right."

"That fellow's game," Westy said.

"Safety first," I called. "You're in a pretty bad place, Warde. You can
see better how it is up here. You hang on with both hands and feet and
give us a chance to think. Don't get excited. We don't care anything
about the hike now."

"All right, go on home," he called. "I'm going to see whether we can
climb down here or not."

"He'll make a scout," Dorry said.

"If he lives to take the oath," Westy said.

All of a sudden Warde moved. I don't know whether he slid or moved on
purpose. Anyway there was a little clump of bush in his hand. He threw
it away and clutched the ground in another place. That brought his head
to the edge of the shelf. Jiminies, my heart was just pounding in my
throat. The palms of my hands were all wet, even. None of us spoke. One
more move and he'd be over the edge. I wanted to call and ask him how it
was below, but I sort of felt that even my voice might start him moving
again. He was way out of reach of us now, right on the very edge, and we
knew that his life depended on how the land was below him. Because one
thing sure, he couldn't come back.

Just then he slipped ever so little and I could see his knees and feet
pressing the weeds between them tight, just as if his legs were a vice.
I just couldn't call and ask him how the land was down there.

Pretty soon he spoke. His voice sounded just the same as usual even
though it was a kind of death sentence he was saying.

"It's straight up and down," he said.

"How far?" I called. My own voice sounded strange to me.

"'Bout seventy or eighty feet," he said; "maybe a hundred. I can't tell
exactly."

Then he seemed to move again but maybe I only thought so because I was
so excited.

"Hang on," I said. That was all I could say.

"I will," he said. "But so long, if I don't see you again."

CHAPTER XXIX

THE LAST HOPE

"_Hang on and don't move_," one of the fellows called to him. "The hike
is off. You just _hang on_. You haven't got another inch to move in.
Don't look around even." I don't know who it was that called, all I know
is it was one of us.

"What can we do?" I said.

Westy said, "Let's take off our stockings and tie them together."

"Good idea," Hunt said. "_Look_--he's moving again."

"Don't get excited," I said; "he didn't move. Hurry up, all of you, take
your stockings off. Are you all right?" I called to Warde.

"Guess so," he said.

"Don't look down, it'll