endicular cliff. I dare
say I could come straight down if I tried," submitted Percy.

"Oh, there are lots of paths. It's as easy as pot," said Wally.
"Suppose we have a bit of grub now. It'll be less to carry, you know."

Whereupon an attack was made on the provisions, with the result that
considerably less was left to carry up.

The meal ended, a start was made in earnest, and the party trailed down
the valley towards the lake at an easy jog-trot, and came to the
conclusion that ascending a pike was ridiculously simple work.

By the time they reached the lake, and began to strike up the winding
lane that led round to the rearward slopes of the great mountain, an
hour had passed.

"Nearly half-way there," said Fisher minor, hoping some one would
corroborate the statement.

"Oh, we don't count that bit we've come anything," said Wally. "We're
just starting up now."

"Oh," said Fisher, again hoping to be confirmed. "Then it's only two
hours' climb?"

"That's all you know about it. Wisdom used to say he could do it in
three hours from the lake-side. But he was a wonner to go. Come along;
wire in, you chaps."

"Where did Wisdom get killed?" asked Percy, by way of a little genial
conversation.

"I heard over the other side, down the cliffs above the lake. He got
caught in a mist and lost his way."

"How do you know this is the right way up?" asked Cottle.

"Because it's as plain as the nose on your face," retorted the guide.

It was a long dreary pull up the lower slope, over the wet grass and
through the bracken, and Fisher minor before he accomplished the first
stage was heartily sick of Hawk's Pike. One or two of his companions,
to tell the truth, were not quite as enamoured of the expedition as they
tried to appear, but they kept their emotions to themselves. Wally was
the only member of the party who was uniformly cheerful, and no one, not
even Percy, exactly liked to incur his contempt by appearing to enjoy
the clamber less than he.

"Come on, you chaps," cried the leader as he staggered to the top of the
slope. "Keep it up. What a crow it will be for us, when we get to the
top!"

"I suppose," gasped Fisher minor, as he threw himself on the grass,
"we're half-way now?"

"Getting on," said Wally. "I dare say on the top of that next ridge we
shall be able to see the top."

"What, isn't that the top?" said poor Fisher, craning his head up
towards the beetling crag above them.

"Top?