“No, no; I’m stronger than you.” But Gwyn was already making his way up as fast as he could, and Hardock, after a momentary hesitation, followed.
Before they were half way, voices at the top were heard. “Hold tight!” shouted the Colonel, in his fierce military fashion. “Rope!”
Then an order was heard, and a great coil of rope was thrown out, so that it might fall clear of the climbers, whizzed away from the rock with the rings opening out, and directly after, was hanging beside the ladder right to the platform.
There was a clever brain at work on the top of the cliff, for, as Gwyn climbed the ladder, the rope was hauled in so as to keep the end close to his hands; and, seeing this, the boy uttered a sigh of relief, and climbed on, feeling that there was hope of saving his comrade now.
“Shall I send someone down?” shouted the Colonel, who was evidently in command at the top.
“No. We’ll do it,” cried Gwyn, breathlessly. “All right, Joe. We’re here.”
There was no response from above him, and at every step Gwyn felt as if his legs were turning to lead, and a nightmare-like sensation came over him of being obliged to keep on always clambering a tremendous ladder without ever reaching to where Joe was bound.
And all this in the very brief space of time before he reached to where he had tied the insensible lad.
Gwyn uttered a sigh like a groan as he touched Joe’s feet. Then, without hesitating, he went higher, till he was on a level, with his feet resting on the same spell, fully expecting moment by moment, as he ascended, that the silk would give way and Joe’s fall dash them both down. And, as at last he thrust his arms through the ladder on either side of the boy’s neck and then spread them out, so as to secure them both tightly pressed against the spells, his head began to swim, and he felt that he could do no more.
His position saved him, for in those moments he could not have clung there by his hands, his helplessness was too great.