For a long time we had not seen a tree, but here tall forest trees had wedged their roots in the cracks and crevices, curved out, and then shot straight up into the air.
The scene around was beautiful, and birds were once more plentiful, dashing from fruit to flower, and no doubt screaming and piping according to their wont, but all seemed to be strangely silent, even our own voices sounded smothered, everything being overcome by the awful deep loud roar that came from beyond a dense clump of trees.
We eagerly pressed forward now, ready, however, to find that we had a long distance to go, and the doctor leading we wound our way in and out, with the delicious shade overhead, and the refreshing moist air seeming to cool our fevered faces and dry lips.
"Why, we're walking along by the very edge," said Jack Penny suddenly.
"This is the way;" and stepping aside he took about a dozen steps and then the undergrowth closed behind him for the moment, but as we parted it to follow him we caught sight of his tall form again and then lost it, for he uttered a shrill "Oh!" and disappeared.
"Doctor! quick!" I cried, for I was next, and I sprang forward, to stop appalled, for Jack was before me clinging to a thin sapling which he had caught as he fell, and this had bent like a fishing-rod, letting him down some ten feet below the edge of an awful precipice, the more terrible from the fact that the river seemed to be rushing straight out into the air from a narrow ravine high upon our right, and to plunge down into a vast rocky basin quite a couple of hundred feet below.
As I caught sight of Jack Penny's face with its imploring eyes I was for the moment paralysed.

He had tight hold of the tree, which was only about half the thickness of his own thin wrists, and he was swaying up and down, the weight of his body still playing upon the elastic sapling.
"I can't hold on long, Joe Carstairs," he said hoarsely.

"I'm such a weight; but I say I ain't a bit afraid, only do be quick." The doctor had crept to my side now, and he reached out his hand to grasp Jack, but could not get hold of him by a couple of feet.
"Can't you reach ?" the poor fellow gasped.
"No, not yet," the doctor said sharply; and his voice seemed quite changed as he took in the position; and I saw him shudder as he noted, as I had done, that if Jack fell it would be into the foaming basin where the water thundered down.
"Be quick, please," panted Jack.

"I can't do nothing at all; and I don't--think--I could swim--down there." "Don't look down," roared the doctor, though even then his voice sounded smothered and low.
Jack raised his eyes to ours directly, and I seemed to feel that but for this he would have been so unnerved that he would have loosed his hold.
"Now," cried the doctor, "the tree's too weak for you to cling to it with your legs.

Swing them to and fro till we catch hold of you." Jack looked at me with a face like ashes; but he obeyed, and it was horrible to see the sapling bend and play like a cart-whip with the weight upon it.