a half-dozen pairs of eyes considered him and teddy whacked at them with the hat and they jerked and twisted and flung their nasty bodies off the boulder and teddy stepped up there fast and kicked at a few on the next boulder and they went over the side and he ran up the boulders then , jumping from one to the next , a few less rats every time , until there were none waiting for him on the last few black eggs , and then he was climbing the cliff face , his hands still bleeding from the descent .