“It must have been sagging down and cracking all the time. The only wonder is, that it didn’t give way when we were higher up. If it had, there’d have been an end of us.” “Sure ‘n you niver spoke a truer word in your life, so you didn’t; an, be the same token, it’s a good sign, so it is, an a fine thing intirely, that we’re down here now at this blissid minute, wid our bones not broke to smithereens. Sure but it makes me fairly shiver whin I think of you an me, one after the other, hangin away up there from that bit of rotten stick that was broken all the time.” “If this wasn’t quite so wide,” Said Bart, “we might stretch our legs across, and get up that way. I’ve seen men go down into wells as easy as you please, just by stretching their legs across.” “Sure an meself it is that’s seen that same,” said Pat, briskly; “an I wondher whether, afther all, our legs mightn’t be long enough to do it.” “O, no,” said Bart; “it’s too wide altogether.” “Sure an we might then; an there’s nothin like tryin.” With these words Pat set himself to try, and Bart did the same. They tried by stretching their legs as far as possible on each side to secure a foothold, and thus ascend. Had the pit been narrower, or had their legs been longer, they could have done it; but, as it was, they found it quite impossible. They could, indeed, touch the beams on either side if they stretched their legs as far apart as possible; but, having accomplished this, they could do no more. They could not raise their feet higher to the log above. So rigid were their legs when thus spread apart, that they could not raise them. At length they were compelled to desist from these efforts. “It’s too wide intirely, so it is,” said Pat, dolefully. “An whativer was the use of makin the hole so wide is beyond me. It wasn’t any use at all at all, so it wasn’t; an there you have it.” “The fault’s in our legs as much as in the pit,” said Bart. “If we were five years older we might do it.” “Sure I always thought I cud climb betther thin any man till this blissid momint,” said Pat. “I only wish I was a man for about five minutes,” said Bart, fervently. “Two minutes’d jist do it, so it wad,” said Pat. “Yes,” said Bart. “An these logs don’t go all the way up. If we cud only get up to the planks we’d be all right.” “I didn’t notice particularly,” said Bart, “but it seems to me that the plank staying reaches nearly half way down.” “Full that, ivery inch of it, so it does,” said Pat. “If we could only get up as far as that!” exclaimed Bart. “Faith, I have it,” said Pat, suddenly. “What?” asked Bart, with some excitement. “I have it,” repeated Pat. “It’s a rope we want.” “A rope!” exclaimed Bart. “Yis, a bit of a rope; ony we haven’t got one long enough.” “Why, what good would a rope be to us here?” asked Bart, in a puzzle to know what in the world Pat had got into his head. “Sure, I have it. Can’t we twist a rope an make this longer?”