t. The girl just stood there panting and
laughing.

She said, "What's on the other end of that rope? An elephant?"

I just went right up to her and I said, "Dora Dane Daring, on the other
end of that rope is the best scout in the western hemispheres, including
Flatbush and Hoboken--the best scout with one exception, and that
exception is you."

She said, "Oh, isn't it just too _funny_ to see that little Pee-wee
pulling on the rope? Oh, _dear_! I could just kiss him. I'd run _two_
miles to see that!"

I said, "Tell me----"

"You finish before I tell you anything," she said. "Did I save the
bee-line hike?"

"_Did you!_" I said. "You saved a fellow's life too. You're going to get
a hero medal if I have to go over to National Headquarters and see Mr.
National personally. Meanwhile you can kiss Pee-wee six times if you
want to."

"Look over the edge and see if the rope is chafing, Roy," Westy said to
me.

"I'll do more than that," I said. "I'll go down there and stuff a
jacket under it. Give me a jacket, somebody." I was feeling so happy I
didn't care what I said or did.

The fellows got beside a tree so that the rope went part way around the
trunk. That way they could pass it out easily. We were sure of the rope,
that was one thing. Hemp--you've got to go some to break that. That was
no clothesline. Backyard ropes are all right, but not for scouts.

"Don't take any chances," Westy said. "Just look and see if it's chafing
on the edge."

"If it is, tell me," Pee-wee puffed out.

"Let it down slowly," Warde called. "What are you waiting for? It's all
right down here."

There were only two places where that rope could rub; those were on the
top of the wall right near us and down on the edge of the shelf. We knew
it was all right below that on account of what Warde had said. In both
of those places the rope went over clumps of bushes and moss. No rope
will stand rubbing all the time, but all we had to do was to let it down
to the bottom and we knew it would stand that much rubbing.

So we just passed it out little by little and pretty soon it was slack.
Then we could hear Warde calling from away down below.

"All right," I shouted; "We'll be down pretty soon. Take a rest."

We tied the rope good and fast to the tree and then I said to Will and
Dorry, "How far did you go when you started from here?"

"Not more than ten or twenty feet," Dorry said.

"Then the bee-line hike is saved!" I said.

Dora said, "