e
skin every time too, and made the blood come. But never mind about
that, Toby; shall I shove this thing over now?"

"Just as you say," replied the guide; "we'll be apt to find it when we
get down; which I hope we can do and be safe, and sound in limb."

Apparently Toby was a little anxious himself about the result of the
next step on the programme. The scout accordingly worked the dead
sheep loose, and cast it over the edge. He watched it go bounding down
with considerable apprehension that the other did not comprehend,
until he heard Step Hen remark in a relieved tone:

"Didn't break either horn; that's all hunky dory!"

"Don't you think we ort to let the rest know what we're expectin' to
do?" suggested the guide just then.

"Why, that's a good idea, Toby," replied Step Hen. "And while we
can't see our chums, there's a way of communicatin' with 'em. Anyhow,
I c'n tell 'em to send down a piece of string, and pull up a message
I'll write. Davy Jones knows the code enough for that."

He began making a series of queer sounds, that at first considerably
amused the old guide; but when an answer came from far above, Toby
realized that there did promise to be more merit in the signal code of
the scouts.

Then a little later Step Hen exclaimed triumphantly:

"Here comes the end of the string, Toby, with a stone tied to it. If
they can swing it in now, we'll be able to fasten this message I've
written to the end of it, and send it up. Then the boys will know what
we expect to do; and they'll try and get down some other way, to join
us before night comes on. Because it'd be kind of tough if we couldn't
bunk together through the night."

After some manipulation with the piece of broken branch they succeeded
in getting hold of the dangling cord, which Smithy had carried along
with him, because of some reason or other, possibly from the same
principle that caused Bumpus to carry that rope around wherever he
went, thinking that it might come in handy sometime or other.

Having dispatched the note to the other scouts by means of the cord
channel, Step Hen and the guide started to descend from their perch.

The way was anything but easy, especially to the boy. He had been
weakened more than he realized by his hard struggle with those two
fierce eagles. And perhaps his numerous wounds, slight as they seemed
on the surface, made him less capable of keeping such a firm grip as
he had before reaching the ledge. But the same