g over in the direction of the
spot where they had seen the last of their unfortunate chum.

"Oh! perhaps he's gone and fractured his leg, and our family doctor,
meaning Paul, ain't along!" groaned Eben.

All of them hastened to follow after the eager Fritz, and on hands and
knees made for the edge of the shelf of rock, from which in times past
they had sent many a flag signal to some scout mounted on the roof of
his house in town.

Fritz had more of an interest in discovering what had happened to the
vanished scout than any of his comrades. Possibly his uneasy conscience
reproached him for having thrust out his foot in the way he did, and
sending poor Noodles headlong to his fate.

At any rate he reached the brink of the descent before any of the rest.
They unconsciously kept their eyes on Fritz. He would serve as a
barometer, and from his actions they could tell pretty well the
conditions existing down below. If Fritz exhibited any symptoms of
horror, then it would afford them a chance to steel their nerves against
the sight, before they reached his side.

Fritz was observed to crane his neck, and peer over the edge of the
shelf. Further he leaned, as though hardly able to believe his eyes.
Then, when some of the rest were holding their breath in expectation of
seeing him turn a white face toward them, Fritz gave vent to a hoarse
laugh. It was as though the relief he felt just had to find a vent
somehow.

Astounded by this unexpected outcome of the near-tragedy the others
hastened to crawl forward still further, until they too were able to
thrust out their heads, and see for themselves what it was Fritz seemed
to be amused at.

Then they, too, chuckled and shook with amusement; nor could they be
blamed for giving way to this feeling, since the spectacle that met
their gaze was comical enough to excite laughter on the part of any one.

Noodles was there all right; indeed, he was pretty much in evidence, as
they could all see.

In falling it happened that he had become caught by the seat of his
stout khaki trousers; a friendly stump of a broken branch connected with
a stunted tree that grew out of the face of the little precipice had
taken a firm grip upon the loose cloth; and since the boy in struggling
had turned around several times, there was no such thing as his becoming
detached, unless the branch broke.

"Hellup! why don't you gif me a handt?" he was shouting as he clawed at
the unyielding face of th