TAKING FATHER'S PLACE.
"Must be nearly up at the top now, Thad."
It was Giraffe who said this. The little party of four, Thad; Toby,
the guide; Giraffe, and Allan, had been climbing upwards steadily for
more than an hour now; and even the long-legged scout was beginning
to pant more or less from the exertion.
Having been through the valley more than once before, Toby Smathers
had been able to take them along the trail that led up the other side.
Often they would have been at a loss just how to proceed only for his
superior knowledge. And then the moon had risen too, which meant
considerable in the way of light; for topping the other range, it shed
its brilliant illumination on the side of the elevation the scouts
were now mounting so bravely.
"How about it, Toby?" asked the patrol leader, wishing to satisfy his
own curiosity, as well as please Giraffe.
"Right thar, now, and arter this we ain't goin' to have much climbin'.
But you-all want to be keerful 'bout goin' too clost to the edge. That
drop is all of three hundred feet, I reckons," the guide made answer.
"And think of those sharks aleavin' that boy part way down the face of
that awful precipice!" said Giraffe, gritting his teeth in a way he
had of doing when he wished to let everybody know just how mad he was.
"It's taken a whole hour for us to climb up here," remarked Thad; "and
we can hardly count on getting back to the camp in less than another,
even if things go right with us."
"Well, wasn't I wise, then, in sayin' we had ought to snatch up some
grub, to bite at on the way?" declared Giraffe, triumphantly. "I
reckon, now, I'd never a been able to a dumb up this far, if I hadn't
kept nibblin' away at the stuff they handed us when we was startin'
out. And there's more awaitin' for us after we get back, which I take
it is a lucky thing; because my appetite keeps on growin' all the
while, what with this tough climb."
On the way of course the three scouts had indulged in all sorts of
speculations concerning the cause of Colonel Kracker treating the son
of Jerry Rawson in such a scurvy way.
And after the subject had been thoroughly discussed, it seemed to be the
consensus of opinion that the boy must possess some map, or at least
some knowledge concerning the location of the hidden mine, which the
money-mad prospector, whose one idea in life nowadays seemed to be the
discovery of this rich silver lode, was trying to force him to give up.
"Anyhow," Giraffe had declared, with conviction in his voice, "I give
you my word now, that Aleck's been a Boy Scout, some time or other;
because he wouldn't a known how to wigwag that clever way if he hadn't."
Thad had come to the same conclusion some time before; and somehow the
idea gave him more or less satisfaction. How often was it being made
patent that the very fact of a boy taking up with the scouts might
prove one of the most valuable assets he could possess. If the boy on
the ledge--for they insisted on believing that this Aleck Rawson
_must_ be a fellow of perhaps their own age--had not known how to
communicate by means of the telegraphic code, he might have had
considerably greater difficulty in letting them know of his
predicament, and asking for immediate assistance.
Of course, there were plenty of knotty things that none of them
pretended to be able to explain; but then Thad felt sure all would be
made clear, once they had drawn the other up from his dangerous
position on that ledge, down along the face of the precipice, that had
been a cliff when they were below it.
Now and then they would come to a pause, it being necessary that the
guide take an observation, in order to locate their position. He had
several ways for doing this, and Thad, as well as Allan, understood
enough about them to know that Toby was "making good."
It was all so much Greek however to Giraffe, who fretted considerably
because there was any delay, the need of which he could not understand.
But in the end the guide announced that he believed they must now be
about over the identical spot from which the fire signals had come. A
dark void down below told where the great valley lay. The moon, about
in the full now, was hanging there just above the opposite range, and
lighting up their wild surroundings.
"Seems to me we ought to see him, if he's still there?" grumbled
Giraffe, just as though he meant to hint that if the imperiled boy had
lost his hold, and fallen, it would be partly because they had been so
slow in getting there.
"Perhaps we may," replied Thad, as Toby crawled to the edge to peer
over; "but it wouldn't surprise me if we found that the face of the
precipice backed in, and that would keep us from sighting the ledge,
or any one on it."
"Looky! there's Toby beckonin' to us. Come on, fellers!" and the eager
Giraffe started to move toward the edge of the descent.
Knowing that Giraffe was inclined to be reckless in his haste, Thad
kept close beside him, and whispered words of warning.
"Slow now, Giraffe," he said; "be careful, because we wouldn't like to
have you take a plunge down there. You'd never know what hurt you, if
you did."
Thus warned the other did slow up a little; but quickly they all reached
a position where they could stretch their necks, and look over.
The moonlight fell on the face of the precipice. They could even see
away down near the base, where the sharp rocks that had fallen during
countless years in the past were piled up in ugly masses. Just as
Thad had remarked, if any one did have the hard luck to fall over, he
would never know what hurt him.
"It does slant in below, Thad!" said Giraffe, the first thing.
"Yes, and we've got to call out to learn whether he's there or not,"
returned the scoutmaster; then raising his voice a little he said:
"Hello! Aleck, are you here?"
Immediately they heard an exclamation of delight, and then came a reply:
"Yes, yes, and right underneath you too, I think. Have you got a rope
along with you?"
"Just what we have; and I hope it's going to be long enough," replied
Thad.
"Then quick, tie a stone to the end, and lower away. When you have got
it down opposite to me, give a swing in and out. I can take hold easy
enough, if you do that," came from below, in the eager tones of one in
whose heart new hope had taken lodgment.
Thad lost no time in fastening on a piece of stone, after which he
started to lower away, all the while listening, hoping to hear a cry
that the stone had gone down far enough. As he was getting perilously
near the end of the rope, his heart had begun to misgive him, when
suddenly came a hail:
"Hold on! that is far enough! Now, keep a tight grip up there!"
"Get hold with me, the rest of you," said Thad, allowing the guide to
be first; for he wished to take as much advantage of Toby's great
strength as possible, when it came time for the hard pulling.
Thad started to swing the rope inward and outward, as he had been
directed. A minute later, and the one below called again:
"There, I've got it, all right; and I find you were smart enough to
make a loop for my foot. Tell me when you're ready, and I'll let loose
down here. It'll be a heavy load; and I hope you won't let the rope
slip through."
Looking down at the dim vacancy far below Thad felt that the other had
some reason for feeling a trifle worried over the possibility of an
accident; so he hastened to reassure Aleck.
"Four of us have hold here, and one is a strong man; so don't believe
anything is going to happen to you, Aleck. Tell us when you're going;
it's all right up here with us."
"Then I'm off!"
With the words they felt a sudden heavy strain, and knew that the
speaker had allowed himself to swing clear of the ledge, as he
suggested he would do.
"Careful now, everybody!" warned cautious Thad; "there's no hurry
about it; and we don't want to knock him to hard against the face of
the wall. Easy, Giraffe, Rome wasn't built in a day; and slow makes
sure, sometimes. This is one of them."
While Thad was speaking in this manner, he lay close to the edge of
the abyss, so he could guide the rope, and avoid letting it be cut by
any sharp stone; and at the same time watch out below.
Foot by foot did the guide, assisted by the two scouts, draw the
imperiled one upward. Presently Thad could see him plainly below,
swinging a little, turning around also, but always coming closer and
closer.
He was reminded somewhat of Smithy's little adventure on the preceding
day; only in his case there had been really very little danger,
although at the time the poor fellow had not known but that a thousand
feet of space lay below him, rather than a beggarly five, as was later
on discovered.
Now Thad could stretch out a hand, and touch the other.
"Slower still; he's right here, boys!" he cautioned.
Then he got a grip himself, and held on. Giraffe came to his
assistance; while Allan and the guide continued to grip the rope. One
supreme effort, in which the one they were saving did his part; and
then Aleck Rawson climbed alongside his young rescuers, panting hard
with the exertion he had been through.
Giraffe felt like giving a shout; but somehow he knew Thad would frown
on any such demonstration. When scouts were in a region where danger
of any kind might be expected to lurk, "discretion must take the part
of valor, and noise be utterly prohibited." He could distinctly
remember the patrol leader saying just those very words, and not so
long ago, either. So the explosive Giraffe had to bottle up his
enthusiasm for another occasion, when the cork might safely be removed.
The scouts had already discovered that in one thing they guessed
truly; for Aleck Rawson did prove to be a boy, about the size of Thad,
and possibly in the neighborhood of sixteen years of age.
He was beginning to get back his breath now, and even moved a little
further away from the edge of the precipice, as though it possessed
only terrors for him. Nor could Thad blame him in the least; for it
must have been frightful torture to be left all alone on a narrow
shelf of rock, where he could not have any too good a foothold at the
best, and might slip off if, overpowered by exhaustion, he dared allow
himself to lose consciousness in sleep.
Presently, when the other had recovered his wind, he might offer to
tell them what it all meant; and just why that vindictive old
prospector and miner, Colonel Kracker, had dared place a boy in such a
position of peril; for it seemed a monstrous proceeding in the mind of
the scoutmaster.
Now the boy was moving. The first thing Thad knew, a hand clutched his
in a warm, fierce clasp, and he heard Aleck saying:
"Oh! how can I ever thank you for getting me out of that scrape?"
"I wouldn't try it, then," replied Thad, laughing softly. "Why, we're
only too glad to have the chance. It's been an experience to remember,
too; the talk with the torches, the climb up the face of the mountain,
and then hauling you up safe and sound. We're Boy Scouts, out looking
for adventure, and doing a little hunting; and this has all been just
great, for us."
"But think what it's been for me?" said the other, with a quiver in
his voice, although he tried very hard to disguise it. "My poor mother
and little sisters came nearer to losing their man of the house, than
I'd like them to know; because, you see, I've just had to try and take
my father's place ever since he died."
"Your father, then, was Jerry Rawson, I take it?" said Thad.
"Yes, that was his name," answered the other, who had gone over and
shaken hands with the guide, with Giraffe, and finally with Allan, in
each instance giving a convulsive squeeze to their hands in a way that
told more eloquently than words could have ever done what intense
gratitude filled his boyish heart.
"The original discoverer of the wonderful silver mine that has never
been located since that time, so long ago?" Thad went on.
"Then you _do_ know about that?" Aleck remarked, quickly; "I was
wondering, seeing that you must be strangers around these regions,
whether you had heard."
"Our guide, Tony Smathers here, told us; he used to know your father;
and he said there was a family located somewhere down in Utah," the
scoutmaster continued.
"My mother, and three small sisters; the youngest was a baby when he
died," Aleck went on to say, as though he realized that explanations
from him must now be in order, since these boys had done so much for
him; and besides, even though they were next door to strangers to him,
some sort of free masonry within seemed to tell Aleck that they were
going to prove the best friends he had ever known.
"Do you feel able to walk with us down into the valley to our camp?"
Thad asked.
"I should say I did, and be only too glad into the bargain!"
exclaimed the other, his voice filled with delight. "And while we're
going I want to tell you just how it came that I was on that horrible
little shelf of rock, placed there by Colonel Kracker, who said I
would never leave it alive unless I gave up to him the secret of my
father's hidden silver mine. And he promised to come up there above me
every day, to ask me if I was ready to throw up the sponge. But I'd
have died there before I played the coward, and told him what he
wanted; for how could I ever look my mother and sisters in the face
again, if I saved my useless life by selling out their mine to that
cruel and hateful man?"