Though he felt that there was no avenue of escape for him, Little Snap did not lose courage, and as he descended he threw out his hands to catch upon the rugged wall. Once his fingers touched a rough edge of rock, but they slipped away, and he found himself again sinking, when he brushed against a shelf, which was wide enough for him to gain a good hold. Hope lending him strength, he clutched at the projection, to find that he was able to hang there for a short time. He had, at the same moment, the presence of mind not to allow the rope to slacken, and by holding on the ledge with one hand, he held firmly on the line with the other, managing to keep it straight. In a moment the men stopped lowering the rope, when the voice of their leader demanded: "Air ye ready now?" "No! Do your worst; I will never yield!" Little Snap was really anxious to bring about a crisis now, knowing he could not remain in his position long. "Let him go!" cried Bird Burrnock. "We can't fool with him. We can trade with Shag." "Dix Lewis, th' consequence o' this is on yer own head. Good-by." The next moment the men let go the rope, when it went down with a rattling sound. At the same time, in order to keep up the deception, the imperiled boy uttered a piercing scream, which rang through and through the subterranean passages with a startling effect, echo after echo succeeding it, until it seemed they would never end. "He's done fer fas' 'nough," declared Buzzard Burrnock, peering into the dark depths with a hasty glance, as if frightened at the place. A minute later Little Snap drew a breath of relief as he listened to the sound of their retreating footsteps. Then he shifted his position so as to be more comfortable, while he waited for them to get out of hearing. Though he had found a narrow support for his feet, his weight hung largely on his arms, which were beginning to ache so that he knew he must soon loosen his hold upon the rocks. In this dilemma he moved one foot to and fro, up and down, on the rocky wall, hoping he might find a better standing place. In this he was so far successful that he changed his position to one of comparative ease, when he drew his first long breath since entering the place. It was too dark for him to see anything of his surroundings, and he soon began to realize that there was small chance for him to ascend to the top of the chasm. He hardly dared to move, for fear he should lose his hold and fall headlong into the pit yawning below him. Such attempts as he did make showed him the utter impossibility of climbing the perpendicular side of the rocky wall. He made a discovery, however, which gave him a ray of hope. The shelf upon which he stood extended farther than he could reach with his foot. Carefully then he moved along the precarious path, inch by inch, until he had traveled several feet. Stopping then for rest, he happened to thrust out one hand, when to his unbounded joy, he touched the opposite wall!