On each hand the walls of the ravine presented their overhanging sides both above and below the fall, affording no means whatever of avoiding the cataract by taking a circuit round it.
'What's to be done now, Toby ?' said I.
'Why,' rejoined he, 'as we cannot retreat, I suppose we must keep shoving along.' 'Very true, my dear Toby; but how do you purpose accomplishing that desirable object ?' 'By jumping from the top of the fall, if there be no other way,' unhesitatingly replied my companion: 'it will be much the quickest way of descent; but as you are not quite as active as I am, we will try some other way.' And, so saying, he crept cautiously along and peered over into the abyss, while I remained wondering by what possible means we could overcome this apparently insuperable obstruction.

As soon as my companion had completed his survey, I eagerly inquired the result.
'The result of my observations you wish to know, do you ?' began Toby, deliberately, with one of his odd looks: 'well, my lad, the result of my observations is very quickly imparted.

It is at present uncertain which of our two necks will have the honour to be broken first; but about a hundred to one would be a fair bet in favour of the man who takes the first jump.' 'Then it is an impossible thing, is it ?' inquired I gloomily.
'No, shipmate; on the contrary, it is the easiest thing in life: the only awkward point is the sort of usage which our unhappy limbs may receive when we arrive at the bottom, and what sort of travelling trim we shall be in afterwards.

But follow me now, and I will show you the only chance we have.' With this he conducted me to the verge of the cataract, and pointed along the side of the ravine to a number of curious looking roots, some three or four inches in thickness, and several feet long, which, after twisting among the fissures of the rock, shot perpendicularly from it and ran tapering to a point in the air, hanging over the gulf like so many dark icicles.

They covered nearly the entire surface of one side of the gorge, the lowest of them reaching even to the water.