neck."

"Let go?" roared the guide. "Consarn it, I didn't let go! The rope
pulled me over."

"Ithn't that too bad? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No."

Jane was sitting on the rocks, rocking her body back and forth,
laughing, trying to keep her voice within reasonable limits.

"Are you all right, Tommy?" called Miss Elting anxiously.

"No, I'm all pulled to pietheth. Tho ith Januth, I'm afraid."

"Oh, girls, what am I going to do with you? Please hurry. It is
getting dark, and we must reach the shelf," implored Miss Elting.

The guide scrambled to his feet and began clambering up to Miss Elting
and Margery. This time Tommy was directed to sit down, as had Margery.
She did so, chuckling to herself, and was quickly hauled to the top.
Hazel followed, sitting. Harriet and Jane ran up with the support of
the rope, and in a few moments the entire party was together.

"You must follow me in single file," directed the guide. "It's a
narrow trail to the shelf, so no nonsense. Here, pass the rope along
and keep a tight hold on it, every one of you."

They did as directed. None had any desire to play pranks, now that
they could barely see where they were placing their feet. The guide
led them safely to the shelf rock, a huge slab of granite as level as a
house floor, about thirty feet long and ten feet deep. At the back
towered a solid sheet of granite for a hundred feet or more, while in
front the rocks dropped sheer for almost twice that distance.

The girls shivered a little as they peered over the edge of the slab.
The guide unslung a bundle of sticks that he had gathered somewhere in
the vicinity and threw them down.

"Unload and get ready for grub," he directed. "Here's enough wood for
the supper fire; I'll get some more later on; I know where to look for
it. Better keep away from the edge. There won't be any coming back,
if one of you falls over there."

"Yes, girls. Keep well back. We have had quite enough excitement for
one afternoon's climbing. How do you feel?" inquired Miss Elting.

"Well, Buthter hath a thore nothe," answered Tommy, speaking for her
companion in distress. "I have thkinned thoulderth and theveral
bruitheth. I don't know how Jane and Harriet feel."

"I feel as if I'd been run over by my own motor car," decided Jane
McCarthy.

"My arms and my feet are tired," admitted Harriet. "And, now that we
have discussed our miseries, let's think about supper. We shall all
feel