ighing as though in relief, for he could easily guess what it
meant to him, this golden opportunity to be of help to the stubborn boy
who could lift the load from his heart, if only he chose.

When they came closer to the struggling captives in the lake of mud
they heard them actually sobbing for joy. Hope must have been almost
gone when first they heard that chorus of cheering shouts. And when the
scouts saw what a desperate condition the three prisoners were in they
could not blame them for showing such emotion in the excess of their
joy.

Soon the newcomers were as close as they could come to the three who
were stuck there in the mire. Never would they forget their deplorable
appearance. They had evidently floundered about until they were fairly
plastered over with the mud, and looked like imps.

"Can't you get us out of here, fellers?" called Tony Pollock, in a
voice that seemed almost cracked, such was his excitement, and his
fears that these scouts, whom he had done his best to injure, might
think to pay him back in his own coin and abandon him to his fate.

"Yes, we'll manage it some way or other," said the hermit-naturalist.
"Keep as still as you can, because every movement only sends you down
deeper."

Then he turned to Tom, for he knew the patrol leader was the one to
take charge of the rescue party.

"Here's the rope, Tom," he told him. "Pick out several of the stoutest
of your comrades, and make use of the tree as a lever. It's all very
simple, you can see, thought it may hurt them more or less when you
pull."

Tom understood what was expected of him.

"Come along with me, Carl, Rob and Josh," he said. "The rest of you
stand by and be ready to pull if we need any more help. We'll pass the
end of the rope back to you."

"But how are we going to climb up in the tree?" asked Rob; "without
getting stuck in the mud ourselves?"

"There's only one way," replied Tom, as he seized hold of a branch that
happened to be within reach, and commenced to climb it as though he
were a sailor swarming up a rope.

When he had effected a lodgment above they threw the rope to him, and
after Tom had made one end fast to the thick limb the other three had
little difficulty in following him.

Then they clambered out to where Wedge McGuffey was perched. His
condition betrayed the fact that he too had been caught in the muck;
but being closer to a friendly branch he must have made a tremendous
effort and climbed into t