a more favorable opportunity ; 
 and, in order that their kite should not be in danger of 
 getting spoiled by the rain, they once more shouldered, 
 and carried it back, rope and all, to the shelter of the 
 hut. 
 
 Nearly a week elapsed before there was a breeze 
 that blew in their favor ; but during this interval they 
 had not been altogether unemployed. Still imcertain 
 of the length of time they might be detained in the val- 
 ley, they had passed almost every hour of the daylight
 
 THE ESCAPE OF THE KITE. 229 
 
 in increasing their stock of provisions, — so as not to 
 encroach upon the cured venison of the ibex, of which a 
 considerable quantity was stUl good. 
 
 Their guns were no longer used for procuring food. 
 The last loads still remained in the barrels ; and were 
 not to be fired off, — until every other means of captur- 
 ing game should fail them. 
 
 Indeed, they were now so confident of being able to 
 get out of their prison, that at times they almost fancied 
 themselves already on their way down the mountains ; 
 and talked of keeping their guns loaded, against any 
 danger from large animals they might encounter on their 
 homeward journey. For procurmg food they knew that 
 firearms were not necessary, Ossaroo's bow was suffi- 
 cient weapon for that. Often might it be heard twang- 
 ing among the trees ; and as often did the shikaree's 
 arrow pierce the breast of some fine bird, — a peacock, 
 or argus pheasant, or one of the beautiful Brahminy 
 geese that frequented the waters of the lake. 
 
 Ossaroo's nets and lines, too, were not without their 
 use. Fish were caught of various kinds, and excellent 
 quality ; and there was one sort in particular, should all 
 else fail, that promised to furnish them with an inex- 
 haustible supply. This was a large species of eel, in 
 which the lake abounded, to such an extent, that it was 
 only necessary to cast in a hook, with a worm upon it, 
 and an eel of nearly six feet in length would be instantly 
 landed. 
 
 As they did not always relish to dine upon eels, but 
 little of their time was spent in procuring them. For 
 all that, they were gratified on discovering the abun- 
 dance of these slippery creatures, — knowing that,
 
 230 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 should other resources fail, they would find in them a 
 stai^le article of wholesome food, that could never he- 
 corn^, scarce, no matter how much they should eat of it. 
 
 A favorable wind at length came on to blow ; and 
 the kite was once more shouldered, and carried to the 
 same place as before. Just in the same way did they 
 proceed to fly it ; and in the same style it again rose 
 soaring above the cliff; and the cord having been 
 suddenly slacked, sank to rest upon the slope of the 
 mountain. 
 
 So far were they once more successful ; but alas ! it 
 proved to be just so far and no farther. 
 
 Pulling upon the rope, to ascertain whether their 
 anchor had " bit," they were chagrined to receive an 
 answer in the negative. The cord came back to them 
 with scarce any resistance ; or only such as was caused 
 by friction over the edge of the cliif, and by the drag of 
 the kite itself along the snowy surface. 
 
 Hand over hand, they drew it back : foot by foot, and 
 yard by yard, it came yieldingly towards them, — until 
 they saw the broad curving breast of the pseudo-bird 
 projecting over the parapet edge of the precipice ! 
 
 Once more was it laimched out into the air ; once 
 more was rope given it, till it had ascended to the full 
 length of its tether ; and once more was it allowed to 
 alight. 
 
 Again the pull downward and inward, — again the 
 cord came freely to hand, — and again was the rounded 
 bow seen upon the brow of the precipice, and outlined 
 against the blue sky above ; not like the beautiful bow 
 of the iris, — a thing of promise, — but one of disap- 
 pointment and chagrin.
 
 THE ESCAPE OF THE KITE. 231 
 
 Again the flight, — again the faihire, — again and 
 again ; until the patience of the operators — to say 
 nothing of their strength — was wellnigli exhausted. 
 
 But it was no mere play for the sake of pastime. 
 They were not flyhig that kite for their amusement ; 
 nor yet for the purpose of making some scientific experi- 
 ment. They were flying it as a means of obtaining their 
 personal liberty ; and they were all of them mterested 
 in the success or failure of the attempt, — almost as 
 much as if their lives rested on the issue. 
 
 However tried their strength, or worn out their pa- 
 tience, it would not do to give up ; and, therefore, — 
 although at each unsuccessful effort, with hopes con- 
 stantly becoming diminished, — they continued their ex- 
 ertions. 
 
 For more than a score of times they had sent up the 
 kite, and as often dragged it back to the brow of the 
 cliff; not always at the same point : for they had them- 
 selves changed their ground, and tried the flight in differ- 
 ent places. 
 
 In all cases, the result was the same. The bird re- 
 fused to take hold with its claws, — either on rocks, or 
 blocks of ice, or banks of frozen snow, — all of which 
 lay scattered over the slope of the mountain. 
 
 Considering that it had caught hold on the very first 
 trial, so many failures were regarded by our adventurers 
 with some surprise. Had it never held, there would 
 have been no cause for this ; and after so many attempts, 
 they would have been the more inclined to yield up their 
 plan, deeming it impracticable. But the fact of their 
 first success sustained them in the hope that success 
 might again be obtained ; and, in this belief, they were 
 encouraged to "keep on trying."
 
 232 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 Half a dozen additional flights were made, but for- 
 tune still decluiing to favor them, they desisted from 
 their efforts, leaving the paper-bird with its breast pro- 
 truding over the cliff : as if perched there in preparation 
 for a further flight. 
 
 By this time the kite had become sadly damaged, — 
 its plumage having received rough usage by constant 
 trailing over the rocks and sharp angles of ice. While 
 up in the air, daylight could be seen shining through it 
 in several places ; and it no longer exhibited that ma- 
 jesty of flight that had originally characterized it. It 
 was evident that repairs would soon be needed ; and to 
 discuss this question, as also to consider the propriety 
 of proceeding to make trial at some other place, our ad- 
 venturers, for a time, discontinued their efforts. 
 
 All three were standing together, but at several paces 
 distant from the end of the rope ; which they had for the 
 moment abandoned, and which lay negligently along the 
 ground. 
 
 They had not taken the slightest precaution to secure 
 it : for it had not occurred to them that there was any 
 risk in leaving it loose. 
 
 It was only when too late that they perceived the 
 mistake they had committed, — only when they saw the 
 cord suddenly jerked up from the ground, as if some in- 
 visible hand was lifting it aloft into the sky ! 
 
 All three rushed towards it at the same instant. They 
 were too late. Already the end of the rope was dang- 
 ling at such a height above their heads, that even the 
 tallest of them could not touch it with the tips of bis 
 fingers. 
 
 Ossaroo leaped high mto the air in an endeavor to
 
 THE ESCAPE OF THE KITE. 233 
 
 clutch the strmg. Caspar ran to procure a pole which 
 lay near, in hoj^es of retaining it in that way : while 
 Karl ran up the ladder that was resting against the cliff, 
 near which the rope was yet trailing. 
 
 The efforts of all three were alike vain. For a second 
 or two the end of the cord hung oscillatuig above their 
 heads, — just sufficiently out of reach to tantalize them; 
 and then, as if the invisible hand above had given it 
 another gigantic jerk, it was drawn raj)idly and verti- 
 cally upwai-d, till it finally disappeared over the crest of 
 thechfi"!
 
 234 THE CUFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 NO MORE PAPER-TREES. 
 
 There was nothing mysterious hi the disappearance 
 of the cord. The kite was no longer visible on the 
 summit of the cUif. The wind had carried it away ; 
 and, of course, its rope along with it. 
 
 When the first moment of surprise had passed, our 
 adventm'ers turned toward each other with glances that 
 spoke somethhig more than disappointment. Notwith- 
 standing the number of times that the kite had faUed to 
 fix itself, still it had once taken a fast hold, and it was 
 but reasonable to suppose it would have done so again. 
 Besides, there were other places where the precipice was 
 as low, and even lower, than where they had made the 
 trials ; and at some of these they might have been more 
 successful. Indeed, there was every probability that, 
 had they not lost that kite, they would have been able, 
 in due time, to have climbed out of their rock-boimd 
 prison by a ladder of rope ; but now all chance of domg 
 so was gone forever, — swept off by a single puff of 
 wind. 
 
 You may be fancying that the misfortime was not 
 irremediable. Another kite, you wiU be saying, might 
 be constructed out of similar materials as those used in 
 making the one carried away. But to say this, would 
 be to speak without a full knowledge of the circum- 
 Btances.
 
 KO MORE PAPER-TKEES. 235 
 
 The same thought had already passed through the 
 mmds of our adventurers, when they perceived that the 
 kite they were flying was getting torn and otherwise 
 damaged. 
 
 " We can easily make another," suggested Caspar at 
 that crisis. 
 
 " No, brother," was the answer of Karl ; " never 
 another, I fear. We have paper enough left to patch 
 this one ; but not enoufjh to make another." 
 
 " But we can make more paper, can we not ? " urged 
 Caspar, interrogatively. 
 
 " Ah ! " again replied Karl, with a negative shake of 
 the head, " no more, — not another sheet ! " 
 
 " But why ? Do you think there are no more daphne 
 trees?" 
 
 " I think there are not. You remember we stripped 
 all there were in the thicket ; and since then, thinking 
 we might need more bark, I have gone all through the 
 valley and explored it in every direction, without meet- 
 ing with a smgle shrub of the daphne. I am almost 
 certain there are none." 
 
 This conversation between the brothers had occurred 
 long before the losing of the kite. When that event 
 came to pass, it was not necessary for them to repeat it ; 
 and, both being thus acquainted with the fact that it 
 was impossible for them to construct another, they felt 
 that they had sustained an irreparable loss. 
 
 In what direction had the kite been carried off? 
 Might it not be blown along the line of cliffs and tossed 
 back again into the valley ? 
 
 As there appeared some probability that such a chance 
 might arise, all three ran outward from the rocks, — iu
 
 236 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 order to command a better view of the precipice on each 
 side. 
 
 For a long time they stood watching, — in hopes that 
 they might see the great jiaper bird returning to the 
 scene of its nativity. But it never came back ; and they 
 became at length conAonced that it never would. Indeed, 
 the direction of the wind — when they paused to con- 
 sider it — rendered the thing not only improbable, but 
 impossible. It was blowing from the cliffs, and towards 
 the snowy ridge. No doubt the kite had been carried 
 up the slopmg acclivity; and had either passed clear 
 over the mountains, or become lodged in some deep de- 
 file, where the wind could no longer reach it. At all 
 events, it was certain that both kite and cord were lost 
 to them forever. 
 
 " Ach ! how very unfortunate ! " exclaimed Caspar, in 
 a vexed tone, when they had finally arrived at this con- 
 viction. " What Ul-starred luck we have, to be sure ! '* 
 
 " Nay ! brother," remarked Karl, in a tone of reproval ; 
 "do not chide Fortune for what has happened just now. 
 I acknowledge it is a great misfortune ; but it is one for 
 which we may justly blame ourselves, and only ourselves. 
 By sheer negligence we have lost the kite, and along 
 with it, jaerhaps, the last chance of regaining our liberty." 
 
 " Yes, you speak truly," rejomed Caspar, in a tone 
 of mmgled regret and resignation. " It was om- fault, 
 and we must suffer for it." 
 
 " But are you quite sure, brother Karl," resumed he, 
 after a pause, and referring to the conversation that had 
 already passed between them, — "are you quite sure 
 there are no more of these j^aper-bearing trees ? " 
 
 " Of course," replied the plant-hunter, " I am not pos-
 
 NO MORE PAPEU-TKEES. 237 
 
 itive — though I fear it is as I have said — that there 
 are no more. It will be easy for us to determine the 
 point, by making a complete exploration of the valley. 
 It may be that something else might turn up which 
 would answer the purpose equally as well. There is a 
 birch-tree indigenous to the Himalaya mountains, found 
 both in Nepaul and Thibet. Its bark can be stripped 
 off in broad flakes and layers, to the number of eight 
 or ten, — each almost as thin as common paper, and 
 suitable for many purposes to which paper is usually 
 applied." 
 
 " Do you think it would do for a kite ? " inquired 
 Caspar, without waiting for Karl to finish his explana- 
 tion. 
 
 " I am sure of it," replied the botanist. " It would 
 serve even better than the dajjhne paper; and had I 
 believed there was a chance of finding it here, I should 
 have preferred it to that. But I do not think we shall 
 find it. I have observed no species of birch ; and I 
 know that this one, like most of the Betulacece, affects a 
 much colder climate than there is in this valley. Like- 
 ly enough, it grows on the mountains above ; but there 
 it is out of our reach. Could we reach it there, we 
 should not need to be robbing it of its manifold envel- 
 ope. But let us not despair," added Karl, endeavoring 
 to appear cheerful ; " perhaps it may be found growing 
 down here ; or, if not, we may still find another grove 
 of the daphne trees. Let us proceed on and search ! " 
 
 Karl was far from being sanguine in either conjec- 
 ture ; and it was as well for him that he Avas not : for 
 after a minute and careful exploration of the valley, — 
 which occupied nearly- three whole days, — neither the
 
 238 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 wished-for birch, nor the desired daphne trees, — nor 
 any other material out of which a kite might by manu- 
 factured, — rewarded their search. 
 
 It was of no use, therefore, to think any longer of a 
 kite ; and the subject was at length dismissed from their 
 minds.
 
 AEROSTATICS. 239 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 AEROSTATICS. 
 
 It is scarce possible to talk of a paper kite, without 
 thinking of that other and greater aerostatic contrivance, 
 — a balloon. 
 
 Karl had thought of it, long before this time ; and so 
 had Caspar, just as long : for the kite had suggested it 
 simultaneously to the minds of both. 
 
 It may be asked why they had not entertained the 
 thought, and endeavored to carry it into practical effect : 
 since a balloon would have been far more likely to have 
 delivered them out of their " mountain prison " than a 
 paper kite ? 
 
 But they had entertained the thought, — at least, 
 Karl had done so, — and examined it in all its bearings. 
 Caspar had permitted it to pass out of his mind, under 
 the impression that they could not make a halloon ; and 
 Karl had arrived at the same conclusion ; but only from 
 a behef that they had not the materials with which to 
 make one. Given the materials, Karl felt quite equal 
 to the construction of a balloon, — a rude one, it is true ; 
 but one which might have served the purpose for which 
 they required it. 
 
 During the days when they had been occupied in 
 making the paper bird, he had given his thoughts a 
 good deal to this subject ; for, to say the truth, he had
 
 240 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 never been very sanguine about the success of the kite 
 experiment. He had pondered long and patiently on 
 the subject of balloons, — endeavoring to recall to mind 
 what little he had studied of aerostatics, — and had 
 mentally examined all the material objects within reach, 
 in the hope of discovering some substance out of which 
 one might be constructed. 
 
 Unfortunately, he had not been able to think of any- 
 thing that appeared to be suitable. The daphne paper 
 — even had it been in abundance — would not do : for 
 paper of itself, however close in texture, is not strong 
 enough to withstand the pressure of the outside air, — 
 that is, in a balloon of sufficient size to carry any consid- 
 erable weight. But it was of no use to talk of paper : 
 since there was not enough ; and Karl had given over 
 thinking of a balloon : because there was nothing within 
 reach likely to serve for its construction. 
 
 He knew that that great sphere would require to be 
 air-proof. He had thought of the skins of animals ; but 
 such of these as might have been obtained in sufficient 
 quantity were entirely too thick and heavy to make the 
 covering of a balloon. The hemp, of which there was 
 an abundance, might be woven into a cloth, and then 
 coated over by gum obtained from some tree ; for in the 
 valley were several species of gum-exudmg trees. But 
 the question v/as, could they manufacture a cloth out of 
 hemp that would be light enough when thus coated 
 over ? It was very doubtful whether they could ; at all 
 events, they would have to practise the weaving trade 
 for a long time, before they should arrive at a sufficient 
 expertness to accomplish such a feat. The -^X-ixxi was 
 too unpromising to be seriously entertained ; and Karl
 
 AEROSTATICS. 241 
 
 had dismissed it, along with the whole subject of the 
 balloon. 
 
 That had been previous to the experiment of the kite, 
 and its unfortunate ending. But now that all hope from 
 this quarter had been brought to an end, the balloon 
 once more began to shape itself in his mind, as well as 
 in that of Caspar ; and for the first time they proceeded 
 to talk over the subject together. 
 
 " Cords we could have in plenty," remarked Caspar, 
 " but they 'd be of no use, without the stuff to cover the 
 great globe. They make it of silk, don't they ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied Karl, " silk is the best material for the 
 purpose." 
 
 " And why ? " inquired Caspar. 
 
 " Because it combines the three properties of lightness, 
 strength, and closeness of texture in a greater degi-ee 
 than any other known substance." 
 
 " Would nothing else do ? " 
 
 '' yes ; many things would answer to make a bal- 
 loon, that might carry up a certain amount of weight. 
 Even a paper balloon can be constructed to take up a 
 few pounds, — a cat, or a small dog; and people in 
 many countries have been cruel enough to despatch 
 such creatures into the air, not caring what became of 
 them." 
 
 "Very cruel indeed!" assented Caspar, who, although 
 a hunter, was far from having an unfeeling heart. 
 "Such people should be sent up themselves in paper 
 balloons." 
 
 " Yes, if paper balloons would carry thera ; which, 
 unfortunately for us, they wouldn't. Even if we had 
 a,u unlimited supply of paper, it would be of no use to 
 11 p
 
 242 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 US. We require something stronger, and more tena- 
 cious." 
 
 " Can we not think of something ? Let us try, 
 Karl ! " 
 
 " Ah ! dear brother, I have been trying for days, and 
 in vain. There is nothing within tliis valley at all suit- 
 able for the purpose." 
 
 " Would canvas do ? Have you thought of that ? " 
 
 " I have. It would be too coarse and heavy." 
 
 " But, with great pains, could we not make it light 
 enough ? We might choose the finer fibres of the hemp ; 
 and spin and weave it with scrupulous care. Ossaroo 
 here is a perfect Omphale in his way. I '11 warrant he 
 could beat Hercules with the distaff." 
 
 " Ho ! brother ! " exclaimed Karl, a little astonished. 
 "You are quite classical in your speech this morning. 
 Where learnt you the history of Hercules, — you who 
 have never seen the inside of a University? ' 
 
 " You forget, brother Karl, that you yourself have 
 been my instructor in these classical themes, as you call 
 them. Though I must tell you that, with the exception 
 of their occasionally lending a little ornament to my 
 speech, I have derived not the slightest advantage fi'om 
 them ; nor is it likely I ever shall." 
 
 " Well, Caspar," answered the botanist, " I am not 
 going to stand up for the classics, as you are well aware. 
 Although I have taught you a little of their lore, it was 
 when I had nothing to do, and you were equally idle ; 
 otherwise I should have considered that both of us were 
 wasting time. You already know my opinions on tliat 
 subject, — which are : that a knowledge of what is usually 
 termed ' the classics ' is of about as much use to a rea-
 
 AEROSTATICS. 243 
 
 soning man as might be an equally profound knowledge 
 of Chinese mnemonics. The time I have spent in the 
 study of the dead languages has been sheer waste ; and 
 all I have learnt won't raise us a foot higher here. My 
 knowledge of Jupiter and Juno is not likely to gain us 
 the means of getting out of our difhculty, no more than 
 my acquaintance with Mercury will help me to a pair of 
 wings. So a truce to classical ideas, and let us see 
 whether scientific ones may not serve us better just now. 
 You have a quick invention, brother Caspar ; can you 
 think of anything — I mean anything within our reach — 
 that would make the air-bao; of a balloon ? " 
 
 " But could you make the balloon, if you had the 
 stuff? " inquired Caspar, still in doubt whether any other 
 than an experienced aeronaut could construct so won- 
 derful a machine. 
 
 " Pooh ! " replied the philosopher, " the making of a 
 balloon is almost as easy as making a soap-bubble. Any 
 air-tight bag, filled with heated atmosphere, becomes a 
 balloon. The question is, what weight it can be made 
 to carry, — including the materials out of which it may 
 be constructed." 
 
 " But how are you to get the heated air into it ? " 
 " Simply by making a fire under an aperture left open 
 below." 
 
 " But would not this air soon become cold again ? " 
 " Yes ; and then the balloon would sink back to the 
 earth from the air inside getting cooled, and becoming as 
 heavy as that without. Of course," continued the phi- 
 losopher, " you are aware that heated air is much lighter 
 than the ordinary atmosphere ; and that is why" a balloon 
 filled with the former rises, and will continue rising, till
 
 244 THE CLIFF-CLIMEERS. 
 
 it has readied that elevation, where the rarefied atmos- 
 phere is as light as the heated air. Then it can go no 
 farther, and the weight of the balloon itself will bring it 
 down again. A bladder of ordinary air sunk in water, 
 or a corked bottle, wUl illustrate tliis point to your com- 
 prehension." 
 
 " I comprehend it well enough," rejoined Caspar, 
 rather piqued at being treated too much a V enfant by 
 his learned brother. " But I thought that, in a balloon, 
 it was necessary to keep a fire constantly burning, — a 
 sort of grate or fire-basket suspended below. Now, even 
 if we had the silk to make the great spherical bag, how 
 could we make a fire-basket without iron ? " 
 
 " We should not need the fire-basket you speak of. 
 That is only required when you design to keep your 
 balloon some length of time in the air. If you only 
 wish to make a short ascent, once filling the bag with 
 hot air is sufficient ; as it would be for us here. Even if 
 we wanted a suspended grate, surely, brother, you have 
 enough ingenuity to get over such a trifling difficulty as 
 that ? " 
 
 " Well, I 'm not so sure that I could. How would you 
 get over it ? " 
 
 " Why, by making a common basket, and lining it 
 with clay. That would carry fire, as well as a vessel 
 of either cast or wrought iron, — at least sufficient to 
 serve for a short excursion such as we should care 
 to make. Now-a-days, fii'e is not used for inflating bal- 
 loons. Inflammable gas has been found to be far supe- 
 rior for this purpose ; but as we have no such tiling in 
 stock, we should have to proceed on the old original 
 plan, — tliat employed by the brothers Montgolfier, the 
 first inventors of the balloon."
 
 AEROSTATICS. 245 
 
 "You think, then, that the fire apparatus could he 
 dispensed with, if we could only discover some material 
 that would make the great globe-shaped bag to contain 
 the heated air ? " 
 
 " Ay," replied Karl ; " think of something to do that, 
 and I promise to make you a balloon." 
 
 Thus challenged, Caspar set his wits to work ; and 
 for a long while he sat in silence, as if buried in some 
 very profound speculation. Probably there was no 
 material substance in that valley that did not pass in 
 review before the retina of his mental vision ; and all 
 were considered in turn. 
 
 " It must be light, air-tight, and strong ? " asked he, 
 at length, as if there was sometWng in his thoughts pos- 
 sessing these three requisites. 
 
 " Light, air-tight, and strong," answered Karl, simply 
 repeating his words. 
 
 " The two last I am sure of," rejoined Caspar. " Of 
 the first only have I my doubts." 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Karl, in a tone that betrayed his 
 interest in what Caspar had said. 
 
 " Eel-skins ! " was the laconic answer.
 
 246 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 THE SKIN BALLOON. 
 
 "Eel-skins," said Caspar, repeating the phrase, as 
 he saw that Karl hesitated before pronouncing an opin- 
 ion. " Don't you think they would do ? " 
 
 Karl had it on the tip of his tongue to cry out, — 
 " The very thing ! " but something withheld him from 
 making this imqualified declaration. 
 
 " They might, — it is possible they might," said he, 
 apparently debating the question within himself, — "just 
 possible ; and yet I fear — " 
 
 " What do you fear ? " asked Caspar. 
 
 " Do you tlmik they would not be strong enough ? " 
 
 " Strong enough," replied Karl. " That 's not what I 
 fear." 
 
 " The air can't pass through an eel-skin ? " 
 
 "No, — not that." 
 
 " At the seams, perhaps ? "We can stitch them neatly ; 
 and then gum them over at the joinings. I '11 warrant 
 Ossaroo can sew like a shoemaker." 
 
 The shikaree could do all that. Karl knew it. It 
 was not there the difficulty lay. 
 
 " The weight, then ? " pursued Caspar interrogatively. 
 
 " Precisely that," answered Karl ; " I fear they will 
 be too heavy. Bring one, Ossaroo ; and let us have a 
 look at it."
 
 THE SKIN BALLOON. 247 
 
 The sliikaree rose from his seat ; and going into the 
 hovel, returned presently, — bringhig back with him a 
 long shrivelled object, which any one could tell to be a 
 dried eel-skin. 
 
 There were many like it inside : for they had carefully 
 preserved the skius of the eels they had caught, induced 
 to do so by a sort of presentiment that some day they 
 might find a use for them. In this case their prudent 
 providence was likely to prove of service to them. 
 
 Karl took the skin ; and, holding it out on the palm 
 of his hand, appeared to make an estimate of its weight. 
 Caspar watched his brother's countenance, and waited 
 to hear what he would say ; but Karl only expressed 
 himself by a doubtful shake of the head, wliich seemed 
 to show that his opinion was against the eel-skins. 
 
 " They might be made much lighter, I fancy," sug- 
 gested Caspar : " scraping would do a deal for them ; 
 and by the way, why would not boiling make them light 
 enough ? It would take all the fatty, oily substance out 
 of them." 
 
 " There 's something in what you say," rejoined Karl, 
 apparently imi:)ressed by the last suggestion. " Boiling 
 might render them a good deal lighter. We can easily 
 try it." 
 
 As Karl said this, he proceeded to the boiling spring, 
 and plunged the eel-skin under the water. There it 
 was permitted to remain for about half an hour, when it 
 was taken out ; and, after being scraped with the blade 
 of a knife, was spread upon a rock, under the sun, where 
 it would soon get thoroughly dry. 
 
 They all waited patiently for the completion of this 
 process. The result was of too interesting a character
 
 248 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 to allow of their occupying themselves with anything 
 else. 
 
 In due time the eel-skin had become sufficiently dry 
 to be submitted to examination ; and Kai'l, once more 
 taking it up, balanced it upon his pahn. 
 
 Tested, even in this inexact fashion, it was evidently 
 much lighter than before ; and, by the gratified look with 
 which the philosopher regarded it, he ajipeared to be 
 much better satisfied with its weight. Still, however, he 
 was not sanguiue : as his words testified. They were 
 almost a repetition of what he had said before. 
 
 " It may do, — it is just possible. At all events, there 
 can be no harm in trying. Let us try it, then." 
 
 To say, " Let us try it," meant the same as to say, 
 " Let us make the balloon." The others understood 
 that ; and, of course, acquiesced in the determination. 
 
 As there was nothing to interfere with the immediate 
 commencement of the work, they resolved to set about 
 it at once ; and, in fact, did set about it without furtlier 
 delay. 
 
 The number of eel-skins on hand, though very con- 
 siderable, would not be near enough for covering a 
 balloon ; and therefore Ossaroo went to work with his 
 hooks and lines to catch a few hundreds more. Karl 
 w^as able to tell how many it would take ; or he could, 
 at least, make an estimate sufficiently exact for the jjur- 
 pose. He designed a balloon of twelve feet diameter : 
 for he knew that one of less size would not have power 
 enough to carry up the weight of a man. Of course, 
 Karl knew how to calculate the surface of a sphere 
 whose diameter should be twelve feet. He had only to 
 midtiply the diameter on the circumference ; or the
 
 THE SKIN BALLOON. 2-49 
 
 square of the diameter on the fixed number 3.1416 ; or 
 find the convex surface of the circumscribing cylinder ; 
 or else find four times the area of a great circle of the 
 said sphere. Any one of these methods would give him 
 the correct result. 
 
 On making the calculation, he found that a sphere of 
 12 feet diameter would have a surface of 452 squai'e 
 feet, within a trifling fraction. Therefore, 452 square 
 feet of eel-skins would be required to cover it. In other 
 words, that quantity would be required to make the 
 balloon. 
 
 As the eels happened to be of large size, — most of 
 them being over a yard in length, and full four inches in 
 average girth, — the skin of one, when spread out, would 
 yield about a square foot of surface. Taking large and 
 small together, and allowing for waste, — the heads and 
 tails that would have to be chojjped off, — Karl calcu- 
 lated that he would get nearly a square foot each out of 
 the eels ; and that about five hundred skins would make 
 the balloon bag. But as they would have to be cut occa- 
 sionally with a slant, in order to get the globe shape, 
 perhaps a few more would be needed; and, therefore, 
 Ossaroo was to keep his baits in the water until the 
 requisite number of eels should be hooked out of it. 
 
 Ossaroo had another department assigned to him be- 
 sides catching the fish ; and one that took up more of 
 his time: since the baiting of the hooks and looking 
 after them required only his occasional attention. Sphi- 
 ning the thread by which the skins were to be sewed 
 together was a much more delicate operation : since in 
 these both strength and fineness were absolutely neces- 
 sary. But as Caspar had said, Ossaroo was an adept 
 11 *
 
 250 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 With the distaff; and several large steins of the finest 
 twist were soon turned off from his nimble fingers. 
 
 When enough thread had been thus produced, Ossaroo 
 proceeded to making the cords and stronger ropes that 
 would be needed for attaching the " boat," — as well as 
 to hold the balloon in its place while being got ready 
 for its ascent. 
 
 Caspar's employment was, — first, the skinning of the 
 eels ; and afterwards the scraping, boiling, and drying 
 of the skins ; while Karl, who acted as engineer-in-chief, 
 besides giving a general superintendence to the work, 
 occupied himself in imparting the final dressing to the 
 material and cutting it into such shapes that it could be 
 closely and conveniently stitched together. 
 
 Karl had also made an excursion into the forest, and 
 brought back with him large quantities of a gum, which 
 he had extracted from a tree of the genus jicus, — a sort 
 of caoutchouc, — which is yielded by many species of 
 Jlcus in the forests of the Lower Himalayas. Karl had 
 gone in search of this substance, because he knew it 
 would be required for paying the seams and rendering 
 them air-tight. 
 
 When they had pursued their various avocations for 
 about a week, it was thought that material enough of 
 every kind was collected and made ready ; and then Os- 
 saroo was set to stitching. Fortunately, they were pro- 
 vided with needles : for these had formed a part of the 
 accoutrement of the plant-hunters when originally start- 
 ing upon their expedition. 
 
 As neither Karl nor Caspar had any experience in 
 handling such sharp tools, the sewing had all to be done 
 by Ossaroo ; and it took another full week to accomplish 
 this Sartorean task.
 
 THE SKIN BALLOON. 251 
 
 At the end of that time it was fully accomplished and 
 complete ; and the huge bag was ready to receive its 
 coat of gum varnish. A day sufficed for " paying " ; and 
 nothing more remained but to attach the "boat," or 
 " car," that was to carry them aloft in their daring flight 
 into the " azure fields of air."
 
 252 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 MAKING READY FOR THE ASCENT. 
 
 Karl was the only one of the three who knew any- 
 thing about a balloon, or the mode of inflating it. Had 
 it been their intention of navigating the air, an apparatus 
 would have been required to carry up a fire. This 
 Karl could easily have contrived. A basket of wicker- 
 work, as he had said, well lined with clay, would have 
 answered the purpose after a fashion ; but as they did 
 not intend to use the balloon for any purpose beyond 
 making the single ascent to lift them over the cliifs, a 
 continuous fire would not be required. The first infla- 
 tion would answer that end well enough ; and therefore 
 a "-rate or fire-basket was not thought of. 
 
 The car to carry the passengers — or boat, as it is 
 sometimes styled : since, for reasons easily understood, it 
 is usually a boat — was quite another afiair ; and had it 
 been designed for more than a mere temporary use, 
 would have taken a considerable time in the making ; 
 but for what they wanted almost anything would serve ; 
 and all that they intended employing was a sort of wicker 
 basket or deep hamper, suspended by stout ropes. This 
 had been already prepared ; and only needed to be at- 
 tached to the bottom of the air-bag. 
 
 In the present case, the " bottom of the bag " is quite 
 a figure of speech, — lucus a non lucendo. Strictly
 
 MAKING READY FOR THE ASCENT. 253 
 
 speaking, it had no bottom ; but, where this should have 
 been, there was a round aperture, formed by a stout 
 hoop of ringall bamboo, to which the skin covering was 
 lashed, and to which, also, the cords intended to sustain 
 the aforementioned basket, as also the stay-ropes, were 
 to be attached. 
 
 The object of this aperture will be easily understood. 
 It was by it that the hot air was to be admitted inside 
 the balloon, for the purpose of inflating it. 
 
 And how was this hot air to be ol)tained ? That was 
 a question which Karl alone could answer. Of course, 
 fire was to be the agent for producing it : but how was 
 it to be got mto the bag ? Karl could tell that, and Karl 
 only ; and, now that the time had arrived for trying the 
 experiment, he condescended to explain to his coadjutors 
 how he meant to proceed. 
 
 The bag was to be propped up between tall stakes set 
 ill the ground ; its bottomless bottom turned towards the 
 earth, so that the aperture would be below. Under this 
 a fire was to be kindled, — not, however, until every- 
 tliing else should be ready ; and the hot air rising up 
 into the aperture would enter the balloon, and cause it 
 to swell out to its full globular dimensions. More hot 
 air being admitted, the cooler atmosphere within would 
 be expelled, the balloon would become lighter than the 
 surrounding air, and by the simple jjrinciple of atmo- 
 spheric pressure it would ascend into the air. It was 
 expected it would do so, — it was hoped it would. 
 
 To say the truth, the hopes of the engineer were far 
 from being high, — his expectations anything but san- 
 guine. He had observed all along, that, notwithstanding 
 the process employed for lightening the eel-skins, they
 
 254 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 were still far heavier than silk ; and perhaps, after all, 
 the experiment might not succeed. There was another 
 circumstance that had as much weirjht on the mind of 
 Karl as the eel-skins ; and that was quite as likely to 
 have a hearing upon the balloon. He had not over- 
 looked the fact, that the spot, from which they proposed 
 making the ascent, was nearly ten thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea. He knew that the atmosphere in 
 such a situation would be extremely rarefied, and that a 
 balloon, which might easily ascend many thousand feet 
 into the air starting from the level of the sea, would not 
 stir from the ground if carried to the top of a mountain 
 ten thousand feet high. This was the circumstance 
 which preyed upon the spirit of the young philosopher, 
 and hindered him from entertaining any very sanguine 
 hoj^es of success in the experiment they were making. 
 
 The philosophical truth had been before his mind 
 from the first, and at times had almost determined him 
 to abandon the project. But as he was not sufficiently 
 acquainted with the laws of aerostation as to be certain 
 of failure, he had worked on with the determination to 
 seek success, though it must be acknowledged with but 
 faint hopes of finding it. 
 
 Thus stood matters on the morning when it was 
 finally arranged to laimch their great aerial ship, and 
 ascertain whether it would swim. 
 
 All things were made ready at an early hour. The 
 huge bag was set up between the supporting stakes ; 
 the car was attached to it, as also several ropes to keep 
 the balloon from being carried away ; and these were 
 fastened at their other ends to stout pegs, driven firmly 
 into the ground ; while a little fiirnace of stones was
 
 MAKING READY FOR THE ASCENT. 255 
 
 built underneath to hold the fire, whose ascending calo- 
 ric was to expand the balloon, and raise it into the air. 
 
 The fiiel out of which this fire was to be made had 
 been already collected near the spot. It was not wood, 
 nor fagots of any kind ; for although these might have 
 served after a fashion, Karl was acquainted with a bet- 
 ter material. He remembered that the Montgolfiers, 
 and other early aerostats, — previous to the introduction 
 of the inflammable gas, — had used chopped straw and 
 wool, and regarded these materials to be the best sub- 
 stances for inflating their balloons. Karl had adopted 
 their idea, and had provided chopped grass as a substi- 
 tute for the chopped straw, and in lieu of sheep's wool 
 he had procured a quantity of the poskm of the ibex, 
 and other animals, that had been killed, — the rich 
 shawl-wool of Cashmere ! 
 
 The car, which has already been described as a sort 
 of deep hamper, was not over three feet in diameter. 
 It was evidently not equal to the holding of three per- 
 sons, — to say nothing of a large dog, — for it is hardly 
 necessary to say that Fritz was not going to be left be- 
 hind. The faithful creature had too long followed the 
 fortunes of our adventurers to be abandoned by them 
 now. 
 
 But there was not the slightest danger of that. The 
 dimensions of the car were large enough for what the 
 " vehicle " was intended to carry, which was only one. 
 
 Karl believed that there would be little chance of the 
 balloon ha'v'ing sufficient power to take up all three of 
 them, their united weight being over four hundred 
 pounds. He would be but too contented if one should 
 be carried aloft ; and if that one should succeed in efiect-
 
 256 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 ing a landing on the summit of the cliff, it was of no im- 
 portance what afterwards became of the aerial ship. 
 Having completed that one voyage, it might make 
 another on its own account, — either south to Calcutta, 
 or eastward to Hong Kong, if it liked China better. 
 
 Of course, if any one of them should succeed Ln sur- 
 mounting the cliff, it would be an easy matter to get 
 over the mountain ; and as they had passed native vil- 
 lages on their way upwai'd, these could be reached in a 
 day or two, and a party of men, with a proper rope- 
 ladder, brought to the rescue of the others. 
 
 Even had there been no prospect of assistance from 
 any one outside, it would not matter very much. If only 
 one of them could get to the top of the cliffs, they could 
 construct a rope-ladder of themselves, — by which the 
 other two would be able to make the ascent. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say who was to make the 
 attempt, — Ossaroo was to be the aeronaut. Ossaroo 
 had voluntarily offered himself for this perilous per- 
 formance ; and his offer had been accepted. 
 
 Not that either of the others were at all afraid to 
 have run the risk. It was from no desire to shirk the 
 danger that they had appointed Ossaroo to undertake it ; 
 but simply because, once outside, the shikaree would be 
 far better able to find liis way down the mountains : and 
 in his native language could readUy communicate with 
 the villagers, and give a correct account of their situa- 
 tion.
 
 INFLATION AND FAILURE. 257 
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 
 INFLATION AND FAILURE. 
 
 At length arrived the hour for making that important 
 experiment, — as to whether their aerial ship would 
 prove herself air-worthy. 
 
 All three stood around the s^iot where the chopped 
 grass and shawl-wool were to be set on fire. This fuel 
 itself appeared underneath, — in a little heap lightly 
 laid, and ready for the touch of the tinder. 
 
 Karl had a piece of blazing torch in his hand ; Cas- 
 par held one of the stay-ropes, to jDrevent the balloon 
 from rising too rapidly ; while Ossaroo, equipped as if 
 for a journey, stood by the hamper, in readiness, when 
 the proper time should arrive, to " pack " himself into it. 
 
 Alas! for the frailty of all human foresight! The 
 most careful calculations often prove erroneous, — not 
 that in the present instance there was any unibreseen 
 error : for from the very first Karl had been distrustful 
 of his data; and they were now to disappoint, rather 
 than deceive him. 
 
 It was not written in the book of destiny that Ossaroo 
 should ever set foot in that wicker car ; or ever make 
 an ascent by that balloon. 
 
 The torch was applied to the chopped grass and 
 shawl-wool. Both blazed and smoked, and smouldered ; 
 and, more being thrown on, the blaze was kept up con- 
 
 Q
 
 258 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 tinuously. The heated air ascended through the aper- 
 ture, causing the great sphere of stitched skins to swell 
 out to its full dimensions. 
 
 It trembled and rocked from side to side, like some 
 huge monster in pain. It rose to the height of a feW 
 inches from the ground, sank, and then rose again, sank 
 once more, and so kept on rising and sinking and bob- 
 bing about, but, alas ! never exhibiting sufficient ascend- 
 ing power to raise the hamper even as high as their 
 heads ! 
 
 Karl continued to feed the furnace with the chopped 
 grass and poshm, but all to no purpose. The air within 
 was sufficiently heated to have raised it for miles, — had 
 they only been as low as the sea-level and the balloon 
 constructed of lighter matei'ials. 
 
 As it was, aU their efforts were in vain. The gigantic 
 globe could not be raised above six feet from the ground. 
 It had not j)0wer enough to carry up a cat, — much less 
 a man. In short, it was a failure, — one more added to 
 the long list of their dark disappointments ! 
 
 For more than an hour Karl continued to keep his fire 
 ablaze. He even tried fagots of the resinous pine : in 
 hopes that by obtaining a greater strength of caloric he 
 might still succeed in causing the balloon to soar up- 
 ward ; but there was no perceptible diffiirence in the 
 effect. It bobbed about as before, but still obstinately 
 refused to ascend. 
 
 At length, with patience exhausted and hopes com- 
 pletely crushed, the engineer turned away from the ma- 
 chine which he had taken so much pains in constructing. 
 For a moment he stood irresolute. Then heaving a sigh 
 at the recollection of liis wasted labor, with sad, slow
 
 %r-^ 
 
 
 ll w;is u PailufL', — out' more aJdcd to the long list of their (lurk (lisanraiutments. 
 
 v. 258.
 
 INFLATION AND FAILURE. 259 
 
 step he departed from the spot. Caspar soon followed 
 him, — fiUly participating in the feeling of grievous dis- 
 appointment. Ossaroo took leave of the inflated monster 
 in a different fashion. Drawing near to it, he stood for 
 some seconds contemplating it in silence, — as if reflect- 
 ing on the vast amount of seam he had stitched to no 
 purpose. Then uttering a native ejaculation, coupled 
 with a phrase that meant to say, " No good either for 
 the earth, the water, or the air," he raised his foot, 
 kicked the balloon in the side with such violence that 
 the toe of his sandals burst a hole in the distended eel- 
 skins, and, turning scornfully away, left the worthless 
 machine to take care of itself. 
 
 This task, however, it proved ill-adapted to accom- 
 plish : for the disappointed aeronauts had not been gone 
 many minutes from the ground, when the heated air 
 inside, which had for some time been gradually growing 
 cooler, reached at length so low a temperature, that the 
 great sphere began to collapse and settle down upon the 
 embers of the pine fagots still glowing red underneath. 
 The consequence was that the inflammable skins, cords, 
 and woodwork coming in contact with the fire, began to 
 burn like so much tinder. The flames ran upward, lick- 
 ing the oily eel-skins like the tongues of fiery serpents ; 
 and when the ci-devant aeronauts looked back from the 
 door of their hut, they perceived that the balloon was 
 ablaze ! 
 
 Had the accident occurred two hours before, they 
 would have looked upon it as the saddest of calamities. 
 Now, however, they stood regarding the burning of that 
 abandoned balloon with as much indifference as is said 
 to have been exhibited by Nero, while contemplating the 
 conflagration of the seven-hilled city !
 
 260 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEES. 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 ANOTHER SPELL OF DESPAIR. 
 
 Never, during all the days of their sojourn in that 
 " Valley of Despond," did our adventurers feel more 
 despondence, than on the afternoon that succeeded the 
 bursting of their great air-bubble, — the balloon. They 
 felt that in tliis effort they had exhausted all their inge- 
 nuity ; and so firmly were they convinced of its being 
 the last, that no one thought about making another. 
 The spirits of all three were prostrate in the dust, and 
 seemed at length to have surrendered to despair. 
 
 Of course it was not that sort of despair which takes 
 possession of one conscious of coming and certain death. 
 It was far from being so dire as this ; but for all it was a 
 bitter feeling. They knew they could continue to live, 
 perhaps as long there as elsewhere upon the earth ; but 
 what would life be worth to them, cut off from all com- 
 munication with the world? — for now, to the fulness 
 of conviction, did they believe themselves thus isolated. 
 
 In disposition, not one of the three had the slightest 
 particle of the hermit. Not one of them but would 
 have shuddered at the thought of becoming a Simon 
 Stylites. You might sup2:)ose that, with books and Na- 
 ture to study, Karl could have made shift. True, with 
 such companions he miglit have lived a less irksome life 
 than either of the others ; but even with these to occupy
 
 ANOTHER SPELL OF DESPAIR. 261 
 
 him, it is doubtful whether Karl coukl have passed the 
 time ; for it is not very certain that a man — knowing 
 himself alone in the world, and forever to be alone — 
 would care either for the books of men or the book of 
 Nature. 
 
 As for Caspar, the thought that their lonely existence 
 was to be perpetual, was enough at times to send the 
 blood rushing coldly through his veins. 
 
 The Hindoo felt the affliction as much as either of his 
 companions in misfortune ; and sighed as much for liis 
 bamboo hut on the hot plains of Hindostan, as they for 
 their home in the ftir fatherland of Bavaria. 
 
 It is true their situation was not so bad as if each had 
 been left alone by himself. Many a poor castaway 
 upon a desert island has been condemned to a far more 
 unhappy fate. They knew and acknowledged this. Each 
 had the other two for companions ; but as they reflected 
 thus, they could not hinder their thoughts from casting 
 forward into the future, — perhaps not distant, — when 
 one of them might leave that valley without the aid of 
 either rope-ladders or balloons ; and then another, — 
 leaving the last of the three lonely and forlorn ! 
 
 "With such sad reflections did they pass the evening 
 of that day, and the morning and evening of that which 
 followed. They took no heed of time ; and could scarce 
 summon sufficient energy to cook their frugal meals. 
 The spirit to plan, and the energy to act, seemed both 
 to have departed from them at once and forever. 
 
 This state of things could not long continue. As al- 
 ready said, the soul of man holds within itself a power 
 of resuscitation. So long as it continues to live, it may 
 hope to recover from the heaviest blow. Broken hearts
 
 262 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 are more apparent than real ; and even those that are 
 worst shattered have their intervals in which they are 
 restored to a perfect soundness. The slave in his chains, 
 the prisoner within his dark dungeon, the castaway on 
 his desert isle, all have their hours of joy, — perhaps 
 as vivid and lasting as those of the king upon his throne, 
 or the conqueror in his car of triumph. 
 
 On earth there is no happiness unmingled with alloy ; 
 and, perhaps, there is no sorrow that may not in time 
 find solace. 
 
 On the second day succeeding their last great disap- 
 pointment, the spirits of all three began to revive ; and 
 those natural wants, — which, whether we will or not, 
 force themselves upon our attention, — commenced to 
 claim their consideration. 
 
 Karl was the first to recognize these necessities. If 
 they were to live there for life, he reasoned, — and this 
 seemed no longer a doubtful supposition, — it would be 
 of no use giving way to despondency, — moping out 
 their days like mutes at a funeral. Better far to lead an 
 active life; and live well too, — by providing plenty to 
 eat and plenty to drink, — which with industry they 
 could easily do. All this might not make them cheer- 
 ful ; but they would certainly be less a prey to melan- 
 choly while engaged in some active industry, than if they 
 remained brooding over their fate. 
 
 These thoughts, as we have said, arose on the morn- 
 ing of the second day succeeding that on which the bal- 
 loon had been abandoned. Karl gave words to them, 
 in an attempt to cheer his brother Caspar, — who had 
 relajDsed into a state of unusual despondency. Ossaroo 
 equally required cheering ; and therefore it devolved on
 
 ANOTHER SPELL OF DESPAIR. 2G3 
 
 the botauist to attempt enlivening the spirits of his com- 
 panions. 
 
 For a time, he met with very slight success ; but 
 gradually the necessity of action forced itself upon the 
 attention of all, — if only to provide the means to heep 
 them from starving ; and without further loss of time, 
 they resumed the various branches of industry by which 
 they had liitherto been enabled to supply their larder. 
 
 To Caspar, as before, the cliase was intrusted ; while 
 Ossaroo attended to the fishing ; as he, better than either 
 of the others, understood the management of hooks, 
 lines, and nets. 
 
 The botanist busied himself in the old way, exploring 
 the valley, in search of such seeds, plants, and roots as 
 might be found wholesome for food, — not neglecting 
 others of a medicinal character, that might serve in case 
 of sickness. Many such had the young plant-hunter 
 encountered during his early researches ; and had made 
 note of them against the possibility of their being re- 
 quired. 
 
 Fortunately, up to that time there had been no great 
 need for any of the party to make trial of the natural 
 Pharmacopceia which the valley afforded ; and it was to 
 be honied they should never have occasion to test the 
 virtues of the sjiecifics which the plant-hunter had dis- 
 covered. Karl nevertheless collected several kinds ; 
 and, after su.bmitting them to a process necessary for 
 their preservation, had stored them away within the hut. 
 
 Of those vegetable products adapted for food, the 
 chief article obtained was the nutritive seed yielded by 
 the edible pine {Pinus Gerardiand). The cones of this 
 valuable tree were as large as artichokes ; each yielding
 
 264 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 several seeds of the size and appearance of pistachio 
 nuts. 
 
 The wild cockscomb {Amara7ithus cruentus) also fur- 
 nished a portion of their supply. Its seeds when 
 parched, and crushed between two stones, i^roduced a 
 kind of meal, of which cakes of bread were manufactured 
 by Ossaroo. These, although very far inferior to the 
 real home-bake, or even to the most ordinary produc- 
 tion of the bakehouse, were nevertheless sufficiently 
 palateable to those who had no other bread. 
 
 The lake, besides yielding fish to the nets of Ossaroo, 
 also afforded a supply of vegetables. On searching it, 
 the botanist discovered several edible kinds of plants ; 
 among others the curious Trapa hicornis, or horned 
 water-nut, — known among the natives of the Himalayan 
 countries by the name Singara, and much used by them 
 as an article of wholesome food. 
 
 There was also a splendid water-lily, — with very 
 broad leaves and large flowers of pink and white color, 
 -^the seeds and the stalks of which Karl knew to be 
 edible ; as he had read of theii* being used for this pur- 
 pose by the poorer people in the country of Cashmeer. 
 The lily in question, namely, the Nelumbium speciosum, 
 grows plentifully in the lakes of the far-famed valley so 
 named. 
 
 On first observing this beautiful plant growing lux- 
 uriantl)', as it was, in their own little valley lake, Karl 
 took occasion to inform his brother — Ossaroo at the 
 same time listening attentively to his statement — of the 
 various uses made of it by the inhabitants of Cashmeer. 
 How the boys sailing about in their boats when the day 
 chances to be very hot, are in the habit of plucking one
 
 ANOTHER SPELL OF DESPAIR. 265 
 
 of its large sliining leaves out of the water, and spread- 
 ing it over their crowns, to protect them from the fervid 
 rays of the sun ; and how the petiole of the leaf, being 
 hollow inside, serves them as a tube for drinking out of. 
 Many such interesting particulars, in regard to the econ- 
 omy of this fine aquatic plant, did the young botanist 
 communicate to his companions ; but none more inter- 
 esting than the fact that both its seeds and stallis are 
 edible : since this promised them additional security 
 against the danger of running short in their supply of 
 vegetable food. 
 
 12
 
 266 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTEE LIV. 
 
 THE BEAlf OF PYTHAGORAS. 
 
 The discovery of the water-lily was not a thing of 
 recent occurrence. They had known of its existence 
 before ; and more than once had visited the little eni- 
 bayment in the lake, where it chiefly grew. In fact, it 
 had attracted their attention a few days after their first 
 arrival ui the valley, — not by its own conspicuousness, 
 for its broad round leaves, spread horizontally upon the 
 surface, could scarce be seen from the shore. Only 
 when its beautiful pink-white flowers were in bloom, 
 could it be observed at any great distance. 
 
 That which had first led them to approach the place 
 where it gi-ew, and examine the plant, was their having 
 noticed a singular phenomenon connected with it ; and 
 which for a while had puzzled all three of them to ex- 
 plain. 
 
 The hed of lilies, at that time in full bloom, was 
 visible from the place where they had originally made 
 their encampment ; and every morning, just after day- 
 break, and sometimes also during the day, they were in 
 the habit of seeing some birds disporting themselves 
 near that place in a singular manner, — very siogular 
 indeed : since these birds appeared to walh upon the 
 water ! 
 
 They were tall, long-legged, slender-bodied creatures,
 
 THE BEAN OF PYTHAGORAS. 267 
 
 and easily distinguished by both Karl and Caspar as 
 belonging to the family of HaUidce, or vvater-heus. 
 
 There could be no doubt that they were walking on 
 the water, — sometimes slowly, at other times in a quick 
 run, — and, what was even more unaccountable than 
 this, they were seen at times to stand still upon the 
 water I Ay, and, what miglit be considered more sur- 
 prising stni, they performed this aquatic feat upon only 
 one leg / 
 
 The thing might have been more mysterious, had not 
 Karl from the iirst suspected the reason why the laws 
 of specific gravity appeared to be thus contradicted. He 
 suspected the existence of some plant, whose leaves, ly- 
 ing spread on the surface, perhaps offered a footing for 
 the birds, sufficiently firm to support the weight of their 
 bodies. 
 
 The botanist was only reasoning from remembrance. 
 He had lately read the account published but a few 
 years before of the discovery of the gigantic water-lily 
 of tropical America, — the Victoria Regia, — and re- 
 membered how its discoverers had spoken of large birds 
 of the crane family making their perch upon its huge 
 leaves, and thus supported, playing about over the sur- 
 face of the water, as if the firm earth had been under 
 their feet. 
 
 With these facts fresh in his memory, Karl conjec- 
 tured that the water-hens seen by liim and his compan- 
 ions were supported on a similar pedestal, and playing 
 themselves on a like platform. His conjecture proved 
 correct : for on visiting the place shortly after, the broad 
 orbicular leaves of the Nelumhium speciosum were per- 
 ceived, — almost as large as those of their South Ameri- 
 can congener.
 
 268 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 Other interesting points relating to the great lily 
 growing in the Himalayan lake, Karl had mentioned 
 from time to time to his companions : for he knew that 
 the Nelumbium speciosum was the celebrated Pythago- 
 rean bean mentioned in the writings of the Greeks, — 
 more especially by Herodotus and Theophrastes. 
 
 It is described by these writers as growing plentifully 
 in Egypt ; and no doubt was cultivated in that country 
 in their day ; though it is not known there at the present 
 time. It is found represented on the Egyptian sculp- 
 tures, and so accurately has it been described by the 
 Greek writers, as to leave no doubt as to the identifica- 
 tion of the species. 
 
 It is one of the plants supposed to be the celebrated 
 " lotus " of antiquity ; and this supposition is probable 
 enough : since not only its succulent stalk, but its seeds 
 or " beans," have been eaten in all times by the people 
 in whose country it grows. It is a food that produces 
 a strengthening effect upon the system ; and is also very 
 refreshing in cases of thirst. The Chinese call it " Lien- 
 wha," and its seeds with thin slices of its root, mixed 
 with the kernels of apricots and walnuts, and placed 
 between alternate layers of ice, constituted one of the 
 select dishes offered by the great mandarins to the Brit- 
 ish ambassadors on the visit of the latter to the Celestial 
 Empire. 
 
 These people store up the roots of the lienwha for 
 winter use, — preserving them in a pickle of salt and 
 vinegar. The Japanese also make use of the plant as 
 an esculent ; and it is, moreover, regarded by them as 
 sacred to their divinities, — the images of which are 
 often represented seated upon its large leaves.
 
 THE BEAN OF PYTHAOOUAS. 2G9 
 
 « 
 
 The flowers of the Nelumbium speciosum, when in full 
 bloom, give out a most fragrant odor, — somewhat re- 
 sembling that of anise ; while the seeds, shaped like 
 acorns, have a flavor equal in richness and delicacy to- 
 that of the finest almonds.
 
 270 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 AN AQUATIC HARVEST. 
 
 It was not upon that occasion that Karl communicated 
 to his companions all these interesting facts in relation 
 to the great lily. Many of them he had made known 
 long before, — especially that the seeds of the plant were 
 eatable ; and both Caspar and Ossaroo had often proved 
 to their own satisfaction that they were something more 
 than eatable, — in short, a great delicacy. 
 
 It was from a knowledge of this fact that the thoughts 
 of all three were now turned upon the lilies, — whose 
 huge roseate corollas, no longer seen glistening above 
 the surface of the water, proclaimed that the " beans " 
 were ripe, and ready for " shelling." 
 
 The tliree were about starting frotn the hut to reap 
 this aquatic harvest, — which, judging from the quantity 
 of seed-pods that appeared above the surface, promised 
 to be abundant. 
 
 Each had provided himself with a rush basket, — 
 which the shikaree had woven during the long winter 
 nights, for other purposes ; but as they were of just the 
 size and shape to hold the Pythagorean beans, they were 
 now to be employed in that capacity. 
 
 Both Karl and Caspar liad i-olled up their trowsers to 
 mid-thigh ; so as not to wet tliera while wading among 
 the lilies ; but Odsaroo, not being provided with any
 
 AN AQUATIC HARVEST. 271 
 
 nether garment entitled to the name of trowsers, had 
 simply tucked up the skirt of his cotton tunic, making 
 it fast under liis girdle. 
 
 In this guise all three proceeded round the shore of 
 the lake, to that side where thev would be nearest the 
 bed of lilies. The water-hens, seeing them make their 
 approach, rose from their perch upon the leaves, and 
 fluttered off to seek a more secure shelter among the 
 sedge. 
 
 The aquatic gleaners at once waded in ; and com- 
 menced picking off the pods, and shelling them into their 
 rush baskets. They had been there before, and knew 
 there was no danger in the depth of the water. 
 
 They had nearly filled their respective sacks with the 
 Pythagorean beans, and were meditating a return to dry 
 land, when a dark shadow passing over the tranquil sur- 
 face of the lake — closely followed by another of similar 
 size and shape — attracted their attention. 
 
 All three saw the shadows at the same instant of 
 time ; and all simultaneously looked up to ascertain 
 what sort of creatures were casting them. In the sky 
 above they beheld a spectacle, calculated to inspire them 
 with feelings of a strange interest. 
 
 Right above the lake, and also over their heads, a 
 brace of large birds was circling in the air. Each was 
 borne up by a pair of huge wings full five yards from 
 tip to tip ; while from the body, between, a neck of enor- 
 mous length was extended horizontally, — prolonged into 
 a tapering-pointed beak, in shape like the seed-pistil of 
 a j)eIargouium. 
 
 Their beaks might well have been compared to the 
 pistil of a pelargonium ; or rather the latter should be
 
 272 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 assimilated to them; since it is from this species of 
 birds the flower has derived its botanical cognomen. 
 
 The birds were storks. Not the ordinary Ciconia, 
 that makes its home among the Hollanders, — or finds 
 a still more welcome hospitality on the roof-tree of the 
 Hungarian by the plains of the Puszta, — but a stork of 
 far grander dimensions ; in short, a stork that is the tall- 
 est of his tribe, — the Adjutant. 
 
 On looking up, Karl recognized the species ; so did 
 Caspar, and at a glance. It required no lengthened 
 scrutiny, no profoimd knowledge of natural history, 
 to identify the noted adjutant. It only needed to have 
 seen him before either in 'propria persona, or in a pic- 
 ture ; but both brothers had seen specimens of the 
 bird, in full flesh and feather, on the plains of India, — ■ 
 in the environs of Calcutta itself. 
 
 As to the shikaree, was it likely he should be mis- 
 taken about the character of those winged giants, — 
 those tall scavengers he had seen thousands of times 
 stalking pompously along the sandy shores of the sacred 
 Ganges ? It was not possible for him, to have a doubt 
 about the identity of the birds, who were now throw- 
 ing their shadows over that lone lake of the Himalayas. 
 He had no doubt. The very certamty that the birds 
 above him were the gigantic cranes of the Ganges, — 
 the sacred birds of Brahma, — caused him to utter a 
 sort of frenzied shout, and at the same time, droppmg 
 his " sack of beans " into the water ! 
 
 He needed not to look at the color of the birds, to 
 note that they were brown-black above, and white 
 underneath. The naked vulture neck, with its pouch- 
 like appendage of brick-red hue ; the silken feathers
 
 AN AQrATIC HARVEST. 273 
 
 of bluish while under the tail, — those precious plumes 
 well known and worn by the ladies of many lands 
 under the appellation of tnarabout feathers, — all were 
 recognized at a glance. 
 
 Even quicker than either of his youthful comrades 
 had the Hindoo identified the birds. A single glance 
 sufficed, and simultaneously with that glance had the 
 cry fallen from his lips, and the sack of Pythagorean 
 beans from his grasp. 
 
 The birds were flying slowly, and to all appearance 
 laboriously/: as if wearied of wing. They appeared to 
 be in search of some roost on which to rej^ose them- 
 selves. 
 
 That they had entered the valley with this intention 
 was made evident a few moments after : for having 
 made a circuit round the little lake, both at the same 
 instant ceased to ply their long pinions, and drawing 
 their wings suddenly in to their bodies, they settled 
 down upon the shore. 
 
 The spot upon which they had chosen to alight was 
 the prominence termmating a little peninsula that pro- 
 truded out almost to the bed of lilies, and from which 
 the three waders had themselves descended into the 
 water. As the latter now stood knee-deep among the 
 aquatic plants, they were distant not more than twenty 
 paces from the point of this peninsula. 
 
 The storks, after ahghting, stood upon the shore in 
 erect attitudes, — apparently as unconcerned about the 
 presence of our three adventurers, as if the latter were 
 only overgrown stalks of the Pythagorean bean, — 
 utterly incapable of doing them an injury. 
 
 12* B
 
 274 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 THE ADJUTANTS. 
 
 The brace of gigantic birds, that had thus alighted 
 by the shore of the little lake, were, to say the least, 
 uncouth creatures ; for the whole ornithological world 
 might be ransacked without finding a greater oddity 
 than the adjutant. 
 
 In the first place, it stands six feet upon its long, 
 straight shanks ; though its actual length, measuring 
 from the tip of its bill to the termination of its claws, 
 is full seven and a half. The beak, of itself, is over a 
 foot in length, several inches in thickness, with a gib- 
 bous enlargement near the middle, and having both 
 mandibles slightly curved downwards. 
 
 The spread of a fidl-grown adjutant's wing is fifteen 
 feet, or five yards, from tip to tip, — quite equalHng 
 in extent either that of the Chilian condor or the 
 " wandering " albatross. 
 
 In color the adjutant may be described as black above 
 and wliite underneath, neither that being very pure. 
 The upper plumage is a dirty brownish-black ; while 
 the belly and under parts present a dull white appear- 
 ance, — partly from an admixture of grayish feathers, 
 but also from the cu'cumstance that the bu'd is usually 
 bedaubed with dirt, — as mud from the marshes, where 
 it feeds, and other filth, in tthich it seems to take de-
 
 THE ADJUTANTS. 275 
 
 light. But for this foulness, the legs of thfe adjutant 
 would be of a dark color ; but in the living bird they 
 are never seen of the natural hue, — being always 
 whitened by the dust shaken out of its plumage, and 
 other excrement that attaches itself to the akin. 
 
 The tail is black above and white underneath, — 
 more especially the under coverts, which are of a pure 
 white. These last are the plumes so highly prized 
 under the name of " marabout feathers," an erroneous 
 title, arising through a mistake, — made by the natu- 
 raUst Temminck in comparing the Indian adjutant with 
 another and very different species of the same genus, — 
 the marabout stork of Africa. 
 
 One of the distinctive chai'acteristics of the adjutant, 
 or " argala,!' as it is better known to the Indians, — and 
 one, too, of its ugliest " features," — is a naked neck 
 of a flesh-red color, the skui shrivelled, corrugated, and 
 covered with brownish hau-s. These " bristles " are 
 more thickly set in young birds, but become thinner 
 with age, until they almost totally disappear, — leaving 
 both head and neck quite naked. 
 
 This peculiarity causes a resemblance between the 
 adjutant bird and the vultures; but indeed there are 
 many other points of similarity ; and the stork may in 
 all respects be regarded as a vulture, — the vulture of 
 the grallatores, or waders. 
 
 In addition to the naked neck, the adjutant is fur- 
 nished with an immense dew-lop, or pouch which hangs 
 down upon its breast, — often more than a foot in 
 length, and changing from pale flesh color to bright 
 red, along with the skin of the throat. At the back 
 of the neck is found still another singular apparatus,
 
 276 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 — the use of which has not been determined by the 
 naturalist. It is a sort of vesicular appendage, capable 
 of being inflated with air ; and supposed to serve as 
 an atmospheric buoy to assist in sustaining the bird in 
 its flight. The inflation has been observed to taks 
 place under exposure to a hot sun ; and, therefore, it 
 is natural to infer, that the rarefaction of the air has 
 something to do m causing it. As the adjutant often 
 flies to a great height, it is possible that this balloon- 
 like apparatus is necessary to sustaining it in the rare- 
 fied atmosphere found at such an elevation. The an- 
 nual migration of the bird over the lofty chain of the 
 Himalayas might not be possible, or if possible, more 
 difficult, without this power of decreasing the specific 
 gravity of its body. 
 
 It is scarce necessary to say that the adjutant — like 
 all birds of the family to which it belongs — is a filthy 
 and voracious feeder ; carnivorous in the highest degree ; 
 and preferring carrion and garbage to any other sort of 
 food. It will kill and swallow live kuid, — such as 
 frogs, snakes, small rjuadrupeds, and birds, — the latter 
 not so very small either : since it has been known to bolt 
 a whole fowl at a single " swallow." Even a cat or a 
 hare can be accommodated with a jiassage down its 
 capacious gullet ; but it will not attempt to kill either 
 one or the other : since, notwithstanding its gigantic size, 
 it is one of the veriest cowards in creation. A child, 
 with a bit of a switch, can at any time chase the adjutant 
 away ; and an enraged hen will put it to flight whenever 
 it strays into the neighborhood of her young brood. It 
 does not retreat without first making a show of defiance, 
 
 — by placing itself in a threatening attitude, — with red-
 
 THE ADJUTANTS. 277 
 
 dened throat, and beak wide agape, from which latter 
 proceeds a loud roaring, like that of a bear or tiger. All 
 this, however, is mere braggadocio ; for, on the enemy 
 continuing the attack, it immediately cools down, and 
 betakes itself to iiniominious fliirht. 
 
 Such are a few peculiarities of the gigantic stork, 
 known as the adjutant or argala. It only remains to be 
 added, that there are at least two, perhaps three, other 
 species of storks of very large dimensions, — though not 
 so large as this one, — that for a long time have been 
 confounded with it. One of these is the marahout, which 
 inhabits the tropical regions of Africa, and which also 
 produces the jilumes so much prized in the world of 
 fashion. The feathers of the African species, however, 
 are far less beautiful and valuable than those from the 
 tail of the adjutant ; and it is these last that are really 
 best known as marahout feathers, in consequence of the 
 mistake made by Temminck, and propagated by the 
 anatomist Cuvier. 
 
 Another great stork — differing both from the argala 
 of Asia and the marahout of Africa — inhabits the Island 
 of Sumatra. It is known to the natives as i\\e " Boo- 
 rong Cambay " ; while in the neighboring Island of Java 
 is found either a fourth species of these gigantic birds, or 
 the same that belongs to Sumatra. 
 
 It is somewhat singular that such creatures should 
 have remained so long unknown to the scientific world. 
 It is not much more than half a century since travellers 
 began to describe them with any degree of exactness ; 
 and even at the present time their history and habits 
 have received but very slight elucidation. This is the 
 more surprising when we consider that on the banks of
 
 278 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 the Ganges — even in Calcutta itself — the adjutant is 
 one of the most common birds, — constantly stalking 
 about the houses, and entering the enclosures with as 
 much familiarity, as if it was one of the regular domes- 
 tics of the establishment ! 
 
 Its services as a " scavenger " procure for it an immu- 
 nity from persecution ; and it is not only tolerated by the 
 people, but encouraged, in its advances towards fellow- 
 ship with them ; notwithstanding that at times it becomes 
 rather troublesome in its attentions to the young duck- 
 lings, chicklings, and other denizens of the farmyard. 
 
 Sometimes they are not even contented with such fare 
 as may be found outside ; but have been known to enter 
 the bungalow, snatch a smoking joint from the table, and 
 swallow it, before either master or servant could rescue 
 the dainty morsel from between their long and tenacious 
 mandibles ! 
 
 When seen in flocks, wading through the water, — 
 with wings outstretched, as is their custom, — they may 
 be taken for a fleet of small boats. At other times, 
 when stalking about over the sandy shores, and picking 
 up the debris strewed along the banks of the sacred 
 river, they resemble a crowd of native women engaged 
 in the like occupation. 
 
 Ofttimes may they be seen feeding voraciously upon 
 the filthiest carrion of animals ; and not unfrequently 
 upon a human body in a state of putrefaction, — the 
 corpse of some deluded victim to the superstition of Jug- 
 gernaut, — which has been thrown into the so-styled 
 sacred river, to be washed back on the beach, an object 
 of contention between pariah dogs, vultures, and these 
 gigantic cranes of the Ganges.
 
 THE STAJfDLNG SLEEPERS. 279 
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 
 THE STANDING SLEEPERS. 
 
 The advent of the adjutants produced a vivid impres- 
 sion on the minds of all three of our adventurers, — 
 more vivid, perhaps, upon Ossaroo than either of the 
 others. To him they seemed like old friends who had 
 come to visit him in his prison ; and though it never 
 occurred to the shikaree that they could be in any way 
 instrumental in obtaining liis release, stiH the impression 
 produced was one of a pleasant nature. He saw before 
 him two creatures whose forms, however uncouth, were 
 associated with the scenes of his earliest cliildhood ; and 
 he could not help a passing fancy, that the pair that had 
 thus unexpectedly made their appearance might be the 
 same old cock and hen he had so often seen roosted on 
 the branches of a huge banyan-tree that overshadowed 
 the bungalow in wliich he was born. 
 
 Of course this could be only fancy on the part of 
 Ossaroo. Out of the thousands of storks that annually 
 make their migration from the plains of Hindostan to 
 the northward of the Himalaya Mountains, it would 
 have been a rare coincidence if the two that for years 
 had performed the office of scavengers in the shikaree's 
 native village, should be identical with those now hover- 
 ing above liis head, — for it was while they were yet 
 upon the wing that Ossaroo had indulged in this pleas-
 
 280 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 ant speculation. Though scarce serious in his thought, 
 — and only entertaining it for an instant, — he was 
 nevertheless gratified by the sight of the two storks, for 
 he knew they must have come from liis native plains, — 
 from the banks of that glorious river in whose waters he 
 lonsred once more to wet his feet. 
 
 The sight of the huge birds suggested to Caspar a 
 different traui of thought. As he beheld their immense 
 wings, extended in slow but easy flight, it occurred to 
 him that one or other of the gerat creatures might have 
 the power to jierform that task which had proved too 
 much for the bearcoot ; and for wliich the " kite " had 
 been " flied " in vain. 
 
 " O," exclaimed he, as the idea came across his mind, 
 " don't you tliink, Karl, that either of those great crea- 
 tures would be strong enough to carry the line aloft? 
 They look as if they could lift even one of ourselves to 
 the top of the cliff." 
 
 Karl made no reply : though his silence was only 
 caused by Caspar's suggestion, — which he was proceed- 
 ing to ponder upon. 
 
 The young hunter continued : " If we could only 
 catch one of them alive ! Do you suppose they are 
 going to alight? They look as if they would. What 
 do you say, Ossaroo ? You know more of these birds 
 than we do." 
 
 " Yees, youngee sahib ; -ee speakee de true. Dey go 
 for come down. You savey dey make long fly. Dey 
 both weary on de wing, — no able fly furder. 'Sides, 
 ee see, here am de lake, — water, — dey want drinkee, 
 ■ — want eat too. Dey sure come down." 
 
 Ossaroo's prediction was fulfilled, almost as soon as
 
 THE STANDING SLEEPERS. 281 
 
 it was uttered. The birds, first one and then the other, 
 jerked in their spread wings ; and dropped down upon 
 the shore of the lake, — as ah'eady stated, not over 
 twenty paces from the spot where the three waders were 
 occupied among the leaves of the lilies. 
 
 The eyes of all three were now directed with a fixed 
 gaze upon the new-comers, — in whose behavior they 
 observed something irresistibly ludicrous. 
 
 Almost on the instant of their feet touching terra Jlr- 
 ma, instead of moving about over the ground in search 
 of food, or striding down towards the water to drink, — 
 as the spectators were expecting them to do, — the two 
 long-legged bipeds acted in an entirely different manner. 
 Neither of them seemed to care either for food or drink. 
 If they did, both these appetites must have been secondary 
 with them to the desire for rest ; for scarce ten seconds 
 had elapsed after their alighting, when each drew in its 
 long neck, burying it between the shoulders as in a case, 
 leaving visible only the upper half of the head, with 
 its huge scythe-shaped beak, — the mandibles resting 
 against the prominence of the breast bone, and pointmg 
 diagonally downwards. 
 
 Simultaneous with this movement, the spectators per- 
 ceived another, — equally indicative of a desire on the 
 part of the birds to betake themselves to repose. This 
 was the drawing up of one of their long fleshless legs, 
 until it was entirely concealed under the loose feathers 
 of the belly, — a movement made by both so exactly at 
 the same instant, as to lead to the belief that they were 
 actuated by like impulses, by some spiritual union that 
 existed between them ! 
 
 In ten seconds more both birds appeared to be asleep. 
 At all events, their eyes were closed ; and not a move-
 
 282 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 ment conld be detected in the limbs, wings, bodies, or 
 beaks of either ! 
 
 It was certainly a ludicrous sight to see these huge 
 creatures, — each supporting itself on a single stalk, so 
 straight and slender that nothing but the nicest balance 
 could have insured their equilibrium ; and this, too, while 
 neither seemed conscious of any danger of toppling over, 
 
 — of which, indeed, there was not the slightest reason 
 to be afraid. 
 
 The Hindoo had been too lon£; accustomed to this 
 sort of spectacle, to see anything in it worthy of being 
 laughed at. Not so Caspar, — whose mirth was at once 
 excited to the point of risibility. The unconcerned 
 maimer in which the storks had come to a stand, — 
 along with the picturesque pose in which they had com- 
 posed themselves to sleep, — was even too much for the 
 stoical Karl ; who at once echoed the laughter which his 
 brother had inaugurated. 
 
 Their united cachinnations rang loudly over the lake, 
 
 — reverberating in repeated peals from the adjacent cliffs. 
 It might be supposed that the fracas thus created 
 
 would have alarmed the new arrivals ; and caused them 
 once more to make an appeal to their wings. 
 
 Nothing of the sort. The only effect perceptible on 
 either, was the opening of their eyes, a slight protrusion 
 of the neck, a shake of the head, an upraising of the 
 long beak, with a quick clattering of its mandibles, — 
 which soon becoming closed again, were permitted to 
 drop into their original position of repose. 
 
 This cool behavior of the birds only increased the 
 hilarity of the boys ; and for several minutes they re- 
 mained in their places, giving way to loud and uncon- 
 trollable laughter.
 
 FRITZ AMONG THE FEATHERS. 283 
 
 CHAPTER LVIII. 
 
 FRITZ AMONG THE FEATHERS. 
 
 Their liilarity could not be continued forever. Even 
 that of Caspar came to a termination ; though not until 
 his ribs ached with the agreeable exercise. 
 
 As their bean-sacks had been already filled, it was 
 determined that they should first take them to the hut, 
 and then return to the storks with the design of captur- 
 ing them. Ossaroo was of the opinion, that they would 
 have no difficulty in effecting this ; declaring the birds 
 to be so tame, that he might walk straight up to them, 
 and throw a noose over their necks. This, in all proba- 
 bility, he might have done, had he been provided with a 
 piece of cord proper for the making of such a noose. 
 But there was no cord at hand, — not even a bit of 
 string, — nothing but the rush baskets filled with the 
 lotus beans. To obtain a snare, it would be necessary 
 to make a journey to the hut. 
 
 In the minds of our adventiu-ers there was no very 
 clear conception of the object of capturing the storks : 
 unless it might have been that the thought, to which 
 Caspar had given speech, was still entertained by him- 
 self and his brother. That, indeed, woidd have justified 
 them in their attempt to take the birds. 
 
 Another idea may have suggested itself, — more es- 
 pecially to Ossaroo. If nothing else should come of it,
 
 284 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 tliere would be some pleasure in holdiBg the birds in 
 captivity, — as petg and companions. Ossaroo had been 
 involuntarily contemplating the prospect of a long, lonely 
 life in the solitude of that mountain valley. With such 
 a i^rospect even the solemn stork might be regarded as a 
 cheerful companion. 
 
 Stimulated by these thoughts, — and some others of a 
 more indefinite kind, — our adventurers came to the de- 
 termination to insnare the adjutants! 
 
 All three commenced wading out of the lake — in a 
 direction so as not to disturb the sleepers. Karl and 
 Caspar — now that they had become inspired with a de- 
 sign — lifted their feet out of the water, and set them 
 down again, as though they were treading upon eggs. 
 Ossaroo sneered at their over-caution — telling them, 
 that there was not the slightest fear of frightening the 
 storks ; and indeed there was truth in what he affirmed. 
 
 In most comitries bordermg upon the banks of the 
 Ganges, these birds, protected alike by superstitious 
 fears and edicts of law, have become so used to the prox- 
 imity of man, that they will scarce stir out of their way 
 to avoid him. It was possible that the brace in question 
 might have belonged to some of the wilder flocks, — in- 
 habiting the swamps of the Sunderbunds, — and there- 
 fore less accustomed to human society. In that case 
 there might be some difficulty in approaching them ; 
 and it was for this reason that Ossaroo had consented to 
 adopt the precautions for their capture which Karl had 
 insisted should be taken. 
 
 The truth is, that Karl had conceived a deeper design 
 than either of his companions. It had occurred to him, 
 — while engaged with his brother in that laughing du-
 
 FRITZ AMONG THE FEATHEUS. 285 
 
 etto, — and somewhat to the surprise of Caspar, it had 
 caused a sudden cessation of his mirth, or at least the 
 noisy ebullition of it. 
 
 The philosopher had become silent and serious : as if 
 the thought had suddenly arisen, that hilarity under the 
 circumstances was indecorous and out of place. From 
 that moment Karl had preserved a mysterious silence, 
 
 — even refusing to explain it when interrogated by 
 Caspar. He was only silent on this one theme. Oth- 
 erwise his speech flowed freely enough, — in counsel to 
 his companions, — charging both to adopt every precau- 
 tion for insuring the capture of tlie storks, — and with an 
 eagerness, which puzzled them to comprehend. 
 
 A few minutes' walk brought them back to the hut. 
 It was rather a run than a walk, — Karl going in the 
 lead, and arri^dng before either of the others. The 
 bean-sacks were flung upon the floor, — as if they had 
 been empty and of no value, — and then the strings and 
 lines that had been spun by Ossaroo were pulled out of 
 their hidden places, and submitted to inspection. 
 ^ It did not take long to make a running noose, wliich 
 was accomplished by the nimble fingers of the shikaree. 
 Easily also was it attached to the end of a long stem of 
 the ringall bamboo ; and thus provided, our adventiu-ers 
 once more sallied forth from the hut ; and made their 
 way towards the sleeping storks. 
 
 As they drew near, they were gratified at perceiving 
 the birds still in the enjoyment of their meridian slum- 
 ber. No doubt they had made a long journey, and 
 needed rest. Their wings hung drooping by their sides, 
 proclaiming weariness. Perhaps they were dreaming, 
 
 — dreaming of a roost on some tall fig-tree, or the tower
 
 286 TUE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 of an antique temple sacred to the worship of Buddha, 
 Vishna, or Deva, — dreaming of the great Ganges, and 
 its odorous waifs, — those savory morsels of putrefying 
 flesh, in which they delighted to dig their huge mattocks 
 of mandibles. 
 
 Ossaroo being intrusted with the noose, did not pause 
 to think, about what they might be di-eamuig ; or 
 whether they were dreaming at all. Enough for him 
 to perceive that they were sleeping ; and, gliding for- 
 ward in a bent attitude, silent as a tiger threading his 
 native jungle, the shikaree succeeded in making approach 
 — untd he had got almost within snaring distance of the 
 unconscious adjutants. 
 
 There is many a slip between the cup and the lip. 
 The old saw was illustrated in the case of the shikaree 
 while endeavoring to insnare the storks ; though it was 
 not the snare, but the birds that now illustrated the 
 adage. 
 
 After the attempt had been made, the snare could be 
 still seen in its place, stiffly projecting from the point of 
 the long bamboo rod ; while the adjutants were soaring 
 in the air, movmting still higher upward, their slender 
 necks outstretched, their beaks cracking like castanets, 
 and their throats emitting an angry sound like the roar- 
 ing of a brace of lions. 
 
 The failure was not to be attributed to Ossaroo, but 
 to the imprudence of one of liis companions, — an indi- 
 vidual of the party close treading upon his heels. That 
 individual was Fritz ! 
 
 Just as Ossaroo was about casting his loop over the 
 shoulders of a sleeping adjutant, Fritz, ^ who had fol- 
 lowed the party from the hut, — now for the fii'st time
 
 There is many a slip betwfen the cup and the lip. 
 
 P. 286.
 
 FRITZ AMONG THE FEATIIKKS. 287 
 
 perceiving the birds, rushed forward and seized the tail 
 of one of them between his teeth. Then, as if deter- 
 mined on securing the beautiful marabout feathers, he 
 pulled a large mouthful of them clean out by the roots. 
 
 This was not exactly the motive that impelled Fritz 
 to make such an unexpected attack, — unexpected, be- 
 cause the well-trained animal would have known better 
 than to fright the game which his masters were in the 
 act of stalking ; and such imprudence had never before 
 been displayed by him. It was the particular kind of 
 game that had provoked Fritz to act contrary to his 
 usual habit of caution ; for of all the creatures which he 
 had encountered, since his arrival in the country, there 
 was none that had inspired him with a more profound 
 feeling of hostility than these same adjutants. During 
 Fritz's sojourn in the Botanic Gardens of Calcutta, — 
 where his masters, it will be remembered, were for some 
 time entertained as guests, — Fritz had often come in 
 contact with a brace of these gigantic birds, that were 
 also guests of that justly celebrated establishment : they 
 habitually made their stay within the enclosure, where 
 they were permitted to stalk about unmolested, and pick 
 up such stray scraps as were cast out by the domestics 
 of the curator's mansion. 
 
 These birds had grown so tame as to take food freely 
 out of the hand of any one who oiFered it to them ; and 
 with like freedom, to take it whore it was not offered, 
 but found within reach of their long prehensile beaks. 
 Often had they pilfered i^rovisions, to which they were 
 anytliing but welcome ; and, among other acts of their 
 rapacity, there was one of which Fritz had been an in- 
 terested spectator, and for which he was not likely ever
 
 288 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 to forgive them. That was, their robbing him of a 
 damty piece of meat which one of the cooks had pre- 
 sented to Fritz himself, and upon wliich he had been 
 going to make his dinner. One of the birds had the 
 audacity to seize the meat in its mandibles, jerk it out 
 of the dog's very teeth, and swallow it, before the latter 
 had time to offer either mterruption or remonstrance. 
 
 The consequence was, that, from that time, Fritz had 
 conceived a most rancorous antipathy towards all birds 
 of the genus Oiconia, and the species Argala in particu- 
 lar ; and this it was that impelled him, on first perceiv- 
 uag the adjutant, — for being by the hut on their arrival 
 he had not seen them before, — to rush open-mouthed 
 towards them and seize the tail of one of them between 
 his teeth. 
 
 It is not necessary to add that the bird, thus indeco- 
 rously assailed, took to instant flight, followed by its 
 more fortunate, though not less frightened mate, — leav- 
 ing Fritz in a temper to treat marabout feathers as they 
 had never been treated before, — even when by the hands 
 of some scorned and jealous vixen they may have been 
 torn from the turban of some hated rival !
 
 CAPTURING THE STORKS. 289 
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 CAPTURING THE STORKS. 
 
 Our adventurers witnessed the uprising of the birds 
 with looks that betokened disappointment and displeas- 
 ure ; and Fritz was in danger of getting severely cas- 
 tigated. He merited chastisement ; and would have 
 received it on the instant, — for Caspar ah-eady stood 
 over Jiim with an upraised rod, — when an exclamation 
 from Karl caused the young hunter to hold his hand, 
 and saved Fritz from the " hiding " with which he was 
 being threatened. 
 
 It was not for this that Kai'l had called out. The ex- 
 clamation that escaped liim was of a different import, — 
 so peculiarly intoned as at once to draw Caspar's atten- 
 tion from the culprit and fix it on his brother. 
 
 Karl was standing with eyes upraised and gazing 
 fixedly upon the retreating stork, — that one with whose 
 tail Fritz had taken such an unwarrantable liberty. 
 
 It was not the ragged marabout feathers, hanging 
 half plucked from the posterior of the stork, upon which 
 Karl was gazing; but its long legs, that, as the bird 
 rose in its hurried flight, hung, slantingly downward, ex- 
 tending far beyond the tip of its tail. Not exactly 
 these either was it that had called forth that strange 
 cry ; but something attached to them, — or one of them 
 at least, — which, as it came under the shining rays 
 
 13 S
 
 290 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 of the sun, gleamed in the eyes of Karl with a metal- 
 lic lustre. 
 
 It had a yellowish sheen, — like gold or burnished 
 brass, — but the scintillation of the sun's rays, as they 
 glanced from its surface, hindered the spectators from 
 making out its shape, or being able to say exactly what 
 it was. 
 
 It was only Caspar and Ossaroo who were thus per- 
 plexed. Karl knew that glittering meteor, that for a 
 moment had flashed before his eyes like a beam of hope, 
 — now slowly but surely departing from him, and plung- 
 ing him back into the old misery. 
 
 " brother ! " he exclaimed, as the stork flew upward, 
 " what a misfortune has happened ! " 
 
 " Misfortune ! what mean you, Karl ? " 
 
 " Ah ! you know not how near we were to a chance 
 of being delivered. Alas ! alas ! it is going to escape us ! " 
 
 "The birds have escaped us, you mean?" inquired 
 Caspar. '^ What of that ? I don't believe they could 
 have carried up the rope anyhow ; and what good would 
 it be to catch them ? They 're not eatable ; and we don't 
 want theii- feathers, valuable as they may be." 
 
 " No, no ! " hurriedly rejoined Karl ; " it is not that, — 
 not that." 
 
 " What then, brother ? " inquired Caspar, somewhat 
 astonished at the incoherent speeches of the plant-himt- 
 er. " What are you thinking of ? " 
 
 " Look yonder ! " said Karl, now for the first time 
 pointing up to the soaring storks. " You see something 
 that shines ? " 
 
 " Ha ! on the leg of one of the birds ? Yes ; I do 
 see something, — like a piece of yellow metal, — what 
 can it be?"
 
 CAPTURING THE STORKS. 291 
 
 " I know what it is ! " rejoined Karl, in a regretful 
 tone ; " right well do I know. Ah ! if we could only- 
 have caught that bird, there woiild have been a hope 
 for us. It 's no use grieving p,fter it now. It 's gone, 
 — alas ! it 's gone ; and you, Fritz, have this day done 
 a tiling that will cause us all regret, — perhaps for the 
 rest of our lives." 
 
 "I don't comprehend you, brother!" said Caspar; 
 " but if it 's the escape of the storks that 's to be so much 
 regretted, perhaps it will never take place. They don't 
 appear to be in such a hurry to leave us, — notwith- 
 standing the inhospitable reception Fritz has given them. 
 See ! they are circlmg about, as if they intended to come 
 down again. And see, also, Ossaroo, — he's holding out 
 a lure for them. I warrant the old shikaree will succeed 
 in coaxing them back. He knows their habits perfectly." 
 
 " Merciful Father ! " exclaimed Karl, as he looked 
 first at the flying storks and then at Ossaroo ; " be it 
 permitted that he succeed ! You, Caspar, lay hold upon 
 Fritz, and give Ossaroo every chance ! For your life 
 don't let the dog get away from you ; for your life, — • 
 for the lives of all of us ! " 
 
 Caspar, though still under surprise at the excited 
 bearing of his brother, did not allow that to hinder him 
 from obeying his command, and rushing upon Fritz, he 
 caught hold of the dog. Then placing the hound be- 
 tween his legs, he held him with both hands and knees 
 as tiglitly as if Fritz had been screwed in a vice. 
 
 The eyes of all — the dog included — were now 
 turned upon Ossaroo. Caspar contemplated his move- 
 ments with an undefined interest ; while Karl watched 
 them with feehngs of the keenest anxiety.
 
 292 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 The cunning shikaree had not come to the spot un- 
 prepared. Having anticipated some difficulty in getting 
 hold of the storks, he had providentially provided a 
 lure, which, in the event of their proving shy, might 
 attract them within reach of his ringall. This lure 
 was a large fish, — which he had taken out of the 
 larder before leaving the hut, and which he was now 
 holding out, — as conspicuously as possible, to attract 
 their attention. He had gone some distance apart from 
 the others, and especially from Fritz, whom he had 
 scolded away from his side ; and having stationed him- 
 self on a slight eminence near the edge of the lake, 
 he was using all his wiles to coax back the birds that 
 had been so unwittmgly compelled to take wing. 
 
 It was evident to Ossaroo — as well as to the others 
 — that the flight of the storks had been against their 
 will; and that they had reluctantly ascended into the 
 air. They were no doubt wearied, and wanted rest. 
 
 Whether this desire would have brought them to the 
 earth again, Ossaroo did not stay to determine. As 
 soon as by their actions he became convinced that they 
 saw the fish held out in his hand, he flung the tempt- 
 ino- morsel to some distance from him, and then stood 
 awaiting the result. 
 
 It proved a success, — and almost instantaneously. 
 
 There was nothing in the appearance or attitude of 
 Ossaroo to excite the suspicion of the adjutants. His 
 dark skin and Hindoo costume were both well known 
 to them ; and though now observed in an odd, out-of- 
 the-way corner of the world, that was no reason for 
 regarding him as an enemy. 
 
 Fritz was alone the object of theii- fear ; but Fritz
 
 CAPTURING THE STORKS. 293 
 
 was a good way off, and there appeared no longer any 
 reason for dreading him. 
 
 Reasoning thus, — and perhaps with empty stomachs 
 to guide them to a conclusion, — the sight of the fish, — 
 lying unguarded upon the grass, — put an end to their 
 fears ; and, without further hesitation, both dropped 
 down beside it. 
 
 Both at the same instant clutched at the coveted 
 prize, — each endeavoring to be the first in securing it. 
 
 As one of the birds had got hold of the fish by the 
 head, and the other by its tail, a struggle now arose as 
 to which should be the first to swallow its body. Each 
 soon passed a portion of it down its capacious throat, 
 until its mandibles met in the middle, and cracked 
 against each other. 
 
 As neither would yield to the other, so neither woidd 
 consent to disgorge, and let go ; and for some seconds 
 this curious contention was kept up. 
 
 How long it might have continued was not left to 
 the determination of the parties themselves ; but to 
 Ossaroo, who, while they were thus occupied, rushed 
 upon the spot ; and, flinging wide his arms, enfolded 
 both the birds in an embrace, from which they vainly 
 struggled to get free. 
 
 With the assistance of Karl and Caspar — who had 
 in the mean time tied Fritz to a tree — the huge crea- 
 tures were soon overpowered, and pinioned beyond the 
 possibility of escaping.
 
 294 THE CLIFF-CLIMBEES. 
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 
 A LABELLED LEG. 
 
 "It is ! it is ! " cried Karl, stooping suddenly down, 
 and grasping the sliank of one of the birds. 
 
 " What ? " inquired Caspar. 
 
 " Look, brother ! See what is there, round the stork's 
 leg ! Do you not remember haviag seen that bit of 
 jewelry before ? " 
 
 "A brass ring! yes!" replied Caspar; "now I 
 do remember. In the Botanic Gardens there was an 
 adjutant with a riag round its ankle ; a brass ring, too, 
 — just like this one. How very odd ! " 
 
 " Like ! " echoed Karl. " Not only like, but the very 
 same! Stoop down, and examine it more closely. 
 You see those letters?" 
 
 "7?. B. G., Calcutta" slowly pronounced Caspar, as 
 he read the inscription graven upon the ring. " ' R. B. 
 G.' What do these initials stand for, I wonder ? " 
 
 " It is not difficult to tell that," knowingly answered 
 Karl. " Royal Botanical Garden ! What else could it 
 be?" 
 
 " Notliing else. For certain, these two birds must be 
 the same we used to see there, and with which we so 
 often amused ourselves ! " 
 
 " The same," asserted Karl. " No doubt of it." 
 
 "And Fritz must have recognized them too, — when
 
 A LABELLED LEG. 295 
 
 he made that unprovoked attack upon them ! You re- 
 member how he used to quarrel with them ? " 
 
 " I do. He must not be permitted to assail them any 
 more. I have a use for them." 
 
 "A use?" 
 
 " Ah, a most important one ; so important that these 
 birds, ugly and unamiable as they are, must be cared for, 
 as if they were the prettiest and most prized of pets. 
 We must provide them with food and water; we must 
 tend them by day, and watch over them by night, — as 
 though they were some sacred fire, which it was our 
 duty to keep constantly burning." 
 
 «AU that, mdeed!" 
 
 "Verily, brother! The possession of these storks is 
 not only important, — it is essential to our safety. If 
 they should die in our hands, or escape out of them, — 
 even if one of them should die or get away, — we are 
 lost. Our last hope lies in them. I am sure it is our 
 last." 
 
 " But what hope have you foimd in them ? " interro- 
 gated Caspar, — puzzled to make out the meaning of 
 his brother's words, and not without wonder at their ap- 
 parent wildness. 
 
 " Hope ? Every hope. Ay, something more than 
 hope : for in this singular incident I cannot fail to recog- 
 nize the finger of a merciful God. Surely he hath at 
 length taken compassion upon us ! Surely it is he 
 who has sent these birds ! They are messengers from 
 Heaven ! " 
 
 Caspar remained silent, gazing earnestly in the eyes 
 of his brother, that were now sparkling with mingled 
 gratitude and joy. But although Caspar could perceive 
 this expression, he was utterly unable to interpret it.
 
 296 THE CLIFF-CLnrBERS. 
 
 Ossaroo was alike puzzled by the strange looks and 
 speeches of the Sahib Karl ; but the Hindoo gave less 
 heed to them, — his attention being almost wholly taken 
 up by the adjutants, which he fondled in turns, — talk- 
 ing to them and embracing them, as if they had been his 
 brothers ! 
 
 As soon as the cord had been looped round their 
 ancles, and there was no longer any danger of their get- 
 ting away, Ossaroo cut up the fish into slices convenient 
 for their gullets ; and proceeded to feed them with as 
 much fondness as he could have shown to a brace of 
 human beings, who had arrived from a long journey in a 
 state of starvation. 
 
 The storks exhibited no signs of shyness, — not the 
 slightest. It was not in their nature to do so. They 
 gobbled up the morsels flung before them, with as much 
 avidity and unconcern, as if they were being fed by the 
 side of the great tank in the Garden at Calcutta. 
 
 The sight of Fritz alone had a disturbing influence 
 upon them ; but, by the command of Karl, the dog was 
 kept out of view, untU they had finished the meal with 
 which Ossaroo had provided them. 
 
 Caspar, stUl in a cloud, once more interrogated the 
 plant-hunter as to his purpose. 
 
 " Ho, brother ! " answered Karl, "you are not wont to 
 be so dull of comprehension. Can you not guess why I 
 am so joyed by the presence of these birds ? " 
 
 " Indeed I cannot — imless — " 
 
 "Unless what?" 
 
 " You expect them to carry a rope up the cliff*." 
 
 " Carry a rope up the cliff" ! Nothing of .the sort. 
 Yes ; perhaps it is something of the sort. But since you
 
 A LABELLED LEG. 2J7 
 
 have made such a poor guess, I shall keep you in sus- 
 pense a little longer." 
 
 "O brother! — " 
 
 " Nay, I shall not tell you. It is news worth guessing 
 at ; and you and Ossaroo must make it out between you." 
 
 The two hunters, thus challenged, were about entering 
 upon a series of conjectures, when they were interrupted 
 by Karl. 
 
 " Come ! " said he, " there is no time now. You can 
 exercise your ingenuity after we have got home to the 
 hut. We must make sure of the storks, before anything 
 else be attended to. This cord is too slight. They may 
 file it in two with their bills, and get free. The very 
 strongest rope we have got will not be more than suf- 
 ficient. Come, Ossaroo, you take one. Lift it uj) in 
 your arms. I shall carry the other myself ; while you, 
 Caspar, see to Fritz. Lead the dog in a leash. From 
 this time forward he must be kept tied up, — lest any 
 misfortune should happen to spoil the best plan that has 
 yet offered for our deliverance." 
 
 So saying, Karl flung his arms around one of the 
 adjutants. Ossaroo at the same instant embraced the 
 other ; and, despite the roaring that proceeded from their 
 throats, and the clattering made by their mandibles, the 
 huge birds were borne home to the hut. 
 
 On arriving there, they were carried inside and fast- 
 ened with strong ropes, — carefidly attached to their 
 legs, and tied to the heavy beams forming the rafters of 
 the roof. The door was to be kept shut upon them at 
 all times when the eyes of the captors were not watch- 
 ing them : for Karl, knowing the importance of having 
 Buch guests, was determined to make sure of his " game." 
 13*
 
 298 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 
 MAIL-CARRIERS ON WINGS. 
 
 It was only after they had gone back for their bask- 
 ets of beans, and once more returned to the hut, that 
 Caspar and Ossaroo found time to indulge in their con- 
 jectures. Then both of them set to work in earnest, — 
 seated upon the great stones outside the door, where 
 often before they had conjured up schemes for their de- 
 liverance. Neither coumnmicated his thoughts to the 
 other ; each silently followed the thread of his own re- 
 flections, — as if there was a rivalry between them, as 
 to who should be the first to proclaim the design already 
 conceived by Karl. 
 
 Karl was standing close by, apparently as reflective as 
 either of his companions. But his thoughts were only 
 occupied in bringing to perfection the plan, which to 
 them was still undiscovered. 
 
 The storks had been brought out of the hut and tied 
 to a heavy log that lay near. This had been done, partly 
 to accustom them to the sight of the place, and partly 
 that they might be once more fed, — the single fish they 
 had swallowed between them not being deemed sufficient 
 to satisfy their hunger. 
 
 Caspar's eyes wandered to that one that had the ring 
 upon its leg ; and then to the ring itself, — R. B. G., 
 Calcutta.
 
 MAIL-CARRIERS ON WINGS. 299 
 
 The inscription at length proved suggestive to Caspar, 
 as the ring itself, on first seeing it, had to his brother. 
 On that bit of brass there was information. It had been 
 conveyed all the way from Calcutta by the bird that 
 bore the shining circlet upon its shank. By the same 
 means why might not information be carried back? 
 Why — 
 
 "I have it! I have it!" shouted Caspar, without 
 waiting to pursue the thread of conjecture , that had 
 occurred to him. " Yes, dear Karl, I know your scheme, 
 — I know it ; and by Jupiter Olympus, it 's a capital 
 one ! " 
 
 " So you have guessed it at last ! " rejoined Karl, 
 rather sarcastically. " TVell, it is high time, I think ! 
 The sight of that brass ring, with its engraved letters, 
 should have led you to it long ago. But come ! let us 
 hear what you have got to say, and judge whether you 
 have guessed correctly." 
 
 " certainly ! " assented Caspar, taking up the tone 
 of jocular badinage in which his brother had been ad- 
 dressing him. "You intend making a change in the 
 character — or rather the calling — of these lately ar- 
 rived guests of ours." Caspar pointed to the storks. 
 " That is your intention, is it not ? " 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " They are now soldiers, — officers, as their title im- 
 ports, — adjutants ! " 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " They will have no reason to thank you for your 
 kind intentions. The appointment you are about to 
 bestow on them can scarce be called a promotion. I 
 don't know how it may be with birds, but I do know
 
 300 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 that there are not many men ambitious of exchanging 
 from the military to the civil service." 
 
 "What appomtment, Caspar?" 
 
 " If I 'm not mistaken, you mean to make mail-earners 
 of them, — postmen, if you prefer the phrase." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! " laughed Karl, in a tone expressive 
 of gratification at the clever manner in vphich Caspar 
 had declared himself. " Right, brother ! you 've guessed 
 my scheme, to the very letter. That is exactly what I 
 intend doinw." 
 
 " By de wheeles ob Juggannaut coachee ! " cried the 
 shikaree, who had been listening, and understood the 
 figurative dialogue ; " dat be da goodee plan. Dese stork 
 go back Calcutt, — surey dey go back. Dey carry letter 
 to Ferringee Sahibs, — Sahibs dey know we here in 
 prison, — dey come d'liva we vey dey affer get de letter, 
 — ha ! ha ! ha ! " Then delivering liimself of a series 
 of shrill ejaculations, the Hindoo sprang up from the 
 stone upon which he had been sitting and danced 
 around the hut, as if he had suddenly taken leave of 
 his senses ! 
 
 However imperfectly spoken, the words of Ossaroo 
 had disclosed the whole plan, as conceived by the plant- 
 hunter himself. 
 
 It had vaguely defined itself in Karl's mind, on first 
 seeing the storks above him in the air ; but when the 
 lustre of metal flashed before his eyes, and he perceived 
 that yellow band encircling the shank of the bird, the 
 scheme became more definite and plausible. 
 
 When at length the storks were taken captive, and 
 Karl deciphered the inscription, — by which they were 
 identified as old acquaintances of the R. B. G., — he no
 
 MAIL-CARRIERS ON WINGS. 301 
 
 longer doubted that Providence was in the plot; and 
 that these winged messengers had been sent, as it were, 
 from Heaven itself, to deliver him and his companions 
 from that prison in which they had so long been 
 pining.
 
 302 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER LXII. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The deliverance came at length, though it was not im- 
 naediate. Several months more of that lonely and monot- 
 onous life were our adventurers called upon to endure. 
 
 They had to wait for the return of the rainy season ; 
 when the rivers that traverse the great plains of Hin- 
 dostan became brimful of flood, — bearing upon their 
 turbid bosoms that luxuriance, not of life, but of death, 
 which attracts the crane and the stork once more to seek 
 subsistence upon their banks. Then the great adjutant 
 returns from his summer tour to the north, — winging 
 his way southward over the lofty summits of Imaus. 
 Then, too, did Karl and his comrades believe that their 
 adjutants would be guided by a like instinct, and go back 
 to the R. B. G., — the Royal Botanic Garden of Calcutta. 
 
 Kai'l felt confident of their doing so, as certain almost 
 as if he had stood on the banks of the sacred stream in 
 the R. B. G. itself, and saw them descending from their 
 aerial flight and alighting witliin the enclosure. This 
 confidence arose from the remembrance of his having 
 hearjl — while sojourning with the Curator — that such 
 had been their habit for many years ; and that the time, 
 both of their departure and arrival, was so periodically 
 regular, that there was not an employ^ of the place who 
 could not tell it to a day !
 
 CONCLUSION. 303 
 
 Fortunately Karl remembered the time, though not the 
 exact day. lie knew the week, however, in which his 
 guests might be expected to take their departure ; and 
 this was enough for his purpose. 
 
 During their stay in the valley the birds had been 
 cared for, as if they had been sacred to some deity, 
 adored by those who held them in charge. 
 
 Fish and flesh had they a plenty, — with Ossaroo as 
 their provider. Food and drink, whenever they stood 
 in need of either ; freedom from annoyance, and protec- 
 tion from enemies of every kind, — even from Fritz, 
 who had long since ceased to be their enemy. Nothing 
 had been wanting to theii* comfort ; everything had been 
 granted, — everything but their liberty. 
 
 This, too, was at length restored to them. 
 
 On a fair morning — such as a bu-d might have chosen 
 for its highest flight — both were set free to go whither- 
 soever they listed. 
 
 " The only obstruction to their flight was a pair of 
 small skin sacks, one attached to the neck of each, and 
 prudently placed beyond the reach of its mandibles. 
 Both were furnished with this curiously-contrived bag ; 
 for Karl — as the spare leaves of his memorandum-book 
 enabled him to do — had determined that each should be 
 intrusted with a letter ; and lest one should go astray, 
 he had sent his despatch in duplicate. 
 
 For a time the birds seemed reluctant to leave those 
 kind companions, — who had so long fed and cherished 
 them ; but the instinct that urged them to seek the sun- 
 ny plains of the South at length prevailed ; and, giving 
 a scream of adieu, — reciprocated by the encouraging 
 shouts of those they were leaving behind, and a pro-
 
 304 THE CLIFF-CLIMBERS. 
 
 longed baying from the tliroat of the boarhound Fritz, 
 
 — they soared aloft into the air; and in slow, solemn 
 flight ascended the cliif, — soon to disappear behind the 
 crest of the encircling ridge. 
 
 Ten days after, on that same cliff stood a score of 
 men, — a glad sight to Karl, Caspar, and Ossaroo. 
 Even Fritz barked with joy as he beheld them ! 
 
 Against the blue background of the sky, it could be 
 perceived that these men carried coils of rope, pieces 
 of wood, and other implements that might be required 
 for scaling a cliff. 
 
 Our adventurers now knew that one or other, or 
 both copies of their duplicate despatch must have 
 reached the destination for which they had designed it. 
 
 And the same destination was soon after reached by 
 themselves. By the help of their rescuers, and the 
 long rope-ladders which they let down, all three suc- 
 ceeded in climbing the cliff, — Fritz making the ascent 
 upon the shoulders of the shikaree ! 
 
 All thi'ee, amidst a company of delighted dehverers, 
 
 — with Fritz following at their heels, — once more 
 descended the southern slope of the Himalayas ; once 
 more stood upon the banks of the sacred Ganges ; once 
 more entered within the hospitable gates of the R. B. 
 G., — there to renew their acquaintance, not only with 
 hospitable friends, but with those winged messengers, 
 by whose instrumentality they had been delivered from 
 their living tomb, and once more restored to society 
 and the world ! 
 
 Cambridge : Stereotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co.
 
 'ease note the redaction in prices. No further 
 redaction ivill he made during the present year. 
 
 124 Srcmont St., 3lJoston, 
 JuLT, 1865. 
 
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 Tichnor and Fields. 13 
 
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 Tichnor and Fields. 17 
 
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