“Yes, jump away. Quick!”
But Jem did not jump. He distrusted the ability of the tree to bear his weight.
“Why don’t you jump?”
“’Cause it seems like breaking my neck, which is white, to save those of them people in the village, which is black, Mas’ Don.”
“But you will not break your neck if you are careful.”
“Oh, yes! I’ll be careful, Mas’ Don; don’t you be ’fraid of that.”
“Well, come along. You’re not nervous, are you, Jem?”
“Yes, Mas’ Don, reg’lar scared; but, below, once more. Here goes! Don’t tell my Sally I was afraid if I do get broke.”
Possibly Jem would have hesitated longer, but the stump of the bush upon which he stood gave such plain intimation of coming out by the roots, that he thought it better to leap than fall, and gathering himself up, he plunged right into the second kauri pine, and went headlong down with a tremendous crash.
For he had been right in his doubts. The pine was not so able to bear his weight as its fellow had been to carry Don. He caught it tightly, and the tree bent right down, carrying him nearly to the earth, where he would have done well to have let go; but he clung to it fast, and the tree sprang up again, bent once more, and broke short off, Jem falling at least twenty feet into the bushes below.