ry
careful. There's no hurry. And mind you take a good hold when you get to
the top."

We had arranged that Rectus was to go first. This did not look very
brave on my part, but I felt that I wanted to be under him, while he was
climbing, so that I could break his fall if he should slip down. It
would not be exactly a perpendicular fall, for the wall slanted a
little, but it would be bad enough. However, I had climbed up worse
places than that, and Rectus was very nimble; so I felt there was no
great danger.

Up he went, hand over hand, and putting his toes into nicks every now
and then, thereby helping himself very much. He took it slowly and
easily, and I felt sure he would be all right. As I looked at him,
climbing up there in the darkness, while I was standing below, holding
the rope so that it should not swing, I could not help thinking that I
was a pretty curious kind of a tutor for a boy. However, I was taking
all the care of him that I could, and if he came down he'd probably hurt
me worse than he would hurt himself. Besides, I had no reason to suppose
that old Mr. Colbert objected to a little fun. Then I began to think of
Mrs. Colbert, and while I was thinking of her, and looking up at Rectus,
I was amazed to see him going up quite rapidly, while the end of the
rope slipped through my fingers. Up he went, and when I ran back, I
could see a dark figure on the wall, above him. Somebody was pulling him
up.

In a very few moments he disappeared over the top, rope and all!

Now, I was truly frightened. What might happen to the boy?

I was about to shout, but, on second thoughts, decided to keep quiet;
yet I instantly made up my mind that, if I didn't see or hear from him
pretty soon, I would run around to the gate and bang up the people
inside. However, it was not necessary for me to trouble myself, for, in
a minute, the rope came down again, and I took hold of it. I pulled on
it and found it all firm, and then I went up. I climbed up pretty fast,
and two or three times I felt a tug, as if somebody above was trying to
pull me up. But it was of no use, for I was a great deal stouter and
heavier than Rectus, who was a light, slim boy. But as I neared the top,
a hand came down and clutched me by the collar, and some one, with a
powerful arm and grip, helped me over the top of the wall. There stood
Rectus, all right, and the fellow who had helped us up was the big
Indian, "Maiden's Heart."

I looked at Rectus, an