For Bob had been suiting the action to the word, and before he realised what he was doing the effect of the lever was to lift the side of the big stone, so that it remained poised for a few moments and then fell over, gliding slowly for a few feet, and then gathering velocity it made a leap right into a heap of débris which it scattered, and then another leap and another, followed by roll, rush, and rumble, till, always gathering velocity, amidst the rush and rattle of stones, it made one final bound of a couple of hundred feet at least, and fell far below us on a projecting mass of rock, to be shivered to atoms, while the sound came echoing up, and then seemed to run away down the valley and out to sea.
No one spoke for a few moments, for the feeling upon us was one of awe.
“I say, that was fine!” cried Bob at last. “Let’s do another. You don’t mind, do you, Sep?”
“N–no,” I said, “I don’t think it does any harm.”
I spoke hesitatingly, as I could not help wondering what my father would have said had he been there.
“Come along,” cried Bob, who was intensely excited now, “let’s send a big one down.”
His eagerness was contagious, and we followed him up a little along the edge of the steep cliff to find a bigger piece; but, though we could find plenty of small ones, which we sent bounding down by the help of the iron lever with more or less satisfactory results, the heavy masses all seemed to have portions so wedged or buried in the live rock that our puny efforts were without avail.
“I tell you what,” said Bigley at last, “I know!”
“What do you know?” cried Bob with a sneer, for somehow, though he could easily have taken us one under each arm, Bigley used to be terribly pecked by both.
For answer Bigley pointed up at the ragged comb-like ridge above us.