ce close at hand.

"Where in the world are you, pard?" burst out Jerry.

"Oh, here," came the reply.

"Ginger! I believe he's down the bank!" cried Bluff.

"Just what he is! Come here, fellows! Did you ever see anything to beat
that? Talk to me about your lucky dogs! Here's one that takes the cake
every time!" sang out Jerry, as he thrust his head out beyond the edge
of the platform where the slope began.

"Oh, I don't know. There have been cases where people have been saved
from all sorts of disasters by the fortunate presence of a rope. Chuck
us a loop, Reddy, will you, please?" said Will, and Jerry became as dumb
as an oyster.

No wonder Frank laughed, even while he watched the cowboy dropping his
lariat down as the other so coolly requested. Will had slid some twenty
feet down the steep bank, along with the loose surface stuff, which
gathered force as it proceeded. Then a projecting stone had caught the
bag of his coat, and he was supported in this fashion by the stout
fabric.

"What are you trying to do down there? Expect to cut me out of my job as
the cliff climber of the party?" asked Frank jokingly.

"Not so that you'd notice. Thought I might get a better view down along
here. But first of all, save my precious camera, before I consent to
come up," answered Will, and he insisted upon fastening the same to the
dangling rope.

Bluff saw his chance to get back at his chum for more than one indignity
along the same line that he had suffered in the past, so he called out:

"Here, you! Just hold your horses! I'm going over yonder and strike you
off as you hang there. It will do to amuse the girls when we get home.
We don't often have a chance to bring the photographer into these
pictures. Now, here you are. Look pleasant! There! That job's done! Now
yank him up, fellows, and don't be too easy with him. He deserves a good
digging for scaring us so."

But Will had suffered no material harm from his little slide.

"Glad I stopped part way," he observed, looking down, "for it's quite
some distance to the bottom, and then those rocks would have bruised me
more than a little. Yes, I agree with Bluff, there; it's better to be
born lucky than rich."

After that they saw to it that Will did not lag behind. He was not to be
trusted any more than could be helped.

Reddy was as good as his word. He eventually brought them within sight
of several feeding elk. They carried out his further directions to the
letter,