thought that some poor devil was to hazard his bones upon such
premises, revolted me. Had I guessed the name of that unhappy
first adventurer, my sentiments might have been livelier still.

The designation of this personage was indeed all that remained for
us to do; and even in that we had advanced so far that the lot had
fallen on Shed B. It had been determined to mingle the bitter and
the sweet; and whoever went down first, the whole of his shed-mates
were to follow next in order. This caused a good deal of joy in
Shed B, and would have caused more if it had not still remained to
choose our pioneer. In view of the ambiguity in which we lay as to
the length of the rope and the height of the precipice--and that
this gentleman was to climb down from fifty to seventy fathoms on a
pitchy night, on a rope entirely free, and with not so much as an
infant child to steady it at the bottom, a little backwardness was
perhaps excusable. But it was, in our case, more than a little.
The truth is, we were all womanish fellows about a height; and I
have myself been put, more than once, hors de combat by a less
affair than the rock of Edinburgh Castle.

We discussed it in the dark and between the passage of the rounds;
and it was impossible for any body of men to show a less
adventurous spirit. I am sure some of us, and myself first among
the number, regretted Goguelat. Some were persuaded it was safe,
and could prove the same by argument; but if they had good reasons
why some one else should make the trial, they had better still why
it should not be themselves. Others, again, condemned the whole
idea as insane; among these, as ill-luck would have it, a seaman of
the fleet; who was the most dispiriting of all. The height, he
reminded us, was greater than the tallest ship's mast, the rope