Cutlass and Cudgel Part 43

"I reck'lect now," he said. "We was fighting, and I put my foot over the side, and come down here, hitting my head on the stones, and then I turned sick, and I knew I was falling over, and then I went to sleep. I was half off, wasn't I, with my legs down?"

"Yes. In a horrible position."

"Yes, it wasn't nice. Oh, my head! But who--Why, you didn't go and get the rope and come down and pull me on?"

Archy nodded.

"Is Jemmy here?"

"No."

"But did you climb up and get a rope, and come down again and haul me on here?"

"Yes," said the midshipman.

Ram stared at him, holding his hand to the back of his head the while, and a couple of minutes must have elapsed before he said,--

"Well, you are a rum chap!"

Archy grew red. Curious grat.i.tude this seemed for saving the lad's life.

"Didn't you know the door was open?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't yer run away?"

"How could I, and leave you to fall off that place?"

"Dunno. Wouldn't ha' been nice. Where did you get the rope?"

"From close to where I slept."

"Yes, there was a lot there. 'Tain't cut," he said, looking at the hand he drew from the back of his head. "What a whop it did come down on the rock!"

"Don't talk about it," said Archy, with a shiver.

"Why not? Father allus said I'd got the thickest head he ever see. I say, though, you--did you--course you did. You climbed up again, and went into the cave, got the rope come down again, and then got down here to help me?"

"Yes."

"When you might have run away?"

"Of course."

"Thank ye. Shake hands!"

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

Ram sat there holding out his hand to the midshipman, but it was not taken, and for a s.p.a.ce they gazed into each other's eyes. The silence was broken by Ram.

"Well," he said at last, "won't you shake hands?"

"An officer and a gentleman cannot shake hands with one like you,"

replied Archy coldly.

"Oh, can't he?" said Ram quietly. "You're a gentleman. Was it being a gentleman made you come down and pull me on here."

"I don't know whether being a gentleman made me do it," said Archy coldly. "I saw you would lose your life if I did not get a rope and come to you, and so I did it."

"Yes; that's being a gentleman made you do that," said Ram thoughtfully.

"None of our fellows would have done that."

"I suppose not."

"I know I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would."

Ram looked the midshipman hard in the face again.

"You mean, if I'd seen you lying down here like I was, I should have gone and fetched the rope and pulled you up?"

"Yes; I am sure you would."

Ram sat in his old position, with his hand to the back of his aching head.

"But it's being a gentleman made you do it."

"No; anybody who saw a person in danger would try and save his life; and you would have tried to save mine."

"But I might have slipped and gone over the cliff."

"You wouldn't have thought about that," said Archy quietly. "You did not think about the danger when you saw me trying to escape."

"No, I didn't, did I?" said Ram thoughtfully. "I knew how savage father would be if you got away and fetched the sailors; and he told me I was to see you didn't get out, so I come down after you."

"And you would have done as I said."

"Well, praps I should," said Ram, laughing; "but, as we didn't neither of us go over, it's no use to talk about it. My! How it does ache!"

He turned himself a little, so as to plant his back against the rock, and let his legs hang down over the edge.

"That's more comf'table. Bit of a rest. Hard work getting down here and wrastling."

Archy was in so cramped and awkward a position, half kneeling, that he followed his companion's example, shuddering slightly, though, as he let his legs go down, and put his hands beside him to press his back firmly against the rock.