"Yes; clean through. It's all rotten. We can't cross. Give me a hand. I'll try it."
With a hand from Billy Topsail, Archie let himself slip over the edge of the cliff to an anxious footing on the ice.
He waited—expectant.
"Cautious, Archie!" Billy warned.
Nothing happened.
"Cautious!" Billy repeated. "You'll drop through, b'y!"
Archie took one step—and dropped, crashing, with a section of the bridge, which momentarily floated his weight. Billy caught his hand, as the ice disintegrated under his feet, and dragged him ashore.
"It can't be done," said Archie.
"No, b'y; it can't."