"Wolf cub? Oh!" cried Ralph excitedly; and the disappointment about the lead was forgotten, the crossbow too. "Come on, sir, this way. Right atop, and you'll be able to look down on un just above the big birds' nest. He was after the young birds." "Then that accounts for the ravens flying about so." "Yes, sir, that's it. We was getting close to the stone quarry, when Ram, he says: `What's them there birds scrawking about like that there for?' he says." "Summut arter the young uns," I says: "and we went to where we could look, and there was a young wolf cub, getting slowly down. Let's fetch the young squire," I says; "and we come after you, for I thought you'd like to have the killing on him." "Yes, of course, Nick; but I have no bow. I can't reach him with my sword, can I?" "Tchah! you'd want a lot o' pikes tied together, and then you wouldn't do it. I'll show you. There's plenty of big bits o' stone up yonder, and you can drop 'em on his head, and send him down into the water." "Yes," cried Ralph breathlessly, as he climbed the steep ascent; "but I should like to catch him alive, and keep him in a cage." "Would you, sir? Well, that wouldn't be amiss. Sir Morton would like to see him, and you could tease him. Down in one o' the dungeons would be the place, till you got tired on him, and you could kill him then." "Yes, but to think of his being on the cliff here!" "Ay, it do seem a game," said the man, chuckling, and showing some ugly yellow teeth. As they reached about half-way up, they caught sight of one of the ravens, shooting high above the top of the cliff, and instead of darting away at their approach, it only made a circle round, and then descended like an arrow. "Tackling on him," cried Ram Jennings. "Ay, and there goes the other," cried Nick. "Come on, master, or they'll finish him off before you can get there. Real wild, they birds is, because he's meddling with their booblins. 'Bout half-fledged, that's what they be." "Make haste, then," cried Ralph; and as they hurried on as fast as the steep ascent would allow, they saw the ravens rise and stoop, again and again. Then only one reappeared, and a few moments later, neither. "We shall be too late," cried Ralph excitedly. "They must have killed him, and are now tearing his eyes out." "And sarve him right," cried Nick savagely. "What does he do on our cliff, a-maddling wi' our birds?" "But it would be such a pity not to take him alive, Nick," panted Ralph breathlessly. "How were you going to catch him alive?" growled the man. "Wouldn't catch us going down to fight un, and you wouldn't like to crawl down there." "Get a rope with a loop, noose him, and drag him up," cried Ralph. "Eh? Hear him, Ram? Who'd ha' thought of that? Comes o' larning, that does, and going away to school. You'd never ha' thought on it, lad." "Nay, I shouldn't ha' thought o' that," said Ram heavily; "but I've been thinking o' somethin' else."