ror of the frantic animal.

With a desperate leap sidewise in an effort to get clear of his
tormentor he landed in the deep snow, his sharp hoofs cutting through
the crust. Then followed a succession of floundering plunges which took
him still further into trouble until at last, panting from fright and
the result of his efforts, he was forced to cease his struggles from
sheer weariness.

It was then that Upton thought seriously of his own plight. The buck was
not much more helpless than he himself without his shoes. One lay below
him in the snow, somewhat the worse for the trampling of the buck during
his wild plunging. This he could retrieve without trouble or danger. But
the other was still fast on those uncomfortably sharp horns, and he was
of no mind to make a closer acquaintance with them unaided. It was then
that he remembered that in the subsequent excitement he had failed to
give the view hallo when he had started the does and thus warn the
others that game was afoot. A yell now would mean to the others merely
that they were to be on the watch for deer headed their way unless they
were near enough to distinguish words, which he much doubted.

Then he remembered the whistle which he always carried and the emergency
call for help of the Blue Tortoise Patrol. Both Hal and Sparrer would
recognize and understand that. Somehow it seemed less a compromise of
dignity than yelling for help. He raised the whistle to his lips and
blew the signal, waited five seconds and blew again. A minute later he
heard a reply from a lesser distance than he had expected, followed
almost at once by another which was rendered fainter by distance.

"Reached both of 'em," he muttered complacently. "Hal isn't so far away
as I was afraid he might be. Guess I better tell them what the trouble
is."

With the whistle he spelled out in the Morse code "T-r-e-e-d b-y a
b-u-c-k w-a-t-c-h o-u-t."

Back came the double reply "O. K.," followed by Hal's voice in a long
drawn "Hello-o-o." Shouting occasionally to give the others the
direction Upton climbed down from his perch, recovered the one shoe and
then waited with such patience as he could. Hal was soon within easy
shouting distance and the anxiety in his voice as he inquired if Upton
was all right was very evident. Set at rest on this point he whooped
joyously and Upton grinned ruefully.

"This will be nuts for Hal. He'll never let me hear the end of it. I'm
glad he didn't see me up the tr