r's blood ran cold as he saw it. For at the head stalked a
stalwart guide, who carried in his arms one small boy, while in the rear
followed a form which they recognised as Rollitt's carrying on his back
another. Between the two tramped a third junior, hanging on to the arm
of another guide.

What terrified Fisher major more than anything was to see that the head
of the boy on Rollitt's back had fallen helplessly forward on the
shoulder of his porter.

With a groan the elder brother bounded to the spot. The history of
years flashed through his mind as he did so. He saw the people at home
and heard their voices. He seemed to be in the nursery, hectoring it,
as big brothers will, among the little ones, amongst whom was a little
boy with curly hair and a shrill piping voice. He called to mind the
first-night of this term, and the vision of his young brother breaking
down with his new-boy troubles next morning. All this and more fleeted
through his mind as he bounded to where Rollitt stood.

"Hush!" said the latter, almost gruffly. "Asleep."

So he was. It had scarcely roused him when Rollitt had picked him up
two hours ago from his roost under the rocking-stone. And having once
been perched on his preserver's back his head fell forward again, and
there it had lain ever since. How Rollitt had carried him so far,
resting only now and then, and that in a way not to disturb his burden,
only those who knew the huge strength of the Fellsgarth giant could
understand.

"Hullo," said Wally, greeting the new-comers in a limp, sleepy way,
"have you seen my young brother Percy? He was--"

"Yes--Percy's all right; so are all the rest."

"I'm all right," sang out Ashby from the front. "This chap wanted to
carry me, so I let him."

"Jolly glad you were to get the lift," said Wally. "You new kids
oughtn't to have come. Twenty-four hours on the hills is nothing when
you get used to--"

Here Wally (who had had twenty-six hours) suddenly collapsed and tumbled
over from sheer fatigue on the grass.

Fisher and Denton made a chair of their hands for him, and so the
procession went on.

A cart was in waiting at the foot of the slope, filled with warm wraps
and other restoratives, and in less than two hours the whole party was
safe inside the walls of Fellsgarth.

Hot baths, blankets, food, and a little physic, succeeded in a very few
days in restoring the invalided truants to their sorrowing class-mates.
Fisher min