ng at its end, was played out swiftly until the mass of woven rope
settled down on the ledge beside the circus men, who were hard at work
putting chains about the elephant's feet and trunk so that he could not
squirm about in the sling. The adjusting of the heavy affair was no easy
task, but the men worked with a will and a few moments later Bruce caught
their signal that all was ready.

For a moment he paused with his hand on the starting switch. He was
almost afraid to throw it into position. "Oh, if the boom will only
hold," he whispered to himself, for to have his plans fail now would have
been more than he could endure.

He moved the switch. There was a slight arc as contact was made. Then
slowly the motor began to turn. The boom stiffened and creaked ominously
as the cable tightened. He pushed the switch over another notch. The
big animal was lifted off its feet!

Would the boom hold? Bruce and every member of the troop stood tense and
silent, as they saw the big body of the elephant dangling over the pit.
He was lifted a foot, two feet, _five_ feet! He was snorting and
squirming in protest, and Bruce's heart almost stopped when he saw the
boom give under his weight.

"Oh, if he would only hold still!" muttered the boy. "He'll smash the
timber, sure."

The patrol leader pushed the switch over still another notch and the
motor began to hum and sputter. The beast was raised ten feet, fifteen
feet, eighteen, twenty. Now he was on the level with the top of the
quarry!

Slowly the boom began to work in, creaking and snapping under the strain.
Splinters were raising here and there on the timber. Bruce knew it was
only a matter of seconds now before the great stick would be shattered.
The elephant was but a few feet from safety. Canvas men were reaching
out over the quarry's edge to seize the side of the sling. They gripped
it! They pulled and tugged, and with a prodigious squeak the boom swung
over. Then with a crash it buckled, dropping the elephant on the very
brink of the hole!

Fortunately, the timber did not part entirely or some one would have been
killed. The lacing of steel derrick cable held it in place, and
everything was safe.

It took the Scouts and the circus men a brief instant to realize this,
and when they did a cheer went up that must have waked the villagers in
Woodbridge.

The little circus manager was delighted. He rushed up and grasped
Bruce's hand.

"Fine work, yo