The Cliff Climbers | Page 6

to find
their way out, our adventurers had been struck by the enormous
dimensions of the cavern in which the animal had taken refuge; and in
the hope that some of its great galleries might lead out through the
mountain, and offer them a way of escape from the valley, they had
made torches, and explored it from end to end. It was all to no purpose;
and becoming satisfied that there was no exit by way of the cavern,
they had at length desisted from the search.
From this point shall we continue, in more circumstantial detail, the
history of their attempts to escape from their mountain prison; which
they were now convinced could only be done by climbing the cliff that
encircled it.
The Cliff Climbers--by Captain Mayne Reid
CHAPTER FOUR.
HOME TO THE HUT.
Emerging from the cave after their fruitless exploration, all three-- Karl,
Caspar, and Ossaroo--sat down upon the rocks in front of the cliff, and
for some time remained silent. The looks of all betokened a deep and
hopeless despair. The same thought was passing in their minds. A
painful thought it was--that they were completely cut off from all
communication with the world, and might never again look on human
faces, save their own!
Caspar was the first to give expression to this gloomy foreboding.
"Oh, brother!" groaned he, addressing himself to Karl, who sat nearest
to him, "oh! it is an awful fate! Here must we live, here must we die,
far away from home, far away from the world--alone--alone!"

"No," replied Karl, deeply moved by the distress of his brother, "no,
Caspar, not alone--God is with us. Let Him be our world."
However Caspar in his conscience might have acknowledged the
justice of the admonition, it failed to cheer him. Indeed, he could not
help perceiving, that Karl had uttered the speech half doubtingly, and
with the design of affording consolation. Moreover, the effort which
Karl was making to look hopeful and cheerful was evidently
constrained; and only the more convinced his companions that neither
hope nor joy was in his breast.
To Karl's consolatory words his brother made no rejoinder. Ossaroo,
however, gave vent to his thoughts by an ambiguous shake of the head,
and a brief speech characteristic of that belief in fatalism peculiar to his
race.
"Ah, sahibs," said he, addressing himself to both, "if the Great Sahib in
the sky will we go out from here, we go--if He no will, we no go--
nivvamore."
Ossaroo's speech, however compatible with a true faith, did not
contribute much towards cheering the spirits of the party; and for
another long interval all remained silent.
Caspar and Ossaroo appeared completely prostrated by the new
disappointment. Karl, on the other hand, seemed less disposed to view
things despairingly; and as he sate, was evidently engaged in active
thought.
After awhile his companions observed this; though neither made any
attempt to rouse him from his reverie. They guessed, that, whatever
was passing in his mind would soon be communicated to them.
They were right in this conjecture: for in a few minutes Karl terminated
the silence by addressing them.
"Come!" said he, speaking in a tone of encouragement, "we are wrong
in so soon yielding to despair. Let us not give up, till we are beaten at

all points. I have told you what my object was, when I first mounted
upon that ledge, and discovered the cave and its surly occupant, the
bear. I thought then, that, if we could find a series of ledges one above
another, and sufficiently near each other, we might plant ladders upon
them, and so reach the top. You see that there is such a succession of
ledges--just before your faces there. Unfortunately there is one of the
spaces high up yonder--where the cliff is darkest--that cannot be less
than sixty or seventy feet in width. I have ascertained that by
comparing it with the height from the ground to the cave--which I had
just finished measuring when I met the bear. It would be impossible for
us to make a ladder that length--or even to hoist it up there if made--so
that all thought of scaling the cliff at this point must be given up."
"Perhaps," interposed Caspar, catching at Karl's idea, "there may be
some other part of the precipice where the ledges are nearer to each
other? Did you examine it all around?"
"No. I had got no further than this place, when I met Master Bruin; and,
as you know, our adventures with him and our exploration of the cave
have taken up our time ever since, and, indeed, driven the design of the
ladders quite out of my head. Now, however, we may return to it; and
our next move will be