Part 31 (2/2)

Next he packed these bundles together, interposing dried and stiff hides between the several parcels, and again securely tied them together. Then he took the hide of his ”Ursa Major,” which was still ”green” and limp, and which, as the boys suggested, ”smelt uncommonly bad,” and rolled the whole bundle in that, ”skinny side out,” binding it securely with stout twine. Finally he wrapped the stiff dried hide of the first bear he had killed, and the equally stiff panther's hide over all, as a sort of ”goods box,” he said, and, with a piece of red keel, he playfully marked on the panther's skin, ”Gla.s.s! Handle with care.”

”But now who is going to carry all this load?” asked Jack.

”Tom and I,” said the Doctor, quickly. ”The skins are Tom's and the instruments are mine. So we'll take some more of Tom's string and rig up some handles by which he and I can carry the bundle.”

”You see,” said Tom, ”we may possibly have to drop it over a cliff now and then, and I've tried to do it up so as to stand that without breaking the instruments. But I think we can manage to avoid that. At any rate, we'll try. Now, come on, boys.”

They had already taken leave of the lieutenant, and with four days'

rations in their haversacks--for the lieutenant had supplied them with those military conveniences--haversacks--they began the descent of the mountain by that difficult way that Tom had followed on the night when he inspected the stills.

It was nine o'clock when they started. They made their way with comparative ease for nearly an hour. Then they came upon a bluff of formidable proportions and difficulty. Here Tom's experience and generals.h.i.+p came into play for the first time.

”All lay off your loads,” he said. ”Now, Harry, you are a discreet fellow and a good climber. Strip yourself of everything that can possibly embarra.s.s you, and go down over the bluff. Remember what I have told you about bushes. Some of them cling tenaciously, while some of them give way in their roots at the first serious pull. Never trust one of them, but hold on by two always, and support yourself by your feet on every projection of rock you can find, so as not to overtax the bushes.

When you are holding by two bushes, never let go of one to catch another lower down till you have satisfied yourself of the security of the other one by which you are holding on, and then grab the new one as quickly as you can. Make your way to the foot of the cliff, and we'll then let all our baggage and arms down to you with twine. You are to receive it all, untie the twine and let us pull it up again for the next bundle. When all our luggage is down, we'll climb down ourselves. There isn't any serious difficulty about it if we're careful. As I told you boys awhile ago, there isn't any such thing as accident. It is all a question of carefulness.”

Harry did his part well in making the descent of this first precipice and the work of lowering the arms and luggage, including every boy's haversack--for it was imperative that in the bush climb down the cliff, no boy should carry a single ounce of unnecessary weight--occupied full two hours' time.

The Doctor was the last to go over the edge of the precipice, and he alone met with mishap. Jack, with his heavy weight, had preceded him, and the bushes, already weakened by the strain the other boys had given them, were some of them almost torn out by the roots from the rock crevices in which they grew. So when the Doctor was about half way down, one of them gave way suddenly, leaving the Doctor's right hand with no support and swinging him around in very perilous fas.h.i.+on. But the Doctor had by this time become a good deal of an athlete, and instantly realizing his danger, he swung himself around on his toes, which rested in a crevice of the cliff, and grasped with his right hand a sharp edge of rock which protruded some inches from the face of the cliff. It was a perilous hold, as the boys, looking on from below, clearly saw, and one that obviously could not be long maintained. But the Doctor had his wits about him, and after a moment's pause, he grasped another bush which held securely, and five minutes later he was on the ledge below.

Here it was decided to halt for the midday meal. A fire was built; the game which had been brought--or at least so much of it as was needed for this meal--was broiled upon live coals, and a pot of coffee was made--for of that sustaining article the original supply had not yet been quite exhausted.

CHAPTER x.x.xVII

_Down the Mountain_

By this time the boys were excessively tired. Climbing down over bluffs is weary work. So after dinner they stretched themselves out for a nap with their bundles under their heads in lieu of pillows.

An hour later they roused themselves and set out again upon their toilsome journey, carrying their packs as best they could, and scrambling through underbrush and over fragments of rock that had fallen from the cliffs and hills above and now seriously obstructed the pa.s.sage.

At last they came to the shelving rock, mentioned in a preceding chapter. This was a perfectly bare stretch of rock, extending down the hill for nearly a quarter of a mile, at an angle which made walking upon it impracticable.

”Now, fellows,” said Tom, ”get your parcels together and slide them down the hill. The thick woods and bush tangle at the bottom of this rocky incline will bring them to a halt. Then I'll go down alone and find out if the way is practicable. If I get down in safety the rest of you can follow, doing precisely as you've seen me do.”

”But, Tom, I protest,” said the Doctor. ”You mustn't take all the risk.”

”Oh, you'll have risk enough for your own share,” answered Tom, ”after I've done the trick. It's only that I've done this sort of thing before, and can show you fellows how. In the meantime, send the parcels down.”

Then one after another, the shoulder packs were started and went speedily down the rocky incline and into the woodlands at its foot. The guns, of course, were not risked in this fas.h.i.+on, but were securely strapped upon the shoulders of those who were to carry them.

When all the luggage had been sent down, Tom began his descent, calling to the others:

”Now watch me carefully, boys, and see just how I do it.”

<script>