‘No, it’s nothing.’ She swiped at the blood flowing from her cheek again and glancing up the cliff she began to cry harder as she told him, ‘I don’t think I can manage to get you up there.’

Even in the gloom she could see that Barnaby’s face was the colour of lint and he was clearly in a lot of pain.

‘I-I think you’d better run to Jennings’ farm and get help,’ he said as his head lolled to the side and she knew that he had passed out.

She stared at him for a moment, torn between leaving him and doing as he said, but soon common sense took over and she scrambled up the cliff face and ran as if her very life depended on it. By the time she reached the farm her lungs felt as if they were on fire and the second she set foot in the yard the border collie ran from his kennel and began to bark furiously.

Somehow she managed to gabble out to the farmer and his wife what had happened as Mrs Jennings made her sit at the table.

‘You’d best get the men together and take a door to carry them up,’ she told her husband. ‘Meanwhile I’ll get Johnnie to ride into town for the police and the doctor. I’m afraid you’re going to need stitches in this, my dear, it’s very deep. You were lucky, another inch an’ he’d ’ave had your eye out!’

She had fetched a bowl of water and a clean piece of huckaback to bathe the wound, but Amber pushed her hand away.

‘No . . . you don’t understand, I have to go back to make sure Barnaby’s all reet an’ my baby is all alone in the house.’

‘In that case, I’ll come back with you an’ tend to you there,’ May Jennings told her in a voice that brooked no argument. ‘You’re in no state to be left on your own, lass.’

Fifteen minutes later, with Farmer Jennings and three of his farmhands the solemn procession set off and Amber was able to show them exactly where the fight had taken place on the clifftop. ‘Barnaby is about halfway down,’ she told them, her voice quavering. ‘He’s stuck on a sort o’ ledge an’ Bertie’s a little bit further down from him.’

‘You just get yourself back to the ’ouse wi’ my missus, lass. We’ll find ’em an’ when the police an’ doctor arrive send ’em over ’ere to us.’ Bill nodded at his wife and she took Amber’s arm and led her away as, carrying the door, the farmer and his men began to descend the cliff.