We crept closer and watched him walk along the ledge toward the cavern,
apparently unaffected by thoughts of the death which a slip of his foot
would bring upon him. Returning to the spot beneath the polished
slipping-off place he put his muscular hands into two clefts in the slab
above and drew himself up on to the solid earth.
"No danger," he cried. "All boys go over here before they could call
themselves men. That long, long time ago."
The Professor grabbed his notebook as he heard the explanation, and he
immediately proceeded to deluge the Kanaka with questions.
"What was that?" he squeaked. "You say all the boys had to climb over
there?"
"That's so," grinned Soma. "This place make 'em test. Young boy go over
this quick he make plenty good fighting man. Feller go over slow he no
good."
The Professor's pencil moved quicker than the pen of a court
stenographer. The Kanaka's remark had brought him much copy, and the
dangers of the path were forgotten as he jotted down the information.
"And they went over here?" he cried, his eyes wide open as he gazed at
the edge of the crater.
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