“I d’know. I shouldn’t like to; but when one got excited with seeing a wreck, perhaps I should try.”
“There wouldn’t be any perhaps about it, Ladle,” said Vince gravely. “Something comes over people then. It’s the sort of thing that makes men go out in lifeboats, or swim off through the waves with ropes, or, as I’ve read, go into burning houses to get people out.”
Mike nodded, and they went on very thoughtful and dreamy over the purple heather and amongst the golden furze till they reached the edge of the scrub oak wood, where they stopped short and looked in each other’s eyes again.
“What do you say? shall we go and have another look at the place?”
“I feel as if I should like to,” replied Mike; “and at the same time I’m a bit shrinky. You won’t do anything risky, will you?”
“That I just won’t,” said Vince decisively.
“Then come on.”
They plunged into the wood eagerly, and being more accustomed to the way they got along more easily; and decided as they walked that they would go to the southern end of the slope and then try and get up to have a look over the ridge from there, while afterwards they would make their way along the landward side of the jagged serrations of weather-worn granite points right to the northern end if they could get so far, and return at the bottom of the slope.
“That’ll be more than any one in the Crag has ever done,” said Vince, “and some day we’ll bring Mr Deane, and see what he’ll say to it.”
Little more was said, but, being of one mind, they steadily went on fighting their way through the difficulties which beset them on all sides, till, hot, weary and breathless, they neared the slope some considerable distance from the spot where they had approached it first. Then, after a short rest, they climbed up, over and among the fallen rocks, with nothing more to startle them than the rush of a rabbit or two, which went scuttling away.