I slipped across the space, got to the back of the dovecot and prospected a way of ascent.
That was one of the hardest jobs I ever took on.

My shoulder and arm ached like hell, and I was so sick and giddy that I was always on the verge of falling.

But I managed it somehow.

By the use of out-jutting stones and gaps in the masonry and a tough ivy root I got to the top in the end.

There was a little parapet behind which I found space to lie down.