CHAPTER V.
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 formore than an hour now; and even the long-legged scout was beginningto pant more or less from the exertion.
Having been through the valley more than once before, Toby Smathershad 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 hissuperior knowledge. And then the moon had risen too, which meantconsiderable in the way of light; for topping the other range, it shedits brilliant illumination on the side of the elevation the scoutswere now mounting so bravely.
"How about it, Toby?" asked the patrol leader, wishing to satisfy hisown 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. Thatdrop 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 ofthat awful precipice!" said Giraffe, gritting his teeth in a way hehad 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; "andwe 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 somegrub, to bite at on the way?" declared Giraffe, triumphantly. "Ireckon, now, I'd never a been able to a dumb up this far, if I hadn'tkept 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 takeit is a lucky thing; because my appetite keeps on growin' all thewhile, what with this tough climb."
On the way of course the three scouts had indulged in all sorts ofspeculations concerning the cause of Colonel Kracker treating the sonof Jerry Rawson in such a scurvy way.
And after the subject had been thoroughly discussed, it seemed to be theconsensus of opinion that the boy must possess some map, or at leastsome knowledge concerning the location of the hidden mine, which themoney-mad prospector, whose one idea in life nowadays seemed to be thediscovery of this rich silver lode, was trying to force him to give up.
"Anyhow," Giraffe had declared, with conviction in his voice, "I giveyou 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 theidea gave him more or less satisfaction. How often was it being madepatent that the very fact of a boy taking up with the scouts mightprove one of the most valuable assets he could possess. If the boy onthe ledge--for they insisted on believing that this Aleck Rawson_must_ be a fellow of perhaps their own age--had not known how tocommunicate by means of the telegraphic code, he might have hadconsiderably greater difficulty in letting them know of hispredicament, and asking for immediate assistance.
Of course, there were plenty of knotty things that none of thempretended to be able to explain; but then Thad felt sure all would bemade clear, once they had drawn the other up from his dangerousposition on that ledge, down along the face of the precipice, that hadbeen a cliff when they were below it.
Now and then they would come to a pause, it being necessary that theguide take an observation, in order to locate their position. He hadseveral ways for doing this, and Thad, as well as Allan, understoodenough about them to know that Toby was "making good."
It was all so much Greek however to Giraffe, who fretted considerablybecause 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 beabout over the identical spot from which the fire signals had come. Adark void down below told where the great valley lay. The moon, aboutin the full now, was hanging there just above the opposite range, andlighting up their wild surroundings.
"Seems to me we ought to see him, if he's still there?" grumbledGiraffe, just as though he meant to hint that if the imperiled boy hadlost his hold, and fallen, it would be partly because they had been soslow in getting there.
"Perhaps we may," replied Thad, as Toby crawled to the edge to peerover; "but it wouldn't surprise me if we found that the face of theprecipice 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 eagerGiraffe started to move toward the edge of the descent.
Knowing that Giraffe was inclined to be reckless in his haste, Thadkept close beside him, and whispered words of warning.
"Slow now, Giraffe," he said; "be careful, because we wouldn't like tohave you take a plunge down there. You'd never know what hurt you, ifyou did."
Thus warned the other did slow up a little; but quickly they all reacheda position where they could stretch their necks, and look over.
The moonlight fell on the face of the precipice. They could even seeaway down near the base, where the sharp rocks that had fallen duringcountless years in the past were piled up in ugly masses. Just asThad had remarked, if any one did have the hard luck to fall over, hewould 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 ropealong with you?"
"Just what we have; and I hope it's going to be long enough," repliedThad.
"Then quick, tie a stone to the end, and lower away. When you have gotit down opposite to me, give a swing in and out. I can take hold easyenough, if you do that," came from below, in the eager tones of one inwhose heart new hope had taken lodgment.
Thad lost no time in fastening on a piece of stone, after which hestarted to lower away, all the while listening, hoping to hear a crythat the stone had gone down far enough. As he was getting perilouslynear the end of the rope, his heart had begun to misgive him, whensuddenly 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 tobe first; for he wished to take as much advantage of Toby's greatstrength as possible, when it came time for the hard pulling.
Thad started to swing the rope inward and outward, as he had beendirected. A minute later, and the one below called again:
"There, I've got it, all right; and I find you were smart enough tomake a loop for my foot. Tell me when you're ready, and I'll let loosedown here. It'll be a heavy load; and I hope you won't let the ropeslip through."
Looking down at the dim vacancy far below Thad felt that the other hadsome reason for feeling a trifle worried over the possibility of anaccident; so he hastened to reassure Aleck.
"Four of us have hold here, and one is a strong man; so don't believeanything 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 thespeaker had allowed himself to swing clear of the ledge, as hesuggested he would do.
"Careful now, everybody!" warned cautious Thad; "there's no hurryabout it; and we don't want to knock him to hard against the face ofthe wall. Easy, Giraffe, Rome wasn't built in a day; and slow makessure, sometimes. This is one of them."
While Thad was speaking in this manner, he lay close to the edge ofthe abyss, so he could guide the rope, and avoid letting it be cut byany sharp stone; and at the same time watch out below.
Foot by foot did the guide, assisted by the two scouts, draw theimperiled one upward. Presently Thad could see
him plainly below,swinging a little, turning around also, but always coming closer andcloser.
He was reminded somewhat of Smithy's little adventure on the precedingday; only in his case there had been really very little danger,although at the time the poor fellow had not known but that a thousandfeet of space lay below him, rather than a beggarly five, as was lateron 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 hisassistance; while Allan and the guide continued to grip the rope. Onesupreme effort, in which the one they were saving did his part; andthen Aleck Rawson climbed alongside his young rescuers, panting hardwith the exertion he had been through.
Giraffe felt like giving a shout; but somehow he knew Thad would frownon any such demonstration. When scouts were in a region where dangerof any kind might be expected to lurk, "discretion must take the partof valor, and noise be utterly prohibited." He could distinctlyremember the patrol leader saying just those very words, and not solong ago, either. So the explosive Giraffe had to bottle up hisenthusiasm for another occasion, when the cork might safely be removed.
The scouts had already discovered that in one thing they guessedtruly; 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 littlefurther away from the edge of the precipice, as though it possessedonly terrors for him. Nor could Thad blame him in the least; for itmust have been frightful torture to be left all alone on a narrowshelf of rock, where he could not have any too good a foothold at thebest, and might slip off if, overpowered by exhaustion, he dared allowhimself to lose consciousness in sleep.
Presently, when the other had recovered his wind, he might offer totell them what it all meant; and just why that vindictive oldprospector and miner, Colonel Kracker, had dared place a boy in such aposition of peril; for it seemed a monstrous proceeding in the mind ofthe scoutmaster.
Now the boy was moving. The first thing Thad knew, a hand clutched hisin 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'reonly 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 lookingfor adventure, and doing a little hunting; and this has all been justgreat, for us."
"But think what it's been for me?" said the other, with a quiver inhis voice, although he tried very hard to disguise it. "My poor motherand little sisters came nearer to losing their man of the house, thanI'd like them to know; because, you see, I've just had to try and takemy 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 andshaken hands with the guide, with Giraffe, and finally with Allan, ineach instance giving a convulsive squeeze to their hands in a way thattold more eloquently than words could have ever done what intensegratitude filled his boyish heart.
"The original discoverer of the wonderful silver mine that has neverbeen located since that time, so long ago?" Thad went on.
"Then you _do_ know about that?" Aleck remarked, quickly; "I waswondering, 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," thescoutmaster continued.
"My mother, and three small sisters; the youngest was a baby when hedied," Aleck went on to say, as though he realized that explanationsfrom him must now be in order, since these boys had done so much forhim; and besides, even though they were next door to strangers to him,some sort of free masonry within seemed to tell Aleck that they weregoing 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'regoing I want to tell you just how it came that I was on that horriblelittle shelf of rock, placed there by Colonel Kracker, who said Iwould never leave it alive unless I gave up to him the secret of myfather's hidden silver mine. And he promised to come up there above meevery day, to ask me if I was ready to throw up the sponge. But I'dhave died there before I played the coward, and told him what hewanted; for how could I ever look my mother and sisters in the faceagain, if I saved my useless life by selling out their mine to thatcruel and hateful man?"