“Come ahead, fellows,” he said. “We’ll have to explore a bit.”
Through patches of woods and across rocky ledges they made their way, sometimes keeping close to the edge of the cliff and stopping to look down the precipice. How far below it seemed to the narrow strip of beach! As they looked, a solitary bird winged its way across, its harsh cries gradually growing fainter and fainter in the distance.
Norman Redfern’s nerves were not equal to the task imposed by a near approach to the brink. He admired the courage of the active lads, though cautioning them to be careful. But danger only lent spice to the situation.
“Don’t worry about us,” said Jack. “It’s easy to see the dangerous places; and we know that the shortest route down isn’t the best.”
After a time, the party found their progress along the edge of the cliff barred by a wide, deep gully extending inward. The slopes were broken and irregular, full of rocky ledges, tangled masses of vegetation and trees. A small stream of water could be seen trickling down the center.
“Here’s where we have a chance to do some tall climbing,” said Aleck Hunt. “Going to be a rough job, too.”
“Better let it be a case of walking around,” advised Norman Redfern.
“Looks as if it would mean a quarter of a mile tramp,” objected Joe Preston. “If I see an easy place, I’m going to beat all hands to the top of the cliff on the other side.”
“All right,” laughed Jack. “If I knew how to climb and be on the level at the same time, I’d accept your challenge. Guess I’ll walk around.”
This apparently settled the matter, and all five started off.