And so indeed it was eaten—the bird of Jove furnishing them with a dinner, as that of Juno had given them a breakfast!
Chapter Thirty Seven.
The log on the leg.
As soon as they had hung the ibex-meat upon the curing strings, and pegged out the two skins for drying, they turned their attention to the making of the rope by which they were to be pulled out of their prison. By good fortune they had a large stock of hemp on hand all ready for twisting. It was a store that had been saved up by Ossaroo—at the time when he had fabricated his fish-net; and as it had been kept in a little dry grotto of the cliff, it was still in excellent preservation. They had also on hand a very long rope, though, unfortunately, not long enough for their present purpose. It was the same which they had used in projecting their tree-bridge across the crevasse; and which they had long ago unrove from its pulleys, and brought home to the hut. This rope was the exact thickness they would require: for anything of a more slender gauge would scarcely be sufficient to support the weight of a man’s body; and considering the fearful risk they would have to run, while hanging by it against the face of such a cliff, it was necessary to keep on the safe side as regarded the strength of the rope. They could have made it of ample thickness and strength, so as to secure against the accident of its breaking. But then, on the opposite hand, arose the difficulty as to the strength of the eagle’s wing. Should the rope prove too heavy for the bearcoot to carry over the top of the cliff, then all their labour would be in vain.
“Why not ascertain this fact before making the rope?”
This was a suggestion of Karl himself.
“But how are we to do it?” was the rejoinder of Caspar.
“I think we can manage the matter,” said the botanist, apparently busying his brain with some profound calculation.