He was sliding down rather slower, and there were some trees not far off.
Charnock did not care if he brought up among them or not, and watched with a curious dispassionate interest.

The fellow looked ridiculous as he went down, scattering the gravel with his hands.

He was in some danger, but this was his affair.
Wilkinson rolled against the thin branches of a half-buried tree, which caught and turned him partly round.

The branches broke and he went down sideways, until he and a wave of loosened gravel struck another tree.
This stopped him, and Charnock plodded on until he was off the shelf.
"Better go down and fetch him, boys," he shouted to the other men.

"I reckon he's not much the worse, except in temper, and you'll find a rope a piece back up the track." He saw them start and then resumed his journey.