n and seen just how steep the hill was. It would be bad
enough to have to turn back, anyway, that's what I thought. But to turn
back without really _knowing for sure_ that we couldn't possibly go any
further, gee whiz, that didn't seem like scouts. We were all feeling
pretty disappointed because we knew that the chances were against us.

"We'll either do it or _know that we can't_, that's our motto," Hunt
said.

"And if we can't, that will mean no one can," I said.

"That's us," Dorry shouted.

"Give me a hand down," Warde said.

"A scout in khaki ought to do that," I said. "We ought not to let a new
fellow risk----"

"You're so strong on good turns," Warde said. "Aren't you willing to
give a fellow a chance to _win_ the khaki? Here, grab hold of my hand.
I'm not going to walk off the ledge. Do you think I'm blind?"

"Well, anyway, be careful," I said. I felt kind of shaky, I couldn't
help it. Because below that ledge there must have been a hundred feet
and for all we knew it was straight up and down.

I got a good firm foothold by bracing my feet behind a rock. "Stand
back," I said to the other fellows. Then I held Warde's hand while he
climbed down onto the ledge. I couldn't keep hold of his hand till he
got all the way down, but he braced his feet on the side of the rock
that made a kind of wall up from the ledge.

The ledge was all rock and it was slanting so no one could stand on it
without taking a chance. Between the cracks in the rock were small
bushes growing.

I said, "Get down on your hands and knees, quick. Don't try to stand
there."

Now that he was down there on the ledge I saw how risky it was. Before
there was any one down there it didn't seem so very dangerous, but as
soon as I saw a person on it then I was sorry I had let him do it. I
didn't see how he was going to look over the edge because he'd have to
keep his hands toward the wall to hang on. He'd be taking an awful
chance if he faced the other way.

"It's pretty slanting, hey?" Westy said.

I said, "Don't trust to it, hang onto the bushes."

"I'm all right," Warde said.

"No, you're not either," Hunt told him; "we can see how it is from up
here better than you can. Do you slip? Look out!"

"I'm all right," Warde said.

"Only don't get reckless," I said. "What's the use of taking chances?
I'm sorry you went down. If you can stand up maybe I can reach you."

"What do you mean, _reach me_?" he said. "What do you suppose I came