A long and tiresome climb over and amongst the shattered blocks which filled the lower part of the chasm; but with the help of previous knowledge they got along pretty quickly, till they reached the rocks beneath the narrow opening—a place which looked so insignificant that the wonder was that it had not escaped Saxe’s eyes.
“Now,” said Dale, gazing up, “what we have to do is to puzzle out some easy way of getting up and down. What do you say, Saxe?”
“I think we ought to have a strong iron bolt or bar driven into a crack just above the cave; then tie a rope to it, and it will be easy enough to go up and down.”
“First catch your hare,” cried Dale merrily. “How is the bar or bolt to be driven in, my lad?”
“Oh, something after the fashion of our getting up there yesterday.”
“Oh yes; something after the fashion of yesterday’s attempt. Do you know, Saxe, I think we both had enough of that job yesterday; and but for the discovery of the crystals we should have been sadly out of heart.”
“Let’s leave it till Melchior comes back,” said Saxe, as a way out of the difficulty.
Dale nodded, and after another long look at the crack in the solid rock and its surroundings, they turned their attention to a farther climb up the ravine to try whether it would be possible to get out there and make their way across.
Another long and tedious climb ensued, during which, without declaring the way to be impassable, they both averred that it was so extremely difficult that they thought it would be of no utility, and after some four hours’ hard work assisting each other up by means of ice-axe and rope, they were glad to begin the descent.
But the toil was not altogether barren, for two niches were found where there seemed to be every likelihood of crystals existing within the caves, whose mouths they seemed to be, and after a certain time devoted to refreshing they turned to go back.