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diff --git a/old/54536-0.txt b/old/54536-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 56a47fb..0000000 --- a/old/54536-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9034 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Boy Scouts at Crater Lake, by Walter Prichard Eaton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - A Story of Crater Lake National Park and the High Cascades - -Author: Walter Prichard Eaton - -Release Date: April 10, 2017 [EBook #54536] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT CRATER LAKE *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -[Illustration: Pack Train Descending to Hunt’s Cove. Mount Jefferson in -the Distance.] - - - - - Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - - - _A STORY OF CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK AND THE HIGH CASCADES_ - - By - WALTER PRICHARD EATON - - _Illustrated with Photographs_ - FRED H. KISER - - [Illustration: W. A. Wilde Company] - - W. A. WILDE COMPANY - BOSTON CHICAGO - - _Copyrighted, 1922_, - By W. A. Wilde Company - _All rights reserved_ - Made in U.S.A. - - - - - FOREWORD - - - (_For Parents and Similar People_) - -It seems to be generally assumed that a story for boys must be crowded -full of adventures, and the assumption is doubtless based on experience. -This would be all right if the adventures were also based on experience. -Unfortunately, however, such is not always the case, and then the result -is something that may possibly satisfy an immediate craving of the boy -for excitement, but in the long run can only confuse his sense of -reality. It is probably more important, in a boy’s development, to -clarify his sense of reality than it is to feed his imagination. His -imagination, normally, needs very little prodding to carry him away from -reality. That is why tales of actual adventure, such as the records of -explorers, hunters, and the like, are so worth while for boys. They feed -the imagination while, at the same time, keeping touch with the real. -They have the lure of fiction, and the solidity of fact. - -It has been my steady purpose, in the Boy Scout series of stories which -I have written, to bear this in mind. I have not described places with -which I was unfamiliar, nor created adventures it was impossible for -boys to experience. In the volume preceding the present one, “Boy Scouts -in Glacier Park,” I endeavored to give some adequate idea of that -beautiful National Park, and hence of a section of the Rocky Mountain -wilderness, and the actual adventures one may now encounter therein. Our -friend, Bill Hart, of movie fame, may be relied on to supply the other -sort of Wild West adventure, without any need of help from me. The -response of my young readers was so pleasantly encouraging that I am -asking them, in this book, to go still farther West, into another -National Park, Crater Lake, and into the Cascade wilderness of Oregon. -Whitman’s ride for Oregon was long ago, and today they are building a -macadam highway where his horse left a solitary track. - -The Cascade Mountains afford numerous opportunities for snow -climbing—and anyone who has practiced this noble sport does not need to -be told that it supplies plenty of adventure. Snow mountains have a way -of withdrawing themselves many miles from human habitation, and a pack -train is scarcely to be afforded save by those who have reached years of -comparative discretion, so I have no fear of sending youngsters out -alone to start up the Roosevelt Glacier. If, however, I can inspire some -few of them to persuade their fathers to take them into the high places, -I know that both they and their fathers will ultimately thank me. - -But chiefly, in the end, I want young America to know and to love and to -preserve what is left of the American wilderness. - - W. P. E. - - _Twin Fires,_ - _Sheffield,_ - _Massachusetts._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - I. Bennie Visits the Public Library and Gives Spider a Surprise 13 - II. Bennie Takes the Rope Up His First Cliff 19 - III. How Bennie Earned a Trip to Oregon 31 - IV. Bennie and Spider Cross the Continent 39 - V. All Aboard for Crater Lake!—and Dumpling in the Other Car 50 - VI. Bennie and Spider Have to Make After-dinner Speeches, and - Bennie’s Knees Knock 57 - VII. Held Up by the Snow, with the Thermometer at 86° 68 - VIII. Up the Rim of Crater Lake at Last, Through the Snow-drifts 75 - IX. The Mountain That Fell Into Itself 83 - X. Down the Rim to the Lake—The Boys Ski on a Crater Snow-drift - in July 88 - XI. Dumplin’ Tests the Strength of a Snow Cornice on Garfield - Peak 106 - XII. Bennie Climbs the Mast of the Phantom Ship and Knows He Has - Done Something 113 - XIII. The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have to Climb - Llao Rock—and They Learn a Lesson 122 - XIV. Bennie Takes a Day Off to Do a Good Turn—He Washes All the - Dirty Clothes 137 - XV. The Long Hike—The Scouts Find Packing Grub and Blanket Rolls - Up and Down Cliffs is Hard Work 144 - XVI. The Climb Up Scott Peak—Bennie Begins Work for a Merit - Badge for Hiking 154 - XVII. Good-bye to Crater Lake, and a Motor Trip to Bend 167 - XVIII. The Boys Encounter “Pep,” Who Promises Them a Bear Hunt 174 - XIX. The Bear Hunt—In Which the Boys Discover that the Bear - Doesn’t Do All the Hard Work 178 - XX. Bennie Achieves a Dog, and the Party Puts Out a Forest Fire 206 - XXI. The Pack Train Has to Toboggan Into Hunt’s Cove, and Bennie - Puts “Action” Into It 221 - XXII. The First Attempt at Jefferson—Dumplin’ Almost Falls to - Death—The Hardest Work the Boys Ever Did 234 - XXIII. The Summit is Conquered! 262 - XXIV. Back Over the Divide—A Horse Turns Three Somersaults Down - the Snow Slope 273 - XXV. Bennie Loses Jeff, but Brings Home Something Else to Last - Him Many Years 280 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - Pack Train Descending to Hunt’s Cove. Mount Jefferson in the - Distance. (_Frontispiece_) 222 - Crater Lake—Wizard Island, and Over it Llao Rock 80 - Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in Foreground 88 - The Boys Sliding Down Wizard Island Crater (Enlarged from a - Movie) 98 - The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak (Enlarged - from a Movie) 108 - Looking Across Hunt’s Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line Shows Route - of Climb; Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin’ Slipped 252 - Crossing the Divide Near Mount Jefferson, on July 25th. Three - Fingered Jack in Distance 274 - Saint Peter’s Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far - Distance 286 - - - - - Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - - - - - CHAPTER I - Bennie Visits the Public Library and Gives Spider a Surprise - - -Bennie Capen was sitting in the public library reading a book. Miss -Lizzie Cox, the librarian, was watching him with some suspicion. Bennie -was not what you might call one of her regular customers, and she was -surprised to see him come in, ask for a certain book, and take it off to -the reading table. She certainly watched him as if she suspected a -nigger in the wood-pile somewhere. Bennie had a reputation in Southmead, -but it wasn’t exactly a reputation for bookishness. Some people said he -was a “bad boy,” some people laughed and said he was “full o’ pep,” and -some people, including Mr. Rogers, the scout master of Bennie’s troop, -said the trouble with Bennie was that his engine was too powerful for -the chassis. Anyway, Miss Lizzie Cox, behind the delivery desk, frowned -as she watched him through her gold-rimmed glasses, as if she expected -to see him throw the book at little Bob Walters, across the table, or -pull the hair of Lucy Smith, who was consulting the encyclopædia -preparatory to writing a composition on “The Products of the Philippine -Islands.” - -However, Bennie did none of these things. He read steadily in his book, -after first looking at all the pictures, and emitting several low -whistles, each one of which brought a sharp, admonitory rap of her -pencil on the desk from Miss Cox, and a loud “Silence!” Bennie grinned -cheerfully each time, and went on reading and looking at the pictures. -His eyes were bright, and every now and then he ran his fingers -excitedly through his brown hair, till it stood straight up on his -forehead. - -By and by little Bob Walters returned the bound volume of St. Nicholas -and went out. Lucy Smith exhausted the products of the Philippine -Islands (or her own patience), and took refuge in “Vogue.” From the -streets outside came the shouts of a snowball fight. But Bennie kept on -reading. Finally the door opened, and another scout came in, a tall, -slender boy with two books under his arm. He saw Bennie as he was -walking up to the desk, and stopped, surprised. Then he stole over on -tiptoe, and looked over Bennie’s shoulder at the book. - -“Gosh all hemlock, Bennie,” he whispered, “plugging to get a hundred per -cent in physical geography? You don’t care how much of a shock you give -your dear teacher, do you?” - -Bennie looked up, with his usual grin. “’Lo, Spider,” he said. “Say, -this old book is some humdinger, I’ll tell the world.” - -“Don’t tell the world so loud, or Miss Cox’ll be out over the desk,” Bob -Chandler whispered back, catching a sight of the librarian’s face out of -a corner of his eye. “What is the book?” - -Bennie turned back to the title page, and Spider read, “On British Crags -and Alpine Heights.” - -“Say, wait a minute—look at this picture,” said Bennie, turning the -pages to find it. “Here it is. Look at that old cliff! And pipe where -that guy is climbing. Oh, boy! That’s only one, too. ’Most every -picture’s like that, or more exciting, and it tells how somebody fell -off most of ’em, and was killed, and——” - -“Silence!” from Miss Lizzie Cox. - -“Old crab!” whispered Bennie. “Well, I gotter finish this chapter ’fore -closing time.” - -“Why don’t you take the book out? I’d like to read it, too,” Spider -whispered. - -“Haven’t got a card,” Bennie confessed. “Guess I don’t read as much as I -ought to.” - -“Guess you don’t,” said Spider. “Here, give it to me. I’ll take it out -for you.” - -“How’d you ever know about it, anyhow?” he asked, when they were outside -the building, on the snowy sidewalk. “Gave me some shock to see you -sitting in the library!” - -“Mr. Rogers told me about it,” Bennie answered. “We got to talking about -mountains, and climbing, and he said to go ask for this book and see -what real climbing is like. Oh, boy! I wish we had something like those -old what d’you call ’ems—spitzes—around these diggings.” - -“A spitz being what?” Spider laughed. - -“Here, give me the book—I’ll show you. It’s a German word, I guess—means -spire, maybe—I don’t know. Never studied Dutch—probably wouldn’t know if -I had—but anyhow they’re tall, sharp rocky peaks, pretty nearly straight -up, in the Alps somewhere, and you climb ’em with your teeth and your -toe-nails.” - -The two scouts paused in the middle of the sidewalk, while Bennie hunted -out a picture of several men, roped together, climbing the precipitous -face of one of the Dolomites, and their faces were over the book, -looking at the thrilling photograph—when, _blam_, came a snowball, -crashing into Bennie’s side. - -He thrust the book into Spider’s hands for safe-keeping, stooped for a -handful of snow, and dashed around the corner of the post-office after -the vanishing pair of heels. - -When he came back he was grinning. “Fresh guy, that Tenderfoot,” he -said. “His ma won’t need to wash his face for supper tonight. Come on, -let’s go to my house and look at those old pictures some more.” - -They were soon curled up on the couch in his father’s library, with the -book first on one lap and then on the other. After they had looked twice -at every picture, they read aloud to each other parts of the text, -especially the most exciting parts they could find, but skipping the -descriptions of scenery and the long foreign names. The Welsh names were -worse than the German. - -What interested them most, however, were the pictures that showed how -the rope is used, both in climbing and descending, and the passages -about it. - -“I wish we had a braided rope!” Spider exclaimed. - -“Guess we could get some sort of a rope, all right,” said Bennie. “But -where are we going to get the—the spitzes to use it on? Those old -mountains make ours look like pimples.” - -“Oh, they’re not so bad—they’re _something_, anyway,” Spider answered. -“I bet you’d need a rope to climb the cliffs on Monument Mountain, and -maybe, if the snow gets deep, we’d have to cut steps in it to get up to -those cliffs. Might try it.” - -“Sure, we could try it. But you wouldn’t slide far enough to hurt -yourself if you did slip going up to the cliffs, and I bet _nobody_ -could climb right up the cliffs themselves.” - -“I bet the man who wrote this book could,” said Spider. “We never really -tried it. What do you say if we get a rope and have a go at ’em, next -Saturday, eh?” - -“You’re on!” cried Bennie. “We’ll get the old rope tomorrow, after -school. Going to take the troop along?” - -“Not on your life! We’ll ask Mr. Rogers, though. We don’t want too many. -Those cliffs aren’t going to be a picnic, I’ll tell the town.” - -“You’ve said it,” Bennie assented. “Well, so long till tomorrow. Don’t -forget to bring some money for that old rope.” - -“And don’t you forget that book’s out on my card,” Spider laughed. -“Won’t do it any good if you throw it at the cat.” - -Bennie made as if to throw it at him, and he ducked quickly out of the -door. - - - - - CHAPTER II - Bennie Takes the Rope Up His First Cliff - - -The next afternoon the two scouts emerged from Seymour’s store with a -hundred feet of brand new half-inch rope, and ran directly into a group -of half a dozen of their fellow scouts. - -“Hi! Get on to Spider and Bennie!” someone cried. “What you goin’ to do, -Bennie, rope a steer?” - -“Goin’ to hang yourselves?” somebody else demanded. - -“Goin’ to tie up the cat?” came from a third. - -“Going to have some spaghetti for supper?” said a fourth. - -“Goin’ to fish for minnows through the ice with it?” asked still -another. - -“No, we’re goin’ to tie up a pound of candy for our dear teacher,” -Bennie replied. “Come on, Spider, these guys are too bright for us.” - -“Don’t trip over your skipping rope, dearie,” taunted one of the scouts. -Bennie hurled a snowball at him and then he and Spider dodged away from -a shower of pursuing missiles. - -“Well, they didn’t learn much that time,” Spider laughed, as they -entered Bennie’s back yard, went into the barn, and threw an end of the -rope over a rafter, so that both ends dangled to the floor. - -“Now we’ll try coming down the doubled rope,” said Bennie. - -He climbed out on the rafter, grasped both strands of the rope, and slid -down. Spider followed him. - -At the bottom they surveyed their bare palms ruefully. - -“Feels as if it was full of splinters,” said Bennie. - -“It’s too stiff—it’s like a piece o’ wood,” Spider complained. “Guess it -isn’t much like the braided ropes Alpine climbers use. What are we going -to do about it?” - -“Ask Mr. Rogers,” said Bennie. “We haven’t told him about it yet, -anyhow. Come on. Wait a minute, though. No use getting any more -questions fired at us.” - -He took one end of the rope and pulled the other end down over the beam. -Then, while Spider played it out, he spun around and wound it around his -body. After that, he put on his mackinaw. - -“You look ’s if you weighed about two hundred,” Spider laughed. - -“I feel like Houdini,” said Bennie. - -They found the scout master at home, and told him their plans, and about -the rope. He laughed, and grabbing the loose end, spun Bennie around -like a top, while he unwound it. - -“The first thing to do is to wrap a piece of twine around both ends, so -it won’t unravel,” he said, “and then boil it for a day in your mother’s -wash boiler—if she’ll let you.” - -“Will you go with us Saturday?” - -“Sure thing. But let’s take a couple more of the troop along. Not a lot. -It may be dangerous. We’ll take Billy Vance and Tom Shields, eh? They -are strong and careful.” - -“Well, not any more,” said Bennie. “Gee whiz, we don’t want to let ’em -all in on this right off the bat.” - -“What kind of a scout are you?” Mr. Rogers asked. “Want to hog all the -fun?” - -Bennie reddened. “No, it isn’t that,” he said, “but me and Spider sort -of discovered this, and we want to try it out first. A lot of ’em would -only laugh. I got it out of a book.” - -“Ho, that’s it!” laughed the scout master. “You don’t want to be caught -reading a book! Well, I’ve a good mind to assemble the whole troop, and -tell ’em the glad news. Cheer up, though, I won’t. The shock might be -bad for ’em.” - -“He’s got your number,” said Spider, as the two scouts left. - -Bennie grinned, but he looked a little sheepish. - -It took a lot of explaining before Mrs. Capen would let the boys have -the wash boiler, but finally they persuaded her, and slipped the coil of -rope into the water, leaving it there all night to boil. - -The next day the water was a dark brown color, but the rope, after they -took it out and stretched it as hard as they could from the barn around -a tree and back again, dried out much softer than it had been, so that -it could be easily handled. And, to complete their happiness, that night -it began to snow again heavily. - -“I hope it don’t stop till Saturday, and there’s six feet on the level!” -cried Bennie. - -There weren’t six feet, but there were more than two, badly drifted, -when Saturday dawned bright and clear. When Mr. Rogers and the four -scouts set out for the cliffs, two miles away, they were on snowshoes. -Bennie carried the rope, carefully coiled, over his shoulder, and he had -a scout hatchet in his belt, to cut steps with. Each member of the party -had an alpenstock, also, some of them made by taking the guard off old -ski poles, some merely by sharpening a five foot length of pole. The -snow was deep, but it was also fine and powdery, so that even on -snowshoes they sank well in, and had to take turns breaking trail. - -“It doesn’t look to me as if we’d have to cut many steps,” said the -scout master. - -And it turned out that they didn’t, much to Bennie’s disgust. To reach -the base of the cliffs, it was necessary to climb for 300 yards or more -up a pile of rocks, of all sizes and shapes, which in ages past had been -broken off from the precipice above, and now lay in a vast heap at the -base, making a kind of wild, irregular stairway, and just about as steep -as a flight of steps. Bennie had hoped that these rocks would be packed -over hard with snow, so they would need to cut steps up the slope. But, -alas! it takes far deeper snows, and snows that do not melt in spring, -to form such a slope. - -What they found, instead, was that the snow had filled in between the -rocks just enough so you couldn’t tell whether your foot was going to -sink six inches or six feet, and blown off the top of the rocks, making -them slippery as glass. Of course, they had to leave their snowshoes at -the base. To get up the pile meant nothing more than hard work and -scraped shins. Billy and Tom, the two other scouts who had come along, -began to complain. - -“Say, is this your idea of fun?” said Tom. “You don’t need a rope for -this, you need shin guards.” - -“Yeah, where’d you get this Alpine stuff, anyhow?” said Billy, as one -foot went down between two hidden stones and he half disappeared from -sight. - -“You wait till we get to the old cliff up there!” Bennie answered -hopefully. - -The party paused and took a look at the cliff wall, now towering just -above them. They had all climbed the mountain many times by the path, -but none of them, not even Mr. Rogers, had ever tackled the cliff face. -It was 200 feet high, most of it a sheer precipice, and nobody in town -had ever dreamed of trying to climb it. - -“Gosh!” Tom exclaimed. “We can’t climb _that_!” - -“Well, we’re going to try,” Bennie replied. “It’s not a patch on a lot -in that book, is it, Spider?” - -“You’ve said it,” Spider answered. - -After a few minutes more of hard scrambling, they stood directly under -the face of the precipice. Being straight up, it was quite bare of snow, -except on a few ledges here and there, and at this point nobody could -have climbed it. There was nothing to get even a finger hold on. - -“Well, go on up with your rope, and throw us down an end,” Tom taunted. - -“We’ll have to work around till we can find a chimney, won’t we?” Bennie -asked the scout master. - -“Or a ladder,” Billy added. - -They moved along under the beetling face of the rock, going in up to -their waists in the snow which had drifted against the base, until they -came to a sort of gully which divided the main cliff from an out-thrown -spur like a bowsprit. This gully was very steep, about sixty-five -degrees, and was partly filled with snow. A few laurel bushes grew in it -here and there, and it evidently led up to a ledge, because at the top a -little pine tree was growing, a hundred feet above their heads. - -“If we can get up anywhere, it’s here,” the scout master announced. - -Bennie uncoiled the rope and fastened one end around his waist, so his -hands would be free. Then he started up the gully. There was no question -of cutting steps—the snow was too soft. All he could do was to tread it -down under his feet and trust to its holding him without sliding down -until he could reach up to a laurel bush and pull himself a bit higher. -Twice he slid back. Once his mittens slipped on a bush, and he came down -ten feet before he could get a hold on something. Then he took his -mittens off, and climbed bare handed. Those below heard him give a yell -of triumph just as the last of the rope was apparently going up after -him, and then they saw him come out on the ledge and tie his end of the -rope around the pine tree. - -“Come on!” he called. “All fast! Wow, but my hands are cold!” - -The others came up easily enough, for they had the rope to pull on, and -soon they were all standing on the tiny ledge, a hundred feet above the -base of the cliff. - -“Well, Tom, the old rope was some help, eh?” Bennie demanded. - -“Where do we go from here?” was Tom’s reply. - -“Yes, where do we go?” the scout master laughed. - -“Right over to the next ledge,” said Bennie, pointing to another ledge, -on the same level, about ten feet away, with next to nothing but bare -cliff between. - -“Oh, do we!” said Billy. - -“Sure,” Bennie replied. “This is a traverse. That’s what you call ’em, -isn’t it, Mr. Rogers?” - -“Sure, it’s a traverse all right. I don’t like the looks of it, either.” - -“Same here,” said Tom. “Gosh, if you slipped getting over there—good -night!” - -He looked down the sheer hundred foot drop, and pulled back quickly. - -But Bennie already had the rope pulled up, and one end around his body, -under his arms, again. - -“Here, Mr. Rogers,” he said, giving the scout master the coil. “You take -a brace and play me out. I’ll get the rope over to the other ledge, and -tie one end there, and then you can put it ’round the tree, and throw me -the other end. Then you’ll all have a railing to cross with.” - -Mr. Rogers looked worried. “Now, go slow and watch your step, Bennie,” -he cautioned. “Here, Spider, take hold of this rope behind me, so two of -us’ll have a grip.” - -Bennie took off his mittens again, and beat the snow from the crevices -of the rock ahead of him till he could get a good grip with his fingers. -Then he shoved his feet out on the tiny ledge below, hardly six inches -wide, and slowly, cautiously, made his way toward the other landing. He -had only ten feet to go, but in the cold, without gloves, and with the -rocks slippery from snow, it was painful work, and he wasn’t sure if his -fingers would stand it without letting go, they soon pained him so. Mr. -Rogers watched him anxiously, as he played out the rope. The others held -their breaths. - -But he got there, and a shout went up from everybody. He blew on his -fingers and then tied his end of the rope around a tree on the new -ledge, while the scout master passed the other end around the first -tree, and then threw the end across. When that end, too, was tied, a -double rope stretched across the gap between the ledges, and the rest -could put it under an armpit, hold it fast with one hand while they -grabbed the cracks of rock with the other, and come over in perfect -safety. Then they pulled the rope over to them, and started on. - -“Some traverse!” Bennie cried. “I thought once I’d have to let go, -though, my fingers got so cold.” - -“Summer’s the time for this sort of work,” said the scout master. - -Billy, who had said nothing for several minutes, looked back at the -traverse, and down into the drop of space below. - -“I was scared pink,” he said, “and I don’t care who knows it.” - -“I wasn’t scared, ’cause I knew Mr. Rogers and Spider would hold me,” -said Bennie. “Still, I’d have gone a ways at that, and kind of dangled.” - -The new ledge led around a corner, and then upward for twenty feet, and -brought them to a pile of jagged rocks which could be climbed without a -rope, by brushing off the snow, till they were only twenty feet below -the top of the cliff. Here there was only one way up. By grabbing any -little handholds they could find, it was possible to climb up about a -dozen feet to a tiny ledge, one at a time, and get into a narrow upright -crack, about two feet wide. This crack led right to the summit, and you -could work up it by pushing with your feet and hands on one side and -your back on the other. At least, that is what Bennie declared. - -“It’s a chimney!” he cried. - -“Well, I wish there was a fire at the bottom of it,” sighed Tom, hitting -his hands together. - -Bennie started to tie the rope under his arms, but Spider grabbed it. - -“Say, whose card did you take that book out on?” he said. “My turn now.” - -After considerable feeling around for toe-holds, Spider got to the -ledge, and into the chimney. When he stood erect, the top was only a few -feet over his head, so he soon had his fingers above the rim, and pulled -himself out and vanished. A moment later they heard his “All fast!” and -with the rope to climb with, the rest were speedily beside him on the -snow-covered summit of the mountain. - -Everybody gave a shout as the prospect burst on them—the 200 foot drop -at their feet to the bottom of the cliff, and then the long steep slope -below, and then the valley farms and roads, all lying under a dazzling -carpet of white, and the far-off village and still farther away more -blue mountains. - -“I was never on a mountain in winter,” said Spider. “Gee, it’s great!” - -“You’ve said it!” cried Tom and Billy. - -Bennie didn’t speak for a moment. - -“Say, it sort of makes a feller feel queer,” he said, finally. “I mean, -all this bigness!” - -“It’s the altitude, Bennie,” Tom remarked. “Goes to people’s heads, -sometimes.” - -“Shut up,” Bennie retorted, good-naturedly. “Just the same, I know now -why men go bugs on mountain climbing.” - -The descent was more rapid, and even more exciting, than the climb. They -used the doubled rope, pulling it down to them after they had made a -fifty foot descent (the rope was a hundred feet long), and speedily -reaching the traverse. - -Here Bennie and Spider offered to let either Tom or Billy carry the rope -across to make the railing, but both of them said, “Not on your life!” -in one voice, and most decidedly. So Spider took it across, and when -everybody was over, Bennie tied one end around the tree, tossed the rope -down the gully the full hundred feet, and told the rest to slide down -it. - -“How you going to get down?” Tom asked. - -“You’ll see.” - -When the last man was down, Bennie doubled the rope around the tree, and -slid on the two strands till he reached a laurel bush in the gully. -There he hung on, pulled his rope down, slipped it around the bush, and -came the rest of the way, in a shower of snow. - -Fifteen minutes later they were down again at their snowshoes, and as -they put them on and tramped out across the fields away from the -mountain they looked back up at the cliffs, rising sheer and naked -toward the blue sky. - -“Doesn’t seem as if we could have got up there, does it?” Bennie cried. - -“Now it’s all over, seems as if it was great sport,” Billy laughed. “But -while you’re doing it—say, I wasn’t thinking of much but keeping hold of -that old rope!” - -“That’s a very good thing to think of, too,” said the scout master. -“Boys, I want you to promise me one thing, on your honor as scouts. -That’s dangerous work, especially at this time of year. I want you to -promise me you won’t try to take any of the other, smaller boys up -there. We don’t want any nasty accident in our troop. Will you?” - -“We promise,” they all said, soberly. - -“Wow! I’d like to go to the Alps!” Bennie burst out, a moment later. -“Say, Spider, let’s you an’ me go climb one of those spitzes.” - -“All right,” said Spider. “We’ll start tomorrow.” - -“Just the same,” Bennie added, seriously, “I’m going to climb a _real_ -mountain some day, if it takes a leg.” - -“It’ll take two of ’em, not to mention two hands, a strong back and a -good head,” Mr. Rogers laughed. - -“A good head, did you hear that, Bennie?” said Tom. - -Bennie answered with a handful of snow. - - - - - CHAPTER III - How Bennie Earned a Trip To Oregon - - -At dinner that night Bennie was so full of his adventure on Monument -that he described it to his father and mother in minute detail. - -“Good gracious, Bennie! don’t you ever _dare_ to do such a thing again!” -his mother cried. “I don’t see what Mr. Rogers is thinking of to take -the scouts up such a place,” she added to her husband. - -“Guess Rogers knows his way around,” Mr. Capen answered. “A boy’s got to -have a certain amount of excitement to keep him out of mischief.” - -“Sure!” said Bennie. “You’ve said a mouthful!” - -“Bennie!” his mother cut in sharply. “I won’t have you talking that way -at my table, and to your own father.” - -“Aw, Ma, it’s just slang—what’s the harm?” - -“One harm is, that it doesn’t show proper respect for your father,” she -answered. - -“Sorry,” said Bennie. “Gee, I respect Pa all right. And say, Pa, can’t I -go somewhere this summer vacation where there are _real_ mountains? Gee, -I want to climb a _real_ mountain! Will you let me go out to Oregon and -see Uncle Bill?” - -Mr. Capen didn’t answer for a moment. Finally he laid down his knife and -fork, looked sharply at his son, and replied, “Why should I?” - -“Well, why shouldn’t you?” was all Bennie could think of at first. Then -he added, “Uncle Bill said he’d take me on a trip in Oregon some time, -if we’d come out there, and a feller ought to see his own country. -Everybody says that—see America first. Guess it’s the best way there is -to study geography and history and—and things.” - -“H’m,” said his father slowly. Then again, “H’m. Well, young man, do you -know what you are asking? Do you know what it costs to get to Oregon and -back? It costs a lot of money, I can tell you, and if you went, your -mother and I would have to stay at home while I earned it, so you’d have -to travel alone.” - -“Let him go across the continent alone?” exclaimed Mrs. Capen. “I guess -not!” - -“Oh, gosh, you’d think I was a baby,” Bennie protested. - -“No, we don’t think you are a baby,” his father answered, “but we do -think you are unreliable, and that you don’t do your school work -faithfully, and you don’t do the things we ask you to do around the -place. How about that dead apple tree you were going to cut up this -week?” - -“Oh, gee! I forgot it,” Bennie said. - -“Exactly. You forgot it. You evidently forgot to study your history and -your Latin, this week, too, I gather from what the principal told me -to-day. Now, when you act this way, all I say is, why should I let you -go to Oregon, or anywhere else? What have you done to show me that -you’ll make real use of your opportunities? Your friend Bob Chandler, -now, I’d trust. He’d keep his eyes open and learn a lot, because he -learns every day at home.” - -Bennie hung his head. Then he looked up at his father. - -“Say, Pa, if I get good marks all the rest of the year, and if I come to -the bank every Saturday morning and help you, and if I prune all the -apple trees, may I go to Oregon?” - -“How do you know your Uncle Billy wants you?” his mother demanded. - -“I bet I can fix _that_ all right. Say, Pa, can I?” - -“You get the good marks for a month, son, and work on the apple trees, -and come to the bank—and at the end of the month we’ll see,” his father -answered. - -“Gee, that’s easy!” Bennie shouted. - -After dinner he started to call up Spider and suggest going to the -movies. He got as far as the telephone, in fact, and then hesitated. It -was a hard fight for a minute, but he won out. Slowly he turned away -from the ’phone, walked up to his own room, got out his textbooks, and -began to study. - -His father was watching him, from the library. When he had gone -upstairs, Mr. Capen laughed. - -“The boy’s gone to study,” he said to his wife. “It took a mountain to -make him!” - -During the next month Bennie had more than one battle with himself, and -he didn’t always win out, either. But, on the whole, he did better than -his father had ever dreamed he would. Spider helped him, too. Bennie had -told nobody but Spider the reason for his reformation, and he had added -a hope that maybe his uncle would suggest that he bring Spider along. -Spider’s father owned the largest store in town, and Spider thought that -if he promised to work in it spare hours that spring and the next -winter, his father would let him go. - -“’Sides,” Bennie said, “if you should go, Ma and Pa would let me, I bet, -’cause they think you’re what they call ‘responsible.’ So you just _got_ -to help me stick at these old books.” - -Spider was a natural student. He liked to study, and it came easy to -him. So day after day he made Bennie come over to his house after -supper, and studied with him. When Bennie tried to talk, he said, “Shut -up!” After a couple of weeks, Bennie began to make the discovery that -the only way to get a lesson learned, or any job done, is to go right -ahead and do it. He set himself a regular hour every day to prune in the -apple orchard, and he studied hard in the school periods, and in the -evenings. At the end of the month, his father called him into the -library. - -“Well, son,” he said, “you’ve certainly bucked up. Your report card here -doesn’t look natural. Neither does the orchard.” - -“Can I write to Uncle Bill now?” Bennie grinned. - -“Not yet,” said his father. “You’re doing fine, but this is only one -month. I’ve got to see if you can keep the habit. If you do as well next -month, you may write.” - -“Easy,” said Bennie. - -He didn’t really mean that “easy,” but as a matter of fact, it was much -easier than it had been the first month. He _was_ getting the habit. -Before the second month was over, Tom had called him “teacher’s pet,” -and been knocked into a slushy snow-drift and had his neck stuffed with -snow. - -“I’ll teacher’s pet you!” Bennie laughed, finally letting him up. - -At the end of the second month Mr. Capen told him he could write to his -uncle, and if his uncle would let him come to Oregon and take him on one -of his mountain trips, Bennie could go—“providing, of course, you pass -all your examinations in June,” his father added. “It’s up to you.” - -“I’ll pass all right!” Bennie said, joyfully. “And say, Pa, if Spider’s -father’ll let him go, do you suppose Uncle Bill would mind if he went -with me? Gee, it would be great to have old Spider along!” - -“I’m sure Uncle Billy wouldn’t mind, and I know your mother would feel a -lot easier about your going,” Mr. Capen said. “I’ll see Spider’s father -today.” - -“Golly, you’re some dad!” cried Bennie. - -“Well, I feel I’ve got more of a son than I had two months ago,” said -Mr. Capen. - -Bennie hadn’t seen his Uncle Bill (a younger brother of his mother’s) -for three or four years. He lived in Portland, Oregon, where he was a -very successful doctor, and every summer he took a vacation in the -mountains, to get himself fit for his winter grind. Bennie remembered -him as a tall, strong, good-natured man, who always came to see Mrs. -Capen on his rare trips East, and always talked to Bennie about what fun -it would be to show him “a real country”—meaning Oregon. Bennie liked -him, but it was hard, at that, to sit down in cold blood and invite -yourself for a visit, and, still worse, to invite somebody else to go -with you! Bennie began, and tore up, two or three letters before he got -one that he thought would do. This is what he sent: - - Dear Uncle Bill: - - The last time you were East you pulled a lot of talk about showing me - “a real country.” I guess you never thought I could get that far to - see it, so you were safe. But I’ve been plugging hard this winter and - got such high marks that Pa thought I was sick and Ma sent for the - doctor, and he says I need a change or I’ll know too much. So I’m all - ready to be shown that country of yours. And there’s a chum of mine - here, an awful good scout, Bob Chandler (Spider, we call him), who - doesn’t believe Oregon is so much, either, and he’d go along, too, if - you asked him real polite. Besides, if he came, Ma would let me come. - Ma thinks if I go alone a Pullman porter will think I’m a dress - suitcase and pull me off the train at Omaha, or something. And I guess - it’s kind of fresh my suggesting this about Spider’s going, but he’s - an awful good scout, and he and I have been climbing Monument Mountain - on a rope. Shall I bring my rope? It is 100 feet long, and we boiled - it on the stove so it is soft. If we do come what clothes shall we - bring? - - Your loving nephew, - Bennie. - - P.S.—Mother and Father are both well and send their love. - - B. - -The chances are that before this letter was sent, Bennie’s mother had -written to her brother. But if she did, Bennie didn’t know it. He mailed -his letter, and counted the days it would take to reach Portland. In -twice that time he ought to have an answer. At the end of the week he -and Spider were haunting the post-office. - -Then, one day, the answer came. Bennie tore it open, and this is what he -read: - - Dear Bennie: - - I start for Crater Lake and the Sky Line Trail on July 1st, leaving - Portland by motor. I am a plain, rough man, but I might be improved by - your learned society, and our scenery would be honored by your - inspection. By all means bring Spider. Spiders are very useful in - camp, to cook the bacon in. You’d better come two or three days ahead - of the start, so I can look over your outfit. Bring your scout axes, - canteens, flannel shirts, khaki breeches, leggings, and things like - that. Boots are the most important item—very heavy, and water-proof. - You can get good ones here. Bring snow goggles if you have them. Save - your rope. I have one, though it isn’t boiled like yours. I always fry - my ropes. I’ll write to you later about trains, and more about your - equipment. Tell your mother that she is going to have a nice, quiet - summer. - - Your humble uncle, - William Warren. - -Bennie read this letter aloud to Spider, and they both emitted a whoop -of joy. - -“Some bird, old Uncle Bill!” cried Bennie. “Always fries his ropes! I -bet he’s got a real Alpine rope—braided and everything. Gee, I’ll bet we -climb a real humdinger of a mountain. Maybe Mount Hood! Oh, boy!” - -“Say, I’d work every afternoon in the store for the rest of my life, to -climb old Hood!” said Spider. “Come on, let’s go look up how high Mount -Hood is.” - -“I’ve looked it up—it’s 11,225 feet,” said Bennie. - -“And Monument is 1,600,” Spider reflected. “More’n 9,000 feet taller -than Monument! Wow!” - -“It’s going to be a long time till June,” said Bennie. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - Bennie and Spider Cross the Continent - - -It certainly did seem a long while to both the scouts between the time -of getting Uncle Bill’s letter and the closing of school in June. But it -was a pretty busy time, too. Bennie had to keep on studying, so he could -make sure of passing his examinations, and Spider had to put in an hour -or two every day in his father’s store. Beside that, they had to have -another go at the Monument Mountain cliffs as soon as the snow was gone -in the spring, and at about every other rock, big or little, within -tramping radius of home. They took the rest of the scouts along on these -expeditions, but as nobody but Bennie and Spider were going to Oregon, -the others didn’t get so excited about climbing as they did, and soon -everybody was playing baseball, leaving Bennie and Spider to practice -rock scaling alone. - -June came at last, and so did examinations. Bennie passed them easily, -for the first time in his life—just because he had got his work from day -to day. Then the time came to buy their railroad tickets and get their -berths reserved. Before they knew it, their trunks were packed, and they -were ready to start on the long journey. - -Bennie noticed that his mother didn’t say very much the night before, -but just sat and looked at him, while he was going over the tickets with -his father, and folding them into a new pocketbook, with $100 in new -bills, which Mr. Capen had brought home from the bank. Bennie put the -purse into an inside pocket, and went over to his mother. - -“Gee, Ma,” he said, “you’d think I was going to the North Pole or -somewhere, instead of just to visit Uncle Bill. Nobody’s going to speak -cross to your little Bennie, or make him take any wooden money, or hit -him over the bean. Don’t you worry. I guess me ’n’ Spider can take a -railroad trip without anybody needing to worry.” - -But though he spoke with a laugh, Bennie didn’t feel very much like -laughing, because when his mother looked at him, and tried to smile, he -saw the tears behind her eyes, and he knew, somehow, that it wasn’t -because she was afraid for him, but because he was going to be away from -her so long. He couldn’t quite understand this, but he loved his mother -tremendously, and it made him want to weep, too. In about one minute he -was weeping, and so was his mother, with an arm about his shoulder. - -Mr. Capen looked up in surprise. - -“Hello!” he said. “Hello! So you don’t want to go, eh?” - -Bennie straightened up, and gulped hard, trying to swallow his sob in a -grin. - -“Where—where do you get that stuff?” he demanded. - -“Well, you don’t seem very _cheerful_ about going.” - -“It was ’cause Ma wasn’t cheerful,” said Bennie. - -“I’m cheerful, dear,” said his mother, smiling at him. “I wasn’t crying -because I was sad, but just because—because—well, you won’t understand, -but because you’re so big and grown up now, and can go away by -yourself.” - -“Well, I don’t see’s that’s anything to cry about, for a fact,” said -Bennie. - -“Bennie,” his father remarked, “you have never been a mother.” - -“You said a mouth——” - -“Bennie! slang, to your father!” said his mother. - -“You have uttered a truthful remark, sir,” grinned Bennie. - -The next day Mr. and Mrs. Capen and Spider’s father and mother came down -to the depot with the two scouts. Half a dozen of their troop were -there, too, and the last thing they heard as they waved from the car -window, was the scout yell. The last thing Bennie saw was his mother’s -face. She was smiling bravely at him, and keeping the tears back. - -In about an hour the boys had to change to a through train, which took -them to Chicago. At Chicago they would have to spend the afternoon and -early evening, and then take the Northwest Limited on the Union Pacific, -which took them right to Portland, Oregon. They had their tickets in -their pockets, and their berth checks, and about once in fifteen minutes -they felt of themselves, to see if the precious pocketbooks were still -there. - -Neither Bennie nor Spider had ever been West before, and as long as -daylight lasted they sat close to the window. But it was dark all too -soon. When the train entered Syracuse, and traveled, apparently, right -down the main street, the two scouts looked right into the lighted -shop-windows, but out in the country they saw nothing. So they went to -bed, each with his precious pocketbook under his pillow. - -They were up at daylight, and dressed long before the other passengers -began to come into the washroom. Now they saw the Great Lakes beside the -track, like the ocean, and rolled through the smoke of Gary, where the -great steel mills are, and saw Lake Michigan, and almost before they -knew it, were in Chicago. - -The boys had careful directions what they were to do in Chicago. They -were to get right aboard the transfer ’bus and ride over to the -Northwestern station, checking their suitcases there. Then they could -walk around the city, if they liked. It is a queer sensation to arrive -in a great city which you have never seen before. Bennie and Spider, -after the ’bus had rolled them quickly across the bridge to the other -station, and they had checked their bags, walked out into the street, -without any idea where they were, and turned east to see the town. They -recrossed the bridge, walked a few blocks, and were suddenly in the -Loop. The streets were none too wide. The elevated railroad roared and -thundered overhead. The great buildings towered into the air. Trolleys, -motors, thousands of people crowded the way from wall to wall. - -“Some burg!” Bennie exclaimed. “Little old New York hasn’t got much on -this village. I didn’t know Chicago was so big.” - -“Guess we haven’t got everything in the East,” Spider answered. - -They walked on till they reached Michigan Boulevard, that splendid great -avenue which sweeps down by the lake shore, and they wondered how -Chicago stands for the smoke of the trains between the Boulevard and the -beach. - -“Why don’t they _make_ the old railroad electrify itself?” Spider asked. -“Gee, it’s turned all the marble sooty black.” - -It was a hot day, and getting hotter, so they finally went out on a pier -and sat in the breeze till it was time to hunt up a place for supper. - -After supper they walked around the Loop, which was now filled with -theatre crowds, and then back to the station, got their bags, and hunted -out the track their train was to go on. The rear observation platform -had an illuminated red sign hung out behind, with the name of the -train—“Northwest Limited.” It gave them a thrill to see those words! And -that train for three days would be their home. As soon as the gates were -open, they got aboard and hunted out their berths. - -The next morning, when they woke, the train was rushing through Iowa. -Mile after mile after mile of rolling country, dotted with farmhouses, -great red barns, little wood lots close beside them, and endless acres -of sprouting corn, and tall wheat, as far as the eye could see. Mile -after mile, and never a town, but always the fields of corn and wheat, -the herds of cattle, the great red barns. - -“Golly!” Bennie exclaimed. “We don’t know what a farm is, do we?” - -“I never saw so much corn in my life—I didn’t know there _was_ so much,” -Spider answered. - -That day they passed through Omaha, and were still bowling along through -the endless oceans of corn in Nebraska when night came. It was terribly -hot now, and dusty and dirty. Spider wiped his face, and when he looked -at his handkerchief, it was black! Bennie said he felt as if somebody -had poured cinders down his back. - -“Wait till you wake up tomorrow,” said the brakeman, who overheard them, -“and you’ll see snow.” - -“You look sort of honest,” Bennie laughed, “but I don’t believe you.” - -“All right,” said the brakeman. “Want to bet?” - -“Can’t,” said Bennie. “All my money’s in hundred dollar bills.” - -“We cross the height of land in Wyoming before you’re awake,” the -trainman went on. “We’re up 7,000 feet or more there—in Wyoming.” - -“You mean the Rocky Mountains? Do we cross ’em at night?” cried Spider. -“Gee, what tough luck.” - -“Not much mountains where we cross. But you’ll see mountains, all right, -if you don’t sleep all the morning—and snow, too.” - -“Bring me some now, I want to take it to bed with me,” said Bennie. - -Spider, whose turn it was to sleep in the lower berth that night, pulled -up the curtain as soon as it was daylight, and looked out. He gave a -jump, reached up and poked Bennie awake, and began to dress. In ten -minutes the boys were out on the observation platform, staring hard. The -train was in Wyoming now, on a vast, high plateau, a country that didn’t -look like anything they had ever seen. It rolled away to the horizon in -every direction, like a tossing, oily gray sea, without a tree on it, -apparently without any grass on it worth mentioning, but covered with -pale green sage bushes in clumps here and there. It was a naked, -desolate looking land, and yet they saw great droves of cattle wandering -over it, and now and then a white strip of road, and finally, all of a -sudden as the train rounded a bend, seemingly right beside the track a -couple of miles away, a huge blue mountain covered completely on top -with a cap of white snow, and streaked with snow all down the ravines on -its northern side. - -The scouts gave a yell of joy at the sight. “A snow mountain!” they -cried. - -“Do I win or not?” said the brakeman, appearing behind them. “That’s the -mountain. Pretty soon, off south, you’ll see some higher ones, down in -Utah.” - -“How far is it to that mountain—about five miles?” Bennie asked. - -It looked two, but he thought he’d add a few. - -The trainman grinned. “I wouldn’t try to walk it before breakfast,” said -he. “It’s about twenty or thirty, I reckon.” - -That day they rolled along through endless miles of the naked cattle -country, that in the East would have seemed like a desert. No New -England cow could have lived on it, Spider declared. Then they began to -get into the Idaho mountains, on the branch line, and turned and twisted -down cañons with the naked red hills folding up in front of and behind -the train. They went to sleep in Idaho and woke up in Oregon—woke up to -see more mountains, and more snow—long ranges of mountains to left and -right with snow on the summits, though it was now almost July first, and -hot as Tophet in the train. - -The train presently began to climb an endless grade, up and up and up, -getting over the pass of the Blue Mountains, and into heavily timbered -country—real woods at last, after the long ride through the prairie and -the sage brush. On and on went the train, till at last it reached the -Columbia River, and the excited boys, braving the cinders that swirled -in on the observation platform, sat out there and saw at last below them -the great green river rushing swiftly along, cutting its way through the -high, rocky banks. - -These banks began to get higher and steeper. They were entering the -gorge of the Columbia, where it cuts through the Cascade range. Soon the -banks were real precipices, 1,000, 2,000 feet high. At The Dalles, they -picked up the Columbia Highway, the most wonderful motor road in -America, and could see where it was cut right out of the sides of the -cliffs in places. When the train stopped at Hood River, a lot of people -got off to stretch, the boys with them, and a man took them down the -platform and said, “Look!” - -They looked to the south, and there it was! Shooting up apparently right -behind the depot, shaped like a cone, dazzling white, tall, stately, -beautiful against the sky—Mount Hood! These were the eternal snows! -There was a real climb! - -Bennie just gasped for a second. Then he found his tongue. “It—it’s just -as big as I thought it would be!” he said. - -“It’s the finest thing in the world,” said the man. “I live in Portland, -and every clear day I look at it, sixty miles away, and it’s like a -friend.” - -“Is it hard to climb?” Spider asked. - -“No,” said the man. “It’s a cinch. If you’re looking for a climb, go -down and tackle Jefferson.” - -“Never even heard of it,” said Bennie. - -“There are a lot of things out here you eastern folks never heard of,” -the man answered. - -The boys wanted to ask him more, but just then the conductor called “All -aboard,” and they lost him in the rush. - -For the next hour they were busy looking at the scenery, at the great -river on one side, and the great cliff walls on the other, with -thousand-foot waterfalls leaping down almost on the train, and the -Columbia Highway running alongside of the track in places, in other -places disappearing and coming into sight again far up on top of some -headland. - -“Gee, I wish we were in a motor!” Spider sighed. - -“Maybe Uncle Bill will take us this way in his,” said Bennie. - -Now the cliffs grew lower. The river was through the gorge. Presently -the river disappeared, and the train ran through level land a little -way, and the houses began to get thicker and thicker. They crossed -another river on a drawbridge, and saw tramp ships lying up to the -docks, and on the other side rolled into the Portland depot. - -At the train gate, looming up above the crowd, Bennie spied the head of -his uncle, and in another minute he had him by the hand, and was -introducing Spider, and Uncle Billy was putting the dress suitcases into -his car, and then they were off through the streets of Portland, with -the lights coming on, the darkness falling. - -“I guess you boys are pretty hot and tired, eh?” said Uncle Bill. “Of -course, you never have any hot weather in the East.” - -“It’s about like this Christmas time at home,” Bennie answered. “I was -just wishing I had an overcoat.” - -“You’ll wish you had a couple before I get through with you,” said Uncle -Bill. “I heard to-day there are seven feet of snow yet on the rim of -Crater Lake. We’ve got to camp up there. It’ll be pretty slippery, too, -getting down to the water. Guess we’ll have to fry a couple of ropes.” - -“Boil mine—about four minutes,” said Bennie. - -His uncle laughed as he put the car up a steep grade out of the business -section to the heights overlooking the city. The residences look right -out over the town, and now they could see the checkerboard squares of -the streets, marked out with electric lights. They stopped at the -doctor’s house, and he showed them in, his housekeeper meeting them. - -“Now beat it and get a bath,” he said, “and then grub! Hurry up, for I’m -all ready to eat, and if you keep me waiting, I’ll have to begin on one -of those ropes.” - -“Say, he’s a regular scout,” said Spider, as they were cleaning up. - -“Boy, I got a hunch we’re going to have some good time!” answered Bennie -from the tub. - - - - - CHAPTER V - All Aboard for Crater Lake!—and Dumpling in the Other Car - - -When the boys came downstairs, Uncle Billy, who was a bachelor, led the -way at once into the dining-room, and they began to eat. - -“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said, as he carved the meat. “How’d -you boys like to be movie actors?” - -“Oh, you Charlie Chaplin!” Bennie grinned. “Sure, I’d like it. Spider, -though, ain’t beautiful enough.” - -“Of course, he hasn’t your classic Greek features,” said Uncle Billy, -looking hard at Bennie’s snub nose. “But maybe he can ride a horse. Can -you ride a horse, Bennie?” - -“Sure—I guess so. I never tried.” - -“Can you, Spider?” - -“Not very well, sir. I have ridden our old delivery horse a good bit, -though, but mostly bareback.” - -“You see, Bennie,” the doctor laughed, “he’s going to be a better actor -than you are, after all, in spite of your fatal beauty.” - -“What do you mean, actors, anyhow?” Bennie demanded. “What’s the big -idea?” - -“Well,” the doctor explained, “we’re not going alone on this trip. I -have a friend, a business man here in Portland, who is a fine amateur -photographer. He’s got a new movie camera now, that he wants to -experiment with. He wants to take a sort of scenic picture of the Oregon -mountains, so he’s coming along, in his car, with his son, Lester. You -and Spider and Lester and I have got to be the troupe. Whenever he sees -a nice precipice he wants to shoot, we’ll have to do a Douglas Fairbanks -up the side of it, or make a Pearl White jump down a thousand-foot -waterfall. How does that strike you?” - -“Uncle Billy,” Bennie said, very solemnly, “you have come to exactly the -right people. Spider and me—I—are the original human flies. We walk up -precipices before breakfast every day at home.” - -“With a boiled rope?” his uncle laughed. “Well, I’m glad you’re trained -for the job. Wait till you see Lester Stone, though. He’s the real -athlete! Slender, wiry, hard as nails!” - -“How old is he?” the scouts asked, instantly alert and a little bit -jealous. They’d show him eastern boys could be hard and athletic, too! - -“Just about your age,” the doctor answered carelessly. “He and his -father will be over to meet you after dinner.” - -It wasn’t long after dinner before the door-bell rang, and the scouts -heard Uncle Billy greeting somebody in the hall. A moment later he -ushered in a big six-footer of a man, and a boy who was just about as -wide as he was high. - -“My nephew, Bennie Capen, and his old college chum, Spider Chandler,” -said Uncle Billy. “Boys, this is _my_ college chum, Dick Stone. And this -is Dick’s willowy and athletic little son, Lester. I’m trying to get -some flesh on his bones, because the poor little thing has been puny -since childhood.” - -Mr. Stone shook hands so hard that Bennie winced, and then they shook -hands with Lester, who had a round, pink face like a cherub and eyes -that danced merrily. - -Bennie and Spider couldn’t help bursting out laughing. - -“What’s the matter?” Uncle Billy asked solemnly. “Did somebody make a -joke? I never can see a joke!” - -“You can make one, all right,” Bennie laughed. “Gee, you said Lester was -wiry and hard.” - -“What’s the joke in that?” the doctor demanded, looking very stern. “He -is! Only the wires are insulated. You poke his arm and see if he isn’t -hard.” - -Lester doubled his fist, and tightened the muscles of his arm, and -Bennie and Spider hit him above the elbow. To their amazement, he _was_ -hard—at that point, anyway. They looked at him with new respect. - -“Just the same,” Bennie said, “I hope you fried that rope good and -plenty.” - -(“He looks just like an apple dumpling,” Spider whispered to Bennie, a -minute later.) - -(“Sure, let’s call him Dumpling,” Bennie whispered back.) - -(“Guess we’d better not begin right now,” Spider suggested. “That guy’d -make a great guard on our football team.”) - -(“If he fell on the ball, it would explode,” laughed Spider.) - -The rest of the evening was spent in going over the maps of Oregon, to -lay out their trip, and in planning equipment. They were to be gone six -weeks or more, and expected to camp all the time. As they were going to -get from place to place in only two motor cars, which between them had -to carry five passengers and all the equipment, it took close figuring. -The scouts, of course, didn’t have much to say about all this. They just -sat and listened, because they were guests, and, besides, they had never -been off on such an expedition. - -But what fun it was only to listen! Have you ever been off on a camping -trip? Of course you have. So you know the joy of getting together a day -or two before the start, each person with a list of things he thinks -ought to be taken, and then going over the lists, checking them off to -see that nothing is being taken that is not needed, and nothing is -forgotten that _is_ needed. It’s almost as much fun as the trip itself. - -The scouts soon discovered that Mr. Stone was as jolly as Uncle Billy, -and that “Dumpling” was even fuller of fun than his father. Before an -hour had passed, the scouts were calling him Dumpling to his face, and -then his father and the doctor took it up; but Dumpling himself only -grinned the broader and said, “Ho, I don’t care what you call me, so -long’s you call me to dinner.” - -The next morning the boys were up early, and out of the house, to get a -glimpse across the city of the white pyramid of Mount Hood against the -eastern sky. They spent that day hard at work with the doctor getting -the equipment out and sorted and packed into the car. - -They had never seen an automobile rigged like Uncle Billy’s. It was a -powerful five-passenger car, with extra braces on the running-boards. -First the doctor screwed a kind of iron fence on one running-board which -came up as high as the tops of the doors. Then, on the other, he set two -boxes, also as high as the doors, and as deep as the running-board. -These boxes opened not at the top, but at the front, with hinged doors. -Inside of them were shelves. On the shelves of one he stood the -provisions—the canned fruits, the condensed milk, and all the other -things they were going to take at the start. The other was filled with -camp dishes. When the boxes were full, the doors were shut and locked, -and the boxes strapped firmly to the car. - -Then, on the other side, in the space between the fence and the side of -the car, went the heavy canvas bags containing the tent and the three -sleeping bags. These bags were wonderful things. They rolled up and went -into canvas sacks. But when you unrolled them, you found inside a tire -pump, and you pumped them up with air, making a nice pneumatic mattress -to sleep on. Inside the canvas flap which strapped over this mattress -were several warm blankets. - -“Say, boy!” cried Bennie. “This beats sleeping on old hemlock boughs, -the way we have to at home, eh, Spider? Remember the way the boughs used -to get all full of sticks about one A. M. last summer?” - -“I’ll say so. We’re going to sleep so well on these we’ll forget to wake -up.” - -“Oh, no you won’t! Not with me in camp,” the doctor smiled. - -After the running-boards were loaded, Uncle Billy got out a wonderful -camp stove, which collapsed into three pieces, with the funnel also -shutting up, and put the whole thing into a canvas sack, which lay on -the floor of the car. Then he put in three folding camp stools and a -folding table. Finally he handed each boy a stout khaki dunnage bag. - -“Now,” said he, “get all your stuff into those two bags! No suitcases -allowed on this trip! Your two bags and mine, and the canteens and our -cameras and the alpenstocks and the fried rope, and overcoats and one of -you boys and anything else we’ve forgotten have all got to go on the -rear seat.” - -“Think I’ll sit in front with you,” said Bennie. - -“Think I’ll ride with the Stones,” said Spider. - -“Not with Dumpling in the car, you won’t!” Bennie laughed—“unless he -travels in a trailer on behind.” - -The doctor prescribed early bed that evening, because they were to get -an early start. - -“What do you call early, seven o’clock?” asked Bennie. - -Uncle Billy looked pained. “Seven o’clock!” he sniffed. “My esteemed -nephew, at seven o’clock on this trip we will usually have traveled at -least fifty miles, and you’ll be asking about lunch. I’ll wake you up at -five.” - -“And I thought I was going to have a nice summer!” said Bennie, -pretending to be very gloomy. - -At five o’clock the next morning, he and Spider were sleeping soundly -when a voice boomed into their dreams, “All aboard for Crater Lake! Last -call!” - -They were out of bed and rushing to get first into the tub before they -half knew what had happened. - -But it was really long after seven before they got started. The dunnage -bags had to be packed with the clothes they were going to need, -breakfast eaten, everything gone over again to make sure nothing was -forgotten, and then followed a wait of an hour before the Stones’ car -arrived, loaded down like theirs, with the tripod of the movie camera in -a case on top of the luggage in the rear, and Dumpling and his father -sitting in front. - -“All aboard!” shouted the doctor. - -“Well, how do you get aboard?” said Bennie. “You can’t open a single -door.” - -“If you can’t get into a car over the top of the door you’ll never get -up Mount Jefferson,” said his uncle. - -Bennie was in the front seat with exactly two motions. Spider dove into -the rear, and found a hole to sit in amid the luggage. The doctor and -Mr. Stone tooted their horns, the housekeeper waved from the door—and -they were off! - - - - - CHAPTER VI - Bennie and Spider Have to Make After-dinner Speeches, and Bennie’s - Knees Knock - - -The day before had been cloudy and cold, though the boys had been too -busy with their packing to notice it much. Now, however, that they were -off at last, and wanted to see every bit of country there was to be -seen, they were acutely conscious that it was a heavy day, without a -single glimpse of Mount Hood through the vapor, and the threat of rain -at any minute. - -“Nice weather you’ve handed us for a start off,” said Bennie to his -uncle. - -“Oh, this won’t last long,” Uncle Billy assured him. “We have the finest -climate in Oregon of anywhere in the world. It’s never very cold in -winter, and it’s never very hot in summer, and our tent probably won’t -get wet on this entire trip.” - -“Is that so?” said Bennie. “Some smart tent, I’ll say. Look at your -wind-shield.” - -Indeed, as he spoke, the first drops of the rain began to splash on the -glass. - -“You wait!” Uncle Billy smiled. - -On the edge of Portland they stopped for gas, and the Stones’ car pulled -in behind them. A big, smiling man, covered with axle grease, came out -to fill them up. - -“Hello, Doc,” he said. “Off for a trip? Got a fine day to start. As far -as I can see, it rains for twelve months of the year in Portland, and it -ain’t very pleasant the rest of the time.” - -Bennie and Spider shouted with joy at this, and the garage man looked a -little surprised. - -“Well, that went big!” he said. - -“Uncle Bill didn’t tip you the wink in time,” Bennie answered. “He’s -just been telling us it never rains in Oregon.” - -“Sorry I crabbed your game, Doc,” the man laughed. “Didn’t know these -scouts weren’t native web-feet.” - -“They’ll not see any more rain till they get back to Portland,” the -doctor said, quite seriously. - -The garage man winked solemnly at Bennie, who grinned back. - -“Well, Uncle Bill, we sure have got one on you now,” Bennie laughed, as -they drove on. “Eh, Spider?” - -“Kind of looks so,” Spider had to admit. - -“The sun will be coming out at Salem, and this is the last rain you’ll -see, except maybe a thunder shower or two,” Uncle Billy persisted. “And -now, just for that, I’ll tell you something else. We’ll get to -Salem—that’s the State capital—in time for lunch. The Boy Scouts of -Salem are going to give us the luncheon, not on your account, but -because you are with me. You two boys will have to make speeches. Good, -long speeches, too, not just ‘Glad to be here.’ Got one on me, have you? -Take that!” - -“Aw, quit your kiddin’,” Bennie cried. “Not really, Uncle Bill?” - -“Gosh, I never made a speech in my life!” Spider groaned from the rear -seat. “I’d just go right down through the floor.” - -“Our floors are made of good old Douglas fir—not a chance,” the doctor -grinned. “You’ll have to stand right up and show ’em how good -Massachusetts is.” - -“Poor old Massachusetts,” said Bennie. “She’s got a bum chance to make a -hit with us representing her. Oh, golly, what’ll I do?” - -“I guess you’d better be thinking of something to say as we go along. I -was going to stop so we could pick some real Oregon cherries on the way, -but maybe I’d better not. You’ll need to keep your alleged minds on your -speeches.” - -Bennie and Spider looked at each other and groaned. - -“Honest, Uncle Billy, I think this is a real nice climate,” said Bennie. - -“Ha! nothing doing! You can’t get around me that way. Besides, they are -probably cooking the luncheon already. The invitations are all out.” - -“Has old Dumplin’ got to make a speech, too?” - -“Oh, no,” said the doctor. “He’s a native, not a distinguished visitor -from the East.” - -“We’ll be extinguished visitors by the time it’s over,” Spider said. - -“Hi, that’s good! Remember it, and put it in your speech,” Bennie cried. -“Wish I could think of something funny. Gosh, you never can when you -want to.” He looked woebegone. - -“You get up with a face like that, and you’ll make a hit like Charlie -Chaplin,” Spider assured him. - -The boys cheered up a bit, however, as the rain ceased and the car sped -on up a good road, through the rich fields of the Willamette valley, -mile after mile of prune orchards and cherry orchards and hop -plantations and Loganberry fields where the canes, tied in rows to -wires, stretched for hundreds of yards on either side of the road. - -Presently they came to a “ranch” (as everybody out there calls his farm -or orchard), where the cherries were being picked, and the doctor -stopped the car. The Stones, who were right behind, stopped too, and -everybody got out. - -“Sell us some cherries?” asked the doctor. - -“Got anything to pick ’em in?” asked the owner of the orchard. - -“Sure—the radiator pails.” - -“All right, you can pick all you want in that first tree, for fifty -cents. Hold on, though. Not that cute little feller there. I don’t want -my tree busted down.” - -“I’ll stand below and you can throw ’em into my mouth,” Dumpling -laughed. - -They got the collapsible canvas pails which were carried in the cars to -fill the radiators with, and began to pick. The cherries were huge -things, of a deep, wonderful, winey red, and almost melted in your -mouth. Bennie and Spider had never seen nor tasted such cherries, and -they ate two for every one they picked. The pails were full in five -minutes, at that, and still the tree hardly seemed touched. - -“What’s the name of these babies?” Bennie asked. - -“Bing,” said the doctor. - -“No, I didn’t ask you to play soldier. I asked you what’s the name of -these cherries?” - -“Bing, I tell you. Bing, B-i-n-g.” - -“Well, it sounds like Bing,” Bennie laughed. “That’s a silly name for a -cherry, but, oh, boy, some fruit!” - -“You won’t be in any condition to eat that lunch when we get to Salem,” -the doctor laughed. - -“Soon’s I get there, and think about that old speech again, I won’t want -any lunch, anyhow,” Bennie answered. “Might ’s well fill up now.” - -The two cars rolled into Salem at noon. Salem is a small city, built -around a large central park in which the State Capitol building stands. -This park was now filled with roses, the bushes even growing in long -rows between the sidewalks and the street. The doctor ran the car around -this park, and then hunted up the camp where they were to be entertained -by the Salem Boy Scouts. This was in a grove, just outside the town, and -about fifty scouts were already there, with three or four fires going. -As the two cars came up, the scout master gave a sharp command, the -troops fell into formation, at attention, and there was a loud cheer of -welcome as Bennie and Spider tried to climb out over the luggage -gracefully. Poor Dumpling had a hard time getting out of his car, but -not one of the Salem scouts laughed. In a few minutes, the scout master -had presented the guests all around, and preparations for the luncheon -began in earnest. - -It was a good lesson in scouting, all right. Different boys had definite -jobs, and they went at them quickly and efficiently. Sawhorses and -boards were produced from a wagon, and made into rough tables. More -boards, on boxes, made the seats. Paper plates, knives, forks, and -spoons, and tin cups were put in place. The scouts who could cook best -were busy at the fires. There was the smell of coffee, of broiling -steak, of frying potatoes, and of flapjacks. Three or four of the scouts -meanwhile were putting great dishes of fruit—berries and cherries—on the -tables. In spite of all the cherries they had eaten, the smells made -Spider and Bennie hungry again. They tried, of course, to help with the -preparations, but the Salem scouts wouldn’t let them. - -“No, you’re guests,” the scout master said. - -Finally the scout master clapped his hands, and called in a loud voice, -“Come and get it!” This was the first time Spider and Bennie had heard -the western camp call to grub. But they didn’t need to be told what it -meant. - -As soon as the food was eaten, the scout master rose in his place, and -announced that troop leader Tom Robinson would welcome their guests to -Oregon. Tom Robinson, a tall, powerful boy of sixteen, got up looking -extremely scared, and everybody shouted and applauded, whereupon he -looked scareder still. But he made a nice little speech, in spite of his -nervousness, telling Spider and Bennie how glad the Salem scouts were -that they had come so far to see Oregon, which, he said, had the finest -climate in the world, and hoping they’d have a good time, and inviting -them to come and visit the Salem scouts in their camp up in the -mountains in August. - -Everybody applauded again, and then looked at Spider and Bennie, -yelling, “Speech, speech!” - -“You do it,” whispered Bennie to Spider. - -“Go on—you got to do it,” Spider retorted. - -“You’ve both got to do it,” the scout master laughed. - -So Bennie got up. He felt queer in his knees, which didn’t seem to half -hold him up, and his mouth felt dry. When he finally spoke, his voice -sounded strange to him, as if it belonged to somebody else. - -“We’re awfully glad to be here,” he said, “and you scouts are sure good -to us to give us this grand feed. I ate so many Bing cherries this -morning I thought all I could do would be to make a noise like a robin, -but I sure got away with my share of the grub. It’s pretty fine to come -4,000 miles, all across the U. S. A., and find a bunch of scouts out -here just the same as at home. Some organization, the Boy Scouts! -’Course, we came to see the wilderness, and about all the wilderness -we’ve seen so far is a big city like Portland, and Salem, and about ten -million fruit trees, and sixteen million automobiles. And we heard it -was a good climate out here, too, but my uncle’s garage man says it -rains twelve months in the year and isn’t very pleasant the rest of the -time. But we sure like Oregon, and you fellows are a great bunch of -scouts, and—and I guess that’s all I got to say.” - -Bennie sat down abruptly, amid much applause. - -“Some speech!” Spider whispered. - -It was now Spider’s turn. - -“Everything Bennie said goes for me,” he began, “except this knock on -the climate. It was raining when we left Portland, but Dr. Warren told -us it would be clear when we got to Salem, and here’s the old sun coming -out now. I want to say the Salem climate’s all right—like the Salem -scouts. And Bennie forgot something, too. He’s always forgetting things. -Once he forgot it was vacation, and tried to get into the schoolhouse. -Now he’s forgotten to say to you fellows that when any of you come East, -you just show up in Southmead, where we live, and we’ll try to be half -as decent to you as you’ve been to us. And we hope you’ll all come.” - -Loud cheers greeted this speech, and Bennie applauded harder than -anybody. - -“That last part goes, you bet,” he shouted. “I didn’t really forget it, -though. I just got rattled.” - -The meeting broke up with a scout cheer, and the boys heard the shouts -and good-byes even after the cars had started down the road. - -“Some swell feed!” said Bennie. “Pretty nice of ’em, eh, Spider? I guess -they must like you pretty well, Uncle Bill, or they wouldn’t have done -this for us.” - -“I ran into them in their camp last summer, and got to know ’em,” the -doctor answered. “Well, how do you like being an after-dinner orator?” - -Bennie looked sober. “Tell you one thing,” he replied. “Next year in -school I’m going in for debating, the way Spider does. I’m not going to -feel such a boob on my feet again. Gee, I was scared pink.” - -“I won’t let you forget that, Bennie,” said Spider. “We’ll make a -Demosthenes of you yet.” - -The cars were now racing southward up the Willamette valley, and -traveling on the fine Pacific Highway, which stretches all the way from -Portland to the California boundary. - -“I want to make Eugene tonight,” said Uncle Billy. “That’s why I’m -stepping on her. Eugene is the town where the State University is—the -college that Harvard came west to play football with a few years ago. -We’ll find a good camp site just south of Eugene, and spend the night -there. Tomorrow we’ll push on as far as we can toward Medford.” - -“When do we get to Crater Lake?” the boys asked. - -“Well, I doubt if we make Medford tomorrow. It’ll take another day. Then -we’ll stock up with provisions, and try to make the lake the next day, -which will be the Fourth of July. That’s the day the Park is due to -open.” - -“Can we get some firecrackers in Medford?” - -“Sure!” the doctor laughed. - -The valley grew narrower as they ran on southward, and the hills on -either side seemed higher. But still the boys saw no mountains, and none -of the great forest trees they’d heard about in Oregon. They reached -Eugene late in the day—a lively little town, with the big, handsome -buildings of the University dominating it. Still they saw no mountains. - -“Well, I suppose there _are_ some, but you got to show me,” Bennie -declared. - -Beyond the town, they ran the cars up a side road to a patch of woods by -a stream, and hurried to make camp and get supper before it was dark. - -“Let’s see how good scouts you really are,” Mr. Stone said to the boys. -“One of you set up the stove and make a fire, and two of you get up the -tents and blow up the sleeping bags. Uncle Bill and I will get the grub -ready.” - -Dumplin’ took the stove as his job, because he knew how it worked. As -soon as it was set up, he hustled around for dead wood. Meanwhile Bennie -and Spider strung the ropes between trees for the tents, cut pegs, and -got the tents up. Then they tackled the sleeping bags. It was warm that -evening, and before they had gone far they were hot. - -“Say, how much air do these things hold?” Bennie called. “I been pumping -an hour.” - -“Well, sleep on it flat if you’re tired. But I want mine blown up,” his -uncle answered. - -At last they had all five bags blown up and laid in the tents. By this -time the fire was roaring in the stove, and Dumplin’ had a neat little -wood-pile beside it, the two men had set up a folding table and chairs, -and food and coffee were cooking on the stove. Pretty soon Mr. Stone -called out, “Come and get it!” and with a lantern hanging from a limb -over the table, they all sat down. - -“Well, this sure beats a hotel!” said Uncle Bill. - -“Beats a couple of hotels,” said Dumplin’, wiping his perspiring -forehead. “You don’t have to wear a coat here.” - -“Wait till you get to the lake, and you’ll be hollering for a coat,” his -father smiled. - -After supper, the boys drew lots to see who would wash the dishes. -Bennie lost, and the rest built a little camp fire between the two tents -while he was clearing up. They lay around the fire talking for an hour, -and then Uncle Billy ordered “Bed!” - -“Early start tomorrow,” he said. “Everybody out at five.” - -The boys undressed and crawled into their sleeping bags. Then they -bounced up and down to feel how comfortable they were. - -“Mine’s too hard,” said Bennie. - -“So’s mine,” said Spider. - -“You’ve got so much air in mine I’ll have a blowout,” said Uncle Billy. - -“Gee, think of all that work for nothing!” Bennie groaned. - -If anybody had been outside the tent, he would have heard three little -hisses as they let some air out of their beds. Then, three minutes -later, he would have heard three people breathing in sound slumber. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - Held Up by the Snow, With the Thermometer at 86° - - -The next day, sure enough Uncle Billy routed everybody out at five -o’clock. They had pancakes and syrup, and bacon and coffee and toast for -breakfast, and then camp had to be struck and the cars packed again. The -sleeping bags had to be deflated and rolled up by the three boys, and -put in their canvas cases. The tents had to be rolled up and also put in -cases. The dunnage bags had to be repacked, the dishes washed and put -into the boxes on Uncle Billy’s car. It was long after seven before they -got away. - -On this day, at last, they began to get a taste of wild Oregon—but just -a taste, the doctor told them. They finally came to the head of the -Willamette valley, and climbed up a long grade, beside a wild, tumbling -stream, amid huge old fir trees, and then down a long, wooded cañon on -the farther side. They rolled through more valleys full of fruit -orchards, and they passed through several towns. In one of them, where -they stopped to get an ice cream soda—or rather ice cream sodas, for -both the scouts had two apiece and Dumplin’ had three—a big banner was -stretched across the street, with the words on it in letters two feet -high: - - IT’S THE CLIMATE. - -“Golly, you wouldn’t think they had any climate anywhere else,” said -Bennie. “Out here, you’ve only got one kind. In little old Massachusetts -we have every kind.” - -“Sure, and on the same day, too,” Uncle Billy laughed. - -All that afternoon they climbed up endless grades, where the highway was -cut out of the sides of the cañons, and the great trees shadowed the -road, and down again, and up again. - -“Are we in the Cascade Mountains now?” the boys asked. - -“No, these are just hills,” said the doctor. “You won’t see any -mountains till we get almost into Medford. Cheer up, they’ll be there -tomorrow.” - -The grades were so numerous, and so long and hard, that it was -impossible to make as many miles in a day here as it is in the East. As -the sun began to sink, the doctor began watching for camp sites, and -presently he pulled into a field beside the road where a brook came down -from a hill, and they camped for a second night on the road. - -An early start again was ordered, and now the grades grew less severe -again, and after a few hours the cars ran out into a wide plain, and -suddenly the boys gave a yell. - -“The mountains!” they cried. - -Sure enough, there they were. To the east lay the blue rampart of the -Cascade range, and right in the centre, covered white with snow, shot up -the peaked pyramid of Mount McLaughlin. To the south and west, shutting -the valley in, rose more mountains, some of them still showing snow on -their summits. Across the head of the valley ran a tumbling green -stream, the Rogue River. - -“That river comes down from close to Crater Lake,” said Uncle Billy. - -“Gee, I’d like to get into it right now,” Bennie remarked. - -A dozen miles more, and they were in Medford, a neat, clean little city -(it would be called a town in the East), surrounded by flourishing fruit -orchards and grain fields. The boys scouted around for some crackers and -fireworks, while the men restocked the cars with provisions, got gas and -oil, and inquired about the road to the lake. - -“Well,” said the doctor, as they met at the cars again, “we don’t get to -Crater Lake tomorrow.” - -“Aw, gee, why not?” Bennie demanded. - -“Road’s not open yet to the rim. Can’t get much beyond Government Camp.” - -“What’s the trouble—snow?” asked Mr. Stone. - -The doctor nodded. - -“Snow!” said Spider, wiping his hot forehead. “Don’t sound possible.” - -“It’s the climate,” said Bennie. - -Everybody laughed, and Dumplin’ announced he was going to get another -ice cream soda while the leaders decided what to do. - -When he came back, the doctor and Mr. Stone had decided to go back up -the road and then up the Rogue River for a few miles, on the way to -Crater Lake, and camp there over the Fourth and the day following. By -the third day it was probable, the doctor said, that the government -rangers would have the snow blasted out of the road. - -“_Blasted_ out?” said Spider. - -“Sure; they use TNT. It would take forever to shovel those drifts.” - -“Oh, let’s go up and watch ’em!” Bennie pleaded. - -“And get the cars mired? No, thank you! We’ll camp by the Rogue River -and wait. You can swim and Spider can study birds, and Dumplin’ can wish -he was nearer a soda fountain. Come on.” - -They turned off the highway at the Rogue River bridge, and the minute -they were off the macadam the dust began to fly. Spider looked back into -the cloud. - -“Glad I’m not in the Stones’ car,” he said. “What makes it so dusty?” - -“This soil is all volcanic ash or pumice,” said the doctor, “and it -hasn’t rained here, probably, for a month, and won’t for five or six -more.” - -“It’s the climate,” chuckled Bennie. - -Two or three miles up this dusty road, and close to a small, dilapidated -looking house, made of boards and huge, hand-hewn shingles or “shakes,” -the doctor put the car off the road and into a field which was baked as -hard as a brick, with the grass dried up and brown. At the edge of this -field was a grove of trees with shiny copper-colored bark and glossy -green leaves, called laurel trees, and beyond them the bank plunged -sharp down for fifty feet to the rushing green river. - -“Camp,” said Uncle Billy, stopping the car. “Here’s where we live for -two days at least.” - -As soon as camp was made, and wood cut, the entire party ran down the -bank to a gravelly beach by the river’s edge, stripped, and plunged into -the water. Five yells immediately rose in the stillness, and five bodies -came splashing back to shore. - -“That water comes down from the snow-fields, all right,” said Mr. Stone. - -“That’s why it’s so green,” said the doctor. - -“And why Dumplin’s so pink,” laughed Bennie, pointing at Lester, who -certainly looked like a very plump boiled lobster. - -That night they sang and joked around the camp fire till nine o’clock, -because there was no early start in the morning. When Bennie woke up, -however, he saw that Spider’s bed was empty. Going down to the river in -his pyjamas, for a plunge, he found Spider, all dressed, with a -note-book in his hand, watching birds. - -“Gee, this is a great place to see birds,” Spider called. “I’ve got nine -kinds already, most of ’em that I never saw before. And you want to -watch for the funny little lizards on the ground.” - -Bennie almost immediately heard a rustle in the dead leaves beside him, -and looking down saw a small lizard-like creature scurry up on to a flat -stone. He reached down to pick it up—and the lizard wasn’t there! He was -on a stone two feet away. - -“Say!” he called, “this is the quickest thing I ever saw. Beats a -weasel.” - -“Mr. Stone says they call ’em swifts,” Spider answered. - -Among the new birds that Spider saw, and added to his bird list, he -later learned from Mr. Stone and the doctor, were ravens, western -tanagers (a beautiful, bright yellow bird), valley quail, camp robbers, -water ousels, which live always by the water and build their nests -behind the waterfalls, the western catbird, which is much like the -eastern, only brownish, and blue jays of a much darker color than in the -East. These jays fought and squawked around the camp all day long. Then -there were crows and other birds he already knew. - -“Well, never mind your old birds now,” Bennie said after breakfast. -“This is the Glorious Fourth. Let’s fire off some crackers and do -something to celebrate.” - -“We might run down to Medford and see the parade,” the doctor suggested. - -This was hailed with delight, so they unpacked the cars, and started off -for the day. Medford was full of people. There was a parade and a ball -game and a lively time generally. - -“Well, this is what I call wild life in Oregon,” Bennie laughed. “We -came 4,000 miles to get into the wilderness, and here we are with about -ten thousand other people watching a parade in a city. Some wilderness!” - -“You wait,” his uncle cautioned. “In about a week, you’ll have so much -wilderness you’ll be crying for home and mother.” - -That night, back in camp, they set off their own fireworks, shooting the -rockets from an improvised chute out over the water, and the next day -they spent in exploring two or three old gold diggings they found by the -bank—shafts which some prospector had laboriously dug far into the -earth, but without getting much gold, apparently, for the diggings had -all been abandoned. Bennie and Spider spent two or three hours searching -everywhere for nuggets, but they found nothing. It was hot and sultry, -too, and everybody was getting impatient. - -“I’m going to start tomorrow for the lake,” the doctor said that night. -“We’ll camp below the rim if we can’t get up. It’s too hot here.” - -“It’s the climate,” said Bennie—and the doctor and Dumplin’ fell upon -him and rolled him on the hard ground till he howled for mercy. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - Up to the Rim of Crater Lake at Last, Through the Snow-drifts - - -Everybody was out at 4:30 the next morning. The hot weather still held. -In fact, it was hotter than the day before. Bennie waited till he was on -the extreme edge of camp, with a clear field to run in, and then -remarked, “It’s the climate.” - -But everybody was too busy packing to chase him. - -At seven o’clock the cars were ready, and the start was at last made on -the last lap for Crater Lake. - -“It’s only eighty miles—even a bit less from here, I guess. But it’s -up-hill all the way, and of course we don’t know what kind of roads -we’re going to get into.” - -For many miles they ran along past scattered ranches where the -irrigation ditches paralleled the road, and the alfalfa scented the air. -Then the country began to get rougher, the road began to climb, the -tumbling, foaming green river dropped farther and farther below them -into a wild ravine, while they climbed along the side. - -“This is something like!” Bennie shouted. “Bring on some more of your -old wilderness!” - -“You’ll get some more pretty soon now.” - -They passed a little settlement, where both cars stopped for gas and to -let the engines cool, and then the road ran into a forest, and traveled -straight as an arrow, making a long aisle as far as the eye could see. - -“Government forest,” the doctor said. “This is a government road. Well, -boys, what do you think of these trees?” - -The boys looked on either side of the dusty white road, into stands of -Douglas fir that almost took their breath away—great giants six and -eight feet through, and rising without any branches for a hundred feet -or more, straight as masts, and after the first branches going on up -another fifty or a hundred feet. - -“Some shrubs,” said Bennie. - -“You’ll see a lot of bigger ones before we get back to Portland,” said -the doctor. - -After running for ten miles or so through the forest, while the car and -their faces became covered with the white pumice dust, they came -suddenly on a beautiful, cold little stream, and beside this stream an -open camp ground, maintained by the government for anybody who wanted to -use it. Here they stopped for early lunch, under the cool shadows of the -great trees. - -There were at least a dozen other cars there, and half as many tents -were pitched in the woods. Fires were going. Some campers had wash hung -out to dry. The camp was clean and well cared for. - -“Well,” said Spider, looking around, “all I can say is that -Massachusetts has got something to learn from Oregon. If you tried to -camp anywhere at home, you’d get chased off. And when the State does get -any land for a forest, it doesn’t make any provisions for camping. They -won’t let you build a fire. Can’t camp without a fire.” - -“Here’s something for you scouts to think about,” Mr. Stone said. “Why -don’t you talk up State forests and camp sites when you go home? The Boy -Scouts could do a lot if they all got together.” - -“You bet we’ll think about it,” Spider said. “Why, there’s a State -reservation right near Southmead, and a nice park on it, and the State -hasn’t even made a path around the pond so you can get to the water.” - -“People in the East haven’t learned how to camp yet, anyway,” the doctor -said. “They think they’ve got to have a hotel every fifty miles.” - -“Sure,” said Bennie. “Ma’s idea of roughing it is to have hot and cold -water and steam heat.” - -After lunch they pushed on, and soon began to climb again, up and up, -while the radiators boiled in the heat, till they came to the entrance -of the Crater Lake National Park, where they stopped to pay the tolls on -the cars, and have a tag pasted on the wind-shield. While this was being -done, the boys crossed the road and looked down into a tremendous gorge -cut by Castle Creek into the lava rock. It was their first real taste of -what was ahead. Soon after this, as the road kept on climbing, they -began to get glimpses through the trees of mountain tops, covered with -snow, and before long the road began to get muddy in places, as if the -snow had but recently melted from it. - -At last they reached Government Camp, where the Park superintendent and -the rangers live, at the foot of the last slope to the rim. Here there -were great patches of snow all about in the woods, and trickles of water -beside the road. - -“Can we get up to the rim?” the doctor called to someone in a doorway. - -“Half a dozen cars have gone up, and haven’t come back,” a voice -answered. - -“Maybe they can’t get back,” the doctor laughed. - -“Maybe,” said the other man. “But I reckon they got through. Better put -on your chains, though.” - -After the chains were put on both cars, they started out once more, on -the last pull to the lake. - -“Only three or four miles now,” said Uncle Billy, “and a thousand feet -to climb.” - -The road was muddy, but well graded, as it wound up the ravine, through -heavy timber, with great drifts of snow on either side. Before long they -came to places where the drifts had been shoveled out to let the road -through, and in these places the road was so soft that everybody but the -drivers got out and walked. The boys made snowballs and pelted each -other. Once or twice the cars stuck, and they had to get boughs to put -under the wheels. But there was no serious delay till they were almost -at the top of the climb. Here they found several cars stalled ahead of -them. Going forward, they found that one big drift was still in the way. -Part of it was cut through, but the last end was still ten feet of solid -snow. The rangers were even now laying a train of TNT through it, and -connecting the fuses. The boys rushed back for their cameras. - -When the dozen charges were ready, everybody ran out of the way. A -ranger connected the wires, and went back behind a tree to the battery. -A moment later there was a terrific explosion, and a huge geyser of -black smoke and black water rose from the drift, the blackened water -settling down in a fine, dirty mist on the snow to leeward. - -“Gosh, I hope I snapped that at the right time!” said Bennie. “Made me -jump so, I couldn’t tell.” - -Mr. Stone, who was working with a graflex, said he thought he got a good -one, anyway. Then they went forward and found the twelve charges had -blasted out a deep ditch in the snow right through the drift. Men sprang -in with shovels, and in fifteen minutes the cars could plough through. -From there on the snow was melted from the road, and flowers were -already coming up through the soft brown pumice soil. - -Right ahead of them the boys saw the hotel, and in front of the hotel -the land seemed to disappear. It didn’t look at all like a mountain -here. The road was now quite level, and there were woods all about. Only -to the right there was a mountain peak, close by, covered with a great -cap of snow. It looked more as if they were coming to the edge of some -cañon. - -“Where’s the lake?” they demanded. - -“Can you stand it for two minutes more?” the doctor asked. - -Now the car was close to the hotel. The boys jumped out and ran ahead, -up a little grade. And then they stopped stone dead, and drew in a long -breath of astonishment. - -Right under their feet the land fell away at so sharp an angle that it -was practically a precipice, for more than a thousand feet. This great -precipice stretched out to right and left, rising here and there into -crags and cliffs a thousand feet above them, and swung around in a vast -circle six miles in diameter, thus making what looked like a gigantic -hole in the earth. At the bottom of this hole lay the lake; but it was -not an ordinary lake. It was not just water. In fact, it didn’t look -like water. It was a wonderful, a vivid, an unbelievable blue. It was -bluer than the sky. - -“It’s the bluest thing I ever saw!” cried Bennie. “Wow! how do you get -down to it?” - -“There’s just one trail down here,” his uncle answered, “and one around -on the east side. Those are the only two ways down to the water.” - -“And what’s that little peaked island out there?” Spider asked, pointing -to what looked like a pile of cinders at one side of the lake, cinders -covered with green weeds. - -“That’s Wizard Island. After this old volcano collapsed into the crater, -and before it filled with water, she started up again to build a new -volcano. That island is the result. It’s a little volcano all by itself, -with a crater in the top. That island is 800 feet above the water line, -and the green you see on it is made by big trees.” - -“Gosh!” said Bennie. “It looks about eight feet high, instead of 800. -Can we get to it?” - -“We’ll get to it, all right. But we’ve got to make camp before we do -anything.” - -[Illustration: Crater Lake—Wizard Island, and over it Llao Rock] - -“Will you tell us after supper all about this lake, how it got made and -everything?” Spider asked. “Gee, I wish I’d studied geology.” - -“You’ve come to the right place to begin,” said the doctor. “But now for -a camp site. Come on with me.” - -Leaving the cars, they walked westward along the rim, looking for a -chance to get the cars through the drifts. They could manage, they -found, to run them a few hundred feet west of the hotel, along what -looked like a road. There was a considerable open space between the edge -of the rim and the timber, however, and to get back from the rim to the -trees they had to get the camp spades out of the cars and dig a ditch -through two feet of snow. At last the cars were through, and a -comparatively dry spot found under some big fir trees. Here the tents -were put up, with the stove between them, the cars unpacked, the beds -inflated, and Dumplin’ and Bennie went after wood while Spider took the -pails and went back over the snow toward the hotel for water. All the -water has to be pumped up to the hotel and the camp grounds from a -spring back down the road. When he returned, he reported that already a -dozen more cars had arrived, several tents were going up, and there were -a lot of people at the hotel. - -Meanwhile Bennie and Dumplin’ had discovered that past campers had -cleaned out so much of the dead wood that it was hard to find enough for -a fire, especially as the woods were still full of snow and the fallen -branches buried or else soaking wet. However, they rustled up enough for -that night and breakfast, and preparations for supper began. - -As the sun got lower and lower, the water of the lake seemed to turn a -darker and darker blue, and the snow cap on Garfield, the peak just to -the east, turned a lovely rose red—and Bennie put on his coat. - -“What you putting that on for?” his uncle asked. - -“It’s the climate,” said Bennie, with a grin. - -“Well, suppose you and Dump go drain the radiators before we forget it,” -the doctor laughed. - -“What do you mean, drain the radiators? Are you kidding?” the boys -demanded. - -“Kidding? Not on your life. Go do as I tell you.” - -“But, gee whiz, they were _boiling_ about three hours ago,” Dumplin’ -said. - -“That was three hours ago, and 2,000 feet lower. Go do as I tell you.” - -“Some climate, I’ll say!” Bennie laughed. But he was still skeptical, it -was plain to see. He thought his uncle was trying to play a joke on him. -However, he and Dumplin’ drained the cars. - -A few minutes later they heard the welcome call from the camp, “Come and -get it!” - - - - - CHAPTER IX - The Mountain That Fell Into Itself - - -It was still twilight when dinner was over, and the doctor said, “First -class in geology will now be held on Victory Rock. Do you scouts have -merit badges in geology, by the way?” - -“No,” said Spider. - -“That’s funny. Seems to me you ought to,” Mr. Stone declared. “Scouts -are hiking around the country all the time, and it’s a mighty good -chance to see how the earth was made.” - -Victory Rock, the boys found, is a kind of bowsprit of lava thrust out -from the rim, so that when you stand on it you can see almost all the -circle of the lake, and the water appears to be directly under you. - -“Now, take a good look,” Uncle Billy said, “and then try to imagine what -this place was like before the big explosion. The rim here is 7,000 feet -above sea level. In other words, we’ve climbed up, to get here, about -half the height of the original mountain. We are about at snow line.” - -“About!” Bennie laughed. “About is good!” - -“Now just imagine the line of ascent we took from Government Camp -carried right on up, all around the lake. When the slopes met, over the -middle, in the peak of the original mountain, geologists reckon that -peak was from 14,000 to 15,000 feet high. This was one of the highest -mountains, if not the highest, in the United States proper. It was an -active volcano, of course. If you’ll look over there to the northwest, -you’ll see a big, steep precipice with a rounded top. That’s called Llao -Rock. Do you see how the bottom of it curves up at either end? Well, -that curve shows you where the bottom of a ravine was on the original -mountain. In some eruption, ages ago, a great stream of lava flowed down -that ravine, filled it up to overflowing, and hardened into rock. If you -travel around the lake, you can pick out where each ravine was by the -laval cliffs.” - -“How high is that Llao Rock?” asked Spider. - -“About 2,000 feet from the water.” - -“Gee, then that lava stream was more’n a thousand feet deep!” - -“It was,” said the doctor. “Much more.” - -“And then what happened?” Bennie asked. - -“Well, I wasn’t here at the time,” said Uncle Billy, “but as near as the -scientists can figure it out, there must have been a tremendous -eruption, scattering pumice all over Oregon and making a lot of our rich -soil, and then, at the level where we are now, probably a lot of vent -holes blew out, making the whole top of the mountain, which was only a -shell around the great crater hole, so insecure that it just toppled -inward of its own weight. About seven or eight thousand feet of the -mountain just collapsed into the crater.” - -“Say, I’d like to have been here with the old kodak!” Bennie cried. “And -then what happened?” - -“Well, then the bottom of the crater evidently started to spit again, -and build up a new mountain. It built up a perfect cone, just the shape -of the old mountain, almost to the level of the rim. That’s Wizard -Island out there. Wizard Island is a later kind of lava and volcanic -stuff than what you find in the rim walls. But the old mountain got -tired about then, and decided to call it a day, and it’s been resting -ever since.” - -“But how did the water get here?” Dumplin’ asked. - -“Out of the sky. There are no springs, so far as anybody knows, in the -crater. That water has just come from the snow and rain—mostly snow, -which has been falling into the hole for untold ages. Over on the east -side of the lake, it is 2,000 feet deep.” - -“Say, you could almost dive there without hitting your head on bottom, -couldn’t you?” Bennie laughed. “What makes it so blue?” - -“Nobody seems to know that. Some people think there must be some -chemical or mineral gets into it. Anyway, there’s no other lake in the -world which has its color.” - -“I’ll bet there isn’t!” Spider declared. “My, it’s a beautiful thing. -When are we going down to it? Are there boats on it? How do they get the -boats down there?” - -“One at a time!” Mr. Stone laughed. “We’ll go down as soon as the trail -is opened. They get the boats down the trail on wheels, by man power, -and keep ’em winters over on Wizard Island. You could see the boat-house -if it wasn’t so dark.” - -“Let’s go over to the hotel and find out if the trail is open yet!” the -boys cried, and led the way without waiting for an answer. - -No, the trail wasn’t open, the hotel manager told them. But the boatmen -had been down and got some rowboats out, and two men had gone down -fishing that afternoon. - -“But it’s not a safe trip,” the manager added. “We don’t advise anybody -to try it. The government is going to begin shoveling the snow out of -the trail tomorrow morning. You’d better wait a day or two.” - -They thanked him, bought some souvenir post-cards to send home, and went -back to camp. - -“Have we got to wait?” the boys demanded. - -The two men only smiled. - -“Better be up early,” they said. “We might have a try at it. Can’t tell. -Bennie seems to want a bit of real wild stuff. Maybe we can give it to -him.” - -There was not wood enough in camp to make a camp fire, and no chance to -get any more till daylight. Everybody had put on his sweater, and the -air was getting colder and colder. - -“Nothing for it but to go to bed,” Mr. Stone declared. “And be thankful -you have those blankets you didn’t need at Rogue River.” - -“It’s the climate!” said Bennie, as he shivered in his pyjamas and -wriggled hastily in between all the blankets he could stuff into his -sleeping bag. “Oh, you blankets!” - -“And down in Medford, eighty miles away, they’re probably kicking off -the sheets,” laughed Uncle Billy. “What do you think of Crater Lake now, -eh?” - -But Bennie only grunted. He was already half asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER X - Down the Rim to the Lake—The Boys Ski on a Crater Snow-drift in July - - -The two scouts were first awake the next morning. They took no more time -getting dressed than the law allowed, for it was shivery cold, and then -went outside the tent to wash. The sun was just coming up, and the night -mists still hung around the sides of the rim and over the water of the -lake, which was so still that it was exactly like a huge bright blue -mirror, six miles wide, in which everything hung upside down. The water -in the pails at the side of the tent had a skim of ice over it! - -Bennie broke the ice and poured some water in a basin, dousing it on his -face and spluttering with the cold. They went over the snow-drifts to -the tap to get more water, and the snow was crusted and held them up so -that their hobnailed boots crunched and squeaked on it. - -“And this is July 7th!” said Spider. “Well, you thought your uncle was -joshing about the radiator last night, didn’t you?” - -“I sure did,” Bennie answered. “Didn’t realize what a difference -altitude makes.” - -[Illustration: Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in -Foreground] - -After they had brought the water, and made a fire in the stove, the -scouts went off after a wood supply, while the rest were dressing. They -wandered a long way back down the slope, through the forest, and tried -to imagine, as they looked back, that instead of being cut off at the -rim the mountain went on up another 8,000 feet. - -“I guess if it did, we’d be on a glacier here, instead of just snow,” -said Spider. “Look, Bennie, at those flowers coming up within a foot of -this drift! I’m going to collect a lot of flowers on this trip, and get -a merit badge in botany, too. Why don’t you get after some merit -badges?” - -“Aw, gee, what good am I at botany and stuff like that?” - -“Well, you could go after one in forestry. We’ll be seeing a lot of real -forests. And there’s hiking, and camping. Oh, lots of ’em.” - -“Got your manual with you?” - -“Sure.” - -“Well, let’s look ’em up later, and see what chance a dub like me has,” -Bennie answered. “But this ain’t getting us much fire wood.” - -They were so far from the camp ground now that dead wood was plentiful, -and they returned to camp over the drifts and the bare clearings where -the wild flowers were just sprouting—spring in July—dragging dead limbs -enough to last two or three days. The smell of coffee and bacon greeted -them as they came up the last slope to the camp. - -“By the way,” Spider asked at breakfast, “what was the name of this -mountain before it fell into itself?” - -“Who was there to name it, you poor fish?” laughed Bennie. - -“I never thought of that!” - -“It has a posthumous name, though,” said Mr. Stone. - -“Come again—come again!” Bennie said. “What kind of a name?” - -“Ho, I know what that means!” put in Dumplin’, his mouth full of wheat -cakes. - -“What _what_ means?” the rest demanded. - -“P-p”—he swallowed hard, and then got it out—“posthumous.” - -“Well, what does it mean?” - -“It means something that comes after you’re dead. If a man writes a book -that ain’t printed till he’s dead, it’s a posthumous book.” - -“My son,” said Mr. Stone, “I am proud of you.” - -“Not to say surprised at him,” the doctor laughed. - -Dumplin’ grinned triumphantly, and reached out for more cakes. - -“Well, what was its p-p-posthumous name?” Bennie demanded. - -“They call the mountain Mount Mazama. You see, there’s a famous club of -mountaineers in Portland, who are called the Mazamas, and that’s why the -name was given to this vanished peak.” - -“Mazama—sounds sort of Indian.” - -“It is—it’s the Indian word for a mountain goat.” - -“That’s us,” said Bennie. “When do we leap lightly down the rim to the -water?” - -“As soon as you’ve washed the dishes,” said his uncle. - -The sun was well up when they started, and the chill had gone from the -air. You could hardly believe water had frozen two hours before. Mr. -Stone carried his movie camera, which weighed fifty pounds, on his back -in a knapsack made for it, Dumplin’ carried the tripod, also in a sack, -Bennie and Spider carried their canteens filled with spring water, their -cameras, and the lunch in knapsacks. The doctor had two canteens and the -coil of 125 feet of soft alpine braided rope. Everybody had an -alpenstock. As the little procession passed the hotel, the people there -looked at them curiously. - -“You evidently mean business,” somebody said. - -“We’re going down to the lake,” said the doctor. - -“I wouldn’t try it, if I were you,” the other man replied. “Two chaps -went down yesterday, and they had a pretty bad time. They say it’s -extremely dangerous.” - -“We’ll take a chance,” said Uncle Billy. - -The trail starts down just east of the hotel. It is a wide footpath cut -in the soft lava and the powdery pumice and conglomerate of the slope, -switchbacking down a sharp ravine. But this ravine was now almost filled -with snow, so that the path was buried, and the descent had to be made -over the bare snow slope, at an angle of fifty degrees. If you once -started slipping, there was nothing to stop you for a thousand feet. The -park gang of a dozen men or more, with shovels, were just attacking the -snow at the top, shoveling out the path and tossing the snow chunks on -to the slope, down which they slid and bounded like a bombardment. - -The doctor led the way past the shovelers, so they would be out of the -range of the falling lumps, uncoiled the rope, tied one end around his -waist, flung the other end down the slope, drove his alpenstock deep and -firm, braced his feet, and said: - -“Now, you all go down to the end, one at a time. Keep a firm hold on the -rope. Don’t ever let go with more than one hand. When you get to the -bottom, brace your stocks, and Stone, you take up the slack on me as I -come down.” - -One by one the boys and Mr. Stone faced half sideways to the slope, kept -hold of the rope with the right hand, and went down the 125 feet step by -step. As Bennie started down, he saw that just above them on the rim -were a dozen people, come from the hotel to watch. - -“Gee, this is the life!” he shouted. - -The boys watched Uncle Billy come down when everybody else was at the -rope’s end. He had no rope to help him, of course, but he used his -alpenstock with one hand, and drove his boots firmly into the snow with -a sideways motion which made a little step for him. - -“Guess old Uncle Bill knows his way about,” thought Bennie. - -From this point, the operation was repeated, getting them down 250 feet. -But by now the shovelers in the path above had worked ahead, and the -snow chunks were whizzing past uncomfortably close. They saw that the -ravine narrowed ahead of them into a kind of bottle neck, and all the -chunks worked into that neck. They would have to pass right through it. -No use in yelling up to the shovelers to quit, either. Their job was to -get the trail opened as soon as possible. Besides, they were laughing, -and the little party down in the ravine knew that meant they were just -waiting to get them into the narrow place and bombard them. - -“Keep half an eye up the slope this next drop,” the doctor said, “and -watch out for cannon balls. Those fellows up there are going to wing us -if they can. The chunks won’t break any bones, but they’ll hurt. Once -we’re through the neck, we can get round behind that rock, and be out of -range.” - -“Let her go!” said Mr. Stone. - -Nobody lost any time on that next drop. Mr. Stone went first, and no -sooner was he out into the narrow groove of the ravine than a perfect -avalanche of snow chunks came whizzing down. Most of them got broken up -before they reached him, but every now and then one hung together, as -big as a shoveler could lift out of the path, and went whizzing by a -mile a minute. One of them bounced up just before it reached him, and -landed _ker-blam_ against his camera sack, smashing into a thousand -pieces, and nearly taking him off his feet. - -“The idiots!” Uncle Billy said. “I’d like to throw ’em all down here -head first. Go ahead, Dump. Your father’s round the bend now.” - -“You’re an easy mark, Dumplin’!” yelled the boys, as poor Lester slid -down the rope into the path of the whirling missiles. “Hi! look out—here -comes a big one!” - -Lester ducked, and a block of snow bounded right over his head. Bennie -had no such luck when he started, though. He dodged a couple, but a -third chunk caught him right in the head, smashed wetly around his neck -and ears, and he felt the water trickling down inside his shirt as he -hurried, half blinded, around the rock to shelter. Spider and the doctor -soon joined them, Spider nursing a bump on the leg from a snow chunk -with a stone in it. - -“Great idea of a joke, those guys have,” said Bennie. “Funny thing, -Dumplin’ never got hit at all, and he’s the easiest mark. Where do we go -from here?” - -The doctor looked around. Straight down below them was a long slope of -pumice and gravelly looking stuff, at a very steep angle, with a few -trees and lava blocks breaking it up, and patches of snow. - -“Here,” he said, and threw out the rope. - -Bennie started first. His feet seemed to hold well in this soft ground, -and he let his hand just slide along the rope, seeing how fast he could -walk down. Suddenly the ground just slipped away under him. He sat down, -and began to slide. His hand, held too loosely on the rope, was yanked -off. He grasped for the rope again, but it was out of reach. For one -sickly, awful moment, he saw the lake and the rocks hundreds of feet -below him, and thought he was going to land down there—or what was left -of him. Down, down he slid, six feet, eight feet, hit a patch of snow -and went faster, while he tried vainly to dig in with hands and heels. -Then, as suddenly as the first slip, he realized that in ten feet more -he’d hit a tree growing on a tiny flat place by a piece of solid lava. A -second, and his feet struck the roots with a thump, and he stopped -abruptly. - -When the rest got to him, he was still sitting there, trembling a -little, and trying to clean off his clothes. His uncle’s face was white, -but all he said was: - -“I thought you knew how to climb, Bennie. I see you’ve got to be taught -to keep a hold on the rope.” - -“It—it came so sudden.” - -“It always does come sudden,” his uncle answered. That was all he said. -That was all he ever said about it the whole trip. But it was all he -needed to say. Bennie felt deeply ashamed. He had failed on the very -first climb! He resolved then and there that the next time he’d hang on -to that rope with a death grip. - -“Were you scared?” Spider whispered to him, as they got down to the -trail where the snow had melted off, and could walk the last few feet of -the way. “Gee, I was scared blue when I saw you goin’, till I spotted -the tree, and knew you were goin’ to hit it. Hadn’t been there, though, -you’d been a goner. Golly!” - -“Sure I was scared,” said Bennie. “Didn’t have time to think much about -it, though, before I hit the good old roots.” - -Dumplin’ now dropped alongside. - -“If it had been me,” he said, “I’d have knocked the tree down, and gone -right on.” - -“You’d ’a’ made an awful splash in the lake,” Bennie laughed, though his -voice still trembled a little. - -There were only three boats at the landing, and none of the boatmen had -yet come down that day. They were waiting for the trail to be opened. -But the hotel manager had told Uncle Billy how to find the oars, and -loading the cameras and lunch into a couple of the skiffs, they pushed -off, Bennie insisting on rowing one boat, and Lester the other. The lake -was very still as they floated out over its blue water. - -“It don’t look more’n ten feet deep to me,” said Bennie, glancing over -the side. “There’s the old bottom.” - -“Look up at the cliffs and take ten more strokes, and then look down,” -said Mr. Stone from the other boat. - -Bennie did so. - -“Jiminy crickets and little jumping hoptoads!” he exclaimed. “Why, there -isn’t any bottom!” - -Sure enough, the bottom had dropped completely away. They were floating -on what seemed like a bottomless blue liquid. - -“I feel as if we were sort of hanging in a piece of the sky,” said -Spider. “I never had such a funny sensation.” - -The doctor smiled. “You’ve got the Crater Lake blues,” he said. “It -scares some people.” - -“I like it,” said Spider. “Gee, it’s wonderful!” - -Bennie glanced over his shoulder at Wizard Island, which looked about a -quarter of a mile away, headed his bow for it, and started to pull -again. - -“We’ll be there in a jiffy,” he said. - -“How far do you think it is?” his uncle asked. - -“’Bout a quarter of a mile.” - -“It’s almost two, in a straight line.” - -“Gee!” said Bennie. - -From the level of the water, Crater Lake was quite a different place. -Instead of looking down from the rim, you looked up, and the cliffs that -hemmed you in seemed far higher and far steeper. They looked as steep as -they really are. The high points around the rim—Garfield Peak, Dutton -Cliffs, Llao Rock, Glacier Peak, the Watchman, were all snow-capped, and -in many places the snow came down the rim ravines in great white wedges -like capital V’s, almost to the blue water. The hotel looked like a -little Noah’s ark. - -“Say, if a guy got caught down here and had to go on shore where he -couldn’t get to the trail, what would he do? Could he climb out?” Bennie -asked. - -“There’s a trail out over there on the east, at that lowest place,” said -the doctor. “The rim is only 500 feet high there. Those two are the only -trails. You might be able to climb out at some other points. A -photographer once climbed up under Llao Rock and worked along the base -of the lava precipices till he reached the top of the rim. But if I was -caught down here in most places, I’d sit tight till a boat came for me.” - -“You needn’t die of thirst, anyhow,” Spider laughed. - -Slowly Wizard Island drew nearer, and at last Bennie pulled into a -little cove, and they hauled the bow up. Lester pulled his skiff in a -moment later. Wizard Island, all around the base, seemed to be composed -entirely of huge blocks of blackish-brown lava, out of which evergreens -mysteriously grew—big, fine trees, too. They scrambled up over these -blocks, and soon found a trail winding up the steep slope through the -woods. The lava blocks ceased now, and the whole little mountain was -composed of a fine material much like cinders from a locomotive. In -fact, the baby volcano now resembled nothing so much as a huge cone of -cinders, covered with trees. Up and up they toiled, Mr. Stone panting -under the weight of his movie camera, and at last reached the summit. -Before anybody even looked about, the canteens were unslung and half -emptied. Then they looked. - -The top of Wizard Island was a perfect circle, like Crater Lake itself, -only a tiny circle, two or three hundred feet across. Inside was a -crater, about a hundred feet deep, and now filled on the south side, -where the sun didn’t hit it, with a huge snow-drift pitching steeply -down to the bottom. - -“Ah! I thought so!” cried Mr. Stone. “Boys, get busy. I’m going to take -a movie of you sliding down a crater on the snow. Try it once standing -up, and see if you can keep your feet.” - -[Illustration: The Boys Sliding down Wizard Island Crater. (Enlarged -from a Movie)] - -The three boys ran out on the drift to the edge, and stepped over. The -snow was soft enough so that they sank in a little and pushed enough -snow ahead to bank up after ten or a dozen feet. When it did this, it -would pitch you head foremost unless you were spry and jumped over the -bank in time. The first try all three boys went headlong a quarter of -the way down, and made the rest of the trip on their stomachs. They got -up and struggled back up the steep incline. - -By this time the camera was set up and focussed. - -“Good!” said Mr. Stone. “Now get out of the picture a way, and when I -say ‘Shoot’ come walking in to the edge. Stop there a moment and point, -as if you were daring each other to go down. Then all slide. Keep your -feet if you can. At the bottom, get up quickly, and come scrambling -back. Ready? Get on your marks, shoot!” - -The three boys came into the picture as the crank ground and the camera -clicked. They stopped at the rim, and began to act. - -“I dast you to slide down!” said Bennie, forgetting this was a movie, -and nobody would hear his voice. - -“Ho!” said Dumplin’, “that’s nothin’.” - -He tossed off his cap. Spider tossed off his. The three of them stepped -over the rim, and shot down. Dumplin’ got a third of the way and -spilled, head foremost. A second later Spider followed him. Only Bennie -got to the bottom on his feet. He yelled and waved his arms in triumph, -and all three started scrambling and slipping back up the drift, digging -into the snow with heels and hands. As they came up over the rim again, -the camera stopped clicking. - -“Good,” said Mr. Stone. “That’s a dandy.” - -“Some Douglas Fairbanks, eh?” cried Bennie. “Gee, Dumplin’, you sure did -a comic fall. Bet that would get a laugh on the screen.” - -“My hands are cold—and I’m sweating,” said Lester. “That’s going some.” - -“It’s the climate!” came from three mouths at once. - -They now walked around the little rim, and on the west side of the -island saw, at the base of the cone, a flat space of a few acres, with a -tiny little pond in it. - -“This is a volcano within a volcano, and that is a lake inside of a -lake,” the doctor pointed out. “You don’t often find that. Now let’s eat -some lunch, and go down and see if we can catch a fish or two for -supper.” - -They sat, hatless and coatless, in the shade of a little tree beside a -snow-drift, and ate their lunch, finishing up the last of the water in -the canteens, also. Then they descended to the boats. Mr. Stone mounted -his camera in the bow of one boat, with Lester to row, while Spider -rowed the other, the doctor sat as passenger, and Bennie got out the -collapsible rod his uncle had brought, jointed it, and adjusted the -tackle. - -“Don’t seem fair to fish for trout with a spinner, as if they were -nothing but pickerel,” he declared. “Wish we had some flies.” - -“We want the fish to eat,” said the doctor, “and Stone wants a picture. -We’ll use the surest way to get ’em. Now, Spider, row very slowly and -just as steadily as you can, just offshore, around the rocks. Keep an -even pace—that’s the main thing. If the spinner yanks, the fish get -suspicious.” - -Their boat crept softly along, with the Stones’ boat not far behind, Mr. -Stone sitting by the camera as if it were a machine gun pointed at them. - -Suddenly the line, trailing behind, tightened, Bennie gave a cry, there -was a leap and a silver flash in the water astern, and the fight was on! - -“Play him, play him!” the doctor shouted. “Keep on rowing, Spider. Give -Stone a chance to shoot! Bring him up slowly, Bennie, don’t lose him!” - -“I won’t lose him,” Bennie answered grimly. “Gee whiz, what a trout! He -pulls like a whale!” - -Slowly he reeled in, and then had to play out again, as the fish made a -dash past the boat. But the big spinner hook was too much for him, and -after three or four minutes he was alongside, giving his last kicks and -splashes in the water. - -“Swing around, swing around, so the camera can get this!” called the -doctor. - -As the boat swung, Lester pulled nearer, the camera kept on clicking, -and Bennie, reaching over, grabbed the line short and hauled the trout -into the boat, holding him up to show his size. - -“Some baby!” he cried, breathless with excitement. “He weighs about four -pounds. What kind of a trout is he?” - -“They put eastern brook trout into this lake,” said Uncle Billy. “There -were no fish here till it was stocked.” - -“Eastern brook trout!” Bennie exclaimed. “Well, that’s the funniest -looking eastern brook trout _I_ ever saw. I guess something happened to -’em.” - -“It’s the climate,” Spider chuckled. - -“I think it is myself, and no joke,” said the doctor. “They are -certainly a different fish, both to look at and to eat, than the brook -trout we used to catch back home. You catch one now, Spider.” - -Spider took the line, and caught a trout. Then the doctor got one, and -the line was passed to Lester, who lost the spinner in a rock on the -bottom, but, with a new hook, caught still a fourth fish. - -“That’s enough to last us; now for home,” came the orders. - -“I wonder if they’ve got the trail cleared yet? Don’t much want to face -that bombardment again,” said Mr. Stone. - -“They’ll be through digging for the day, anyhow, before we get in,” said -Uncle Billy. - -The long shadows from the western walls were out across the water when -they reached the landing and tied up the boats. There was no sign of -shovelers on the trail, but no sign, either, that the gang had got to -the bottom. They had to make the first half of the climb as best they -could, scrambling up the treacherous slopes with the aid of the -alpenstocks and the rope which the doctor dragged up ahead and fastened -at convenient points. Half-way up, however, they reached the spot where -the trail breakers had quit work, and they were glad enough of the path -and the easy grade the rest of the way. Their packs were getting heavier -and heavier, and the doctor was taking shifts on the camera, before they -finally dragged themselves over the rim, into the sunlight again. - -Bennie was carrying the four trout proudly when they passed the hotel, -and a crowd came out to see the catch. At least a score more motors had -arrived during the day, and the hotel bus was arriving with a load of -people. At their camp, they found two new tents pitched close to theirs, -the cars bearing California license plates. - -“Well, our privacy is gone,” sighed Mr. Stone. - -“I don’t care, if they haven’t got a crying child along, to keep us -awake,” the doctor said. - -“Nothing could keep me awake tonight,” said Bennie, flopping down on the -ground. - -“And nothing could wake me tomorrow morning,” puffed Lester, flopping -down beside him. - -“Well, don’t go to sleep till you’ve cleaned those fish for us,” Uncle -Billy laughed. “And, Dump, you get water, and, Spider, you make the -fire.” - -The smell of boiling coffee and sizzling trout brought new life to -everybody. And how they ate! The fish meat was reddish in color, more -like salmon than eastern brook trout, but it certainly tasted good, and -there was enough for everybody, with potatoes, and bread, and coffee and -stewed fruit. - -When supper was over and cleared away, and they were sitting around the -little camp fire, in their sweaters again, for the evening chill had -descended with the sun, a man strolled over from the near-by camp. - -“Kind o’ cold up here,” he remarked. - -“Drained your radiator?” Mr. Stone asked. - -“No. What you giving us?” - -“Just as you like,” Mr. Stone replied. “If you like a busted radiator, -it’s up to you. I don’t care.” - -“You mean to tell me it’ll freeze up? Why, it was eighty-eight in the -shade in Medford this morning.” - -“It was probably hotter than that in Los Angeles,” said Uncle Billy, -with a wink at Mr. Stone. - -“No, sir!” the other man retorted. “No siree, Bob. We have the finest -climate in Southern California there is in the world. Never too hot, and -never too cold.” - -“It’s the climate,” chuckled Bennie. - -“You bet your life it’s the climate, kid,” said the man. - -“Funny, another man from California once told me the same thing,” Mr. -Stone smiled. “I’ll have to go down there some day and try it.” - -“You’d better. No place like it.” - -“What are you doing in Oregon?” Uncle Billy suggested. - -“Oh, just taking a look around. Pretty nice little lake here, but you -ought to see the Yosemite.” - -“I’ve been to Coney Island,” Bennie grinned, falling into the game. - -“I’ve seen a picture of Venice by moonlight,” said Dumplin’. - -“I’ve been up Bunker Hill Monument. It is 224 feet high,” said Spider. - -The Californian began to get wise to the fact that he was being guyed, -and moved off. They watched him. He went past their cars and glanced at -the ground under the hoods to see if they had really been drained. Then -he went over and drained his own. - -Mr. Stone laughed. “Push any button on a Californian, and you’ll start a -record about the finest climate in the world.” - -“It’s the climate,” said Bennie, solemnly. “Let’s see, where did I see -that? Oh, yes, on a big banner across the road in a city down in -California.” - -“A hit, son. I admit it,” Mr. Stone answered. “We do a lot of bragging -ourselves. At that, we’ve got a pretty nice climate.” - -“I move that the next man who says ‘climate’ has to wash all the dishes -for the next three days,” said Dumplin’. “All in favor.” - -A great shout of “Aye!” went up, and on that they turned in. - -“Praises be to the man who invented the air mattress,” sighed Bennie, as -he crawled wearily into his sleeping bag. “Oh, you pneumatic kid!” - -“Had enough hard work to satisfy you?” his uncle asked. - -“Till about eight A. M. tomorrow,” Bennie answered. “Good night, -friends. Please tell the bellhop to bring me hot water at 7:30.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI - Dumplin’ Tests the Strength of a Snow Cornice on Garfield Peak - - -Their friend the California camper and his party were up bright and -early. At least, they were up early. As Bennie woke up at their noisy -shouting, and listened to their conversation, he didn’t think they were -particularly bright. - -“Oh, well, Irvin Cobb couldn’t make me laugh at half-past five in the -morning,” Dumplin’ said at breakfast. “I heard ’em, but I went to sleep -again. I just stayed awake long enough to hear whether they were talking -about their cli—ha! you didn’t catch me!—about the atmospheric -conditions of California.” - -“Did they?” his father asked. - -“Not’s I heard. One of ’em was pulling a merry jest. His idea of a joke, -I s’pose. He was throwing cold water on the ones that weren’t up.” - -“Gee, I’d have killed him!” the doctor said. “Maybe they’ll be gone by -night. Well, what shall we do today? I don’t feel like going down to the -lake again till the trail is open. It will be done by tonight.” - -“Let’s climb Garfield!” - -“Good,” said Mr. Stone. “I’d like to get a movie of you all up on that -snow cap against the sky.” - -“And I’m going to gather all the kinds of wild flowers I can, and -identify ’em from those mounted specimens in the hotel,” said Spider. -“Might’s well do some work for a botany honor medal, too.” - -Bennie was looking up in the tree as Spider spoke. - -“Look,” he said, “who’s your friend?” - -“Who are your friends, you mean,” added Uncle Billy, also looking up. - -Two large birds, fat and sleek, with gray and black plumage were hopping -nearer and nearer to the tents, apparently much excited. - -“Hello!” cried Spider. “They are new ones on me. Say, aren’t they tame!” - -Mr. Stone laughed. “Tame is the word. Everybody look the other way, and -pretend to pay no attention.” - -They did so, and suddenly there was a flutter close by, a little peep, a -flap of wings, and one of the birds was right down on the box by the -stove that served as a kitchen table, and up in the tree again with half -a slice of bread in his bill. - -“Well, I’ll be switched!” Bennie exclaimed. “Can you beat that! What are -they?” - -“Ever heard of camp robbers?” - -“Are _those_ camp robbers, eh? Canada jays is another name, isn’t it? -Well, I thought camp robbers were ugly birds. Those are beautiful.” - -“They are beautiful, but now they’ve discovered the camps up here, we’ll -have to keep everything covered. They can’t take a hint worth a cent.” - -“Let’s shoo ’em over to California’s camp,” laughed Bennie. - -Presently they started off for Garfield. - -“Hey, Uncle Bill, where’s the rope?” Bennie asked. - -“Don’t need it today.” - -“Aw, can’t we take it along and find a place to use it?” - -“Nothing doing. We don’t carry any excess baggage out here, son.” - -The climb up Garfield proved to be an easy one. The trail was clear of -snow for half the distance, and the rest of the short thousand feet was -over drifts that were neither difficult nor dangerous, till they reached -a little flat place a hundred feet short of the summit. Here a sheer -precipice confronted them, with the summit snow cap hanging out over it -like the cornice of a gigantic house roof. - -Mr. Stone set up his camera some distance out from the cliff. - -“Now, I want you all to go up there, around on the side, where the trail -goes, and come out into view on the left end of the top. Then walk in -single file, slowly, along the cornice to the right, and then move back -out of sight again. When you get to the top, don’t come into view till I -yell, ‘Shoot!’” - -“You mean you want us to walk out on that snow that hangs over the -precipice, Pa?” Lester demanded. - -“Sure, why not?” - -“Well, if it breaks off with our weight, where do we go from there?” - -“It won’t break. You don’t have to get right on the edge of it, of -course. But it would hold up a team of horses.” - -“Yes, but will it hold up Dumplin’?” said Bennie. - -[Illustration: The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak. -(Enlarged from a Movie)] - -“Come on, boys, let’s get this Pearl White stuff over,” the doctor -laughed. - -They scrambled up around the side to the very peak, and waited till they -heard the signal. Then one by one they walked forward toward the edge. -The doctor led the way, and sounded with his alpenstock. He stopped five -feet short of the extreme edge, however, turned and walked along that -line, the rest following him holding their breaths, and half expecting -to go pitching down any instant. But they didn’t. The snow cornice was -many feet thick, and would probably have held up a far greater weight. - -When they were out of the picture again, they looked around. The view -was tremendous, and the first one they had got from a high summit. -(Garfield is a shade over 8,000 feet.) To the south they saw the -glistening white snow cone of Mount McLaughlin, and then far, far away, -150 miles, floating almost like a cloud on the horizon, the great white -bulk of Mount Shasta in California, more than 14,000 feet high. To the -eastward, they looked out over the desert country of southeastern -Oregon, stretching for endless miles. North of them, they looked right -down for 2,000 feet into the blue caldera of Crater Lake. North of the -lake, beyond the farther rim, they could see Mount Thielsen, which -looked like a huge needle of lava sticking straight up into the air, and -beyond that the white pyramid of Diamond Peak. Everywhere near by, on -the outer slopes of the crater, they looked down into dark mysterious -forests marching up the ravines. - -“Well, Bennie, is this big enough and wild enough for you?” the doctor -demanded. - -“I never saw so much land all at once in my life,” said Bennie, “or such -a big hole in it. And to think I’ve seen old Shasta, way off in -California! This beats the old geography!” - -“You loosed a larynxful then,” came from Dumplin’. - -“Not very poetic, Dump, but true,” the doctor smiled. - -The boys found the steepest drift on the descent, and tried to ski down -it on their boot soles, but they hit such a rate of speed that all three -of them toppled over, and landed at the bottom head over heels. After -they had reached the open trail once more, Spider cut away from the -path, and worked down the side slope, through the pumice drifts and the -tumbled piles of broken lava, gathering specimens of wild flowers. You -would hardly have supposed anything would grow in such unpromising -looking soil, but volcanic stuff rapidly breaks up into a soil rich in -chemical plant foods, especially potash, and soon his hands were full. -Bennie, who had followed him, began to help, and rapidly got interested -in the game of finding new varieties. It was a big bunch they finally -brought into camp, half an hour after the rest had reached home. - -That afternoon Spider took his flowers and a note-book over to the -hotel, where a large case of mounted specimens is exhibited, and spent -two hours identifying them, and listing the names in his note-book, with -his specimens pressed between the leaves. Bennie bought some candy, and -a bunch of post-cards, and scribbled messages to his mother and father -and friends. Finally he came over to Spider. - -“Gee whiz, you’re a studious one,” he said. “Wish I was. How do you get -that way?” - -“I don’t know. I just can’t help being interested in birds and plants -and things like that. You’ve just got to find something you’re awfully -interested in, I guess.” - -“Well, I’m interested in mountains, but that won’t get me any merit -badge. I’m gettin’ kind of interested in supper about now, too. What say -we beat it over to camp?” - -They walked back along the rim. The snow cap on Garfield was growing -pink behind them, and the lake below, ruffled by a little wind, was like -a wrinkled carpet of vivid ultramarine blue. The trail, they heard, was -now dug out all the way to the landing. Rested by the quiet afternoon, -they felt keen for fresh adventures. - -“I feel’s if I could walk all the way around this old rim,” Bennie -declared. “You know, there’s a motor road runs around it, only it’s full -of snow now. Has to cut down behind Dutton Cliffs and Garfield, way down -to the road we came up on. But the rest of the way round it’s up on the -rim. Uncle Bill says it’s about thirty or thirty-five miles around, he -thinks, by the road. Bet you we could do it in a day, right over the old -snow. That ought to help toward a merit badge for hiking.” - -“I’d rather row around the lake at the base of the cliffs,” said Spider. - -“Well, let’s do that tomorrow. Shall we?” - -“I guess we’ll do what the rest do. Your uncle will have something good -on, sure.” - -“Hope so, I need the exercise,” Bennie laughed, plunging across the -snow-drift toward the tents. - -“Bennie’s feeling awful good,” Spider told the rest. “Says he’s not -getting exercise enough.” - -“The wood-pile is rather low,” the doctor remarked quietly. - -Bennie saluted. “Yes, sir, thank you, sir!” he said, and picked up his -ax. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - Bennie Climbs the Mast of the Phantom Ship and Knows He Has Done - Something - - -“Seeing that Bennie is such a glutton for exercise,” said Uncle Billy at -breakfast the next morning, “what do you say we give him some, Stone?” - -“We want to keep him well and happy, surely,” Mr. Stone answered, -solemnly. - -“Yes, we mustn’t let the little darling pine,” put in Dumplin’. - -“Or his mighty muscles get flabby,” added Spider. - -“You all think you’re having a great time, don’t you?” Bennie retorted. -“Well, I’m all ready. I guess I’ll keep in the procession as long as the -band plays.” - -“All right,” said his uncle. “Let’s get cleared up here, and we’ll beat -it down the trail and row out to the Phantom Ship. Bennie can row us out -and back, and climb the mast between whiles, and then tote your camera, -Stone, up the trail again home. Maybe that will restore his lost -appetite.” - -Bennie grinned amiably. “What’s the Phantom Ship?” he demanded. - -“You’ll see.” - -The boys noted with delight that Uncle Billy was taking his alpine rope. -Lunches and cameras were carried, too. The trail down from the rim was -now cleared of snow all the way, and the descent was quick and easy. -But, at the bottom, they found that so many people had gone down ahead -of them that all the boats were out. They had to wait two hours while -some of the boatmen, who had gone across to the boat-house on Wizard -Island, got the launch in commission over there, and towed back more -boats. - -“How did they ever get a launch down here?” asked Bennie. - -“Brought it down in pieces and assembled it, I suppose,” Spider said. -“Didn’t they?” - -“Must have,” answered the doctor. - -When the fresh supply of boats arrived, they pushed off, rowing in the -opposite direction from Wizard Island. Now they passed directly under -the jagged red walls of Eagle Crags, which form the north wall of Mount -Garfield, and tower 2,000 feet above the water. Rounding Eagle Point, -they saw Chaski Bay, invisible from the hotel, with a great snow-drift -hanging over it, and beyond that another 2,000-foot cliff headland, with -a long, steep talus slope of soft stuff leading up to the precipitous -lava. - -“What do you see right at the base of that cliff, in the water?” the -doctor asked. - -“Nothing,” said the boys. “Just some small rocks at the water’s edge.” - -“Some small rocks, eh? Well, row on a bit. Keep in nearer shore, -Bennie.” - -Bennie rowed on another half mile, and again they looked at the rocks at -the water’s edge below Dutton Cliff. - -“Why,” Spider said, “those rocks are out in the water. They’re an -island.” - -“That’s the Phantom Ship. They call it a phantom because it looks like -part of the cliff from a distance. You’ll see pretty soon why they call -it a ship.” - -Sure enough, they did see, in a very few moments. For, as the boats drew -nearer, the detached rocks were seen to be much larger than they had -appeared from a distance, where they had to be measured against the -whole 2,000 feet of Dutton Cliff; and not only were they large, but they -were really one solid mass of dark brown lava, much more pointed at the -end which faced the lake, and with three sharp spires of lava, almost as -sharp as an obelisk, sticking up exactly like three masts. To add still -further to the illusion of a ship, they saw, as they drew still nearer, -that the patches of green on the lava were really pine trees, which now -began to look like sails. - -“It is just like a ship!” Spider exclaimed. “It’s a ship made of lava, a -three-master, sailing right out from Dutton Cliff!” - -“Is it one of those masts we are going to climb?” Bennie suddenly -demanded, a suspicion striking him. - -“_You_ are—for the exercise,” said his uncle. - -“Yes, I am! Say, I’m pretty good, but I’m no human fly. Gee, I don’t see -even a finger-nail hold on ’em.” - -“Don’t get impatient. Look down in the water a minute. Row slowly. Now -let her drift.” - -The boys looked down as the boat floated in toward the dark, straight -sides of the Phantom Ship, down into the deep blue water. No bottom was -visible, though the sunlight seemed to penetrate a long way down. - -Then, suddenly, there was bottom! The bottom seemed to jump up at them, -when the boat was about a hundred feet away from the ship. They had -floated right on over the rim of a tremendous sunken precipice. Even -here the bottom was apparently fifty feet below surface, yet they could -see it clearly. - -“Stop the boat a minute,” Spider said. - -Bennie stopped it, and then took his oars out again. Spider, meanwhile, -had taken a nickel from his pocket, and when the ripples had died down, -he laid it carefully overboard, flat on the water. They watched it -wabble and flutter rapidly down, but fast as it went, it was a long time -reaching bottom, showing the depth. Yet they could see it plainly after -it landed and lay shining on the rocks fifty feet below. Then they -watched a big trout swim by, five or six feet under the surface, and -they could see every detail of his color, his fins—all through water -that was bluer than the sky! - -“Now look up at the ship,” said Uncle Billy. - -It towered above them now like a real ship, a ship 200 feet long, with -masts 175 feet tall. Here, on the south side, the walls rose in an -almost sheer precipice for many feet, with little clumps of bright -flowers growing in the cracks and on the tiny ledges, which Spider -instantly coveted for his collection of specimens that was going to help -him get a merit badge in botany. - -There was one place, however, near the bowsprit, where you could make a -landing, and Mr. Stone was already getting out there and setting up his -camera. As soon as it was up, he asked the two boats to row around -behind the island, and then come into sight again, passing slowly under -the side of the ship, so he could show both the boats and the lava -cliff. After that he got Spider ashore, and took a movie of him -crawling, wherever he could get a finger or toe hold, twenty feet up the -ship’s side and picking a large clump of pentstemon from a crevice. - -“Don’t you want to take me and Dumplin’ diving off into the water?” -Bennie called. - -“Sure, if you’ll do it,” Mr. Stone laughed. “Put your arm down as far in -as you can get it first.” - -Bennie pushed up his sleeve and did so. He pulled his arm out again -quickly. - -“Thanks, not today,” he said. - -“The temperature when you get a ways below the surface remains at 39° -winter and summer, the scientists have found,” the doctor smiled. - -“It doesn’t feel more’n 29° on top,” said Bennie. - -When the pictures were taken, they went around to the north side of the -island, where the sides were not so steep, and taking the alpine rope, -they all landed and scrambled up into the high saddle between the rear -and the central mast—“the deck, this ought to be called,” they said. - -When they got up in here, they found it was possible to climb still -higher up the tallest mast (the rear mast), till they reached a sharp, -complete crack which separated it into two parts. This crack had not -been visible from the water. - -“It’s a regular chimney,” Bennie exclaimed. “A chimney open at both -sides. Do we go up that?” - -“I don’t,” Dumplin’ answered. “I couldn’t get into it.” - -“I don’t,” said his father. “I wouldn’t get into it.” - -“It’s about forty feet from here to the top,” said Uncle Billy. “I know -a man who climbed it. It took him an hour and fifteen minutes.” - -Bennie wasn’t joking any more. He pulled himself up from the little -platform where they were resting till he stood in the crack, and then he -felt of the walls of smooth lava, and looked up for hand and foot holds. - -“But there aren’t any holds,” he said. “Hanged if I see how _anybody_ -can climb up here.” - -“Oh, you’ll find a few holds, if I remember right, places where you can -get a sort of apology for a rest,” his uncle said, casually. - -“Say, are you joshing me or not? Did somebody really climb up here?” - -For answer his uncle stepped into the chimney with him. - -“This is the way,” he said. - -He braced his back against one side of the crack by pressing hard with -his hands against the other side. Then he raised both his feet free of -the ground, while he held himself wedged by sheer muscle, and set his -feet against the wall a little way up. Then he pressed so hard with his -legs that they wedged him in, and raised his hands, hunching up his -shoulders a few inches at the same time. Again bracing with his arms and -shoulders, he got his feet up a few more inches. Then his hands and -shoulders again. Progressing in this way, almost crawling, in fact, he -was before long so far up in the chimney that Bennie could walk under -him. Then, almost as slowly as he went up, he came down. - -“You see, it can be done,” he said. “I don’t say it isn’t hard work. But -you wanted exercise.” - -“Give me the rope!” said Bennie, shortly. - -“What’s the idea of the rope?” asked Lester. - -“So the rest of you can get up,” Bennie answered. - -He tied the rope under his arms, while his uncle held the coil, to play -it out. Then he tried his shoes on the wall to see if the nails held, -and found they would hold in the lava, where they slipped on granite or -other hard rock, and began to work his way up. He worked in silence. -Spider and Lester shouted joshing advice at him, advising him to use his -teeth, to sit down a while where he was and take a rest, and anything -else they could think of, but he was wasting no breath on replies. In -fact, he needed all the breath, all the strength and all the attention -he had to keep on going. A dozen times he thought he would have to give -it up. Once he thought his strength was going to fail him and he would -fall. That was when he was about twenty feet from the bottom. But each -time he grit his teeth and either seemed to get a kind of second wind, -or else found just the faintest hint of a foothold, or a handhold, so he -could relieve for a moment the awful tension on his arms and back. - -Toward the top, he was literally moving inch by inch, his strength was -so far gone. He was just able to get his hands over the rim at last, -take a good grip, and hold himself there while his strength came back -enough to enable him to pull himself up over the top, and get his weight -on to his stomach, where he hung for a full minute, with his legs -dangling back into the crack. - -Finally he pulled them up, too, and found himself on a tiny little -space, hardly large enough to sit on, with the rocks and the lake 175 -feet below him. It was like sitting on top of a church spire. Trembling -with muscular exhaustion as he was, he didn’t care to sit there long. In -fact, he took one good look down, had a feeling as if his stomach turned -a flipflop, drew up half of the rope and turned it around the top of the -spire, and then grasping both strands of the doubled rope, came sliding -down the chimney. - -His uncle gave him a pat on the shoulder. - -“Good work,” was all he said, but Bennie knew then that he had really -done something. - -“Why didn’t you wait for us?” Spider demanded. - -“Isn’t room on top for more’n one at a time,” Bennie replied. “Go on up -and see what it’s like. Keep hold of both strands of the rope, though. -How long did it take me?” - -“About an hour and twenty minutes,” said Mr. Stone. - -“Is that all?” said Bennie. “I felt as if it was day after tomorrow -before I got there.” - -And he sat down wearily. - -Meanwhile Spider was hauling himself up on the doubled rope. He didn’t -stay up much longer than Bennie, though. - -“Kind o’ ticklish up here,” he called back. “Glad the wind doesn’t -blow.” - -Then he slid down. Nobody else wanted to go up, so the rope was pulled -down, and the party descended to the boats again, to eat luncheon, which -had been long delayed. Afterwards, they fished for an hour, and got -enough trout for a meal. - -“Want to row us home, Bennie?” his uncle asked. - -“Spider hasn’t had a chance to row all day,” Bennie answered. - -The mile of zigzag trail up from the lake to the rim seemed endless to -Bennie that evening, and when the rest went over to the hotel after -dinner to hear the music and watch the dancing, he felt like refusing. -But he didn’t. He went, too, rubbing his eyes to keep them open. - -“I guess you’ll sleep tonight, eh?” Uncle Billy said, when they finally -got back to camp. - -“I’m going to sleep so hard I’ll puncture the mattress,” Bennie -answered. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII -The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have To Climb Llao Rock—and - They Learn a Lesson - - -The next morning the doctor and Spider woke up before Bennie did, and -they let him sleep till breakfast was almost ready. When he did get up, -he stretched himself and discovered that his muscles were a bit stiff, -but otherwise he felt, he said, “like a fighting cock.” - -“Well, don’t feel so good you eat up all the pancakes before I get one!” -Dumplin’ laughed, snatching for the plate. - -“I guess what I need to take the kinks out of my back is exercise,” -Bennie remarked, with a grin. - -“We’d better get hold of Jack Dempsey, and let Bennie box with him every -day,” Mr. Stone put in. - -“Aw, I wouldn’t want to hurt him,” Bennie answered. “What we going to do -today, Uncle Bill?” - -“We’ll have to think it over,” his uncle replied. - -But before anything was decided, a bell-boy came from the hotel with the -news that someone had been taken sick there, and asking the doctor to -come right over. It turned out that a man who had arrived the night -before had eaten something on the road that poisoned him, and he was so -sick that the doctor didn’t dare go far from camp that day. Mr. Stone -wanted to stay near camp also, to make motion pictures of parties -climbing up and down the rim, and he needed Lester to help him. So -Bennie and Spider asked if they might go down to the water, get a boat, -and row across the lake, taking their lunch with them. - -“I don’t know,” the doctor said, frowning. “You can both swim, and you -know how to row, but that lake can get pretty rough, and if you’re -forced to land, there’s no way of getting back till somebody can come -after you.” - -“Oh, but look at the old lake! It’s calm as a mirror,” Bennie pleaded, -“and there’s not a cloud in the sky.” - -“We want to see what Llao Rock looks like when you’re right under it,” -Spider added. “We’ll be awful careful.” - -“Will you promise to keep fairly near shore, and if the water gets rough -to beat it for home?” the doctor asked. - -“Sure we will.” - -“Well, I oughtn’t to let you go. I’m responsible to your parents for you -chaps. But, after all, you’re big enough to take care of yourselves. All -right, but be back at the landing before the sun gets off the middle of -the lake. Promise me that?” - -The boys promised, and set off down the trail in high spirits, some -sandwiches, hastily made, and some sweet chocolate in their pockets for -lunch. There were a dozen or more other parties starting down the trail, -too, or getting ready to start, so the scouts made the descent in record -time, in order to be sure of getting a boat. - -Once out on the water, they decided it would be too much of a pull to -try to circle the entire lake, under the cliffs—a matter of about twenty -miles or more. But they could pull straight for the grotto on the east -side of the lake, beyond the Phantom Ship, a matter of five miles, then -cut across to Llao Rock, about four and a half miles, and then four -miles home. - -“Sure we can row that,” said Bennie. “That’s only thirteen and a half -miles. Call it thirteen, ’cause we won’t land, probably, at Llao.” - -“Sure,” answered Spider. “Easy.” - -Well, it was easy to the grotto, which they finally found by rowing -along the edge of the cliffs. The grotto is simply a shallow cave, only -a few feet up from the water, but once you are in it you look out on the -blue lake, through the opening, as if you were looking through a big -window. The boys ate their lunch in here, and then started directly -across for Llao Rock. - -But the very first thing that they noticed was that the wind had come -up, blowing directly against them, and with the wind a chop of water, -which went slap, slap, slap under their bow. They pulled hard, and made -slow progress. - -About half-way across, Bennie, who was rowing, said, “You pull a while, -Spider. I’m through for a bit.” - -Spider took the oars and tugged. The wind and waves were certainly -rising. They were slapping the how hard now, and swinging around so that -the rower was half the time tugging at one oar or the other to keep his -course. - -“You know what your uncle said,” Spider panted. “Strikes me we’re a long -way from shore, and this old lake is kicking up a sea. I think we better -turn with the wind, and beat it back to the other shore, and then make -for home.” - -“We got to make for home, all right,” Bennie answered, his face getting -white as he looked first at the waves and then up at what were -unmistakably gathering clouds over the rim. “But if we go back to that -east shore we get the full force of the sea, ’cause the wind is west. If -we get in under the west side, we’ll be out of the wind, in shelter. -Then we can run for home that way.” - -“There’s something in that,” Spider assented. “If we can get there.” - -“We _got_ to get there,” Bennie cried. “Look at that old black cloud up -there.” - -Spider took one look, and began to pull for all he was worth. - -It was dangerous business changing places in that sea, but finally he -had to give up to Bennie again. - -“Look out for those oars!” Bennie shouted. “We’d be goners if we lost -one of them. We got to make shore, and wait till this is over. Oh gee!” - -This last exclamation was caused by a wave that hit the boat almost -broadside, drenching both boys to the knees and putting an inch of water -on the bottom. - -Bennie got hold of the oars, headed the boat into the sea again, and -Spider began to bail with his cap. Wave after wave now hit their bow, -and came spraying over, soaking them. There were whitecaps all around. -The sun had disappeared behind the dark cloud, and the wind seemed -rising steadily. Bennie pulled with every ounce of strength he had, and -Spider bailed madly. Slowly, very slowly, almost as if they were -standing still, Llao Rock drew near. They had to make the dangerous -change once more, when Bennie’s strength gave out, and once more the -boat swung broadside, and shipped a dangerous quantity of water. - -“If she’ll only stay afloat till we make the shore!” Bennie cried. “Gee, -it don’t seem to be a bit calmer over here.” - -“If it is, I’m glad we ain’t out there,” Spider panted as he tugged at -the oars. - -In spite of all he could do, with only his cap to bail with, the boat -was perilously full of water before the great lava precipices of Llao -Rock finally towered right above them, and they saw and heard the waves -on the stony shore. - -“How are we going to land without smashing the boat?” Spider puffed. - -“Hang the boat! How are we going to land without smashing our heads?” -Bennie answered. “Hold her right inshore, and when I see a place pull -for all you’ve got left!” - -“Pull!” he yelled a moment later. - -Spider drove the boat in. A wave caught it and threw it forward, but the -bow drove between two lava fragments which rested half in water, half on -shore, and while Bennie grabbed one oar and pushed at the stern, Spider -jumped from the bow with the painter in his hand. He landed on a stone -at the water’s edge, slipped back above his waist, scrambled out -dripping wet, hauled on the painter, and got the bow in close. Bennie -got out, and between them they hauled the boat up where the waves -couldn’t knock it free, and tipped her over to let the water run out. - -Then they both sat down and panted. - -“Well, I’d rather be here than out there,” Bennie finally said. - -“I don’t mind saying I didn’t know whether we’d ever get here,” Spider -answered. “I guess that was a close call, all right. Gee, but my arms -ache!” - -“Mine don’t—they haven’t any feeling left in ’em,” said Bennie. “Well, -what are we going to do now? We can’t stay here all night and freeze to -death.” - -“I sure am wet and cold,” Spider answered. “And you can’t make a fire -out of lava and pumice. Funny thing, not a drop of rain has fallen. -Look, there’s the sun again over on the top of Scott.” - -“No more sun here, though,” Bennie said, looking up the 800 foot sharp -slope of pumice above them, that ended at the 1,200 foot absolutely -precipitous and terrifying leap of Llao Rock. “We’re under the shadow of -that old rock.” - -“Well, we’ll just have to hop round and keep as warm as we can, till the -old lake quiets down and we can row home.” - -“She don’t show any signs of quieting down,” said Bennie. “Hear the old -wind. ’Sides, it’ll take a long while for those waves to quit. And I -don’t want to go out on that water again! Gee, I couldn’t row a hundred -feet.” - -“We could if we had to,” said Spider, bravely. “Anyhow, probably your -uncle will send the launch out after us.” - -“They don’t know where we are, and we can’t make a fire to signal.” - -“They’ll have field-glasses,” Spider suggested. “We can wave our -handkerchiefs.” - -“’Sides,” Bennie went on, “maybe the launch is out, too, and it’ll be -dark before they can get here, and maybe they won’t come across in this -sea. I’ll be frozen stiff by that time. I move we climb up to the rim -road and walk home. It’s only eight miles from Llao Rock to camp, -according to the map.” - -“Climb up!” exclaimed Spider, looking aloft at the terrific precipice. -“This has gone to your head, Bennie.” - -“You poor fish, we wouldn’t climb the rock itself,” Bennie answered. -“Don’t you remember, Uncle Billy said somebody worked up to the base, -and then along on top of the pumice slope to the rim? If somebody else -did it, we can do it. If we see the launch coming after we get up a ways -we can come down. Anyhow, it’s better’n freezing to death here. It’ll -keep us warm.” - -“Looks to me like an awful job,” Spider objected. - -“Well, you can stay here then, _I’m_ going,” Bennie declared. His voice -was shrill, and Spider realized that he wasn’t quite himself. Besides, -he was shivering with cold. Spider was shivering, too, here in the -gloomy shadow of Llao Rock, with the wind beating upon them. - -“All right,” he decided, “if you go, I go. Come on. We got to hit the -rim road before dark. But take it easy, Bennie, for Pete’s sake. We got -to save our strength, and this old stuff’s awful treacherous, too. Test -your footing.” - -“I’ll test my footing, all right,” Bennie answered, starting up the -long, steep incline of powdered pumice and loose conglomerate, out of -which here and there thrust up jagged lumps and spikes and little cliffs -of harder lava. - -It was hard work, all the harder because they were so wet and tired. And -they soon found it was dangerous work. Drive your foot down into the -soft stuff too hard to get a brace, and you start a little landslide -right under your own feet. That releases a lot of stuff above you, which -starts down, too, and it is only too easy to get carried down with the -rush. The boys found this out, fortunately, before they had climbed very -far, so that they didn’t slide far enough to hurt them. After that, they -climbed side by side, ten feet apart, instead of one behind the other, -and zigzagged across the slopes, instead of going directly up. - -It seemed ages before they reached the top of the loose stuff, at the -very base of the mighty precipice. From here they could see the whole -lake, and scanned the water for any sign of the launch, but no launch -was to be seen. So they kept on. - -Their troubles, which they thought would be over when they reached the -base of the cliff, were not over. They still had a long, soft slope to -climb at the foot of the lava, which was impeded by huge broken -fragments fallen from the cliff above. Often they couldn’t go around -these, because if they did they got too near the edge of the slope, and -were in danger of starting down on a landslide. They had to work over -them. However, they toiled on, getting warm, at least, with the -exertion, until they reached the long and almost level stretch that led -rapidly to the rim. - -Here, for the first time in ten minutes, Bennie spoke. “We’re going to -make it!” he cried. - -“And we’re going to make it before dark!” Spider answered. - -They hurried on now, with renewed courage, and gained the rim at last, -coming up out of the cold shadows into the sharp mountain gale and the -last low rays of sunset. - -Both boys flopped for a minute on the dry pumice back from the rim, and -lay there getting back some of their strength. - -Spider was the first up. “Come,” he said, “we got to find the rim road -before it’s dark.” - -“Eight miles!” Bennie sighed. “Oh, you automobile!” - -“Come on—no use crying for automobiles. We got to find that road and -hoof it. We can’t stay out all night in these wet clothes, without any -blankets.” - -Bennie got up wearily. “All right. The old road’ll be pretty close. All -we got to do is walk down the back slope, away from the rim.” - -“But it’s all snow,” said Spider. “How’ll we know the road when we see -it?” - -“If we can’t tell a road when we come to it, snow or no snow, we’re bum -scouts and deserve to stay here and freeze to death,” Bennie retorted. - -As a matter of fact, in spite of the snow, they did find the road, by -catching at a distance a cut through trees, and then by picking up a -long open space bare of snow, which the road crossed, showing plainly. -Once on it, the chance of missing it again was not great unless the -night got very dark. With bright starlight, even without a moon, the -tired scouts, as they plodded along, now for brief welcome stretches on -the bare ground, but mostly on the soft drifts where every step was an -effort, reckoned they could keep the trail. - -“Besides,” Bennie said, “if we lost it, we could always sort of follow -the rim.” - -“Yes, and have to climb up over the top of the Watchman and Glacier -Peak. No, thanks. I’ve climbed enough today. It’ll be in woods a lot of -the way, and we can always feel the opening. You know how we can follow -a wood road at home in the dark.” - -“Oh, you home!” sighed Bennie. “Think of bacon, and coffee, and baked -potatoes! Oh, boy, I’m going to cry in a minute, I’m so empty.” - -“Take up a hole in your belt, like the Indians,” Spider suggested. - -It was getting dark now rapidly, and they were plodding wearily across a -long opening on the heavy snow, which was like walking on a pile of rock -salt, and wondering where the road was on the other side, when suddenly -Spider stopped. - -“Look!” he cried. - -“What is it? I don’t see anything.” - -“Look, in the trees. I saw a light!” - -“How do you get that way?” Bennie demanded. “Light! We’re about six -miles from nowhere here. Haven’t any campers been around the rim road. -Can’t get around. Buck up, Spider. Don’t cave now!” - -“Oh, quit,” said Spider crossly. “There! There it is again!” - -This time Bennie saw it. There _was_ a light in the woods ahead of them. -Moreover, it wasn’t a camp fire. It was moving. - -“Somebody with a lantern!” Bennie exclaimed. He stuck two fingers into -his mouth and blew a long, shrill blast. - -The answer was a “Hoo-oo!” in Uncle Billy’s voice! - -“How’d they know we were here?” said Bennie, as they both shouted back, -and stumbled on more rapidly toward the light. - -A moment later they were beside Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone, and out of -his pack Uncle Billy was taking a thermos bottle of hot tea, and the -boys were drinking it. Around his shoulder, they saw, the doctor had his -alpine rope. - -“I guess that doesn’t go to the spot!” Bennie exclaimed. - -“Never knew tea was so good,” said Spider. - -And now followed rapid questions and answers, as the tramp to camp was -resumed. No trouble about finding the road now! They had a lantern, and -the back tracks of Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone. - -“How’d you know where we were?” the boys demanded. - -“Watched you with a glass,” said the doctor. “I saw the lake getting -rough, after you started across, and I saw that cloud coming. Stone went -down the trail to send the launch for you, but the launch was out with a -party. Finally it got in under the lee of Wizard Island, and everybody -tried to signal it to come across, but it didn’t come, and finally -somebody rowed over from it and reported the engine had gone dead and -they couldn’t start it. They’re bringing the passengers back now, when -the lake’s got quieter. - -“By that time, we’d seen you land at Llao Rock, so we planned to row -over and get you just as soon as we could, if they didn’t get the launch -started up. But then you began to climb.” - -The doctor paused. - -“Well,” he finally went on, “I had a bad five minutes then, I can tell -you. But there was nothing to do about it, so we watched to make sure -you were really going to try to make the rim, and then we beat it over -here. You made better time up than I thought you could. We expected to -get to the rock before you got up. I brought the rope to—to help you.” - -“Why did you keep on into the wind?” Mr. Stone asked. “Why didn’t you -turn back and run with it to the east shore where you came from?” - -The boys explained how they thought they were going to get out of the -wind under the protection of Llao Rock. - -“There’s no protection on that lake in a storm,” the doctor said. -“Fortunately, there aren’t many storms. I told you to keep near shore, -though, and you crossed right over. Well, never mind that now. Guess -you’ve had your lesson.” - -“Guess we have,” said Bennie, as he stumbled wearily along, hardly able -to drag one foot after the other. “But we thought we were pretty near -the north shore when we crossed. Only to get there, we’d have to go -broadside, and besides, it was taking us away from camp.” - -“Still,” said his uncle, quietly, “you didn’t quite live up to your -promise, did you?” - -“No, sir,” Bennie admitted. “It won’t happen again, Uncle Billy.” - -The six miles back to camp turned out to be seven. It seemed to the boys -that they would never get there. But at last they did. Dumplin’ had a -roaring fire going, both in the stove and the camp fire ring of stones. -Coffee was ready to boil, and bacon to fry. He had eggs, too, bought -from the hotel. - -The scouts fell into their tent and ripped off their clothes, getting a -rub-down before putting on dry ones. By the time they were ready, their -dinner was cooked, and they came out to the table, dragging their feet -wearily, and slumped down on the camp chairs. - -“Good old Dumplin’!” said Bennie, as he waded into the food, “I never -loved you so much as I do at this minute.” - -“P’r’aps you’d like to kiss him,” Spider suggested, also cheering up as -he felt the warmth of the food. - -“No, I’m not strong enough yet to do that,” Bennie laughed. - -“You never will be!” Dumplin’ retorted, filling his plate again. - -After their supper the boys hung their wet clothes by the camp fire, and -huddled by it themselves for a while, but Uncle Billy soon ordered them -to bed, and they didn’t need to be told twice. - -The doctor came into the tent after they had crawled into the grateful, -warm blankets on the comfortable air cushions of their sleeping bags. - -“All right?” he asked. - -“Uncle Bill,” said Bennie, “it was my fault we crossed the lake. Spider -didn’t have a thing to do with planning the trip.” - -“No, we were both to blame,” put in Spider. “We knew we couldn’t row all -around the lake, and we wanted to see the grotto and Llao Rock both, so -we cut across. I—I guess we didn’t really think.” - -“We won’t say anything more about it,” the doctor answered. “It’s come -out all right. But maybe next time you’ll believe that I know more about -this country than you do, and when I ask for a promise, it isn’t just an -old maid’s fancy.” - -“Yes, sir,” they both answered. - -When he had gone out, Spider whispered across the tent, “He’s a peach, -your uncle. Gee, he didn’t bawl us out a bit.” - -“Made me more ashamed than if he had,” Bennie replied. - -“Me, too.” - -“I guess we gave him a bad time of it, worrying about us. I guess we -deserved to get ours.” - -“Well, we got it, all right.” - -“Kid, you’ve enunciated a history full!” Bennie answered. “We’re bum -scouts. Never again.” - -“Never again,” echoed Spider. - -They were sound asleep when Uncle Billy returned from a last call on his -patient at the hotel and went to bed. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV -Bennie Takes a Day Off to Do a Good Turn—He Washes All the Dirty Clothes - - -The next day neither of the scouts felt much like strenuous exertion. -Their arms ached from pulling the boat, and they both had blisters on -their hands, and the excitement had left them rather tired. - -Mr. Stone looked at them while they were eating breakfast. - -“Well, Bennie,” he said, “what are you and Spider going to do today? I -can’t seem to think of anything left around here that will give you as -much exercise as you want. Of course, you haven’t yet run all the way -down the trail and run all the way back again. You might try that. Or -you might row to Llao Rock and tow your other boat home, before the -launch has to go for it.” - -“Naw, that’s too easy,” Bennie grinned. “I kind of thought we might hike -around the rim road. How far is it—forty miles? We’d be back in time for -dinner.” - -“A good idea!” Uncle Billy exclaimed. - -“What’s a good idea?” asked Bennie, beginning to be sorry he’d made the -joke. - -“A hike,” said the doctor. - -Spider and Bennie groaned. - -“Not today!” the doctor laughed. “Tomorrow, maybe. We haven’t had a real -hike yet, and I heard you talking the other day, didn’t I, Bennie, about -wanting to work for a merit badge in hiking?” - -“Where’ll we hike to—how far?” put in Dumplin’. “Look at those two -lovely automobiles, just doing nothing. Don’t seem right to me to let -’em loaf so.” - -“Well, you can stay back in camp, and have the wood all cut and the -dinner cooked for us when we get back,” said his father. - -“Yes, I will!” Dumplin’ retorted. “I may be fat——” - -“It’s just possible,” put in Bennie. - -“I may be fat, but I can keep goin’ as long as any of you, I guess!” - -“You may not be so fat when we get back,” Uncle Billy went on. “I think -it would be a great idea to give Bennie some regular exercise, about -tomorrow, also the day after, and the day after that. We’ll hike over to -the base of Mount Scott, because that’s the highest point around here, -packing our blankets and grub. Then the second day we’ll climb Scott, -and the third day we’ll hike back again.” - -“Ho, that’s no hike at all, if you take three days for it!” Bennie said. -“I been looking on the map. It’s less ’n ten miles from here to the top -of the mountain, and the top is only 8,938 feet high, so it’s only a -2,000-foot climb.” - -“How much better you know this country than I do,” said his uncle, -quietly, “and how skilfully you can read the contour intervals on a map. -Well, you may go over and back the same day, if you want to. The rest of -us will take three, however.” - -Bennie turned red. “I—I guess I’m a dumb-bell,” he stammered. - -“It’s just possible,” Dumplin’ put in, while the rest shouted with mirth -at the hit. - -Spider, meanwhile, had gone to his pack and got out the government -topographical survey map of Crater Lake Park. - -“Do we go along the rim?” he asked. - -“More or less. We’ll have to climb part way up Garfield, and then find a -way down on the other side, and work along back of Dutton Cliff to Kerr -Valley.” - -Spider was studying the contour interval lines of the map closely now. - -“Let’s see, we go up at least 500 feet for a start, and then we go along -a mile or two, and then we—holy mackerel!—then we drop right down ’most -a thousand! And then——” - -“Yes?” said Bennie. - -“And then we go up again ’most a thousand, and then we walk a mile, and -then—jumping bullfrogs and little fish hooks!—then we just fall down, -let’s see, about a thousand feet into Kerr Valley. That’s less than -6,500 feet above the sea. Scott is almost 9,000. We’ve still got a climb -of 2,500 feet ahead of us.” - -“Aw, go on, you’re making that up,” Bennie insisted. “You can’t tell all -that from the map. Let me look.” - -“Maybe _you_ can’t tell,” Spider retorted. “I always told you you didn’t -half read a map. Go on—look for yourself.” - -And he passed the map over. - -Bennie studied it carefully. “I guess maybe you’re right,” he finally -confessed. “Well, exercise is just what I need! How’s the path, Uncle -Bill?” - -“Path!” the doctor laughed. “You’ll cross the rim road at the bottom of -Kerr Valley, where it comes down from the rim to get around the cliffs -back to the hotel here. But that’s the only path you’ll see. This is -going to be a hike, not a Sunday School picnic or a young ladies’ -seminary out for a walk.” - -“Suits me fine.” - -“Good!” said his uncle. “I advise you to rest up for it today, though.” - -“I know what I’m going to do today, all right. Anybody got any dirty -clothes?” - -“I haven’t got much else,” said Dumplin’. - -“Fine. Bring ’em out, all of you. Mrs. Murphy’s on the job this morning. -I’m going to wash things up.” - -“Want me to help?” Dumplin’ asked. - -“No, you go off with Spider and collect pretty little flowers. Don’t let -’em bite you, though. They’re wild flowers, remember.” - -Everybody groaned at this pun. - -“Mrs. Noah threw a belaying pin at her husband for making that one on -the ark,” said Uncle Billy. - -“What’s the difference,” Bennie began, “between Noah’s ark and Joan of -Arc?” - -But everybody dove, with another groan, into the tents, to get their -dirty clothes. - -When everybody but Bennie had gone from camp, he heated a big pail of -water, got out a cake of soap, and washed all the dirty clothes, hanging -them on a tent rope in the sun to dry. Then he picked up camp as neat as -he could, aired all the bedding and remade the sleeping bags, and -finally went off and hunted up dead branches for fuel, dragging them -back to camp. After lunch, while the rest were loafing, he took the -fishing rod and sneaked away unseen, went rapidly down the trail, and -working around on the rocks by the shore, managed to hook three trout. -He was just coming up over the rim with them when Spider and Lester, -wondering at his long absence, had started out to look for him. - -“I sure hate a man who pins roses on himself,” Bennie remarked, as he -was cleaning the fish for dinner, “but I just can’t help admitting that -I’ve been mamma’s little white-haired boy today. I’ve washed all your -dirty shirts and socks, and I’ve got wood, and I’ve cleaned up camp, and -now I’ve dragged my poor old aching bones down a thousand feet and back -again to catch you three sweet little fishie-wishies for supper. Won’t -somebody please say ‘Thank you, Bennie, you are a good boy’?” - -“Bennie doesn’t like himself a bit, does he?” remarked Dumplin’, -addressing a camp robber in a tree overhead. - -“Can’t you prescribe something for his poor old aching bones, Doc?” -asked Mr. Stone. - -“Try rubbing ’em with a little fish oil, Bennie,” Spider put in. - -“I think I shall prescribe exercise,” Uncle Billy laughed. - -“Well, of all the ungrateful bunches, you sure get the loving cup!” -Bennie exclaimed. “I hope you all choke on a fish bone.” - -“The Bible says virtue is its own reward, Bennie,” remarked Mr. Stone. - -“Pretty skinny pickings for some of you guys, then,” Bennie grinned. - -But after supper Uncle Billy strolled out with Bennie to the point of -Victory Rock, to see the lake like a great blue mirror in the twilight, -and he said, quietly: - -“We were all much obliged to you for what you did today. Never mind the -joshing.” - -Bennie laughed. “Ho! I didn’t mind. Can’t get my goat so easy as that! -Besides, the old Bible is right, I guess. You don’t do a good turn -because you’re going to be thanked for it. You do it ’cause it makes you -feel better inside.” - -“That’s the idea, exactly,” Uncle Billy answered. “Bennie, you’re a good -scout. Your heart is just where it ought to be every time. The only -trouble with you is that you haven’t quite got your head working yet. If -you are going to amount to anything as a mountaineer or -explorer—anywhere in the wilderness—you’ve got to learn to use your -head, and never bite off more than you can chew. Will you try to -remember that?” - -“I sure will, Uncle Bill,” Bennie answered. “I’m awful fresh, I guess, -and I talk a lot, but I’m learning right now, every day. You just sit on -me hard when I need it.” - -“You needn’t worry about my doing _that_,” the doctor grinned. - -“No, you’re some sitter,” said Bennie. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - The Long Hike—The Scouts Find Packing Grub and Blanket Rolls Up and - Down Cliffs is Hard Work - - -Bright and early the next morning preparations for the hike began. This -was to be no ordinary jaunt. They were going out for three days and two -nights into a wilderness, where they would have to make long, severe -climbs up and down treacherous lava ledges; where they would have to -sleep out in the open, tentless, in a climate where water freezes at -night; where they couldn’t get a mouthful of food except what they could -carry with them. - -“You see, boys,” said the doctor, “it’s going to be quite a problem how -to take along enough stuff to keep us warm, and keep us fed, and yet be -able to travel with it on our backs.” - -Each member of the party put in his shoulder pack his own food ration, -consisting of tea (because it is lighter than coffee), some bacon, -powdered egg, a little dehydrated vegetables, a small bag of flour, a -small bag of sugar, a package of bouillon cubes, a can of preserved -fruit, a small can of condensed milk, two pounds of raisins, two boiled -potatoes, and several cakes of sweet chocolate. In addition, each person -put in two extra pairs of wool socks, and a set of underclothes. Then, -out of their sleeping bags, they each took a double blanket, and made a -blanket roll, fastening the ends with straps from the motors. Bennie and -Spider each had a boy scout individual cook-kit, in a khaki case with a -shoulder strap. These two kits, with a tin cup and plate and spoon for -the others, and one, larger frying-pan and kettle carried by Uncle -Billy, was all the cooking outfit they carried. However, the doctor made -everybody carry a canteen, and Bennie, Spider and Mr. Stone each carried -a camera. Everybody had a sweater, also, and two belt axes were taken. -The doctor had his rope. - -When the shoulder packs were on, and the blanket rolls, and the -canteens, and the cameras and camp kits, everybody was glad enough of -the alpenstocks which the doctor handed around. - -“Say, I need this stock to help me stand up,” said Dumplin’. “I feel -like a walking department store.” - -“I’ll bet we aren’t toting any more than a soldier has to carry on a -march, at that,” said Spider. “Are we, doctor?” - -“No, I don’t believe we’re packing so much,” Uncle Billy answered. “A -gun’s heavier than a stock, too. But it’s enough. Going to be hot -today.” - -As the little procession filed past the hotel (which by now was full of -tourists), a crowd came out to watch them go past. - -“Going on a hike, boys?” somebody called out. - -“No,” Bennie answered, “we’re going over to Wizard Island to play -tennis.” - -“Wonder what makes people ask foolish questions?” Dumplin’ mused. - -“It’s the——” Bennie began. Then he caught himself. “Ha! thought you had -me, didn’t you?—it’s the altitude!” - -“You chaps won’t talk so much at three o’clock,” remarked Mr. Stone. - -For the first half mile, they had a trail, the trail they had already -taken up Garfield Peak. But half-way up, they left the trail, and struck -right out, without any path at all, around the tumbled crags of broken -lava, and over the snow-fields and patches of soft pumice soil that -crown this part of the rim on the southeastern side of the lake. The -going was very slow and difficult, up hill and down, in and out among -the rises and dips, with the sun beating down upon them till their packs -and hot blankets seemed almost unbearable. At first, they could see the -blue lake almost 2,000 feet below them, while they worked along the -crest of Eagle Crags, but after a while they had to drop down behind the -rim to avoid a climb up Dyar Rock, and lost all sight of it. - -After about two miles, they came out on the crest of a slope that led -down to Sun Creek, and saw the Sun meadows below them. They would have -rejoiced at this sight if they hadn’t also seen the wall of the deep -ravine rising up on the other side, steeper and higher than under their -feet. - -“Oh, for the wings of a dove!” sighed Dumplin’. - -“Lot o’ good a dove’s wings would do _you_,” said Bennie. “Take a -dirigible to lift you.” - -“A bridge across would do me,” said Spider. - -“Meanwhile, we’ll get a little exercise crossing on our own feet,” Uncle -Billy smiled. “Come on, now, and watch your step. Sound your footing -with your alpenstocks, and keep out of line, so if anybody starts a -slide, it won’t spill all the rest.” - -They made the descent slowly and painfully over the first steep pitches, -and then more rapidly till they sank at last on the ground by the water -of Sun Creek, which came down from a snow-bank up on the rim at the head -of the ravine, threw off packs and blankets, and plunged their mouths -in. - -“Do we lunch here? I’m hungry——” from Dumplin’. - -“We do,” the doctor answered. “And it’s a brief lunch, too. Everybody -take one handful of raisins, and half a cake of chocolate.” - -“Oh, gee, is _that_ all?” cried Dumplin’. - -“That’s all. John Muir used to climb for two or three days in the high -Sierras on a pocketful of raisins, and didn’t even carry a blanket. Come -on, get busy.” - -Everybody obeyed, and the doctor saw to it that they didn’t take too -many of their raisin supply, either. - -“I consider this a Lucullan feast,” remarked Mr. Stone. - -“Whatever that is,” said Bennie. “If you mean some banquet, I’m right -along with you. Always did like these seven-course dinners.” - -“Anyhow, it won’t take long to wash the dishes,” Spider reflected. - -As soon as the raisins and chocolate were eaten, and the canteens -refilled, they picked up their packs and blankets again and put them on. - -“Gosh! mine weighs more’n it did,” said Bennie. “Somebody’s put -something into it.” - -“Mine, too.” - -“Mine, too.” - -“Mine, too.” - -“Wait till they get really heavy before you kick,” said Uncle Billy. -“Forward, march!” - -The thousand-foot wall of the Sun Creek ravine which faced them was just -about the height from the lake to the rim at the hotel, but it was not -so steep, except for a little distance at the start. On the other hand, -there was no trail at all, no sign that any other human being had ever -been up it, and when the going was not amid treacherous lava fragments -which broke if you put your weight on them, it was over soft pumice into -which your feet sank deep, and then began to slide backwards. Finally -Bennie took his uncle’s rope and scrambled up ahead with it, till he -could find anchorage, so the rest could have its help. When he was -fagged, somebody else took a turn. It took them more than an hour to -make the half mile up the wall, and at the top they pitched off their -packs and blankets, their shoulders and backs dripping wet with -perspiration, and everybody set his mouth to his canteen and drank. - -After a rest, they crossed Dutton ridge, a mile of broken going, and -then began to descend into the next ravine, called Kerr Valley, which is -the deepest ravine on the slopes of old Mount Mazama, and lies right at -the foot of Scott Peak. The descent was not dangerously steep till the -last three hundred feet, and there they used the rope again to help -them. - -As they came out at last into the mile wide ravine of Kerr Valley, out -of which the snow had pretty well melted except under the trees, and in -which the wild flowers were springing up, they saw where the rim road -came down from the rim and descended the valley to get around the mass -of ledges and ravines they had been crossing. It was now three o’clock, -and, as Mr. Stone had predicted, nobody was saying much. - -They could see the round, dome-like pile of Scott’s Peak, directly -across the valley, and Bennie did ask how far it was from there to the -top. - -“Thinking of keeping on up today?” his uncle asked. - -“Aw, don’t rub it in,” said Bennie. “I couldn’t climb an ant-hill now.” - -“Well, a mile more will take us across the valley to water,” his uncle -laughed. “Guess we can all stick that out.” - -On the other side of the valley, across the still deserted and useless -rim road, they found a stream, called Sand Creek, which came down, the -doctor said, from a spring on the cliffs of Scott, just above them. - -Here they dumped their packs again, stripped off their clothes, and the -three boys were only restrained by main force from falling in. - -“You’re too hot to go in that ice water,” the doctor said, grabbing -Bennie. “Wash your feet all you want to, and splash yourselves.” - -After the wash, they put on their dry underclothes, and spread the other -set in the sun (which was fast dropping down the west), and then set -about making camp. - -“I say we find a straight-faced rock to build the fire against,” Bennie -suggested, “so it will throw the heat all one way, and we can sleep -around it in a half circle, out of the wind.” - -“I move we find a place where the ground is dry and a snow-drift hasn’t -just melted off it,” added Spider. - -“And where it’s nice and soft,” added Dumplin’. - -“And where it’s near wood,” added Mr. Stone. - -“Maybe you’d like a room with a bath, and have your breakfast brought up -to you,” Uncle Billy laughed. “Well, go to it. Find your rock, Bennie. -Whoever’s got the axes, cut wood, and lots of it.” - -A smooth place was finally found in the lee of a block of lava, some -little way from the stream, but near a patch of firs and hemlocks, where -there was plenty of dead wood. Dumplin’ started stoning up a big -fireplace, while the two scouts chopped wood and Mr. Stone brought water -in the big kettle and two little kettles of the camp kits and in the -canteens, and the doctor mixed a pancake batter, and made the bacon and -egg powder ready to cook, and peeled one of the two potatoes in each -pack. - -As the sun dropped down behind the high ridge to the west, a chill -almost immediately came into the air. In less than an hour everybody, -who had been so hot all day, was thinking about putting on his sweater. -But the fire burned brightly, the potatoes smelled delicious in the -frying-pan, and as soon as they were done, the smell of bacon and eggs -rose from the same pan. Water for bouillon tablets and tea boiled in the -kettles. The food disappeared down hungry mouths, and every plate was -scraped clean, ready for the pancakes to follow. They had no syrup to -eat on the cakes, but nobody seemed to mind that. After the cakes, they -drew lots to see whose can of fruit should be opened, because the lucky -one would have so much less to carry in his pack. Dumplin’ won, to his -delight. His can was peaches, and how good they tasted—after the can was -finally pried open, with the aid of a scout ax, a stone and a broken -jack-knife blade! - -Then the dishes were washed, more wood heaped on the fire, sweaters -donned, and in the gathering darkness, and the utter silence of the -wilderness, the five hikers sat in a close ring before the fire, and -relaxed their weary muscles. - -“Well, I’m glad I lugged that grub,” said Bennie. “’Bout three o’clock, -though, I would have dumped the whole pack over the rim for two cents.” - -“Me, too,” said Dumplin’. “Gosh, this hiking is hard work! Don’t see -much adventure in it. Here we’ve come about eight or nine miles, and -took us all day, and nothin’ happened.” - -“What did you expect to happen?” his father asked. “Expect to meet an -elephant, or have the mountain erupt?” - -“Gee, _I_ think it’s a wonderful adventure!” Spider exclaimed. “It’s -been a kind of _battle_. I—I can’t say what I mean, but it was just the -same when Bennie and I were getting up Llao Rock. We were sort of -_fighting_ up. Only instead of fighting another man, who tries to hit -you back, you are fighting just—just—well, just the wilderness.” - -“And it’s against you all the time,” said Mr. Stone. - -Bennie had grown very thoughtful. “No, it’s _not_ against you all the -time,” he said. “Excuse me for contradicting, Mr. Stone. I don’t mean to -be fresh. But the way I feel is that it’s against you if you don’t know -how to meet it, but if you do know, it is always kind of putting out -things to help you.” - -“Such as——?” asked his uncle. - -“Well, such as dead wood for a fire, and a chimney to crawl up in, if -you know how, when you strike a precipice, and maybe food to eat. I bet -we could find food in the roots of some of these wild flowers, if we had -to.” - -“Give me bacon,” said Dumplin’. - -“Gee, Dump, you go to church behind your belt buckle,” said Bennie -scornfully. “But I’m with Spider, though, that a hike like this is a -regular adventure, ’cause it’s a sort of fight all the way, and it’s all -up to you whether you get through or not. Gee, I wish I was an -explorer!” - -Uncle Billy smiled. “We may get a little exploring yet, before we get -back to Portland. You never can tell. Well, who’s going to sleep -tonight?” - -“I guess we all are.” - -“Till the cold wakes us up,” said Mr. Stone. - -“And a rock grows up through our shoulder blades,” said Spider. - -“Whenever that happens, put some more wood on the fire,” said Uncle -Billy. - -Then everybody rolled up in his blanket, feet to the fire, with his pack -for a pillow, and in spite of the bare ground, in place of a nice air -mattress, was soon asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI -The Climb Up Scott Peak—Bennie Begins Work for a Merit Badge for Hiking - - -But the night wasn’t very old before everybody had discovered that there -is a big difference between sleeping on an air mattress, inside four or -five blankets in a sleeping bag, under a tent, and sleeping on the bare -ground, in one blanket. Bennie and Spider had slept on the bare ground, -to be sure, many a time on their scout hikes at home, but that was -always in summer, when it was warm. To be sure, it was summer now, but -they were more than 6,000 feet up, on the crest of the Cascades, with -snow all around them. - -It seemed to Bennie as if he had been asleep only fifteen minutes, when -he was waked up by cold. He didn’t fully wake up at first, but only just -enough to feel the wind getting down around his neck, and to feel his -whole body stiff and uncomfortable. He yanked the blanket tighter around -him, and tried to go to sleep again. But, instead, he woke up still -more. - -At last he was awake enough to prop himself up on one elbow, and look at -the fire. It had burned down to a few glowing embers in the stone pit -against the lava block. Overhead the stars were extremely bright, but -the night itself seemed dark. There wasn’t a sound in the world. Yes! -Hark! Bennie’s ears grew alert in the darkness. Far off he heard a roar, -starting low, then growing louder, then dying away. At first he couldn’t -understand it; then he realized it was a landslide somewhere on a steep -slope, perhaps over on the rim of the lake a mile and a half away. He -listened again, but there was no further sound—only a whisper of wind in -the fir trees close by, and the gentle run of the water in the creek. -Suddenly Bennie realized that he was in the very heart of the -wilderness, that except for his four companions asleep beside him, there -wasn’t a human being within a day’s hike. He also realized that if he -didn’t put some wood on the fire pretty quick, it would be out entirely. - -So he crawled out of his blanket as gently as he could, and tried to -make no noise as he put on more fuel. He blew on the coals till the new -wood caught, and then turned his cold back to the flames. As he did so, -he saw Spider’s eyes open in the sudden light. Spider blinked a second, -and then sat up. - -“Hello,” he whispered. “You cold?” - -“Gosh, I was most frozen,” Bennie whispered back. - -“Me, too. Been sleeping on a rock, right in the middle of my hip. Ow, -it’s sore!” - -Spider now got up also, and came close to the fire. - -When they were warmed up again, they lay down once more, and managed to -doze off. But long before morning, Bennie woke to see first Mr. Stone -and then his uncle putting more wood on the fire. It wasn’t yet -dawn—just the first hint of lightness in the sky—when Bennie finally -woke up so cold and so stiff and uncomfortable from the hard ground, -that further sleep seemed impossible. He was just rousing himself to put -on more wood when he heard Spider stir, and then sit up. - -“I’m going to stay up,” he whispered. “Let’s take a trot around to get -warm.” - -Spider rose, and after building up the fire and huddling over it a few -minutes, they walked away from camp. - -“Let’s go up the valley to the rim,” Spider said. “We can go on the rim -road, and have easy walking. Gee, I’d like to run all the way, and get -up some circulation.” - -They set out rapidly, and reached the rim in fifteen minutes. It was -lighter now, and they could see plainly. The lake at this point was only -500 feet below them, for they had come out on the lowest point on the -entire rim. But, even so, they seemed to be looking down into the -clouds. They looked up into clouds, too, whole masses of clouds around -the peak of Scott, of Dutton Cliff, of Garfield. Then the daylight -increased rapidly, the clouds began mysteriously to disappear, holes -came in them showing the blue water—and suddenly Spider grabbed Bennie’s -arm and pointed half-way down the side. - -Bennie looked, and saw a small deer—a mule deer, as it is called—coming -rapidly up the steep incline, directly toward them! He could not get -their scent from so far below, and he quite evidently hadn’t seen them. -On he came, bounding easily up the incline, where a man would have -toiled breathlessly. - -“Wow! I’d like to be able to go up a mountain like that!” Bennie -exclaimed. - -Almost at his first word, they saw the deer’s big ears prick up. He -landed stock still and rigid, and raised his eyes. Then he saw the two -boys above him, and with a single bound, so quick the scouts couldn’t -detect how he made the turn, he was off at right angles, along the -slope. Working upward as he leapt along, he reached the rim three -hundred yards away from them, and disappeared like smoke into a stand of -fir. - -“What a shot!” breathed Bennie. - -“Aw, you couldn’t have hit him in a year,” Spider laughed. - -“Why couldn’t I?” - -“First place, you can’t shoot well enough, and second place I’d have -knocked up your gun,” said Spider. “I wouldn’t shoot a deer as long as I -had anything else to eat.” - -“He was kind o’ pretty,” Bennie agreed. - -“’Tisn’t that so much. But he’s _wild_. He’s part of the wilderness. He -belongs to it. Killing a deer is just as bad as knocking off the top of -a mountain, or spoiling all the forest trees.” - -“Maybe you’re right,” Bennie admitted. “But how about going back and -getting grub?” - -The sun was up when they reached camp again, and so were the other three -campers. - -“’Smatter, boys?” asked Mr. Stone. “Getting an appetite before -breakfast?” - -“So cold we couldn’t sleep,” they answered. - -“I was none too warm myself.” - -“And I was none too comfortable,” the doctor added. - -“Ho!” cried Dumplin’, who was starting the breakfast over the fire, “I -never woke up once. Just as warm as anything, and never felt a stone in -me all night.” - -“Well, who wouldn’t be warm if he was covered with a blubber -bed-spread!” Bennie retorted. - -“And who wouldn’t sleep soft if he carried his own upholstery?” said -Spider. - -“All right, kid,” Dumplin’ grinned. “But there are times when it pays.” - -The sun was not far up when they finished breakfast, cached the grub and -blankets and the packs, and armed only with the alpenstocks, a pocketful -of raisins and chocolate, the canteens and cameras, set out for the -summit of Scott’s Peak, which rose directly above them, and seemed to be -reached, after the first pull up the steep side of the ravine, by a -fairly easy incline. The map showed, too, that the distance was less -than three miles. - -“Three miles—three hours,” said Bennie. “A mile an hour is what the -Appalachian Club allows. We’ll be there at half-past nine.” - -“Getting sure again, are you?” said his uncle. “This isn’t Mount -Washington, where the Appalachian Club climbs. This is Scott’s Peak. It -isn’t made of granite, but it’s a spur volcano spit up out of the side -of old Mazama, and it’s about 2,500 feet of nice, soft pumice dust from -here on.” - -It was. - -Once over the first scramble up the side of the ravine, they settled -down to a steady plod in the soft, volcanic stuff. Their feet sank deep -into it. The pitch was greater than it looked, too, and every time they -threw their weight on to the forward foot, it sank back a way. Sometimes -there were patches of snow they could get on, for partial relief. But -mostly this side of the mountain had melted off, and it was just a long, -weary, back-breaking grind up the pumice. Did you ever climb a steep -pile of sand? Anyhow, you have walked in the deep, dry, soft sand above -the tide mark on a beach. You know what hard work it is. The climb up -Scott was just like that, only more so. One hour, two hours, three -hours, four hours, and part of five, with many a rest, and the sun -getting hotter and hotter, before they reached the summit. - -“Well, boys, this is the highest you’ve been yet,” said Mr. Stone. -“Eight thousand nine hundred and thirty-two feet.” - -“Wish there was a tree we could shin to make it an even 9,000,” said -Bennie. - -Dumplin’ wiped the sweat from his face, and collapsed on the ground, -panting. “I wouldn’t climb a barber’s pole,” he announced. - -“Well, you can see most of eastern Oregon without sitting up,” his -father laughed. - -This was certainly true. From the top of Scott, they could look eastward -for a hundred miles, over a great plain almost as flat and bare as the -sea, a sage brush desert. North and south they could look mile after -mile in either direction along the tumbled, snowy world of the Cascade -range. And just below them, to the west, they looked down 3,000 feet -into the blue hole of Crater Lake. - -“There’s most room enough for a feller to breathe, out here,” Bennie -remarked. Then he started to drink from his canteen, and discovered it -was empty. - -“Fill it with snow,” said his uncle. - -Dumplin’ had drunk up all his supply, too, so both of them hunted out a -snow-bank, dug down to clean snow, and began to stuff it into their -canteens. “Gosh! where does it all go to!” Dumplin’ remarked, after -three or four minutes. - -“Takes a lot of snow to make a little water,” Bennie answered. “Mine’s -full—full o’ snow. Now let her melt!” - -Presently, after he had eaten his raisins, he took a pull at the -canteen, and got about one good swig of water. - -“Let’s be going down,” said he. - -“Just so you can get a drink?” asked Spider. - -“Marvelous, Watson, marvelous,” Bennie laughed. “Why haven’t they given -you a job on the detective force?” - -But the rest, by now, had emptied their canteens, too, and everybody was -thirsty, so down they started. It was easy going down. When the slope -was smooth, they set in their stocks as far ahead as they could reach, -and then took a long vault, down past them, pulled them out, and -repeated. In one hour they had covered the ground it took them five on -the ascent. - -It was only a shade after two o’clock when they reached their cache, so -they shouldered their luggage and hiked on down the valley, away from -the lake, for nearly five miles, till they reached a region of grass and -flowers and heavy timber, where the Sand Creek had cut down a deep cañon -in the volcanic soil and lava, but the strangest cañon you ever saw, -because some of the lava was harder than the rest, and the water hadn’t -cut this, but left it sticking up all through the gorge, in great, -round, water-worn pinnacles. Imagine hundreds of Bunker Hill monuments, -round instead of square-cornered, erected helter-skelter at the bottom -of a wild cañon, and you have a picture of the pinnacles. Here, near the -brink, in sheltered woods, they made their second night’s bivouac. - -And this time Bennie woke up only once in the night, and had to be -shaken awake in the morning. - -“I must be getting fat, like Dump,” he said. “I wasn’t very cold, and -I’m not very sore.” - -“You’re getting harder,” said his uncle. “If we did this a couple of -weeks, we could all sleep out like tops.” - -The third day they hiked back to their camp on the rim, using the rim -road to get around the cliffs and ridges—a long grind with the heavy -packs, but quite uneventful. - -And when they got to camp, the doctor announced, “We leave to-morrow, at -six o’clock. Everybody out at four-thirty. Won’t need any grub except -for tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch, so we can clean up the larder for -dinner. Bennie, go over and smile sweetly at the hotel cook, and see if -you can coax him to sell you a big beefsteak, and a loaf of bread, and a -head of lettuce.” - -“Get a lemon meringue pie if he’s got one,” Dumplin’ added. - -“The cook’s an awful grouch,” the doctor laughed, when Bennie had gone. -“He’ll throw him out of the kitchen.” - -Everybody was busy about camp, getting dinner ready, when Bennie -returned with a large package. He opened it with a grin. It contained -two steaks, a head of lettuce, a loaf of bread—and a lemon pie! - -“The cook’s an awful old grouch,” Mr. Stone remarked to Uncle Billy, -winking at the boys. - -“_How_ did you do it?” demanded the astonished doctor. - -“It’s my fatal beauty,” said Bennie airily. And that’s all he would -tell. - -But to Spider, later, he said, “Remember that fat old guy that used to -cook at the White Doe Inn, back home? The one that used to come to all -our ball games? Well, he’s the cook at the hotel here now. I knew Uncle -Bill was trying to put one over on me, and I didn’t have a notion how I -was going to beat him, till I saw who the cook was. He came at me mad as -anything, ’cause campers are always trying to buy stuff off him. Looked -as if he was going to throw me out. And then I said, ‘Hello, Mr. Leary, -coming down to the field to see us play Lenox tomorrow?’—and he -recognized me—and, say! I was so glad I gave him all the change from -Uncle Billy’s bill.” - -“Some luck!” Spider laughed. - -“Don’t you tell, now.” - -“Not a word. But, boy, I’m going to eat my share of that steak!” - -It was a glorious meal, and Dumplin’ kissed the pie plate when it was -all over. - -After Bennie had carried the pie plate back to the cook, while the rest -washed up the dishes, Uncle Billy asked for the Scout Manual, and read -what a scout has to do to get a merit badge for hiking. - - “To obtain a merit badge for hiking, a scout must: - - 1. Show a thorough knowledge of the care of the feet on a hike. - - 2. Walk five miles per day, six days in the week, for a period of - three months. This may include walking to and from school or work. He - shall keep a record of his hikes daily, preferably in his diary, a - transcript to be made an exhibit before the court of honor. - - 3. Walk ten miles on each of two days in each month for a period of - three months; in other words, six walks of ten miles each during the - three months. - - 4. Walk twenty miles in one day. - - 5. Locate and describe interesting trails, and walk to some place - marked by some patriotic or historical event. - - 6. Write his experiences in these several walking trips with reference - to fatigue or distress experienced, and indicate what he had learned - in the way of caring for himself as regards equipment such as camping - and cooking outfit, food, footwear, clothing and hygiene. - - 7. Review his ability to read a road map (preferably a Government - topographical map), to use a compass, and shall be required to make a - written plan for a hike from the map.” - -“Number one,” Uncle Billy said. “What have you learned about the care of -the feet, Bennie?” - -“Wash ’em in cold water when you can, and dry ’em thoroughly. Wear wool -socks, and carry two extra pairs. At home we carry adhesive tape, to put -over a place that may start chafing, so’s to stop a blister.” - -“That’s all right. The best care of the feet, though, is to have stout, -easy boots, that _fit_. Well, number two—we haven’t walked five miles a -day for six weeks, have we? You’ll have to do that at home. Number -three—‘Walk ten miles on each of two days, in each month for a period of -three months.’ You can count this hike as ten miles, or its equivalent, -on each of three days, for July, all right. We hardly made ten miles the -first day, but it was equal to fifteen or twenty of ordinary walking. -You did two miles and a half before breakfast the second day, then six -up and down the mountain, and six more before camp at night. That’s -fourteen and a half, with three of ’em up Scott’s Peak in the pumice.” - -“That ought to count for twenty, I’ll say,” Bennie declared. “And how -much the last day?” - -“Well, with our getting wood for breakfast, and taking a last look at -the pinnacles, and your two trips to the hotel, I guess we can call -today twenty miles.” - -“I’ll take a trot around now, if I need to,” Bennie laughed. - -“No, you can sit still. Well, that qualifies you on number four, anyhow, -and gives you a good start on number three. Number five you’ll have to -do at home. Number six you can attend to some day in camp, and let me -see what you’ve written about these three days. Number seven—h’m—you’ve -got a lot to learn yet about using maps, I suspect. Go get your map of -Crater Lake, and let me see you lay out, with a pencil, what looks like -the best way to hike from here to Crater Peak, five miles south of us.” - -Bennie worked over this for some time, and then showed the line he had -drawn. - -“Good!” said his uncle. “I’m glad to see you haven’t drawn an air-line -path that plunges you down any 500-foot precipices, or takes you up any -600-foot walls.” - -“I learned something on this trip,” said Bennie. “I learned that when -they put contour lines close together on a map, it means steep, and if -there are a lot of ’em, and they are very close, it means, ‘Detour to -the right.’” - -“That’s the idea. Well, boy, are you going to stick? Will you write out -for me an account of this trip, and the next one we take, too, and try -to work for this merit badge?” - -“You bet I will!” - -“May I, too?” asked Spider. - -“Gee, he’s got so many badges now he looks like Marshal Foch,” said -Bennie. - -“The more the better,” laughed the doctor. “Now, boys, bed! Big Ben is -set for 4:30.” - -“It’ll take a Big Bertha to wake _me_ at 4:30,” said Dumplin’. - -“Oh, you air mattress!” sighed Bennie, as he crawled into his sleeping -bag. - -Spider answered never a word. He was fast asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - Good-bye to Crater Lake, and a Motor Trip to Bend - - -Uncle Billy was as good as his word the next morning. At half-past four -he shook Bennie and Spider, and he had to shake them hard, too. Then all -three of them went into the other tent, and rolled Mr. Stone and -Dumplin’ upside down in their sleeping bags. It was still cold, and the -sun was not yet up over the snowy crags of Garfield. In the still, -crystal-clear air, the water of the lake was without a ripple, and every -rock and tree on the rim was perfectly reflected in the blue mirror. - -“Take a good long look, boys,” said the doctor. “It’s good-bye to Crater -Lake as soon as we can load the cars.” - -“I hate to leave it,” Spider said. “I don’t believe I’ll ever see -anything so grand again, or have such a good time.” - -“I hate to leave it, too,” said Bennie. “But I bet we’ll have a lot more -good times. I guess old Oregon is full of ’em.” - -“I am satisfied with Oregon,” Dumplin’ began to sing, in a high falsetto -voice to the tune of “Glory, glory, hallelujah.” - -“Shut up, do you want to wake everybody else on the rim, just because -you’re up?” his father cautioned. - -“Time they got up,” Dumplin’ laughed. “Early to bed and early to rise, -makes a man dopy with sleep in his eyes.” - -“Gosh, if he can’t sing, he makes up poetry,” Bennie groaned. “Give him -a flapjack, quick.” - -As soon as breakfast was over, Mr. Stone and the doctor tinkered the -cars for the trip, while the boys struck the tents, deflated and rolled -up the sleeping bags, packed their dunnage sacks, and then began to stow -the luggage in the cars. It was after seven when everything was at last -packed aboard, and Uncle Billy gave the order to start. The engines -turned over, reluctant to start after their long idleness, but at last -the explosions came, the exhausts spit smoke, and the cars moved out -over dry ground, where a week ago had been a snow-drift, headed toward -the road. - -“Good-bye, old lake!” cried Bennie. - -“Au revoir, for me. _I’m_ coming back some day,” said Spider. - -“And now where, Uncle Billy?” Bennie added. - -“Bend,” said his uncle. “I wish we could go back home on the Sky Line -Trail that some day Oregon is going to build into a highway right up -along the spine of the Cascades. But at present it is only a ranger’s -trail, and it takes weeks to travel it, with an expensive pack train. So -we are going by motor up the east side of the range to the town of Bend, -and we’ll get a pack train there and go in and sample a bit of the Sky -Line Trail, to say we’ve ridden it, and maybe climb a snow mountain.” - -“Are we going in on horseback?” Bennie demanded. - -“We are, if we go at all,” said his uncle. - -“Hooray! I never rode horseback!” - -“You’ll have plenty of chance to learn, then,” Uncle Billy smiled. -“About the first night, you’ll wish you hadn’t tried to learn, too.” - -“Bet I won’t!” Bennie retorted. “How far is it to Bend?” - -“Oh, a hundred miles, I guess. Maybe more.” - -“Seven-thirty now—twenty-five miles an hour, that means we get there at -noon.” - -“You are my idea of an optimist, Bennie,” said the doctor. “This is an -eastern Oregon road we are going to travel on. If we should travel -twenty-five miles an hour, we wouldn’t get there at all.” - -For many miles, the road out of the park took them in a southerly -direction, down the Anna Creek valley, through a noble forest of yellow -pines, a tree the boys had never seen before, which has great flat -scales of bark which looks almost like copper, and past the deep cañon -the creek has cut in the lava, with sides fantastically carved into -giant columns. Finally, they reached the gate of the park, were checked -up by the gateman, and went on, swinging eastward now. - -Bennie, as soon as they were off the government road, very soon realized -why they wouldn’t make Bend at noon. In eastern Oregon, a country “dirt” -road, which in the East is usually quite decent in summer isn’t a dirt -road at all, really, because there isn’t any dirt. All the soil is -powdered volcanic ash and pumice, no doubt deposited there by Mount -Mazama ages ago. This volcanic soil looks almost gray-white in color, -and a road made on it, without any macadam, is very quickly pounded, in -dry weather, into a layer of dust inches thick, which rises like a smoke -screen behind the car, and gets kicked out of holes in the road by the -passing tires till the holes deepen more and more, making the road one -endless series of bumps. - -Instead of traveling at twenty-five miles an hour, the doctor held the -car down to fifteen, and very often had to go slower than that. - -And it was hot down here below the range, hot and close. The yellow -pines, and then endless acres of ugly lodge-pole pines, lined the road -on both sides, shutting out wind and view. Only now and then did they -catch a glimpse of Scott’s Peak, and later of Thielsen. They were in the -dry country, too, for almost no rain ever falls on the east side of the -Cascades. So they passed no brooks, after leaving Anna Creek. Choked -with dust, the boys sampled the canteens frequently, and rejoiced that -they weren’t in the second car, which was following far behind, to keep -out of the dust as much as possible. - -It was almost noon when they reached a stream at last, coming down from -the snow-fields—and they were only half-way on their journey! Here they -stopped for lunch. The doctor had insisted on saving out two cans of -peaches for this occasion, and now they understood why. It was a job to -worry the dry bread and the bacon down their parched throats, but how -those cool peaches, and the juice they were canned in, did go to the -spot! - -The trip was resumed, and they went on and on northward, through endless -forests of yellow pines, one of the few trees that will flourish in this -dry region, till at last they came into the tiny little town of -Crescent. - -It was Bennie who spied a sign, “Soda” over the one store. He gave a -yell, and hoisted his feet over the car door, ready to jump. - -The soda turned out to be the bottled variety, and it hadn’t been kept -on ice. In fact, there was no ice in the place. But even that didn’t -prevent the five tourists from leaving behind ten empty bottles when -they departed again. - -The road through the endless yellow pine forest began to get better now. -It had been straightened out and rock ballasted in places, and Uncle -Billy stepped on the gas. He was traveling along at twenty-five miles or -more, leaving a cloud of dust behind, when Bennie suddenly cried, “Say, -I believe we just went through a town. Golly, I wonder if there was a -soda there. Let’s go back.” - -“This car doesn’t know how to turn around,” said Uncle Billy. “That was -the town of La Pine. I know the man who used to own most of it.” - -“What happened? Did he lose it out of his pocket?” said Bennie. - -“I guess it crawled under a pine needle and hid from him,” said Spider. - -It wasn’t long now before the car rolled out of the yellow pine forests -into a great clearing, where every tree had been cut down as far as the -eye could see, and a fire had followed, burning up all young stuff and -making the ground dry, naked ashes. - -“That’s what the lumbermen do to us!” Uncle Billy cried. “It’s worse -than what they do to you in the East, because the fire does so much more -damage in this dry country. I wonder how long it will be before we wake -up and make them lumber properly? I hope you Boy Scouts will always work -for conservation and proper forest laws.” - -“If they’d left one old tree to the acre for cone bearers, and kept the -fire out, I should think the forest would almost start itself again,” -said Spider. “But they haven’t left a single tree.” - -“They are hogs,” Uncle Billy exclaimed, angrily. “It makes my blood boil -every time I go through country like this, and think that the voters of -the State let ’em do it.” - -The road was hard now, the car went faster, and in a short time they -began to see the houses of a town. They swung under a railroad, rolled -on to asphalt pavement, and found themselves in the middle of Bend, a -brisk, clean little city of 5,000 people. - -“Well, what do you know about this!” Bennie laughed. “It just pops right -up here in the desert, like a toadstool. And, oh, boy, there’s a soda -fountain—and a movie theatre!” - -Spider and Uncle Billy laughed. “He’s a great wilderness scout, he is,” -said the doctor. “He’s gladder to see a movie theatre than he was to see -Crater Lake.” - -Bennie grinned a little sheepishly. “No, it isn’t that,” he said, “but -as long as we got to be in a town, might as well have something to do.” - -“The first thing I’ll do is to get a bath,” the doctor laughed, as he -drove right past the drug store, and stopped in front of the hotel. - -The other car rolled up behind them, Mr. Stone’s and Dumplin’s clothes -and faces covered thick with dust, and the car looking gray-white all -over. The boys got out the dunnage bags and carried them into the lobby, -while the cars were taken to a garage. As soon as the doctor and Mr. -Stone came back, they got three rooms, one for Bennie and Spider, one -for Dumplin’ and his father, and one for the doctor. Off came their -clothes, and from three bathtubs came the sounds of splashing. - -They were a much cleaner and more civilized looking outfit when they -came down to dinner. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - The Boys Encounter “Pep,” Who Promises Them a Bear Hunt - - -They were just coming out of the dining-room when a tall, very thin man -came hurrying in from the street, saw them, and with a loud, “Hello, -Doc!” rushed over to shake Uncle Billy’s hand. - -“Just heard you were in,” he cried. - -The doctor introduced him as the “biggest booster in Bend.” His name, -the boys gathered, was Peters, though the doctor called him “Pep,” which -was evidently his popular title. - -“Well, boys, what do you think of Oregon?” he demanded as soon as he -knew they were from the East. “Some State, eh? I’ll say it is. Wait till -you see the Jefferson country. Say, want to go on a bear hunt?” - -Of course, he had started by asking them what they thought of Oregon, -and the boys were all set to make a polite answer, but he never gave -them a chance to reply, and ended up instead by asking if they wanted to -go on a bear hunt! - -“Sure we do!” the boys chorused. - -(“He’s a queer one,” Bennie whispered to Spider. “Answers his own -questions half the time.”) - -“Pep” was now talking again. “I can fix it up, Doc. Maybe your friend -would like to get a movie of a bear. There’s a crowd in camp over at Elk -Lake now who want a bear hunt. Some of ’em do, anyhow. We can go over -there and pick ’em up, and run over to Newberry Crater and pick up a -bear all right. You know old Vreeland, who lives on the big ranch south -of La Pine? He’s got a pack of hounds, and plenty of horses, and he’d -rather go on a bear hunt than go to Heaven. What do you say?” - -“Well, boys, what do _you_ say?” the doctor asked, turning to the scouts -and Dumplin’. - -Bennie sighed with comical exaggeration. “Oh, of course, I’ll go if you -want to,” he answered. “I strive to please.” - -Everybody laughed except Spider. “Are you going to kill the bear?” he -questioned. - -“No, indeed,” said Pep. “We catch ’em by the tail out here in Oregon, -and then tie a blue ribbon round their necks, so they’ll look prettier -as they gambol through the woods.” - -Spider bit his lip as if he was angry, and was trying not to make a rude -reply. - -“That’s all right, too,” he finally said, “but some folks like to kill -wild animals and some folks don’t. I’m one of the ones who doesn’t. -Bears don’t do any harm. I’d like to see one, and see Mr. Stone get a -picture of it. Hunting with a camera is harder, and better sport, I -think.” - -“I’ll say it’ll be hard, all right,” said Pep. “Wait till you see the -stuff you’ll have to carry your camera through! As for the shooting, -Newberry Crater is a State bird and game refuge, and you have to get -permission to hunt bears on it; but I’ve got that O. K., because they -want the bears killed off. All they ask is that you report the stomach -contents.” - -“I’ve just got something new I’ve not shown any of you yet,” Mr. Stone -now put in. “It was waiting for me here, in my mail. It’s a movie camera -no bigger than a kodak, which works with a spring instead of a crank, -and takes twenty-five feet at a time. I can carry it in the pocket of a -hunting coat. It’s for just such a time as this, when the big camera -couldn’t be taken along. I’d like to try it—that is, if you can -guarantee the bear.” - -“What’ll happen to me if I don’t produce the bear?” Pep demanded. - -“We’ll take your horse, and make you walk home,” the doctor said. - -“Easy! It’s only thirty miles! Shall we start tomorrow morning?” - -“Sure. I guess we can stow you into our cars somewhere.” - -“Stow me nothing! I got a car of my own. It’s a dandy, too—a genuine -antique, built in 1909. They made regular cars in those days. Well, you -be ready at eight o’clock. I’ll be around for you, and lead the way.” - -“But we haven’t any guns,” said Bennie, suddenly. - -“Don’t matter. Vreeland has plenty. Don’t need more’n one, anyhow, to -kill a bear. So long.” - -Pep departed, striding with his long legs out of the lobby. - -“He’s a queer one,” said Mr. Stone. “What does he do for a living?” - -“Real estate, I guess,” the doctor answered. “He’s a great booster for -Bend, and spends half his time fixing up parties for visitors who come -here. He’s a great card. Well, boys, I suppose you’re going to the -movies now?” - -“I can see the movies without coming 4,000 miles,” Bennie answered. “Me -for a look around this burg.” - -“Me, too,” said Spider. “Doug Fairbanks won’t seem such a wonder after -we’ve climbed old Llao Rock.” - -“Boys,” cried Uncle Billy, “you have not come to Oregon in vain!” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - The Bear Hunt—In Which the Boys Discover that the Bear Doesn’t Do All - the Hard Work - - -Right after breakfast the next morning they got the cars out and left -behind at the hotel all the luggage they wouldn’t need on the -bear-hunting trip. Mr. Stone was exhibiting his new camera, an -astonishing invention which he held in his hand like a kodak, while it -took twenty-five feet of film (he could carry as much as two hundred -feet of extra reels in one side pocket, too), when Pep appeared in his -“antique.” They heard him before they saw him, in fact. The car was a -runabout. The paint apparently had vanished about 1918. The muffler was -broken so that she roared and spit like a motorcycle. One mud-guard was -so cracked that it half hung from the car and flapped and rattled. The -other three were bent and dented. The wind-shield was cracked, and the -radiator was covered with iron rust where the water had boiled over and -run down the sides. When Pep put his foot on the brake to stop, she -shrieked and wailed like a sick cat. - -Bennie walked over to this car and stared intently. - -“Some boat!” he said. “Some boat! Say, Spider, a scout is always -respectful and kind to the aged and infirm. Remember that. What’s its -name, Mr. Peters?” - -“Its mother never named it,” said Pep. “I’ve called it a lot of things, -but they aren’t very polite.” - -Dumplin’ laughed. “I know what its name is, all right.” - -“Yes?” - -“Its name is Methuselah.” - -“I thought Methuselah died when he was only nine hundred,” said Bennie. - -“Say, if you boys make fun of my car, I won’t let you ride in it,” Pep -threatened. - -“Would it hold up two passengers?” asked Bennie. - -“All aboard!” called the doctor. “Stop insulting Pep’s chariot, and -climb into your own. Lead the way, Pep.” - -Pep spun his crank around, Methuselah grunted, spit, coughed, and then -roared, the doctor and Mr. Stone stepped on their starters, and the -procession moved down the main street of Bend, Methuselah leading, and -swung south on the same road they had come up the day before. Once out -in the open, Pep began to travel. Through the cloud of dust he kicked -up, those behind could see the rear wheels of the old runabout go -bobbing up and down, and from side to side. The doctor’s speedometer -crept up to thirty, to thirty-five, to forty miles, as he followed. - -“Gosh, he doesn’t care what happens to him!” Bennie said. “Think of -hitting forty on this road in Methuselah!” - -“Think of hitting forty on _any_ road in Methuselah,” Uncle Billy -laughed. “He’ll stop pretty soon, to cool her off—and tell us it was for -something else.” - -Before long he did stop. When the other cars drew up, Pep was standing -beside Methuselah, at a place where a side road led off to the west, -toward the white-capped mountains. - -“Thought you might miss the turn if I didn’t wait,” he explained. - -The doctor winked at the boys, and Bennie got out and started to put his -hand on Methuselah’s radiator. But he speedily removed it. - -“Will you have your eggs three minutes or four this morning, gents?” he -asked. Then he listened with his ear near the hood. “Uncle Billy, I -think you ought to come here,” he added. “I’m afraid poor old Methuselah -has got blood pressure.” - -Even Pep laughed at this. “Maybe I give him too much meat,” he said. - -The cars now turned up the side road, which was little more than a -couple of wheel ruts through the endless yellow pine forest, and began -to wind their way southwestward. Even Methuselah didn’t hurry through -here. The road was too rough and too winding. - -“Say, I expect to meet myself coming back on this road,” Bennie -declared. “The feller who laid it out must have had the blind staggers.” - -“If it was straightened it wouldn’t be more than half as long,” said the -practical Spider. - -Presently, coming around a sharp turn, they found Methuselah silent and -stalled, with Pep, the hood lifted, poking into the engine. - -Everybody climbed out, and went over to him. - -“What’s wrong?” they asked. - -“I just stopped to tell you about a man who was drawing a load of hay -over this road once,” said he. “He never got it out, because the horses -ate it all up behind his back from the tail of the wagon.” - -“That’s a good story. Now let’s go on,” winked the doctor. - -“Wait just a minute,” Pep said. “Methuselah’s foot slipped, and he -sprained his carburetor. I think it’s his carburetor. Maybe he pulled a -tendon in his ignition.” - -“Quick, doctor, the arnica!” called Bennie. - -But Spider, who knew something about cars, was poking into the engine. - -“I don’t think it’s the carburetor,” he said. “You’ve flooded that -trying to start her. Let me have a screw-driver, and you turn her over -slowly.” - -He traced the ignition around till he found a spot where there was no -spark, and behind that found a loose connection, into which had settled -an insulating film of dust and grit. When this was cleaned and -tightened, Methuselah coughed and spit and roared again, and once more -they started on their way. - -Methuselah had no more mishaps, though they expected to find him stalled -around every bend, and after a couple of hours they came out of the -yellow pine forest into open country, right under the big mountains, and -presently before them lay Elk Lake, with the white reflection of South -Sister, 10,000 feet high and snow covered, mirrored in the dark water. -The road ran along beside the lake to the upper end, and there, in a -grove of pines and fir trees, was a big camp, and men and women just -sitting down to luncheon at long board tables. Methuselah had been -parked beside the road, and Pep was bobbing about talking and laughing -with the crowd. - -“What’s the big idea?” Bennie asked. “Gee whiz, a whole bunch of strange -people, and no chance for a swim!” - -“I guess they don’t own the whole lake,” the doctor laughed. “Anyhow, -they’ll give us some grub.” - -The crowd, they found, was a convention of Oregon editors, with their -wives. They were having a fine time, no doubt, but the newcomers didn’t -seem exactly to fit. - -“Spider was one of the editors of our high school paper last winter,” -said Bennie, “but all I did was get an advertisement for it from Dad. I -thought we were going to hunt bears, not editors.” - -As soon as lunch was over somebody got up and began to make a speech. -The crowd sat back and got ready to listen. Whereupon Uncle Billy -beckoned to the boys and Mr. Stone, and they silently sneaked away from -the tables. - -“I didn’t go on a vacation to listen to speeches,” the doctor said. “It -will be too late to get into camp at Newberry Crater tonight if we hang -around here till that bunch gets through telling each other what’s wrong -with the newspaper business. You wait here while I have a heart-to-heart -talk with Pep.” - -After ten minutes the doctor came back with the long, lank Peters. - -“Sorry, boys,” Pep said. “I thought there were a couple of good sports -in this outfit who really wanted a bear hunt. But when I told ’em they’d -have to sleep out, and get up at three A. M., they decided they’d rather -listen to the speeches. Some folks would do anything rather than get up -in the morning. Well, come on, we’ll get our bear even if there isn’t -anybody to write it for the papers.” - -“Oh, ho!” cried Uncle Billy, “so that was it! Well, I am a dumb-bell, as -Bennie would so elegantly put it. I didn’t realize before why you were -so set on having some editors along. You want to be boosting Bend all -the while, don’t you? Maybe Spider will write it up for his school -paper. That’s something. Cheer up, Pep, and see if Methuselah is still -alive.” - -Pep spun the crank till the drops of sweat fell from his forehead before -she coughed and started. - -“I get a fine lot of exercise with this car,” he panted, wiping his face -before he climbed aboard. - -They cut south from the winding road after a little way, and presently -arrived in the hamlet of La Pine, the town which Bennie said one of -Uncle Billy’s friends once lost out of his pocket. Not far from this -town, in an extraordinarily green meadow beside the Deschutes River, a -long meadow like a rich oasis in the dry desert soil, they came to the -Vreeland ranch, where the house sat beneath great poplar trees, and the -barns were full of fresh-cut alfalfa and the cattle were browsing as -they do in the East, along the river bank. - -“Give this soil some water,” said Spider, “and instead of a desert, it’s -like our richest farms at home.” - -“Yes, sir. Irrigation is all we need in Oregon to grow anything,” said -Uncle Billy, as the three cars pulled up in the yard. - -Pep found Mr. Vreeland out in a field, and brought him in. He was a big, -bronzed man, who looked hard and wiry for all his gray hair and beard, -and at the suggestion of a bear hunt his eyes lit up and he smiled. A -long, low whistle brought an answering joyous yelp from a near-by barn, -and four hounds, with thin bodies and long ears and sad faces, came -jumping and wriggling up to him. - -“Them pups’ll get you a bear, if there is a bear,” said their master -proudly. “I guess we can rustle up the horses. Let’s see, we’ll need six -for you, and one for me, and one for the rustler, and a pack -animal—that’s nine. We’ll start in an hour. Hi—Tom!” he shouted to a man -out in the paddock. - -“He doesn’t lose any time,” whispered Mr. Stone. - -“Not when he smells a bear,” Pep replied. “He can see a bear track in -the dark. And he’s got some regular dogs.” - -While the horses were being saddled the boys made up six blanket rolls -for their party, and one for Pep, and packed up enough provisions for a -couple of days. The provisions, a few “eating irons” and cooking -utensils, and the blankets were put on the pack horse. Mr. Vreeland -brought out two rifles, one for himself and one for somebody else. - -“Who gets it?” he asked. - -“Not I,” said Spider. - -“Nor I,” said Mr. Stone. “Here’s my gun.” He patted the case of his tiny -movie camera, which was slung from his shoulder. - -“I’ll take it,” said Bennie. - -“Know how to use it?” the man asked. - -“N-not very well,” Bennie admitted. - -“Well, it isn’t loaded,” Mr. Vreeland laughed. “Suppose you carry it -today, and learn how much it weighs. Are we all set?” - -Tom, the horse rustler, brought the saddled horses into the yard, and -each rider was assigned a mount. - -“Pick out a good strong one for that half starved little chap there,” -said Mr. Vreeland, pointing to Dumplin’. “All you boys are good riders, -I suppose?” - -“Oh, sure,” said Bennie. “We gallop all the time over the wide prairies -of Massachusetts. Got a nice mantelpiece for me to eat off of tonight?” - -“It’s tomorrow night you’ll need that,” the man laughed. “All aboard!” - -In spite of his weight and his gray hair, Mr. Vreeland swung into his -saddle with the ease and grace of a cowboy. The doctor and Mr. Stone and -Pep were not quite so easy, but they knew how to ride. Dumplin’, -however, was as green as the two eastern scouts, and the three of them -made a mess of mounting, and after they were mounted and their horses -had started on a slow trot out of the yard, they bobbed around and -jounced up and down like three apples in a dump-cart. - -“Say, how do you manage this stunt?” Bennie called to his uncle. “If I -keep on this way, I’ll all fall apart.” - -“Stand in your stirrups as naturally and easily as you can, and then -lean forward a little from your waist,” the doctor called back. “Don’t -try to do anything but just relax from your waist up, and stand on your -stirrups.” - -The boys tried this, and gradually, very gradually, they began to get on -to the trick, so that their bodies rode a little better with the motions -of the horses’ backs. It was hard work, though, and they were glad -enough when they had crossed the highway, headed east up a road through -the yellow pines, and finally dropped down to a walk as the road began -to climb. When the horses stopped trotting, the three boys sat back in -their saddles and took the weight off their tired legs. Of course, they -bounced a bit, but that didn’t matter when the horse wasn’t trotting. - -They were on the lower slopes of Newberry Crater now, which is an -8,000-foot mountain standing fifty miles or more east of the Cascade -range, all alone in the desert pines, and was once a volcano. On the -top, Uncle Billy told them, is a big crater, almost as large as Crater -Lake, but only a few hundred feet deep, and instead of being filled with -water, it contains two ponds and a lot of summer camps. The whole -mountain is a State game reserve, for the slopes are covered with pine -woods, and the water attracts both birds and animals. - -The party climbed slowly up the dusty road for two hours, while the boys -wriggled and shifted in their saddles to find easy positions (which they -couldn’t find), and the rifle Bennie was carrying either banged his back -or had to be held across his saddle, growing heavier and heavier. - -At last, as the sun was setting in the west, they came out of the yellow -pines into a big open meadow, through which Paulina Creek flowed on its -way down the mountain, making the grass rich and green. Here Mr. -Vreeland turned in. The horses were watered at the stream and then -hobbled (hobbles are just leather bands like handcuffs put around their -forelegs, so they can move around to feed, but cannot wander far away). -On the edge of the meadow, near the brook but under the pines, camp was -made, by the simple process of building a fire and spreading the -blankets on level spots of dry ground. While Mr. Vreeland and Tom, the -horse rustler, were cooking supper, the rest went to the creek for a -bath. The water was icy cold, but, as Bennie said, it was softer to sit -on than a saddle. - -After supper they gathered around the fire for a while, in the cold -mountain air of night, while Mr. Vreeland told bear stories. The four -dogs lay sleeping close to them, one of them, old Ben, Mr. Vreeland’s -pet, with a muzzle snuggled against his side. - -But before long he ordered them to bed. - -“I’ll get you up before the sun,” he said. “That’s the only time to -start after bears. Their tracks are fresh then, and the dogs can follow -’em.” - -In spite of their saddle soreness, and the bare ground they were -sleeping on, the boys rolled up in their blankets, without undressing, -and were soon fast asleep. There is nothing like riding a horse in the -mountains to make you slumber! - -“Golly, doesn’t seem as if I’d more’n dropped off,” said Bennie, sitting -up and rubbing his eyes when he was awakened by the voice of Mr. -Vreeland. - -“I don’t care what becomes of ol’ bear. I’m goin’ sleep some more,” -mumbled Dumplin’, drawing his blankets tighter about his neck and -rolling over on the other side. - -“Yes, you are!” yelled Spider and Bennie, grabbing the blankets and -rolling him suddenly out of them. - -It was still dark in the woods, with a dim, gray light over the open -meadow. They could scarcely see the horses, which they heard feeding and -thumping about on hobbled feet. Tom had the fire going, and soon there -was the welcome smell of coffee. After the coffee, everybody felt more -awake, the light increased, the trunks of the trees began to emerge from -the gloom, and Tom and Mr. Vreeland rounded up the horses and began to -saddle. - -“Well, son,” said Mr. Vreeland to Bennie, “how about that gun today? -You’re going to ride some pretty rough country, and she’ll get heavy.” - -“I don’t think he’d better carry a gun through this going,” the doctor -said. “Especially as it is somebody else’s gun, and he’s somebody else’s -boy, whom I’m responsible for.” - -“Well, of course, I don’t want to worry my uncle,” Bennie assented, with -surprising cheerfulness. - -“You mean you need both hands to hang on to your horse,” said Spider. - -“Marvelous, Sherlock, simply marvelous!” Bennie laughed. “When we get to -the old bear, I’ll take the gun from my bearer, and put a well-directed -bullet through his brain.” - -Now, in the fast increasing daylight, they were off, Mr. Vreeland -leading the way and sitting his horse as straight as a ramrod. The boys -were stiff and sore, but once on the saddle they felt easier than the -day before. - -The leader crossed the meadow to the upper side, and put his horse up on -a long sloping ridge covered with an open stand of yellow pine. As they -climbed this ridge, the boys could see a long distance between the -trees, and discovered that the side of the mountain was composed of a -series of long ridges, like this one, with deep erosion gullies between -them. The sides of these gullies were very steep, and at the bottom grew -thick stands of lodge-pole pines. After climbing a way on the first -ridge, and evidently seeing nothing which appealed to him, Mr. Vreeland -suddenly turned his horse right down the side, into the gully. As the -boys followed they found their horses’ heads almost underneath them, and -they had to lean far back in the saddles to keep their balance. At the -bottom, Mr. Vreeland simply rode right into the dense stand of little -lodge-pole pines and disappeared. The doctor, Mr. Stone and Tom and Pep -followed. And after them went the three horses that carried the three -boys. There was nothing to do about it. The horses were trained to -follow in file, and it was their job to go through where the others -went. But the boys made an interesting, not to say painful discovery. - -They discovered that when a horse goes through a thicket of lodge-pole -pines, he picks out a place that is wide enough for him to squeeze -through, and high enough so his head doesn’t hit a limb. But he doesn’t -pay any attention to the fact that his rider’s feet and legs stick out -on either side and his rider’s head is considerably higher than his own. -He’s looking out only for himself, and it’s up to the rider to take the -consequences for getting on his back. - -When they emerged on the farther side of the gully, Bennie didn’t have -any cap, Dumplin’ had a hole torn in the right knee of his trousers, and -Spider had a rent in the left shoulder of his shirt and a long scratch -on his face. - -But there was no stopping for repairs. Already the other horses were up -on the next ridge, and with a heave and snort the boys’ horses suddenly -stood on their hind legs and scrambled up also, the boys leaning far -forward and hanging on to the horns of their saddles to keep aboard. - -“Some sport!” panted Bennie. “Gee, that was a good cap, too.” - -“My face feels as if the cat had sharpened her claws on me,” said -Spider. - -“My knee’s bleeding,” puffed Dumplin’. - -Mr. Vreeland kept on up through the open woods of the ridge, and -suddenly pulled his horse to a sharp halt, in a little patch of light -made by the rising sun. Here he spoke softly to the dogs, who had been -padding along at his horse’s heels with a bored air, as if a bear were -the very last thing they were thinking about. As the dogs trotted -sharply forward under the horse’s nose and began to sniff where he -pointed, Mr. Stone got his camera out of the case and made ready. -Suddenly all four dogs began to utter little moaning sounds, like barks -just beginning in their throats, and with a loud bay the two younger -ones started off down the mountain, while Mr. Stone’s camera whirred. -Ben, however, didn’t go. He kept on moaning and sniffing around. - -“They are back tracking. You watch Ben and Cap, the wise old boys!” Mr. -Vreeland cried, his eyes dancing with excitement. - -Then Ben and Cap, too, suddenly uttered deep, silvery, triumphant bays, -and sprang down the farther side of the ridge into a second ravine. An -instant later the other two dogs came crying back and followed them, -just in time to get into the last foot of the film. Then Mr. Vreeland -put his horse down after them at a gallop, and vanished into the pines, -followed by Tom and the doctor and Pep. Mr. Stone had a hard time -holding his horse while he got his camera back into the case. Then he, -too, went down the side of the ravine and into the lodge-poles. - -“Now, darling, _please_ take it easy! Whoa! Whoa!” yelled Bennie at his -horse, as that animal cascaded down the soft soil of the bank and made -for the wall of tearing little trees. - -Holding their legs as close to the horses’ sides as they could, ducking -to protect their faces, wriggling and squirming in their saddles to -avoid having their legs torn and bruised by trees between which the -horses squeezed, the boys got through, and followed the hunt. They could -hear the dogs baying in the next ravine, and over the ridge they went, -in time to see the tail of Mr. Stone’s horse vanishing into another -thicket of scrub. - -This kept on for an hour or more—it seemed ages to the three boys. In -their efforts to get through the ravines without any more injury to -their clothes or their persons than was necessary, they had to slow -their horses down, and the hunt, which was working steadily up the -mountain, got farther and farther ahead of them. They had long since -lost all sight even of Mr. Stone, and the deep, bell-like baying of the -hounds grew fainter and fainter. At last it ceased altogether. - -When that happened Bennie pulled up his horse and waited for Spider and -Dumplin’ to catch up. - -“Say, fellers,” he asked, “what are we going to do? We’ve lost the hunt, -all right. I can’t hear a sound now, and we’ve been off the tracks for -twenty minutes, I guess. Those last two ravines we came through hadn’t -been broken before, and I haven’t seen a hoof-print for a long while.” - -“We’re a swell lot of bear hunters, we are,” Dumplin’ panted. “Gee, -Spider, look at your face!” - -“Well, if it looks anything the way it feels, I’m some beauty, I can -tell you that. Look at your own face—and your pants, too.” - -“I don’t feel as if I had any pants left,” said Bennie. “Gee, I’m sore -all over, and my hands are all torn. What are we going to do?” - -“I guess it’s up to us to go back to camp,” Spider suggested. - -“How are we ever going to find camp?” Dumplin’ demanded. “As far as I’m -concerned, we’re lost.” - -“‘Lost on Newberry Crater, or The Young Bear Hunters from Bend’—sounds -like a dime novel,” Bennie grinned. “Maybe we could follow our trail -back by the blood on the ground. But I got a better idea than that. -Let’s go on up this ridge a ways till we come to an open place, and then -sit there and wait. We can always follow the ridge down westward till we -come to the road. Guess we can’t starve. Maybe the old bear will trot -around past us. They don’t travel in a straight line, I guess. Anyhow, -it’s a chance, and I guess it’s our only chance to get back in the -game.” - -“That’s a swell idea!” said Dumplin’, scornfully. “What you going to do -if he does come around? You wouldn’t carry the old gun. Use your -pocket-knife?” - -“No, I’ll look at him between my legs,” Bennie answered. “The old bear -won’t trouble us. All he’s thinking about is getting away from the -hounds. Anyhow, I don’t see any use in trying to follow any longer, -’cause we’ve sure lost the hunt, and I hate to go back this early in the -day. We may find a place where we can look out and see something.” - -“Sounds good to me. You’re the captain. Lead on,” said Spider. - -So Bennie led the way up the open woods of the spine, which were growing -lower now, and presently they found themselves in a little clearing on a -sort of peak of lava. From here they could look out on one side for -miles and miles, over the wilderness of the mountain side, to the white -summits of the Cascades. But not a sight nor a sound of the hunt did -they have. - -They dismounted stiffly, aching in every joint, and tied the horses in -the shade. Dumplin’ flopped to the ground with a groan. “My knee’s all -stiff,” he complained, “and the blood’s all clotted on my leg. Gee, I’ve -got six tears in my pants!” - -The boys looked themselves over. Their clothes were torn, their hands -and faces scratched and covered with blood, and their thighs and knees -sore with the bruising trees. They were, in fact, a woe-begone looking -lot. - -“And I could drink a barrel of water, and eat a ton of food,” sighed -Bennie. - -“If you talk about water, I shall cry!” Dumplin’ exclaimed. “My mouth’s -full of cotton.” - -“Go to sleep, and forget it,” said Spider. - -“If the bear comes, wake me up,” Dumplin’ answered, closing his eyes at -once. - -While Dumplin’ was slumbering Bennie and Spider debated what they should -do. It seemed pretty stupid to sit there all the morning doing nothing, -when they had come 3,000 miles to Oregon for a taste of the real -wilderness. But, as Spider pointed out, if they tried to follow the hunt -again they would only get more hopelessly lost. Finally they decided the -only thing to do was to wait till they heard some sound of it again and -then make toward the sound. Unless the bear went clear around the -mountain, sooner or later he ought to come within sound of them again, -they reasoned. He would try to get back to his familiar hunting ground. -They waited one hour, two hours, getting more and more thirsty, when -Spider suddenly cried “Hark!” - -Far off, somewhere, he and Bennie couldn’t yet tell where, they heard -the deep, silvery bugle of one dog, apparently old Ben, who had the -deepest voice. The hunt was coming their way again! Quickly they roused -Dumplin’, and all three listened. Yes, there was no mistake! It was the -bay of a hound, and it was coming nearer! - -“There’s only one dog, though,” said Bennie. “What’s the matter with the -others?” - -“Probably old Ben has got ahead of the others, or they’ve got off on -another track,” said Spider. “Let’s wait and see if it stops in one -place. That’ll mean Ben’s treed the bear, I guess. Then we can go there -and not get lost again.” - -“Maybe _you_ can,” said Dumplin’. “I couldn’t go anywhere now, ’cept on -a stretcher.” - -“We’ll leave you here then—the air’s fine,” said Bennie. - -The baying didn’t stop in one place, however, for ten or fifteen -minutes. It seemed to be moving up and down the mountain. Finally, -however, it came from a single direction, seemingly only a quarter of a -mile to the right, and down the mountain a bit, and the boys thought -they detected a change in the sound. They also could now hear a second -dog. - -“I bet old Ben has treed him!” Bennie cried, “and one of the other pups -has caught up! Come on, let’s go see!” - -“Just us, a couple of dogs, and no gun, against a bear? No, thank you!” -exclaimed Dumplin’. - -“Well, I don’t live in Oregon,” Bennie replied, “but I know that when a -bear is treed by a dog, he stays up the tree. Anyhow, I’m going to take -a chance. You can stay here alone, if you want to. I’m going to see that -old bear. That’s what we came here for.” - -He got up and untethered his horse, climbing stiffly and with a groan -into the saddle. Spider followed him. - -“Oh, well, if you go, I’m going—if I can ever get aboard that beast,” -said Dumplin’. “Gee, he’s about a thousand feet high!” - -Bennie led the way toward the sound of the barking, which was still in -one place, but not so loud now, and very hoarse. They had three ravines -to cross, but in their excitement they didn’t think about the fresh -tears and scratches. In fifteen minutes they came very near the sound of -the barking. A moment later they broke up out of a lodge-pole thicket to -find old Ben running ’round and ’round the trunk of a huge yellow pine, -his bark almost gone, like the voice of a man who has been making too -many speeches, nothing much left but a hoarse whisper, while Cap was -standing with his front paws up the trunk as high as he could reach. - -The boys looked up the tree and gave a wild yell, while old Ben, seeing -them there, sprang at the tree with renewed life, as if he were trying -to climb it, too, to show them he really wasn’t winded after all. Far -up, sixty or seventy-five feet from the ground, in the crotch of the -first big limb, lay a black bear. His forepaws were hugging the limb, -his head was poked over, his tongue kept hanging out, and they could see -his little eyes looking at them. Since they had no gun, he was perfectly -safe as long as he cared to sit there, and he appeared to know it. - -“There’s nothing for us to do but wait for the rest,” said Bennie. -“Golly, he’s a big bear! I wonder what he weighs?” - -“I hope he stays where he is,” Dumplin’ put in. - -“Come on, let’s tie our horses and sit down and wait. Oh, boy, we beat -the others to the bear!” - -“No, sir, I sit here. My horse can go faster’n I can. Two dogs aren’t -big enough, all alone, to tackle that bear if he starts coming down.” - -“Maybe you’re right at that,” Bennie admitted. “But, say, we’ve sure got -one on the rest when they show up! We’ll tell ’em we kept right on old -Ben’s heels, and beat ’em to it!” - -“We’ll tell ’em so,” Spider grinned. “But if you think you can put it -over on Mr. Vreeland you’ve got another guess coming.” - -So they attempted to sit on their horses near the tree, but the horses -had something to say about that. Some downward current of air brought a -sudden bear scent to them, and they began to rear and back and wheel, so -that all three boys jumped off as quickly as they could, and led the -twitching animals a long way down the slope and tied them. They hadn’t -realized before how much a horse fears the smell of bear. - -“I nearly got spilled before I could get my foot out of the stirrup,” -Bennie said. “Thought I was a goner for a minute.” - -“Me too,” said Dumplin’. “This isn’t so much fun as it’s cracked up to -be. Gee, I wish I knew how to ride the way Mr. Vreeland does! He’d just -have _made_ his horse stand still.” - -As they were walking back they heard at last the bay of the other two -dogs, and then the far-off sound of a horse crashing through -lodge-poles. In two minutes the other dogs joined Ben in a dance below -the big tree, and in two minutes more Mr. Vreeland and Tom rode up. -Behind them, down the mountain, could be heard Pep’s and Mr. Stone’s and -the doctor’s horses. - -Mr. Vreeland didn’t see the boys at first, because they hid behind some -bushes. - -“Are the doctor and the camera man behind?” they heard him ask Tom. “Too -bad the kids had to drop out. We’ll have to go hunting for them after -Mr. Bear’s disposed of. They’re wandering around lost, I suppose.” - -“Is that so?” cried the boys, jumping up from behind the bush. - -“Well, I’m darned!” Mr. Vreeland exclaimed. “How did you get here? -Where’s your horses?” - -“Down the slope—tied,” said Bennie. “We kept right on old Ben’s heels. -How’d you lose the trail? Get off on a false scent? Too bad!” - -Mr. Vreeland fixed Bennie with a cool look, which had a twinkle behind -it. - -“Were you huntin’ the bear, or was he huntin’ you?” said he. “I used to -know a nigger down South, where I was once, who always went out behind a -fox hunt, and sat down after a bit, and waited for the fox to come -trottin’ back. He’d get the fox, and the rest would get the exercise. -They had to do somethin’ kind o’ drastic to that nigger.” - -(“I told you so!” Spider laughed at Bennie. “Can’t fool him.”) - -“You look as if the bear caught you, too,” Mr. Vreeland went on. “Did he -make those scratches with his claws? He’s got nice claws.” (This last as -he cast a contemplative glance up into the tree.) - -“Just the same, we beat you to the old bear, however we did it,” Bennie -grinned. “Who’s going to shoot him?” - -“Well, if you got here first, you can take a crack,” Mr. Vreeland said. -“Wait till the camera man comes. I hear ’em now.” - -A minute later the doctor and then Mr. Stone and Pep came into the -clearing. They were not torn and scratched so much as the boys, but much -more than Mr. Vreeland and Tom. And they were even more surprised to -find the boys there. However, there was no time for talk. The horses -were dancing with nervousness, the dogs were jumping against the tree, -and the hear was moving on the limb as if he contemplated climbing -higher. Mr. Stone unlimbered his camera, Spider walked off into the -woods because, he declared, he refused to see a fine animal shot in cold -blood, and Bennie, armed with a rifle, was told to fire, aiming at the -base of the brain. - -He sighted and pulled the trigger, trembling with nervousness for fear -he wouldn’t make a good shot. The kick of the gun staggered him for an -instant, but as soon as he caught himself he stared into the tree, to -see the bear snarling with pain and rage, but still crouched, alive, on -the limb. - -Bennie handed the rifle hastily to his uncle. “You do it!” he cried. -“Gosh, all I’ve done is hurt him. I don’t want to mess the poor thing up -any more.” - -“Well, of all the——” Mr. Vreeland began. - -“Shoot him, Vreeland,” said the doctor, sharply. “I’m no hunter.” - -The old man raised his rifle, sighted it so quickly that it seemed part -of the same motion, and there was a sharp crack. The bear seemed to -spring right off the limb and fell, a black ball of fur, seventy feet to -the ground. - -The dogs were on it in a second, as its paws gave one or two feeble and -undirected swipes. Then it lay dead. The dogs were called off, and -promptly lay down, panting and exhausted. Bennie wanted to go away -somewhere and lie down, too. He felt sick. He had thought it would be -wonderful sport to kill a big bear, but now that he had pumped a bullet -into it, and then seen the creature, helpless and defenseless, come -crashing down dead out of the tree, the fun was gone. If the bear had -been attacking him, or even attacking anybody, it would be different. -But just to shoot it in cold blood, for the sake of killing something, -suddenly struck Bennie as a low down, cruel trick. He felt the way -Spider always felt. He’d never been able to understand Spider’s point of -view before, but now that he had pumped a bullet into the bear, he -understood. He thought of their talk about the deer that morning by the -rim of Crater Lake. - -But Mr. Stone was calling. He’d got a fresh roll of film into his -camera, and wanted to take the whole party around the dead bear. Tom and -Mr. Vreeland propped the big brownish-black body up into a sitting -posture, Bennie stood beside it, with a gun in his hand, and Dumplin’, -with a grin on his face, walked up, grasped the bear by the paw, and -shook hands with a great show of friendliness. - -“You weren’t planning to do that about twenty minutes ago,” came the -voice of Spider, returning to the scene. - -“Neither was the bear,” Dumplin’ answered. - -Tom, Mr. Vreeland and the doctor now set about skinning the carcase, -which weighed, the hunter estimated, about three hundred pounds. After -that the doctor opened the stomach. - -Bennie watched this operation for a moment, and then turned quickly -away. - -“What’s the matter?” his uncle asked. - -“It—it isn’t what you’d call real sweet and pretty,” said Bennie. - -“You’ll never make a doctor, then,” said his uncle. - -“Not a bear doctor, anyhow,” Bennie laughed. - -But Spider stood right by. He was intensely interested to see what the -doctor found. - -“Any evidences of a predatory diet?” he demanded. - -“Of a _what_?” said Dumplin’ and Bennie. “Say, Mr. Peters, did you bring -a dictionary?” - -The doctor was looking carefully into the opened stomach. - -“As far as I can see,” he answered, “this bear was living on vegetable -food, for the past day or two. No trace of bones, feathers or meat. I -should say he’d been feeding on berries.” - -“Why does the government want ’em killed, then?” cried Spider. - -“Why not? What good do they do?” Mr. Vreeland cut in. “Seems to me you -boys are about the most tender-hearted people I ever stacked up against. -What do you want to do, spoil all sport?” - -“It’s just as much sport hunting with a camera,” Spider replied, “and a -lot more dangerous, if you aren’t armed, and takes a heap more patience -and skill.” - -“Yes, and what do you get?” - -“You get a picture—if you’re lucky—and you leave the animal alive for -the next man to see.” - -Mr. Vreeland grunted in disgust, scraped all the fat he could off the -big, heavy skin, folded it up, put it over his saddle, and called his -dogs. The boys got their horses, and the tired, hungry party rode down -the mountain, following an open ridge to the meadows, and then trotted, -lame and sore, to their camp. After a hasty meal, they rode back to the -ranch. The doctor paid Mr. Vreeland for the trip, and insisted on giving -him something for the bearskin beside, because it was his shot which -brought down the bear. Then they all stood by while Pep struggled to get -Methuselah started, and presently were out on the road again, headed for -Bend. - -Bennie sank back into the deep cushions of the motor with a huge sigh. - -“Oh, boy!” he said, “p’r’aps these cushions don’t feel good! The last -five miles, my saddle was made of cast iron. I’m dead to the world.” - -“How far did that bear travel before he was treed?” asked Spider. - -“I’d say he probably ran fifteen miles,” said the doctor. “It was -enough, and lucky for you boys he doubled around, or you wouldn’t have -seen him. I’m pretty sore and tired myself.” - -“What I don’t get,” said Bennie, “is how Mr. Vreeland and Tom rode right -through those pine thickets without getting torn to pieces. Gee, I’ve -got to buy a new cap and a pair of trousers and a shirt in Bend before I -can gladden the public eye.” - -“They know how,” the doctor laughed. “After a while, you learn to -estimate how much room there is, as well as the horse does, and protect -yourself in advance.” - -“It was an awful lot of fun,” Spider continued—“all but shooting the -bear. I think it is wicked to kill off all the wild animals, when they -are harmless. Pretty soon we won’t have any wild life left. The bears -_must_ be harmless, because they don’t shoot ’em in the national parks, -and nobody gets hurt, and the other game is thick. Mr. Vreeland thinks -I’m chicken-hearted, I could see that. But I can’t help it. It’s not -because I’m chicken-hearted. It’s because I love the woods and the wild -animals in ’em, and hunting with a gun strikes me as kind of silly and -wicked.” - -The doctor drove in silence for a minute. Then he said, “I feel more or -less as you do. But you must remember this: Vreeland is an old man who -was brought up on the frontier. When he was a boy he had to hunt to get -fresh meat. Game was as thick as huckleberries then. There were even -grizzlies here in Oregon. It seems perfectly natural to him, and he -can’t understand why eastern people, or any people, shouldn’t want to -hunt. He can’t understand the word _conservation_ at all. But you young -fellows, who are born later, into a world where most of the game has -been killed off, and most of the forest cut down, don’t want to see less -wild animals and less woods—you want to see more. Your point of view is -just the opposite of his. Conservation has got to be preached and -practised by the young chaps. The old fellows don’t understand it. They -think a man is afraid, or chicken-hearted, if he won’t shoot a wild -animal. That’s why I want to see the Boy Scouts learn all about -conservation, and help in the good work.” - -“You bet!” said Bennie. “When that old bear kind of looked at me and -groaned, when I hit him, something turned over in the pit of my tummie. -I guess he had as good a right to live as I have. But I’ll sure need his -old skin to cover me, if the stores are closed when we get to Bend. I -got to have some new pants.” - -“It’s Saturday. They’ll be open all the evening,” Uncle Billy laughed. - -All three of the boys had to buy new khaki breeches when they reached -Bend, and new flannel shirts, and Bennie had to get a cap. The doctor -gave them some salve and plaster for their cuts and scratches, and after -a bath they were ready to eat everything the waitress brought to the -table. - -“And now,” said Mr. Stone, after dinner, “shall we all go to the -movies?” - -Dumplin’ gave his father one look of scorn. - -“Bed!” he groaned. - -“Bed!” said Bennie. - -“Bed!” said Spider. - -But Pep, who had stayed to dinner with them, said, “I’ve got to hunt up -the editor of the _Star_, and tell him about this hunt—good story—more -advertising for Bend.” - -“Don’t forget to tell him how the three brave boys, alone and unarmed, -got to the bear long before the skilled hunters,” said Bennie. - -“I’ll tell him _exactly_ how they did it,” Pep laughed, as he said good -night. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - Bennie Achieves a Dog, and the Party Puts Out a Forest Fire - - -The next day, Sunday, they stayed in Bend, and, to tell the truth, the -boys were just as well pleased. They were all three sore and stiff. -Dumplin’ had a cut on his knee, Spider’s shoulder ached where a dead -pine limb had torn both his shirt and his skin, and Bennie had three big -black and blue bruises on his legs. The two scouts spent most of the day -writing letters home, and also writing up the account of their long hike -at Crater Lake, to Mount Scott, as part of the examination for a merit -badge in hiking. Spider also studied his government pamphlet on Oregon -trees, which he had bought at the Crater Lake Inn. Uncle Billy said that -when they got into the heart of the Cascades they would encounter a -great number of different kinds of trees, and Spider was determined to -identify them. - -While they were busy with this, Uncle Billy was busy at the telephone, -arranging with a man who lived at Sisters, a little town nearer the -mountains, to meet them Monday morning with a pack train, and take them -in to Mount Jefferson. - -“I don’t know whether we are going to get to Mount Jefferson or not,” -the doctor said at luncheon. “Norman tells me the snow up here was even -heavier last winter than it was at Crater Lake. He says he tried to get -over the Divide to Jefferson yesterday, by the short way, and the snow -blocked him. We’ll have to go in past Marion Lake. That’ll take three -days, and maybe we won’t get there that way. I certainly never knew so -much snow at this time of year.” - -He was wiping the perspiration off his forehead as he spoke, which made -everybody laugh. But they could look out of the big plate glass window -at the west end of the dining-room and see, fifty miles away, the -white-clad summits of the Three Sisters, three big mountains side by -side, shining in the sun. - -“Are we going to be on horseback all this trip to Jefferson?” Dumplin’ -asked plaintively. - -“You can walk if you want to,” his father smiled. - -“I feel now as if I’d have to,” Dumplin’ sighed. “Wish they made -pneumatic saddles.” - -That afternoon, between trips to the garage to pack the cars, and trips -to the drug store to buy Spider a note-book for his tree observations, -and to get ice cream sodas, Bennie acquired a dog. Maybe it would be -more truthful to say that the dog acquired Bennie. He was a young dog, -hardly more than a puppy, one of those very small collies which the -western sheep men use in herding their flocks. Dumplin’ called him a -half portion dog. The poor little chap had evidently lost his master, or -else he had wandered away from home. He didn’t seem to worry much, -however. What he was plainly looking for was somebody, anybody, who -would be kind to him. He trotted up and down the street, following -different people and trying to attract their attention. - -The second time Bennie saw him, he said, “I don’t believe that dog’s got -a master. He’s looking for a kind home. Come here, Towser.” - -He whistled to the pup, and the dog came bounding up to him, tail -wagging madly, and crouched puppy fashion at his feet. When Bennie -stooped to pat him, he sprang up, put his forepaws on the scout’s chest, -and tried to lick his face. - -“Gosh, you nice little mutt!” Bennie exclaimed. “I sure like dogs, and -you’re a regular dog.” - -To this the dog replied with a whine of joy, and from that moment he -clung to Bennie like a brother. - -“Now you got him, what you going to do with him?” Spider asked, as the -pup bounded along beside them, fairly shaking with delight, as his tail -switched back and forth. - -“Dunno. Get him some grub first, I guess. He looks awful thin.” - -Bennie went around to the hotel kitchen and begged some meat scraps, -which the pup devoured greedily. After that, he tried to follow Bennie -into the hotel. No dogs were allowed inside, however. - -“I guess he’ll go away now,” Bennie said, shutting the door in the poor -dog’s face. - -But when they came out from dinner the dog was still lying in front of -the door, and as Bennie went out to the sidewalk he leaped upon him, -trying to lick his face. He settled down on the door-mat when the boys -went in for the night, and the last thing they saw was his face looking -in at them through the screen, his eyes reproachful and sad at being -left out. - -And when they came down at six in the morning, he was still there! At -sight of Bennie, he emitted a glad yelp and began scratching at the -door. - -“Say, that pup is certainly fond of me,” Bennie said, going out and -petting it. “Can’t I take him along, Uncle Billy?” - -“Not a chance,” the doctor answered. “We’ve got troubles enough. -Besides, he probably belongs to somebody here in Bend. He’ll go home -when we’ve gone.” - -When they were putting the last of the baggage into the cars in front of -the hotel the dog leaped into the doctor’s car and sat on the driver’s -seat, wagging his tail furiously, as much as to say, “Well, well, I’m -all ready to start; hurry up!” - -He had to be put out three times before the cars were ready. When the -order came to start, Bennie hugged him hard, while the pup licked at his -face. - -“Good-bye, you little mutt, you,” said he. “If my uncle wasn’t a -flinty-hearted old thing, we’d take you along.” - -Then Bennie climbed over into the car, and they were off for Mount -Jefferson. They ran north out of Bend, and then turned west, toward the -distant mountains. In the early morning light, clear as a bell, they -could see the snow-clad peaks rising against the sky, all the way from -the Three Sisters in front of them to Mount Hood, a hundred miles to the -north. More than fifty miles away, northwestward, rose the sharp, -glittering white pyramid of Mount Jefferson, their objective. It was -their first sight of it, and the doctor slowed down the car so they -could have a good look. - -And as he did so, they heard a little yip beside the car—and there was -the pup, his tongue hanging out, his chest heaving, but his eyes fixed -on Bennie in triumph! - -“Oh, Uncle Billy, the poor little mutt!” Bennie cried. “Some speed, I’ll -say. He’s going to follow us till he runs his head off. Can’t I take him -in?” - -The words were hardly out of his mouth, and the doctor had no time to -reply, before the pup, with one spring, landed in Bennie’s lap. - -“Looks as if you _had_ taken him in,” the doctor grinned. “Well, let him -stay now. But you’ll have to feed him out of your own rations. We can’t -pack food for a dog.” - -The dog, with wiggles of his tail and body that expressed his joy as -plainly as any words could, snuggled down in Bennie’s lap and tried to -lick him. - -“What are you going to name him?” Dumplin’ called out from the other -car. - -“I guess his name is Mutt,” Bennie laughed. - -“Seeing’s how we are going to Jefferson, better call him Jeff,” Dumplin’ -retorted. - -“Jeff it is,” Bennie answered, grinning at the joke. “Good old Jeff! I -bet he’s a good dog. I bet he can round up a flock of sheep. I’m going -to take him home when we go.” - -“How pleased your mother will be,” said his uncle. - -The cars started up again now, and they rode for almost fifty miles -northwestward, getting presently into the yellow pine forests and then -the foot-hills, so that Jefferson disappeared entirely from view. At -last the doctor turned his car down a side road, and stopped in front of -a small house, all by itself in a forest clearing beside a lovely little -river. Opposite this house was a barn, and in the barnyard was a herd of -horses. - -“Allingham Ranger Station! All out! Far as we go!” cried the doctor. -“Hello, Norman!” - -This last he shouted to a stocky young man, in khaki riding breeches and -leather leggings, who was standing by the barn. - -Norman was to be their guide. The horses were his. With him he had two -more men, one to take care of the horses and one to cook. That made -eight saddle horses needed for the party. There were eight more pack -horses to carry the luggage. Although it was only 9:30 o’clock, it took -them till almost one to get the cars unloaded, and the tents, dunnage -bags, sleeping bags, provisions, cameras, alpenstocks, and so on, packed -on the eight horses. Bennie and Spider were of little use in this -packing process, because they knew nothing about it. They brought the -stuff to be packed to Norman and his two helpers, and watched them stow -it across the pack saddles, stretch a canvas over, and then throw a long -rope over the heap and under the horse’s belly, back and forth several -times, till, when it was finally hauled taut and tied, it made a large -diamond-shaped design of the load, and held it firmly on. - -“Say, that’s a complicated process,” said Spider. “I can tie most knots -after I’ve seen somebody do it, but I couldn’t do that.” - -“It takes some practice to throw a diamond hitch,” Norman laughed. -“Well, let’s saddle our old cayuses now.” - -The eight riding horses were saddled, the boys each attending to his own -nag. But Norman inspected the saddles before they mounted, and tightened -the girths. - -“Now, adjust your stirrups,” he said. “Don’t have them too short. Two -fingers between you and the saddle when you stand up is enough. We’re -not going to ride in Central Park this afternoon.” - -“Where are we going to ride, by the way?” the doctor asked. “Any chance -of getting into Jefferson Park?” - -“Not a chance,” said Norman. “We can’t even get in to Hunt’s Cove -direct, as I ’phoned you. We’ve got to detour around by Marion Lake. Too -much snow.” - -“Hope he knows where all those places are,” whispered Bennie. - -“But can we climb Jefferson from Hunt’s Cove?” the doctor asked. “Has -anybody ever done it?” - -“Never heard of anybody. But we can have a look.” - -“Why can’t you climb it from Hunt’s Cove—wherever that is?” Bennie -asked. - -“Maybe you can,” Norman replied. “But it’s no picnic. Wait till you -see.” - -“Well, I’ve been hearing about all this snow,” Bennie grinned, wiping -the sweat from his forehead, “for two days. I’d like to see some right -now.” - -“Give us time,” Norman smiled. “And now we’re off. We’ve got fifteen -miles to make before dark.” - -“But how about lunch?” Dumplin’ suddenly demanded. - -“Marion Lake before dark!” Norman answered. “No lunch.” - -Dumplin’ groaned. - -“It’ll help you reduce, Dump,” Bennie taunted. “Gidup, Dobbin! Oh, gee, -where’s poor little Jeff?” And he began to whistle. - -Jeff appeared with a loud yelp from the side of the stream, where he had -evidently been cooling himself. Shaking off the water, he dashed ahead -of the procession of sixteen horses, barking madly, and the march for -Jefferson began. - -The trail lay through a thick yellow pine forest. This was a United -States government forest, so that the fire had been kept out and the -little pines were everywhere coming up under the old ones, much to -Spider’s delight. But the trail itself was dry and dusty, and their -noses soon smarted, their throats were dry. With the loaded pack horses, -they could not trot, but plodded on in single file, the dust rising in -clouds behind them. - -They had been traveling perhaps an hour when Norman, riding ahead, -suddenly pulled up his horse, and Bennie, just behind him, saw him -sniff. - -“What’s the matter?” the scout asked. - -“I smell smoke,” Norman answered. Then he looked at the dust cloud -behind to see which way it was moving. - -“We are going into the wind. Must be ahead,” he said. “You come on with -me. Let your uncle lead the train.” - -He kicked his horse and dashed up the trail. Bennie kicked his horse, -and dashed after him, not at all sure that he could keep his saddle. -Strangely enough, though, he found it easier to gallop than to trot, and -found himself falling into the motion of the horse. - -A quarter of a mile up the trail the smell of smoke was plain. Over a -knoll they dashed, and they saw smoke in the forest ahead. A moment -later they heard the crackle, and then they were on the fire. It was a -small one as yet, evidently just under way, but it was licking savagely -into the small trees and the dead stuff, all dry as tinder or else full -of inflammable pitch. And the flames were moving toward them! - -Norman wheeled. “Go back!” he yelled. “Stop the train where it is, and -tell Joe to stay with the horses while the rest bring up all the axes, -and that camp spade in my pack. Then you go back as fast as you can to -the Ranger Station and tell the ranger. If he isn’t there, find him!” - -Bennie wheeled his horse, and dashed back. He gave the message to the -rest, and kept on. Both he and his horse were panting, drenched with -sweat and thick with dust, when he reached the Ranger Station again. The -ranger was there, as good luck would have it. While Bennie watered his -horse, he telephoned for help; then he saddled and galloped up the -trail, with Bennie behind him, but some way behind, for Bennie’s horse -was getting weary. - -When Bennie reached the pack train, Joe, the cook, had all the horses -lined up facing back toward the station, ready to retreat if the fire -came nearer. Everybody else had gone to fight the flames. So Bennie left -his horse, too, and with stiff, aching legs, ran up the trail. As he -drew near the scene, he could see, between him and the flames that were -still confined to the smaller trees and the stuff on the forest floor, -five men and two boys working like mad. Norman was digging a little -ditch, while the rest, with axes and scout hatchets, were chopping down -the small trees to make an open lane several feet wide. They had this -lane and ditch cut across the direct path of the fire, and were swinging -it around on each end, as if they were going to enclose the flames in a -big ring. Bennie grabbed a hatchet, and went madly to work with the -rest. - -Nobody was wasting any breath talking. The fire was coming nearer all -the time, and the nearer it came the hotter they grew. But when, in the -centre, it reached the lane and ditch—and stopped, they gave a loud -cheer, and worked all the harder to get around the two sides before it -could spread out. - -“If only the wind won’t change!” the ranger did say, breathlessly, and -then stooped to his work. - -It is doubtful if they could have outflanked the fire, however, with -only eight pairs of hands, if help had not arrived. Half a dozen men -came galloping up, their horses rearing and snorting at sight of the -flames, and leaped off with spades and axes. With this new, fresh help, -the fire was outflanked on the two sides, and as it moved more slowly -back against the slight wind, they were able to get it under control. - -When the danger was over, they paused, wiped their hot, dripping, dirty -faces, and looked at the burned area. - -It was hardly more than an acre in extent, but an acre, as Bennie said, -is quite enough to dig a ditch around in a hurry, without proper tools. - -“Thank the Lord it’s no more,” the ranger declared. “If you hadn’t -spotted it when you did, it would have worked down into those thicker -pines over the knoll, and then we’d have been in for a real overhead -fire, and no mistake. Once in there it would jump up into the big -fellows.” - -“What I want to know is, what started it?” said Mr. Stone. - -“Party went in ahead of you this morning, to fish at Marion Lake,” said -the ranger. “Cigarette, probably. Idiots! Snoop around there, Norman, -and see what you can discover tonight. I’ll be over in the morning -myself. I want to stick by here tonight and make sure this doesn’t blow -up again. Well, boys, Uncle Sam is grateful to you, all right!” - -They went back to the pack train, and then resumed their journey, -crossing the black, smoking patch of the fire, and waving good-bye to -the ranger and his helpers. - -“Well, there are two precious hours gone,” Norman growled. “We’ll have -to make camp in the dark.” - -“But we stopped a bad fire,” said Bennie. “Aren’t you glad?” - -“Sure, I’m glad. But I hate to camp in the dark. Get up!” - -He kicked his horse, and all the train behind picked up to a faster -pace. They didn’t hold it long, though, for the trail began to go -up-hill presently, and the character of the forest to change. Instead of -the big yellow pines, the path rose into a forest of smaller trees of -many kinds, and shrubs, too. Spider did his best to pull off specimens -of the foliage or needles as he rode past, so he could identify them. -The guide would not let them stop. - -Even at the top of the pass they were still in the forest, and could get -no outlook. But as the trail grew level again, on the pass, they ran -into snow-drifts and pools of water just melted. It was the first sign -of anything cool that day. Over the pass the trail began to descend into -a wild forest of big evergreens, and for the next few weary miles -Bennie, for one, had little idea of where they went. He was dizzy from -lack of food and his exertions in the heat, and he was so saddle sore -that he had to keep shifting his weight to try to ease the stiffness. -His bones and his head both ached. It was getting dark in the forest, -too, whenever they had to go down into the bottom of a ravine. Nobody -was saying a word, except, the horse rustler, who kept yelling at the -pack horses to make them hurry. - -At last, when it seemed as if he couldn’t stand his saddle another -minute, and when it was so dark in the deep, damp woods that Norman was -almost invisible at the head of the train, they heard him call, “Turn -left,” and followed him down a side trail, so dim they would never have -detected it in the dark. - -A moment later there was light ahead, and they were on the shore of -Marion Lake! The woods went right down to the water. There was no beach. -The lake itself was a good-sized pond, perhaps a mile long, and across -it rose up the snow-draped, needle-pointed spires of Three Fingered -Jack, nearly 8,000 feet high. Nobody looked at the view, however; there -was no time. The boys got out the tents and sleeping bags, the cook set -up the stove and prepared food by lantern light. The doctor and Mr. -Stone rustled wood. Norman and the helper took the horses off in the -darkness to find a bit of open pasturage if they could. For half an -hour, weary as they were, everybody worked like mad. And then, dirty as -they were, they all rushed to the stove at the cry of “Come and get it!” - -“I was never so hungry in my life,” Bennie said. - -“I ain’t hungry any more,” Dumplin’ replied. “I was three hours ago, but -now I’m past caring. I’m just a vacuum.” - -“Stomach or head?” his father asked. - -The food had been cooked in a hurry, but nobody cared. Eating by lantern -light and the glow from the stove door, they gobbled the bacon and -swallowed the coffee in eager gulps. - -“Glad Ma can’t see my table manners now!” Spider remarked, his mouth -full. - -When the meal was over Norman went off again through the trees to see if -he could find the camp of the fishermen who possibly set the fire, and -the rest lay on their backs by the water, discussing the exciting day. -Norman came back to report that three men were camping around a -headland, and he suspected one of them must have thrown away a -cigarette, though they denied it. - -“And to think,” said the doctor, “that if we hadn’t come along, the fire -might have got a headway and burned thousands of acres, just because one -man didn’t have sense enough not to throw a cigarette butt into the -brush! Some folks ought not to be allowed in the woods.” - -“Well, me for a bath and bed,” said Mr. Stone. “I don’t know which I -need more.” - -The full moon was rising behind Three Fingered Jack when they all jumped -into the lake, which was surprisingly shallow near shore, and had a good -bath. Then they climbed wearily into their tents, and in two minutes -they were in bed. But no sooner had they got snuggled down in the dark -than there came a yell from the doctor. - -“Here, get up, Bennie, and take that pup out of here! He’s licking my -face!” - -“Oh, gee, he’s all wet, and he’s shaking himself on me,” from Spider. - -“Aw, let him sleep at my feet, Uncle Billy,” from Bennie. - -“No, sir; he’ll hunt fleas in the night. I want a good sleep. You get up -and take him outside!” - -So poor Bennie got stiffly up again, and led Jeff out of the tent, -making him a little bed out of a canvas pack cover by the flap. Jeff -curled up contentedly, with a good-night lick and whimper, and Bennie -went back. - -Already he could hear Spider breathing hard, and in one minute he, too, -had dropped off like a soldier after a battle. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - The Pack Train Has to Toboggan Into Hunt’s Cove, and Bennie Puts - “Action” Into It - - -The next morning Bennie expected to be sore and stiff, but somehow he -wasn’t. He felt fine. The day began at sun-up with a plunge in the lake, -and then an early start, because the horses hadn’t had enough to eat, -and Norman wanted to get to pasturage. It was a wonderful day for -Spider. They were now on the western side of the Cascade Divide, the -side on which the rain and snow falls all winter, so that the woods, -instead of being dry, were as rich and dark and damp as an Adirondack -forest. The yellow pines had vanished, but in their place were great -cedars, and stands of Douglas fir trees bigger even than those on the -way to Crater Lake. About the middle of the morning they picked their -way down a steep, broken, rocky trail into a cañon, and at the bottom -they rode for a long way through a forest of fir trees so big that when -anybody rode around one, both horse and rider vanished from sight! These -trees rose 150 feet without a limb, straight as masts, and they were -over 200 feet tall. - -“Some shrubs!” cried Bennie. “My neck’s nearly broken trying to see the -tops of ’em.” - -“How’d you like to shin up one, Bennie?” Mr. Stone called. - -“I’d rather shin up it than saw it into wood for the stove,” Bennie -answered. - -“Who owns these trees?” asked Spider. - -“Your Uncle Sam,” Norman called back. - -“I’m glad of that. I hope they’re never cut down. I wish everybody in -America could see them, and know what trees are!” - -“A lot of people in America would think they were dead before they could -get here,” Uncle Billy laughed. “We are some ways from civilization, -Spider.” - -At noon they came to a natural meadow, and pastured the horses for two -hours, while they themselves ate lunch. Then they pushed on. Late in the -afternoon, when the boys were getting saddle sore and weary again, and -everybody was hot and sweaty, Norman suddenly turned up the side of the -cañon, by a dim trail through the bushes (there were few trees on this -slope, due to an old fire). The trail was very steep, the horses sweated -and panted, the pack horses had to be tugged and driven. For an hour -they climbed, with frequent rests for breath, until the forests lay -below them and the tumbled cañons, and they came into an open pasture -near sunset time, a pasture full of glorious red and blue wild flowers -and rich grass. They crossed this toward the east, still climbing, and -suddenly came up over a crest into a second pasture, which was even -fuller of flowers, and was the top of the mountain they had been -climbing. But that wasn’t what made them pull up their horses and shout. - -What made them do that was what they saw apparently only two or three -miles eastward—the great white pyramid of Mount Jefferson, covered with -cold, glittering snow, rising up and up against the sky, its summit -needle flushed pink with sunset! It was a beautiful sight, but it was a -tremendous sight, too. The mountain looked immense, terrific. - -Bennie sobered after his first shout. - -“Do you mean to say we are going to climb _that_?” he demanded. - -“Surely,” his uncle smiled. - -Bennie, for once, made no reply whatever. - -They went into camp immediately, above a big, fine spring on a slope of -the meadow, which is called Minto Pasture. The horses were unsaddled and -unloaded, hobbled, and sent out to graze their fill. Tents were strung -between some trees on the edge of the big natural clearing. Dry wood was -gathered, and supper got under way. They were more than 5,000 feet up -here, and the minute the sun set it grew very cold, with a strong, -bitter wind blowing down from the snow-draped mountain. There were -snow-drifts in the woods beyond the spring. Everybody got into sweaters, -and huddled around the boiling coffee-pot. Even Jeff snuggled up close -to Bennie—but that might have been because he was hungry and was looking -for food. - -He got the scrapings from all the dishes, and the last batch of -pancakes, which nobody else had room for, and then went bounding off -again, barking and wheeling amid the grass and flowers. - -“Great dog, that!” Bennie declared. - -“Well, here come some cattle. Let’s see how good a dog he is,” Norman -grinned, pointing up the pasture. - -Sure enough, a herd of cattle, turned out to range wild during the -summer, was breaking out of the woods. - -“They’ll be around all night, and walk all over camp, and get into the -spring, if we don’t chase ’em off,” Norman went on. “Sic your sheep dog -on ’em, Bennie.” - -Bennie whistled to Jeff, and then pointed to the cattle. - -“Sic ’em, Jeff! Drive ’em away!” he said. - -Jeff gave a yelp, jumped madly around in a circle—and then ran barking -loudly directly toward a bird sitting in a low tree, singing its evening -song! - -“Yes, that’s a great dog,” remarked Uncle Billy. - -“He certainly knows how to herd up cattle,” Norman added. - -“Maybe he’s a bird dog, Bennie,” said Spider. - -“I know what he is,” Dumplin’ grinned. “He’s a Chickadee hound!” - -“Aw, you make me sick,” Bennie retorted. “Just ’cause he’s a pup, and -hasn’t been trained yet. Come here, Jeff. Bite ’em!” - -Jeff came back, as proudly as if he had herded the cattle instead of -scaring one small bird, and once more he had to be put out of the tent, -after everybody had got nicely to sleep. - -The next morning the thermometer, which the doctor carried in a case -with his aneroid barometer, registered only 38° at five o’clock. -Everybody was glad to pile out and hustle around striking camp, to get -warmed up for breakfast. - -“Now, gentlemen, we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Norman, when -they were ready to start. “Everything has been a picnic so far, but now -we are going to run into the snow. I don’t know whether we can make -Hunt’s Cove or not. It will depend on how good sports you are.” - -“If the last two days have been a picnic, I don’t know whether I want to -see your idea of working,” said Bennie. - -“Afraid?” - -“Afraid, your grandmother. But I sure am sorry for poor old Dobbin,” -Bennie retorted. - -Old Jefferson, which looked so near, wasn’t so near as it looked, of -course. Mountains never are. They descended gradually from Minto -Pasture, through a “ghost forest” for two or three miles. A ghost forest -is a forest which has been burned, without consuming the standing -trunks. There the trees stood, thousands of them, but ghostly gray and -dead—not a live branch, not a needle. Beyond this forest, they came out -on a great plateau three miles wide, which was bare of everything except -low bushes, wild flowers, a few snow-drifts and lava heaps, and a tiny -brown tarn of water. The fire had done its work thoroughly here. - -“Grizzly Flats, they call this,” Norman said. “But I guess it’s been a -long time since any grizzlies were seen here.” - -“What a fire this must have been!” Spider was saying, when Bennie -suddenly cried, “Sh!” - -“What is it?” - -“Somebody’s following us over the trail on a motorcycle,” he answered. -“Don’t you hear?” - -It certainly sounded that way. Far off they heard the roaring buzz of an -unmuffled engine. - -“An aeroplane!” Spider exclaimed. - -They halted, listening and watching. A moment later, flying fairly low, -the plane came over Minto Mountain behind them, and swept toward Grizzly -Flats. As if he saw them, and wanted to tell them so, the aviator -swooped a bit over their heads, then rose again, banked against the -white wall of Jefferson, and swung off to the north. - -“_What_ is he doing here?” the boys exclaimed. - -“It’s one of the new aeroplane forest patrol,” Norman said. “They go out -every day now, in the dry season, to spot fires. We haven’t had a bad -fire—not one of the old-fashioned big blazes, since they started in. -They can get up and see into all the cañons, everywhere, every day, and -get back with the tip in no time.” - -“But what would they do if they had to land?” asked Spider. - -“I guess it’s up to them not to have to land,” Norman answered. “I don’t -want the job—but it’s a great work, just the same.” - -“Well, I’ll say war isn’t the only risky thing,” put in Bennie. “That -guy ought to have a medal for flying over this country every day.” - -The plane had disappeared. They pushed on, and soon found themselves at -the edge of Grizzly Flats. Right below them the land dropped at an angle -of fifty or sixty degrees for a thousand feet, into a deep hole. -Directly across this hole it went up again, and up and up and up, for -the other side was Mount Jefferson. They were only a mile from the wall -of the mountain, but for all they could see, they might as well have -been a hundred miles. It looked quite impossible to take horses down -that slope. To the right and left were dense woods which the fire hadn’t -burned, and these woods were full of snow. The hole below them, called -Hunt’s Cove, was carpeted with snow. The great pyramid of Jefferson -opposite them was blinding white with snow. - -“You wait here,” said Norman, “while I prospect.” - -He went off to the south, into the woods, and they saw his horse -climbing up over the drifts. Uncle Billy got out his field-glasses, lay -on his stomach with his elbows firmly on the ground at the rim of the -precipice, and began a long, careful study of the slopes of Mount -Jefferson. He was very grave about it, and didn’t say a word, except now -and then in a low voice to Dumplin’s father. The three boys wandered -along the rim, wondering how Norman was going to find a way down. They -couldn’t see any trace of a trail. Wherever the slope was enough off the -perpendicular to hold a trail, it was covered with snow. - -Norman didn’t return for nearly an hour. When he finally came back, he -said, “Well, I think I’ve found a way, if you care to risk it. I’ll risk -the horses.” - -“As bad as that, eh?” the doctor replied. “Well, if you’ll try it, we -will. I think I’ve found a way up the mountain, too, though I don’t like -the looks of certain rock slides down that big west snow-field.” - -“But why do we go on the big west snow-field?” the boys asked. “Looks as -if we could just go right up the southwest shoulder.” - -“Look sharp at the summit pinnacle, Bennie,” the doctor said, handing -him the glasses. - -Bennie looked. All he said was “Wow!” and passed them to Dumplin’. - -“Do we climb _that_?” Dumplin’ demanded. - -“We do, if we get to the top of Jefferson,” the doctor answered. “You -see, that top peak, or pinnacle, is absolutely straight up and down. -It’s just a slab of lava set up on edge and covered with snow and ice. -The only place it can possibly be climbed is on the northern end, so -we’ve got to get around to the northern end. My plan is to go up from -Hunt’s Cove by the southwest spur to the 7,000-foot level, where the -permanent snow begins, then traverse the big west snow-field and get up -on that first northwest shoulder, which apparently leads us right up to -the north end of the pinnacle. It looks possible. Well, Norman, we’re -ready.” - -Norman led the way southward into the woods at the rim of the Cove. As -soon as they were in the deep shadows of the evergreens, they were on -snow, and deep snow. Some drifts were still as much as ten feet deep, -and so hard that the horses barely sank over their hoofs. - -“The trail is somewhere underneath us,” Norman called back. - -He traveled for almost a mile above the rim, and then led the way over. -By zigzagging through the woods, on the steeply pitched snow, they were -able to ride about half the way down. Then he called for them all to -dismount. - -“Want to get a good motion picture, Mr. Stone?” he asked. - -“Sure.” - -The big camera was unpacked, and Norman and Mr. Stone disappeared with -it, down the steep pitch ahead. Ten minutes later Norman came back. - -“Now,” said he, “each man lead his horse. Keep as far away from him as -you can, and jump fast, or he’ll step on you. Go in single file, and Joe -and Bill you go last and drive the pack horses ahead of you. Come -on—follow me.” - -They pitched down a few feet through the evergreens, and came to the top -of a long, straight, open chute, like a ski run cut in the woods, -covered deep with snow, and descending 500 feet to the very bottom of -Hunt’s Cove. It was evidently the path of an old landslide. Part way -down, at one side, Mr. Stone had set up his camera, and was ready to -shoot them as they went past him. - -“Ready? Go!” cried Norman, and over the edge he went, dragging his -horse. - -Bennie followed, and Spider and Dumplin’ and the doctor, and the pack -horses, and the rest, in single file. Two jumps, and you were speeding -up. Three jumps, and the horses were going ten feet at a plunge, -snorting and slipping and sometimes going through the snow to their -bellies, and the boys, ahead of them, were leaping from side to side -madly to keep out of the way of their iron-shod, plunging hoofs. - -As he passed the camera, Bennie heard the crank grinding, and the -laughing voice of Mr. Stone crying, “More action, Bennie!” - -Bennie was about to make some reply, when his foot slipped, and he -turned a superb somersault, and only was stopped from rolling the rest -of the way to the bottom because he kept hold of his horse’s bridle. - -It was all over in two minutes, but it was certainly lively while it -lasted. Then all the horses, their legs wet, shivering and trembling -with nervousness, stood huddled at the foot of the chute, and Mr. Stone -was seen descending with his camera. Bennie sprang back up the slope to -get the tripod. - -“Say, that beats skiing!” he cried, “and I sure got some more action for -you, Mr. Stone.” - -“You did,” the man laughed. “You did! That was the best action picture I -ever took.” - -They found at the bottom of Hunt’s Cove a small open meadow, boggy now -with melted snow and full of white cowslips and running brooks, but -full, also, of fresh grass for the horses, and all around the meadow -deep forests of fir trees and deep drifts. Among the trees, beside a -rushing stream of ice cold water, and in a dry place between drifts, -they pitched their tents. - -There was no danger of a fire spreading here, with the snow all around, -so they built a roaring camp fire between the tents, and while the -dinner was being cooked the doctor got from his pack a box of spikes, -and they began to fix their shoes for the climb. - -Uncle Billy fixed his first, to show them how. As the heavy soles of his -boots were already studded thick with sharp hobs, he didn’t have to put -in any short spikes. But into each sole, with the help of a key wrench, -he screwed eight sharp steel spikes more than an inch long, and four -more into each heel. - -“I’d hate to be catching when you tried to slide for home,” Bennie said. -“Those are wicked looking hoofs!” - -“Now make yours just as wicked. And be sure you get the spikes in -straight and firm,” his uncle answered. “Everything on this trip so far -has been a mere picnic to what we are going to get tomorrow. It’s not -only going to be the hardest work you ever did in your life, but the -most dangerous. We can’t have anything wrong with our equipment.” - -Everybody who didn’t already have plenty of sharp hobs in his boots also -screwed in a large number of short steel spikes, in addition to the long -ones. Then all the shoes were freshly oiled, to make them as nearly -water-proof as possible, and Uncle Billy got out the amber goggles, to -see if they were unbroken. He also produced a stick of grease paint. - -“What’s that for? Are we going to act in a play?” Dumplin’ asked. - -“No, but we are going to paint our faces, just the same. You’ll be glad -enough of this stick before the sun sets tomorrow.” - -After supper the cook made ready six small packages of lunch, for Norman -was going to make the climb, too, and the doctor wound up his alarm -clock. - -“Bed, boys!” he ordered. - -“Oh, no, not yet!” - -“Who’s captain here? Bed, I said! We get up at three o’clock sharp -tomorrow morning.” - -“Say, it’s worse than a bear hunt,” Dumplin’ groaned. - -“You’ll think it is, by the time we get back to camp tomorrow night,” -the doctor smiled. “I have a hunch that even Bennie is going to get -enough exercise, for once.” - -“Ho,” said Bennie, “Uncle Billy’s trying to scare us! Can I take Jeff -along, Uncle, up his own mountain?” - -“It might be a good way to get rid of him,” the doctor answered. “But if -you _don’t_ want to get rid of him, I advise you to tie him up in camp.” - -“I wonder if Uncle Billy is trying to scare us?” Bennie whispered to -Spider as they got ready for bed. “Don’t seem as if the old mountain was -so bad as all that.” - -Spider was very sober. “I had a good look at it through the glasses -yesterday,” he replied. “I don’t mind saying right now that it’s got me -scared. Remember those pictures in the book at home?” - -“You mean the old Spitzes, and things? Sure!” - -“Well, we’re going to get some of that stuff ourselves tomorrow.” - -“Hooray!” said Bennie. “The real thing beats a book.” - -But he began to think of the pictures as he was going to sleep, pictures -of men clinging to precipices with awful depths below them, and in his -dreams he was falling, falling, falling—— - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - The First Attempt at Jefferson—Dumplin’ Almost Falls to Death—the - Hardest Work the Boys Ever Did - - -He was falling into a terrible black cañon where there was a loud noise -of whirling water—and he woke to hear the alarm clock buzzing. The grip -of the bad dream was still on him, and he was shivering a little, as -Uncle Billy got up and lit the lantern in the tent. It was pitch dark in -the woods outside, and still as death. But as they dressed, the three -could hear Mr. Stone and Dumplin’ dressing in their tent, and then the -sound of the cook starting the breakfast fire. Those who were to make -the climb put on light shoes, for they were going to use the horses as -far as timber line. They came out of the tents wearing their heavy -sweaters, for it was bitterly cold, and washing by the brook was a very -sketchy job. Nobody even suggested a bath. - -While breakfast was cooking, they huddled around the stove. Meanwhile -the horse rustler had gone up into the open meadow to round up six -saddle horses. He was bringing them back as they ate their bacon and -drank their coffee by lantern light, still huddled around the stove. As -soon as the horses were saddled, each member of the party put his lunch -into his pack, slung a canteen over his shoulder, tied his climbing -boots over the saddle horn, took his alpenstock in his hand, like a -lance, made sure he also had his colored goggles, and mounted. - -“I feel like Sir Launcelot,” cried Dumplin’, tipping his alpenstock -forward, like a knight about to tilt. - -“I’d hate to tell you what you _look_ like,” Bennie laughed. “Did Sir -Launcelot carry his boots on his saddle?” - -Bennie was the last one into the saddle, because he had to catch Jeff -and tie him up. “Don’t let him loose till we’ve been gone a couple of -hours,” he called back to the cook. “Don’t want him to follow us and -break his neck.” - -The sleepy cook grunted, and Jeff whined and moaned and tugged at his -improvised rope collar, as Bennie patted him good-bye and climbed into -the saddle. - -It was still dark in the woods as they moved out of camp, but out in the -open meadow of the cove there was a kind of gray daylight. Norman and -the doctor led the way, putting the horses across the creek, and heading -them for the steep side wall opposite the chute they had descended the -day before. - -This wall, when they came to it, was not so steep, however, as the -chute. It had once been burned over, too, so that there was no timber -except some dead, fallen stuff, and no snow. They zigzagged up it -quickly, and at the top, looking over a two-mile gentler slope of low -forest, they saw again the snow-white cone of the mountain rising up -against the sky—or, rather, they half saw it, for the white clouds were -swirling around it. - -“They’ll lift with the sun,” said Norman. “Don’t worry.” - -For the next hour, the horses plodded upward, over deep, hard snow, -packed in huge drifts under the evergreen trees, which got smaller and -smaller as they approached timber line. What had looked like an easy -slope from below turned out to be full of short but steep pitches, over -lava ledges, and if it had not been for the snow they could hardly have -taken the horses up without endless zigzagging. - -It was bright morning when they reached timber line, on the southwestern -shoulder of the mountain, but as yet the sun had not reached them, of -course, being cut off by the great bulk of the cone. They tied the -horses to the last little trees, where the poor creatures would have to -stay, without food or water, till night. Then they put on their heavy, -spiked boots, shouldered their packs, canteens and cameras, the doctor -with his coil of alpine rope, and set out for the summit above them, -around which the clouds were scudding at a tremendous pace, driven by a -strong west wind. - -“How high up are we now?” Spider asked. - -“About 7,000 feet, I should guess,” the doctor answered. - -“Then we’ve got about 3,500 feet to climb,” Spider reckoned. “That’s not -as much as Mount Washington from Bretton Woods or the Crawford House. -You climb 4,200 there.” - -“It’s 700 feet less,” said Bennie. “Gee, I’m good at arithmetic.” - -“The only difference being that this is the second hardest snow climb in -the United States (excluding Alaska, of course), and we are tackling it -by a route which, so far as I know, nobody has ever tried before,” the -doctor smiled. - -“What’s the hardest?” Bennie asked. - -“The north side of Mount Baker in Washington, up the Roosevelt Glacier,” -his uncle answered. - -“You been up there?” - -“Yes.” - -“Gee, I’d like to!” - -“Suppose you do this one first,” said his uncle, “and suppose you follow -me, instead of racing ahead.” - -Bennie fell back into line. - -They had reached a long, upward-stretching snow-field now, which the -doctor said was the foot of permanent snow. It never melted entirely -away. It was frozen now so hard that it held them up, and the long -spikes were needed, or they would have slipped. They had to jam their -alpenstocks hard down to set them into it. It led upward for a quarter -of a mile or so, to a spine of broken, naked lava. As they climbed this -slope, they could look back into the hole of Hunt’s Cove—or they could -look where the cove was. They could only see it by flashes, as it were, -because whole seas of billowing white clouds were driving in over Minto -Mountain, crossing above the cove, and hitting Jefferson just below -them. As these clouds hit, they seemed to get thinner, slid right up the -snow slope past the climbers, like white snow, and blew off into blue -space over the peak. - -Spider, who was watching them slide up the snow-fields, suddenly cried, -“Look! Look at the summit!” - -Everybody looked upward. The sun had evidently risen now, and as the -clouds reached the top of the mountain they ran into its rays. The angle -was just right to refract the rays down to the climbers, and the result -was that the summit peak of the mountain was haloed with a beautiful -rainbow. This rainbow lasted for ten minutes or more, and then the sun -got too high, and it disappeared. - -By the time they reached the lava spine, the clouds were thinner, and -the wind had died down. They were warmed up with climbing, too, and took -off their sweaters. The doctor got out the rope, and proceeded to make -six loops in it, tied with knots which couldn’t slip. The loops were -about fifteen or twenty feet apart. He put the first loop under his own -arms; then came Bennie, then Dumplin’, then Mr. Stone, then Spider, and -last of all, Norman. Everybody then covered his face with grease paint, -putting it especially thick on noses and lips, and donned colored -goggles. - -Then the doctor spoke. “Now, boys,” he said, “from this point on you -must obey orders quickly and without question. You must do exactly what -I tell you to, and nothing else. There are two things to remember, above -everything. Number one is this,—every second man on the rope must have -his stock driven in deep and firm, with a good grip on it, when the man -in front takes his stock out to make a step, and he mustn’t pull his -stock out of the snow till the man ahead has made the step and driven -_his_ stock in again. If you do that, you see, fifty per cent of us will -always be anchored, if anybody slips. If I find you cannot or will not -obey this rule, I’ll stop the climb at once. The second thing is:—never -let the rope get taut between you and the next man, so it can yank -either of you, and never let it get slack enough to trip anybody. Keep -it sagging, but not dragging. Now, all set!” - -Uncle Billy spoke sternly. The boys knew he meant what he said, and that -it was serious business ahead. They followed him carefully down the -north side of the lava spine, and found themselves on a steep slope of -pumice and fine conglomerate, like a mixture of gravel and wood ashes, -hung at such a sharp angle that it just did stay there, and that was -all. It hung at what is called the angle of repose. As Uncle Billy -started out across it, to get to the snow slope beyond, Bennie noticed -that every time he put his foot down, the stuff below him started -slipping a little. Bennie looked down the mountain to see what would -happen if they started a slide and all slipped. A hundred feet below the -snow began again, and ran down for a thousand feet or more, smooth as -glass, and ended at the top of a precipice! Below that, all he could see -was a hole! Something went flipflop in the pit of his stomach at the -sight, and he looked quickly away, just in time to see that if he didn’t -step out, the rope between his uncle and himself would be pulled taut. -So he had to walk ahead, on to the treacherous slope. It was exactly -like running tiddly-benders on thin ice, only instead of the danger of -going through into water was the danger of starting a landslide and -going down with it. You could feel with every step the sickening start -of the slide. - -However, everybody got across to the snow. - -“Well, I’m glad _that’s_ over!” exclaimed Mr. Stone. “That conglomerate -is hung exactly at the angle of repose. One degree more tilt, and she’d -slide off into the cañon. Where do we go from here?” - -The doctor pointed to the great west snow-field that lay between them -and a high shoulder, which extended toward the northwest. - -“We have to traverse that snow-field,” he said. - -Everybody looked at it. Between them and it were four or five little -snow slopes, each about a hundred yards wide, and separated by ridges of -broken lava fragments. The great west snow-field itself looked to be a -quarter of a mile wide, or even more. It was practically unbroken, -except for one island of lava near the middle, looked smooth as glass, -was tilted at an angle of more than forty-five degrees, and stretched -right up to the precipice of the summit pinnacle, and right down to the -top of the precipice which dropped to the cañon. If you slipped when you -were out on it, and started down, it was certain death. Bennie didn’t -need to be told a second time why fifty per cent of the climbers must -have their alpenstocks driven in at every step! - -The doctor now took his scout ax out of the sheath at his belt, and -stepped out on the first snow-field. Being on the western side of the -mountain the sun had not yet touched it, of course, and even when he -drove his boot down hard, he could not make enough of an impression for -a good footing. So, holding his stock in his right hand and driving it -deep into the snow at each stride, he leaned down and with the ax in his -left hand cut out a chunk of snow—one blow inward against the slope, and -a second downward. This took out the chunk in such a way that a very -small but level step was made. He reached as far ahead as he could, and -the steps were three feet apart. - -Bennie watched him carefully, glad not to look either up or down the -terrifying slope. While his uncle was cutting, with his stock driven in, -Bennie took a step behind him and drove his stock deep. Then he waited, -clinging to it, while the doctor pulled his stock out and moved one step -ahead. As the doctor cut and moved, cut and moved, Bennie discovered -that there was a regular rhythm to it, and the only way to keep this -rhythm unbroken was to pull your stock up at the right instant—that is, -when you saw the man ahead drive his in. If you delayed doing it, you -broke the rhythm. But to pull your stock up at the right instant wasn’t -so easy as it sounds. Once driven two feet deep into the packed snow, -the sharp point wedged there almost like a nail in wood. You had to pull -it out with one hand, and pull it out quickly, without stopping your -stride and above all without upsetting your balance on the tiny, icy -steps. It took muscle. It took a lot of muscle, and it strained your -back and shoulder. - -When they all were across the first snow slope, and were resting a -moment on the lava spine, Uncle Billy said, “Well, Bennie, how do you -like it so far? Getting any exercise yet?” - -“I always thought you climbed mountains with your legs,” Bennie -answered. “But I feel as if I was climbing with my back and shoulder. -Gosh, it’s hard work pulling that old alpenstock out!” - -“They say a good mountain climber is a combination of a weak head and a -strong back,” his uncle laughed. - -“Too bad, Bennie, your back isn’t very strong,” said Dumplin’. - -“Well, if your back is strong, you’ll be able to scale Mount Everest,” -Bennie retorted. - -They moved out now across the second small snow-field, and then the -third and fourth. They were working upward a little, as well as across, -and the summit precipices grew nearer. Bennie looked up once at those -cliffs towering almost over his head, absolutely precipitous and hung -with ice—and looked quickly down again. Jefferson hadn’t seemed very -hard to climb from a distance, but now that summit looked absolutely -impossible, and sure death if you tried it. He preferred to keep his -eyes on his uncle, who was methodically cutting steps across the frozen -snow. - -They rested a moment, and took a drink from the canteens, on the last -lava spine before they tackled the big snow-field. Uncle Billy looked -out across it with troubled eyes. - -“I don’t like those two chutes down the centre,” he said, pointing to a -couple of deep scars, like ditches, which started far up at the base of -the pinnacle cliffs, swept down the middle of the field, and only ended -at the top of the cañon wall far below. - -“Nothing coming down ’em now,” Norman said. “I don’t believe there will -be till the sun gets around this side. It’s coming down tonight that -we’ll be in danger.” - -“What has made them?” Spider asked. “They look like toboggan slides.” - -“That’s about what they are. They are made by big hunks of lava and ice -breaking off the pinnacle and sliding down, digging a chute as they go.” - -“How fast do the hunks travel?” asked Dumplin’. - -“Fast enough!” Norman laughed. - -But Dumplin’ didn’t laugh. He looked up that terrific incline to the -ice-capped summit precipices, and said, “Do we have to cross those -chutes?” - -“We do if we want to climb Jefferson,” the doctor answered. - -“Tell Mama I was a good boy,” Dumplin’ groaned. - -“Shut up!” said his father, sharply. “Uncle Billy knows what he’s -about.” - -Without further words, the doctor started out on to the big snow-field, -cutting steps as he went. Bennie followed, his arm and shoulder aching -now, his heart thumping a little in his chest as he thought of those -chutes ahead. When they reached the first one, it turned out to be about -six feet deep and eight feet wide. The sides were almost straight, and -the snow on the bottom was packed hard and smooth. - -His uncle beckoned Bennie up to him. - -“Drive in your stock,” he said, “and play me out on the rope. If we hear -anything coming, take up the slack, and haul me back to you.” - -He started cutting steps down the side, across the bottom, and up the -farther side. Nothing happened, and once across, he cut a good firm step -to brace his foot on, faced back toward the chute, told Dumplin’ to come -up to Bennie, and then he took up the slack of rope between himself and -Bennie, while Dumplin’ played out the rope behind. In this way, -everybody got across. - -“Well, that’s that,” said the doctor, with a sigh of relief. “Now for -the next one.” - -The next chute turned out to be just about the same size, and they -crossed it slowly and cautiously, by the same method. Again nothing -happened, and soon they were at the lava island, which turned out to be -much nearer the northwest shoulder than it had looked. Here they sank -down on some firm rock to rest, and while they rested, the sun peeped -over the shoulder of the mountain south of them, and almost instantly -the snow all around leaped into a blinding dazzle. The boys, who had -taken their colored glasses off, put them hurriedly on again. - -The doctor laughed. “Not much dust up here—the snow stays clean and -reflects the light,” he said. - -“Pretty soon you’ll be yelling for more grease paint, too.” - -When they started on again, it was boiling hot. In spite of the glasses, -their eyes began to smart, for the dazzle got in around the edges, and -their faces and necks to burn. - -“And now the real business is beginning,” the doctor said, heading -directly from the lava island to the base of the northwest shoulder. - -Bennie took one look at that shoulder, and cried, “Do we climb that?” - -“Sure thing.” - -“Well, if you say so, I suppose we do. But I’m no human fly.” - -Ahead of them was an unbroken wall of snow, the side of a vast drift -which had blown over the shoulder. It was about three hundred feet high, -and the angle couldn’t have been less than sixty-five degrees. If you -will tip a board or a ruler up to an angle of sixty-five degrees, and -then imagine that slope to be hard, icy snow crust, with a drop of two -or three thousand feet to the bottom of a cañon below you, you’ve got -some idea of what the climbers were up against. - -But the doctor went right ahead, cutting steps. He was chopping almost -opposite his face, the slope was so steep. Bennie, watching him, had to -tip his head way back, as you would to watch a man ahead of you on a -ladder. He kept his head tipped back, too. He tried one look -downward—and no more. All he saw was the top of Dumplin’s cap—and then -the white snow slope sliding away to the hole of the cañon. He swallowed -hard and bit his lips, which had already begun to swell and crack. - -“I will _not_ get scared,” he whispered to himself. “I will _not_ get -scared!” - -The dazzle of the snow was now right in their faces, because the slope -was so steep, and they could actually feel the reflected rays blister -their noses. Their eyes smarted, their lips were cracking. But nobody -had any time or chance to do anything about it. There was enough to do -without that. Every second man had to be absolutely sure his stock was -driven deep when the man above him took an upward step, and he had to -pull out his own stock and drive it in firmly on a level with his face -(no small muscular task) when it was his turn to take an upward step. -The doctor was cutting good, high steps, too, a couple of feet to a -rise. Bennie ached in every joint, and felt as if he were balancing on -the edge of eternity—as, indeed, he was! But he climbed grimly, -steadily, keeping the alternate rhythm with the doctor. - -There was no chance to rest here. For half an hour they crawled up. Mr. -Stone said he’d like a movie of it, but there didn’t seem to be any way -to take a movie of it. It wasn’t safe for anybody to get off the rope; -in fact, it would have been sheer recklessness. Bennie was never so glad -of anything in his life as he was of his uncle’s call, “The top!” He -scrambled up over the edge of a great drift, and found himself on a -narrow spine of snow and lava blocks, a spine leading straight up to the -northern end of the summit pinnacle. - -When the rest were over the rim, they took off the rope, and sat down to -rest on a lava platform. The wind had died down. It was calm and -cloudless now, and there wasn’t a sound in the world—not a whisper of -wind, not a bird song—nothing but the stillness of the everlasting -snows, and their own voices, which sounded strange up here, almost -startling. - -The doctor took out his instrument for measuring altitude, called an -aneroid barometer. It showed that they were over 9,000 feet. Their -watches told them it was one o’clock. - -“Wow, we’ve been climbing more’n nine hours since breakfast!” said -Bennie. “I wouldn’t have guessed it.” - -“Funny, I don’t feel very hungry,” said Dumplin’. - -“That is funny,” his father laughed. - -“It’s the funniest thing he ever said,” Bennie added. “Didn’t hear you -making many jokes coming up that old drift just now, Dump.” - -“You won’t hear me making _any_ jokes till we get down this mountain -again,” Dump replied. “Gee, my lips are all cracked, and my nose feels -as big as a house, and my back aches, and my eyes smart, and I haven’t -got any wind and—and——” - -He paused for breath. - -“But except for that you’re feeling fine, eh?” Uncle Billy smiled. -“Well, out with the lunches, everybody. We’ve got to eat and be on our -way. We ought to have got here by eleven o’clock. But maybe we can go -faster now. The snow is getting soft, and I won’t have to cut steps, and -the shoulder won’t be very steep.” - -They ate their lunches, huddled on the shady side of the lava block, to -keep out of the sun glare, put more grease paint on their lips, noses, -cheeks and necks, and set out again up the shoulder. The sun had been -shining up here for several hours, and the snow was softened. Their feet -sank ankle deep into it, in fact, and in a short distance it had soaked -through their boots so that their feet were wet and cold, while their -faces were burning. The pitch of the shoulder, too, turned out to be -much steeper than they had reckoned. Even the doctor and Norman were -fooled, old hands that they were at mountain climbing. It was so steep -that the doctor kept them roped, and it grew steeper as they toiled -slowly upward, like tiny black ants on the vast white expanse of the -mountain. It was almost three o’clock when they reached a big jagged -pyramid of lava which stuck up above the snow, just below the summit -pinnacle, and found a level spot in its lee. Here the doctor gathered -them together into a group, and pointed to the pinnacle, without at -first saying a word. - -Bennie looked up a forty-five degree slope of dazzling snow, frozen into -little wind ripples like desert sand, for two or three hundred feet, and -saw that slope end at the base of the pinnacle itself. The pinnacle, as -he could see only too plainly now, was a sheer precipice at every place -except the edge just above them. That edge—the north end, which the -shoulder they were climbing on led to, was just enough off the -perpendicular to make it a daring and desperate hazard. Even it, in some -places, looked perfectly straight up. And those places were not snow -covered, as Bennie could now see. They were just green, glistening ice! -The pinnacle rose thus for a full 300 feet, into the naked blue sky. - -Dumplin’ groaned. “I can’t do it,” he said. “Honest, Dad, I can’t do it! -I didn’t say anything, but I got dizzy back on the shoulder, and my -head’s aching now. Gosh, I don’t want to look at it!” - -He turned quickly away. Bennie started to laugh, but stopped himself -when he saw his uncle’s face. - -“Sit down, Dumplin’,” the doctor said kindly. “You won’t have to climb -it. Rest a bit, and don’t think about it. None of us is going to climb -it.” - -“Oh, why not?” Bennie exclaimed. “It doesn’t look to me as if anybody -_could_ climb it, but if they have, I guess we can, with you to lead us. -Gee, think of getting this far, and stopping!” - -“How long do you think it would take us to go from here to the top?” his -uncle asked. - -“Half an hour.” - -“An hour,” Spider amended. - -Norman laughed, and said nothing. - -“It would take nearly two hours up, from this point, and two hours -down,” said the doctor. “If you boys were all skilled climbers, and one -of you could cut the steps, we might do it in an hour and a half each -way. But I wouldn’t let even Norman cut the steps on that pinnacle—he’s -not done enough ice climbing. And I’m pretty well fagged already. -Besides, it’s three o’clock. If we didn’t get back to this spot till -seven, where do you think we’d spend the night? Want to spend it up on -these snow-fields, with soaked shoes, and no food, no fire and no -blankets?” - -“No, and I don’t particularly want to go down that shoulder wall and -cross those chutes after dark, either,” Norman said. “It’ll be dark -before we get to the horses if we start back now.” - -“Give me one shot at the pinnacle, and I’m with you,” Mr. Stone said, -pointing his camera. - -Bennie and Spider turned reluctantly away. It seemed tough to get up -10,000 feet, almost to the very base of the summit pinnacle, and then -have to turn back. - -“It’s like being licked, when you still have a punch left,” Bennie said. - -“We were licked by daylight, not by the mountain,” his uncle answered. - -The descent of the shoulder to the lava block where they had eaten -lunch, which Bennie and Spider had expected to make in rapid time, was -just as slow as the ascent. The pitch was so steep that they did not -dare to come down facing forward. They had to face up the slope, and -sink their feet into their old tracks, as you come down a ladder. - -At the lava block, Mr. Stone shifted to number one on the rope, so he -could be the first down the wall of the drift, and get a movie of the -rest. Bennie stayed at number two, Dumplin’ at three, Uncle Billy took -number four place, then Spider, and finally Norman. The doctor told -them, before they started down, how to make the descent, using the steps -cut that morning. You faced sideways to the wall of snow, drove in your -stock firmly, and then sank your left foot to the lower step, got a good -footing, sank your right foot also, and then pulled out your stock and -drove it home again lower down. Everybody was cautioned to keep the -rhythm, and not to pull out his stock till the man above had made his -step and anchored again. - -When they were ready, Mr. Stone slipped over the edge, and Bennie had a -sickening feeling as he saw him disappear. When the rope was played -nearly out, Bennie started. That first step took his nerve more than -anything all day. With his stock driven into the snow at the very edge, -he had to look down to see where to place his foot, and in doing so, he -had to see past the step, fifteen feet down to the top of Mr. Stone’s -hat, and then 300 feet to the bottom of the drift, and then the long, -white shoot of the snow-field to the cañon hole! For one instant, -Bennie’s knees shook. Then he got a brace on himself, and began slowly, -cautiously, to creep down, testing each footing before he pulled out his -stock. - -As soon as Dumplin’ appeared above him, he kept an eye upward, to make -sure that his stock was always driven in when Dumplin’ changed position. -And he soon found, too, that Dumplin’ was coming very slowly. - -“Poor old Dump,” Bennie thought, “I bet he’s too fat for this kind of -work. I must be careful not to go fast, and yank the rope. Might pull -him off.” - -They were about half-way down, and Bennie had just driven his stock hard -in, waiting for Dumplin’ to shift, when he saw the snow under Dump’s -foot beginning to cave. The step had melted since morning, and grown -weak, and the boy, besides, had got his weight too much on the very -edge. Dumplin’ felt it give, too, and with a little cry tried to get his -alpenstock driven in again. - -“Dumplin’s slipping! Hold him, Uncle Billy!” Bennie called. - -Even as he spoke, the step gave way, and Dumplin’s alpenstock, which he -hadn’t been braced to drive deep enough, gave way also. Dumplin’ began -to drop! Bennie saw him coming directly down. If he kept on, he would -hit him, and both of them would go! It was a sickening instant, while -Bennie leaned in against the snow, braced both feet, and clung with both -hands to his stock. - -But Dumplin’ dropped only four or five feet, and hung there, against the -slope, while Uncle Billy’s voice came down, cool and steady, “Don’t drop -your stock! Get your foot back on a step, Dumplin’. Keep your head!” - -It was all over so quickly that Bennie could hardly realize for a second -just what had happened. Of course, Uncle Billy had been anchored, and -when Dump slipped, he could only go the length of the slack between him -and the doctor! Bennie really knew that when he called up to his uncle. -But he had forgotten everything but his instinct to cling to his stock -when Dumplin’ had actually begun to fall. He felt suddenly sick and -faint. - -Then he said to himself, “This is no place to be sick on! Get on to your -job!” - -[Illustration: Looking Across Hunt’s Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line -Shows Route of Climb. Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin’ Slipped.] - -He heard the doctor above and Mr. Stone below encouraging Dumplin’, too, -and he knew it was up to him. - -“Some old rope, Dumplin’, if it can hold you that way,” he shouted. -“Come on, now, steady. I’ll kick the steps out bigger so’s they won’t -break again.” - -He kicked and packed them vigorously as he descended, and soon Mr. Stone -was at the bottom, and he was within fifteen feet of it. Mr. Stone asked -them to stop for a minute while he got out of the rope and went fifty -feet out on the traverse, and took a movie of the final stages of the -descent. - -When he got back, Dumplin’ was sitting on the snow, very pale, but -grinning as cheerfully as he could. - -“Rope kind of yanked me under the arms,” he said. “But I’m all right. I -won’t be so dizzy now we’re down. I couldn’t see very well, and I guess -I didn’t get my foot far enough in on the step. It was looking down got -my goat.” - -The doctor and his father patted his back, and once more shifted -positions on the rope. - -“Once we get across those chutes, and it’s plain sailing,” Uncle Billy -said, as he prepared to start out across the big snow-field, on the -little path of steps he had cut that morning. Bennie noticed that there -was a red ring around his left hand, and realized that he had seized the -rope with a lightning twist when Dumplin’ slipped, and caught the weight -that way, before the yank came on his body, and before Dumplin’ could -get up speed. - -“He’s some quick thinker,” Bennie reflected. “Gee, I guess you have to -be, in this game.” - -They were now out on the big traverse. Their morning steps were melted -out deeper and larger, and they made fairly rapid progress toward the -first chute. Nothing had come down it while they were approaching, and -nothing came as the doctor crossed. But, once on the other side, he took -his large jack-knife from his pocket, opened it, and held it ready to -cut the rope as the others crossed, for if something should come down -large enough to stick up above the sides while the rope was stretched -across the chute, it might pull them all down with it. Nothing at all -happened, however, either here or in the second big chute. Once across -the latter, Uncle Billy gave a sigh of relief. - -“Well, _that’s_ over!” he said. “Now we have plain sailing.” - -Hardly were the words out of his mouth when they heard a crackle and -roar far up on the pinnacle precipice. Looking quickly upward, they saw -snow powder, like white smoke, rising from the base of the cliff, and -something descending toward them, not in the chute at all, but on top of -the smooth snow! - -“Run for it!” Bennie instinctively cried, taking a step forward that -nearly yanked Dumplin’ off his feet again. - -“Stop!” the doctor cried, in a sharp command. “Don’t you dare give -orders again! Don’t try to run! You’ll have us all down. Watch it, till -we see just where it is coming, and how big it is. Let it come between -us if we have to, and if it’s too big to pass under the rope, I’ll cut. -Stand ready to hold the rope up, or move as I tell you to!” - -The thing was coming toward them, piling up snow in front of it. This -piling up of the snow impeded its progress and diminished its speed. It -had to push its way. Instead of coming a mile a minute, as the boys -expected it would, it came slowly enough to give them time to estimate -where it would pass. - -“Move ahead!” the doctor snapped. “Easy, now—don’t try to run. Don’t -forget your stocks—don’t pull on the rope. Steady!” - -They moved forward several steps, and just as Norman, the last one on -the rope, took a long, quick stride of two steps instead of one, the -great hunk of lava, as big as a molasses hogshead, went slowly but -inexorably downward, over the very spot where, a few seconds before, -they had stood! Slowly as it moved, pushing the snow ahead, and piling -it out on the sides, nothing could have stood in its path. They watched -it go on down, leaving a track two feet deep behind it. - -“There’s chute number three just started,” Norman said. - -They heard another crack and roar on the pinnacle as he spoke, and -looking up again saw something starting down one of the big chutes -behind them. - -“Say, let’s get out of here!” Dumplin’ cried. “I don’t like this.” - -“I’m not stuck on it myself,” Uncle Billy answered. “Forward, march!” - -They plugged ahead to the first lava spine, and rested a minute, looking -back over the traverse. The sun was sinking, and its rays hit the slope -almost level, making dark shadows of their steps, like a long row of -dots out across the great field of white. These dots crossed the -traverse, and then went straight up the shoulder, and in that light the -shoulder looked as perpendicular as the side of a house. - -“Did we go up there?” Spider exclaimed. - -Dumplin’ took one look, and remarked, with such a heartfelt expression -that everybody laughed, “Gosh, I don’t believe it!” - -But there was no time for a long rest. Tired as they were, they had to -keep on going, for they were still a long way from camp. - -As they started across the first of the five smaller snow traverses, it -seemed to Bennie as if his back and shoulders were one big ache every -time he had to pull out his stock from the sticky snow. Yet Uncle Billy -was moving ahead with a regular stride, and he _had_ to get his stock in -and then out with one firm motion, or else lose the step, fall behind, -and make the rope yank his uncle. He gritted his teeth and told himself -that he _would not_ let that happen. - -As they stepped up on the second lava spine, Bennie cried, “Hello, old -lava!” - -As they reached the third spine, Dumplin’ cried, “Hello, old lava!” - -As they reached the fourth, Spider cried, “Hello, old lava!” - -“You boys seem to be glad you’re getting down,” the doctor called back. - -“We’re glad we’re getting where we don’t have to pull these stocks out -of the snow in time to your steps,” Bennie replied. - -“Sorry to go so fast—but we must get to the horses before dark,” his -uncle answered. - -At last they were creeping over the treacherous slope of pumice, they -were up the southwest shoulder—they were on the lower snow-field which -sloped more gradually to timber line and the horses! - -“Rope off!” the doctor called. - -He coiled it up and hung it over his shoulder. - -“Now, each man for himself,” said he, starting down with huge strides, -his boots sinking into the soft snow, which had been frozen crust that -morning, and keeping him from sliding. The rest followed. It was such a -relief to be free of the rope and the danger that they took a new lease -of life, and almost ran down the quarter mile to timber. - -When they reached the poor hungry, thirsty, impatient horses, however, -the sun had sunk behind the western mountains, and the hole of Hunt’s -Cove was already dusky. - -“Don’t change your boots. We can’t ride down as quickly as we can lead -the horses,” the doctor commanded. “Saddle them quickly, and come on.” - -In the timber, too, the snow had softened, and the horses sank knee -deep. Bennie soon discovered that a horse, which scrambles rapidly up a -steep slope, goes very slowly down it, especially when the footing is -soft snow and he doesn’t know whether he is going to break through a -long way or not. The doctor and Norman, more used to the ways of horses, -and knowing how to manage them, were soon far ahead. Mr. Stone was -somewhere in between. The three boys were before long so far in the rear -that the leaders had vanished. Bennie and Spider could have gone a -little faster than they did, but Dumplin’ was about all in with -weariness, and they stuck with him. By the time they reached bare ground -at the head wall of Hunt’s Cove, it was so dusky they could just make -out the tracks. Below them, somewhere on the slope, they could hear the -leaders crashing down through the fire scar. - -“Come on,” Bennie urged. “We got to hurry. Can’t see the track at all on -the bare ground. It’s dark down in the cove already.” - -“I could hurry, but I can’t make this darn horse go any faster. Nearly -pulled my arm out dragging him,” Spider answered. - -The three of them started over the rim, tugging at the reluctant horses, -who wanted to pick their way gingerly over the dead, fallen timber. The -long spikes in their boots, which had been so necessary up on the snow, -were a hindrance now. They kept catching in the dead sticks, and half -turning the boys’ ankles when they stepped on a hard piece of lava in -the dark. Several times they tripped and fell, scratching themselves. -Once Spider’s horse slipped, knocking Spider over and bruising his leg. -At the bottom, now, they heard the doctor calling to them. - -“Coming as fast as we can!” Bennie yelled. - -It was pitch black night at the bottom of the cove, in the heavy woods. -They could just see the doctor waiting for them. The minute they were -down, he led the way, after Norman and Mr. Stone, who had kept on to -camp. In the dark they couldn’t see the swampy places, or the little -brooks, and soon their boots, soaked all the afternoon by snow, were -full of water, and they were wet almost to their waists. They came to -the main stream at last, and mounted the horses, spikes or no spikes. -The horses reared and balked, and had to be kicked and driven into the -dark water, and nearly spilled their riders as they scrambled snorting -out on the farther bank. - -Nobody had said a word for ten minutes, but now, through the black -forest ahead, they saw suddenly the red glow of a big fire, and Bennie -emitted a whoop. - -“Hello, fire!” he yelled. - -“Hello, food!” yelled Dumplin’. - -“Dumplin’ has recovered,” said the doctor. - -The boys dropped off their horses at camp—literally dropped off. The -rustler, who had stayed in camp, took the horses back to pasture, and -the doctor and the three boys joined Norman and Mr. Stone in front of a -huge camp fire, flopped wearily on the ground, and began to peel off -their boots and stockings. They took off their trousers, also, and got -dry clothes from their dunnage bags. Then, without even attempting to -wash the grease paint off their faces, they flopped on the ground again -beside the roaring fire, and let the cook bring them food. - -“If anybody speaks to me before I’ve had a cup of coffee, I’ll bite -him,” said Bennie. “I was never so tired and cross in my life.” - -“Nobody wants to speak to you,” Dumplin’ retorted. “Don’t worry.” - -“And yet,” said Uncle Billy, “if we’d really got to the top, we’d be so -set up now that we wouldn’t mind the weariness. It’s like a crew race. -You’ll notice it’s always the losing crew which collapses at the finish -line.” - -“I’d like to try it again, from a base camp at timber line,” Norman -said. “That would give us two hours more of daylight at each end. We -could do it easily with that.” - -“If anybody talks about climbing Jefferson again, he’s in danger of his -life,” Bennie retorted. - -“Well, well, Bennie has had enough exercise for once!” Mr. Stone smiled. -“He must have had—he hasn’t even spoken to poor Jeff.” - -“Oh, gee, I was so tired I forgot him!” Bennie cried, jumping up with -sudden energy. “Where is he, cook? What you done with him?” - -“Whined so I tied him up down the creek a bit,” the cook answered. He, -too, was cross, because he had to get supper so late. - -Bennie grabbed a lantern, and went off into the woods, calling, “Jeff, -Jeff!” Those in camp heard a far-off yelp of greeting, and a few minutes -later Bennie returned, with Jeff at his heels, and lay down by the fire -again with the dog’s head snuggled up to him. - -It was after ten o’clock when supper was finished. The six climbers took -enough water from the stove to wash the worst of the grease paint from -their faces, and without any further preparation for bed pulled off -their clothes, got into their pyjamas, crawled, stiff and lame and -aching in every joint, with cracked and bleeding lips, and red, smarting -eyes, into their sleeping bags, and almost before their heads touched -the little air pillows were fast asleep. - -Bennie had started to remark to Spider, as he got into bed, that real -mountain climbing was the hardest work there was, but he forgot what he -was going to say before he could open his mouth. And, if he had said it, -nobody would have been awake enough to listen. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - The Summit is Conquered! - - -The doctor and Mr. Stone let the boys sleep late the next morning. The -sun was high when they finally arose, and tumbled out into the ice-cold -water of the creek for a good scrub with soap. After the bath, and a hot -breakfast, they all felt cheerful and fairly fit again. The aches of the -night before had somehow vanished, though their lips were still cracked -and their noses were peeling. - -“By Jiminy,” said Bennie, as he scraped the breakfast plates to feed -Jeff, “I believe I’d like to climb the old mountain again, after all. I -sure do hate to go away from here and admit it beat us.” - -“Me, too,” said Spider. - -“Well, I know when I’m licked,” Dumplin’ put in. “I guess if you’d been -dizzy and if you’d slipped the way I did, you wouldn’t be so keen to go -back.” - -“You’ve got more weight to cart up than we have,” Spider laughed. - -“That’s no joke, either,” said the doctor. “Dumplin’ needs a lot of -training down before he tackles a climb like Jefferson. It isn’t his -fault he was dizzy, or that he got so tired. Some people are always -dizzy at high altitudes, anyhow. I wouldn’t let him try it again in his -present shape. But if you other boys are game, and Stone is game, I’d -like to tackle the mountain from a base camp where we tethered the -horses. That will keep us here two days longer, so we won’t have time to -get in to see Mount Hood close to. You’ll have to decide whether you’d -rather reach the top of Jefferson, or see Hood. Those in favor say -‘Aye.’” - -“Aye!” - -“Aye!” - -“Aye!” - -“Aye!” - -“The ‘ayes’ have it,” the doctor laughed. “Well, Norman, we’ll take up a -tent and bedding right after lunch. We’ll sleep at timber line tonight, -and again tomorrow night. Have two horses sent up day after tomorrow -morning, at daybreak, to get the stuff, and have the rest of the train -packed and waiting at the head of the cove. We’ll make our getaway over -the head wall by seven or eight o’clock. I’m going to try to get out by -the short trail, day after tomorrow, snow or no snow.” - -Everybody lay around all that morning, in the shade of the woods, -resting. After lunch, the largest tent, some grub, the sleeping bags, -and a few cooking utensils were packed on two horses, while the climbers -toted their climbing boots (now dried and oiled again), and a change of -clothes in their packs. Nothing else was taken except the necessary -climbing equipment—not even cameras. Dumplin’ went along to spend the -night with them, and have supper ready for them when they got down the -next evening. He was pretty blue at the idea of being left behind, and -kept saying, “I bet I could do it this time, and not get dizzy.” But his -father and the doctor wouldn’t say he could go. - -They got the tent pitched as near timber line as they could find a -level, dry spot, and spent the latter part of the afternoon gathering -fuel and melting snow for water. The two horses, of course, had been -taken back down the slope by the guide. The six of them were alone, in -the chill silence at the edge of the eternal snows, with the mountain -rising right above them, white and naked, to the glittering pinnacle. -While supper was cooking, Bennie and Spider walked up a few hundred feet -on the lower snow-field, glanced back at the tumbled wilderness of -forest and mountain and cañon, stretching south to the white pyramids of -the Three Sisters, and then looked long upward at the pinnacle, pink -with sunset. - -“Gosh!” Bennie exclaimed, “what a lot of wild country! Do you realize, -Spider, that we haven’t met a human being since we left Marion Lake?” - -“You forget the chap in the aeroplane,” Spider laughed. “Well, we came -out here to see the wilderness, didn’t we?” - -“You bet we did! And tomorrow we’re going to tackle old Jefferson again. -You know, I feel just as if it was a kind of fight. I bet other -mountaineers feel that way, too. That’s why it’s such fun.” - -“_Other_ mountaineers is good,” Spider replied. “You talk as if you were -a Swiss Guide.” - -“Well, I feel as if I could be one, when we get through with this old -ant-hill,” Bennie laughed. “I bet that pinnacle is going to be a -sockdologer!” - -Spider’s face was sober. “I’m kind of scared of it, I don’t mind -admitting. I don’t blame poor old Dump a bit for getting dizzy. I don’t -get dizzy, but when I think how easy it would be to slip, I kind of get -hollow in the pit of my stomach.” - -Bennie was about to answer, when he heard a bark down the slope, and -looking back saw Jeff bounding up the snow! The pup had broken loose -back at the camp (or the cook had let him loose), and he had followed -the tracks up here. He fell upon Bennie with yelps of joy. - -“Well, that pup loves you, if nobody else does,” Spider laughed. -“Dumplin’ will have to sit on him all day tomorrow.” - -With the setting of the sun, it grew very cold up here under the -snow-fields. They all huddled around the fire to eat, and soon after -supper took off nothing but their boots and crawled into bed with even -their sweaters on. The six sleeping bags had been packed into the one -tent, so there was no free floor space at all. The first man in couldn’t -get out without stepping on all the rest. Poor Jeff, driven outside, -snuggled down against the tent on the lee side, out of the wind, and so -the night was passed, none too comfortably by anybody. - -They were up with the first daylight, built the fire, and cooked -breakfast. Then Jeff was tied with a piece of the tent guy ropes, and -Dumplin’ came with them as far as the southwest shoulder, where they -roped. - -“Don’t let Jeff get away and follow us!” was Bennie’s parting word. - -“He might use my alpenstock, and make it all right,” said Dumplin’, -trying to seem cheerful as he saw the rest leaving him. “I’ll watch for -you, and have hot supper ready,” he added, waving his hand. - -“Good old Dump!” Bennie said, as they moved out on the pumice. “Too bad -he can’t come along.” - -“He’ll be all right in a year or two, after we get the fat off him, and -get him hardened up. He’s grown too fast,” said Uncle Billy. - -Whether it was because they were now more used to the trick, or because -Dumplin’ was not on the rope to hold them back, or because the steps had -not entirely melted away since the day before yesterday, making the -doctor’s work easier, or because of all three reasons, they made faster -time than before, and didn’t need to rest so long or so often. But they -had four rock chutes to cross instead of two. The one which had been -started by the big lava chunk which nearly hit them was now four feet -deep, and a fourth one had been ploughed, also. But nothing was coming -down them yet, for they reached the traverse long before the sun’s rays -got in on that side. They were up on the northwest shoulder at 10:30, -and at the base of the pinnacle at noon. - -Once at the foot of that terrific incline, both the scouts felt suddenly -weak in the knees. - -“Like the looks of it?” the doctor asked. - -“I do not!” Bennie answered. “I’d about as soon try to climb the outside -of the Washington Monument. But if you say people have done it, I guess -we can. It’s a fight, and I ain’t licked yet!” - -The doctor let them rest before they tackled the pinnacle, and gave his -orders. “I’ll go ahead and cut the steps. You, Bennie, will anchor, and -play me out the rope, and don’t you come on a step till I tell you. Then -Stone will play you out till you get to the platform I’ve made for you. -Then Spider plays him out, then Norman plays Spider out. We won’t have -more than one of the five of us moving at any one time, in other words.” - -The doctor rose, and began to hack steps into the snow, in front of his -face, on the precipitous incline. He had to cut them deep, to get a firm -footing, and it was slow work. Before he was quite played out on his -twenty feet of rope, he cut an extra large step, like a little platform, -and then moved up a couple of steps, and told Bennie to climb to the -platform. Bennie did so, while Mr. Stone played him out. Then Bennie -anchored firmly on the platform, and let his uncle cut his way up -fifteen or twenty feet farther. Bennie then stepped up two steps, and -let Mr. Stone climb to the first platform. Once on it, Mr. Stone played -Bennie up, till he was on a second little platform, just behind the -doctor. Then the doctor moved ahead twenty feet higher, Bennie moved, -Mr. Stone climbed to platform number two, and they all anchored hard, -and waited till Spider reached platform number one. In this way, only -one man ever climbing at a time, with the rest anchored, they crept -slowly up the wall of icy snow. In two places, it was, in fact, not snow -but actual ice, and the doctor had to hack out the steps and could not -use his stock as he climbed. He had to depend on the spikes in his boots -entirely, because he carried no ice ax. Bennie, below him, watched with -terror in his heart, and clung to his alpenstock with a rigid grip. If -his uncle slipped, nothing would save him but that stock! If Bennie’s -grip gave way, they would both go, and maybe pull down all the rest! -Here was a battle indeed, here was a fight with the mountain where every -single step you took had to be just right, or you were gone! Bennie -didn’t dare look down. He kept his eyes fixed on his uncle’s boot soles -above him, and refused even to look off to right and left. He didn’t -dare. - -They climbed steadily, and in silence, except for the orders to each man -when he was to advance. Their faces were set and grim. Bennie felt the -strain. He was getting tired rapidly, not from the physical effort, -which wasn’t really great except for the doctor, but from the mental -effort, the incessant concentration on every step he took. At last, -after an hour and a half, the doctor went over the top, and shouted back -a loud “Hurrah!” Bennie followed him over, and one by one the rest came -on, to fall at once down on the snow. - -After a long moment, Bennie sat up and looked around him. At first he -felt as if he were riding in an airship in the sky. The summit cap of -snow was small, and on every side ended in a sharp edge—the edge of a -precipice! - -“Look at old Hood up there!” his uncle cried, pointing north. “Seems -near enough to touch today, and it’s fifty miles off.” - -“I don’t want to look at it,” Bennie answered. “I don’t want to look at -anything. Gosh, I don’t like this place!” - -“I don’t care for it much myself,” Mr. Stone confessed. “You could roll -over twice here, and commit suicide with the greatest ease.” - -“But we got here!” Spider exclaimed. “I’m glad we got here! We’ve beat -the old mountain!” - -“Now you’re talking,” said Uncle Billy. “You’ll all like it better when -we are down again. Well, come on, let’s start then, if you don’t care -for my view.” - -They now reversed positions on the rope, Norman going first, and facing -in against the cliff almost as you descend a ladder, crawled down as -slowly as they had crawled up. But it was even more trying to Bennie, -because he had to look down for each step, and he had to watch the man -descending below him, when he was anchored, in order to brace extra -firmly in case of a slip. He didn’t get dizzy, but at every step he had -to fight a kind of nausea, as if he was going to be sick, especially -when he was obliged to lower himself over the two ice walls, with only -his spikes to hold him, and the rope, played out by the man above. When -they were all at the bottom again, he felt faint, and sat down on the -snow a moment, to get back the strength in his legs. - -“Well, boys,” he heard his uncle say, “you’ve done what mighty few -people do any one season. But we’re not through yet. We’ve got to get -home, you know.” - -Bennie got up quickly. “I’m all right,” he said. “Lead the way!” - -At half-past four o’clock they were back again at the point on the -shoulder where they lunched two days before, and here they rested -fifteen minutes, and ate the small portions of food they had brought. -Nobody was really hungry, however, and soon they were starting down the -drift where Dumplin’ slipped. Out across the traverse they went, got -over the chutes without accident, though twice they were barely over -when great toboggans of ice came whizzing down, and at seven o’clock -reached the southwest shoulder. Far below, at timber line, they saw -Dumplin’ building up the fire, and they saw, too, his tracks up here in -the snow. - -“He was up here watching us crossing the traverse,” Bennie said. “He -beat it down to cook supper. Good old Dump—wish he could have been with -us.” - -Off came the rope now, and with wet boots and cracked faces and aching -backs and smarting eyes, they half ran, half tumbled, down the last -snow-field to the camp, and walked into the odor of boiling coffee and -sizzling bacon, while Jeff, released from his tether, came yelping to -meet them. - -“I saw you on top!” Dumplin’ said. “I spent half the day up on the -shoulder. I couldn’t see you climb the pinnacle, but I saw you on top. -You didn’t stay there long.” - -“Bennie didn’t like it,” his uncle laughed. - -“I’ll say I didn’t!” Bennie cried. “Gee, Dump, I’m not fat like you, and -I guess I’m in pretty good condition, but I kept feeling all the way up -and down that old pinnacle as if I was going to be dizzy the next -minute.” - -“That’s not a matter of condition with you—it’s a matter of nerves,” -said his uncle. - -“I felt so, too,” Spider put in. “Whenever I looked down, and couldn’t -help thinking what would happen if I fell, then I got kind of sick -inside. But when I was just thinking about my next step, I was all -right.” - -“And nothing happened,” the doctor added. “Climbing is safe enough if -you know how to climb, if you are in good physical condition, and if you -can control your nerves. But you can no more tackle a climb like this -safely without a guide who knows the technique than you can fly an -aeroplane without practice. The accidents happen either to people who -try to climb without knowing the tricks, or to people who aren’t in good -shape for the hard work, or to people who can’t keep their nerves under -control and take each step slowly, carefully and firmly.” - -“What made me so tired at the top?” Bennie asked. “I was twice as tired -then as I am now. Was it the altitude?” - -“No,” said his uncle. “Ten thousand five hundred feet wouldn’t bother -you a bit. It was because you are still a green climber and you were -fighting your nerves all the way up the pinnacle. Nothing is such hard -work as fighting your own nerves.” - -“Well, I’ll tell the world my old nerves put up a good scrap, then!” -Bennie laughed. “Anyhow, Spider and I aren’t so green as we were three -days ago. I wish the Boy Scouts gave merit badges for mountain climbing. -I bet we could get one.” - -“Why don’t they give badges for that, I wonder?” Mr. Stone said. - -The doctor shook his head. “Too dangerous,” was his comment. “How many -scout masters could you find who are really skilled mountain climbers? -Think what would probably happen if a green climber tried to take a -bunch of scouts up Jefferson. They’d all land down in the cañon. And -rock climbing is just as dangerous.” - -“How would you get up the pinnacle if it was all ice, the way it was in -a couple of places?” Spider asked. “I mean, so hard, you couldn’t drive -your stock in, and the man below you couldn’t either?” - -“You’d have to use ice axes,” the doctor replied. “An ice ax has a long -handle, and on the back of the blade is a long, sharp, slightly curved -point, like a railroad spike. You cut your steps with the blade, and -then you use this point, driven in above you, to anchor with. That’s -what they use in the Alps, where so much of the climbing is on glacier -ice.” - -“Well, Spider, we’ll have to go to Switzerland next, and climb some old -glaciers,” Bennie grinned. - -“And a few spitzes,” Spider answered. - -It was bitter cold again that night, and soon after supper they all -crawled into their sleeping bags. They were so weary, however, that even -the cold could not keep them awake. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV -Back Over the Divide—A Horse Turns Three Somersaults Down the Snow Slope - - -The doctor, as usual, was first up. He rose at dawn, got the fire and -the breakfast started, and then routed out the rest. The peak of -Jefferson above them was hidden in mist, and Hunt’s Cove below was -filled with white cloud, also. In fact, they looked out over a billowing -sea of white, with the sharp lava spires of Three Fingered Jack to the -south, rising up like an island. - -“Looks like a phantom ship,” said Bennie. - -They were scarcely through breakfast, when they heard horses coming up -through the timber, and soon the guide appeared, leading a couple of -pack animals to take the luggage down. An hour later they were once more -in Hunt’s Cove. The luggage was repacked, the boys unscrewed the spikes -from their boots and mounted into the saddle again, and Norman led the -way almost due south, following a trail up the head wall, instead of -trying to get back as they had entered across Grizzly Flats. - -“We can get back to the cars this afternoon this way—if we can cross at -all,” he said. “But I won’t promise we can cross, doctor. A week ago you -couldn’t get up on the other side.” - -“Just the same, we’ll try it,” the doctor replied. “Bennie needs some -exercise.” - -For the next few miles they traveled through woods and across open -upland meadows, riding on deep snow. In the hot glare of the sun, they -had to put on their glasses again, and repaint their faces. Their lips -once more cracked open, and their noses were burnt a still brighter -brick red. Then they came to the crest of the Divide, below the long -south shoulder of Jefferson, and started down. They realized at once why -Norman said it was impossible a week ago to climb up here. There was a -drop of a couple of hundred feet where the trail was completely buried -in a huge drift, which, Norman said, a week before had an overhang at -the top, completely preventing any horse getting over. But this cornice -had now melted and collapsed. They dismounted, grasped their horses by -the bridles, and started down, taking the slope at an angle to lessen -the pitch. The saddle horses got down well enough, but the pack horses, -with the top-heavy loads on their backs, could not keep their footing so -well, and half-way down one of them fell. He turned three complete -somersaults as he pitched headlong. At first the load held, but at the -second somersault the hitch slipped, and out burst the load, scattering -and tobogganing in all directions—two rolled-up sleeping bags, a tent, -alpenstocks, a dunnage bag, a coffee-pot, and what canned goods were -still left in their provision supply. - -[Illustration: Crossing the Divide near Mount Jefferson on July 25th. -Three Fingered Jack in the Distance.] - -The terrified animal landed in a small fir tree at the bottom, scrambled -to his feet apparently unhurt—and made a dash right back up the slope! -His fall, his snorts, his sudden dash, threw a scare into the other -horses. The saddle horses, of course, were being led, and couldn’t get -away, but the pack horses dashed after him. - -“Quick!” shouted Norman, “give all the saddle horses’ bridles to one -man, and then head ’em off!” - -Everybody led his horse quickly to the cook, who tied the bridles to a -tree, and then the men and boys ran up the slope as fast as they could, -some going to the right, some to the left, in order to surround and get -ahead of the runaways, and drive them back. - -It was hard work. The snow was deep and soft and wet, the slope very -steep, and a frightened horse, with four legs, can climb faster than a -man with two. Jeff didn’t help any. He merely dashed wildly around, -barking loudly, without sense to head the horses back. - -“Call off that chickadee hound!” panted the doctor to Bennie. - -The first horse, minus his load, actually got back to the top, and -scrambled over, before he could be headed. Norman and Bennie followed -him, sneaking on either side through the trees, for a quarter of a mile -before he stopped abruptly at a spot where the snow was melted, and -began to eat grass. Then they crept up on him, got hold of his rope -bridle, and led him back. - -By the time the train was rounded up again, everybody was reeking wet -with perspiration from their knees up, and soaking wet with snow water -from their knees down. - -“My head is burning, and my feet freezing, and oh, boy, for a drink!” -Bennie exclaimed. - -The scattered luggage was collected, the horse repacked, and they moved -on. In less than a mile of rapidly dropping trail the snow ceased -entirely. The trail grew dry and dusty. The yellow pines began to appear -again, and they came to a little lake at the head of a cañon—and -everybody, horses and men and boys, drank and drank and drank. - -After that there was no more snow, and before long the trail was in a -forest of yellow pines, and wide as a country road, and all except the -rustler and the cook, who had to look after the pack horses, broke into -a trot. - -In a couple of hours they reached a fine, clear, racing brook, and a -Forest Service camp ground. Across the brook was a real road. The doctor -and Mr. Stone trotted on three or four miles to get the cars, while the -rest waited for the pack horses, and when they arrived got the packs off -and sorted. - -When the cars came back, the baggage was transferred to them, the boys -said good-bye to Norman, Bennie made the cook shake hands with Jeff, and -sinking back into the cushions of the motor cars, the boys sighed with -the sudden sense of luxury. - -“Beats the saddle of an old cayuse, when you’re tired,” Dumplin’ called -from his father’s car. - -“Just the same, I’m awful sorry it’s all over,” said Bennie. “I never -have worked so hard in all my life—and I never had such a wonderful -time.” - -“Me, too,” said Spider. - -“You’ve got a good time coming, and in about one hour, or less,” said -Uncle Billy. “I don’t know whether you’ve noticed that lunch was pretty -sketchy today.” - -“Sketchy is the word,” Bennie answered. “Gee, it’s three o’clock, and we -haven’t had a thing since five A. M.” - -“You wait,” laughed the doctor. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” - -In a short time he stopped the car at a ranch house beside the great -springs of the Metolius River, which gush right up out of the open -ground of a green meadow in the heart of the forest, irrigating the -whole meadow and making a rich oasis of grass and crops in the arid -soil. - -“Dinner ready?” he called to a woman on the porch. - -“All ready,” she answered. - -“How did you order dinner here?” demanded Bennie. - -“Radio,” the doctor grinned. - -“He telephoned from the Ranger Station when he went for the car, you -poor fish,” Spider said. - -The two men and three boys washed up and went into the dining-room. -There, on a table with a real cloth, was a huge dinner—steak, fried -potatoes, green vegetables, hot biscuit, berries. They ate and ate, and -when the food was gone the woman of the house reappeared bearing a huge -lemon pie, with browned meringue three-quarters of an inch thick, all -covered with little golden drops like honey. - -“Wow!” yelled Dumplin’. “Lemon pie!” - -“Oh,” sighed Bennie, “why did I eat so much steak!” - -“I’ll take Bennie’s piece, then,” said Mr. Stone. - -“I’d like to see you try!” Bennie answered. - -When the pie was gone, everybody sat back and sighed with content. - -“That pie was almost as wonderful as Mount Jefferson,” Bennie declared. - -“And it didn’t make me dizzy,” said Dumplin’. - -“It’s the kind Mother made,” said Mr. Stone. - -“Gosh, I wish _my_ mother could!” Spider exclaimed. - -“It was a good pie,” said the doctor, “but don’t forget you’ve lived on -camp fare for a week. It would have seemed pretty good if it hadn’t been -as good as it was.” - -“Don’t try to run that pie down, Billy,” Mr. Stone declared. “I will -defend that pie with my last breath.” - -“All I can say is this——” Bennie began impressively. - -“Yes?” the rest prompted. - -“I am satisfied with Oregon,” he finished. - -“It’s the lemon pie!” laughed Dumplin’. - -They rolled into Bend at nine that evening, Jeff was left to sleep in -the car at the garage, and for the next hour there was a grand splashing -in bathtubs, a washing of clothes, a shaving by the two men, who hadn’t -shaved for a week, a patching of burnt noses and cracked lips with -salve, and a general clean-up and overhauling. - -“Oh, dear!” sighed Bennie, “it’s almost over! I wish we hadn’t been able -to get over the Divide today, so’s we’d been forced to go back over -Grizzly Flats. That would have kept us out three days more. I don’t want -to sleep in an old bed, with sheets!” - -“I guess it won’t keep you awake,” laughed Spider. “If it does, I’ll set -up the sodas tomorrow.” - -But he didn’t have to. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV -Bennie Loses Jeff, but Brings Home Something Else to Last Him Many Years - - -The doctor routed everybody out at five the next morning. - -“It’s the last time, boys,” he said. “But we’ve got to get an early -start today. I must make The Dalles tonight, and Portland tomorrow -night. My vacation is over then.” - -“Don’t go back on _my_ account,” said Bennie. “I’ll stick around the -mountains another week or two with you, if you really want me to.” - -“Yes, and I’ll stick, too,” Spider laughed. - -“I wish we could,” Uncle Billy answered. “But while we’re getting hard -and healthy, a lot of folks up in Portland are getting sick, so you see -I have to be back. Hustle along, boys. No time to lose!” - -It was so early that they had to get breakfast at an all-night lunch -room, where Bennie bought some meat scraps for Jeff, who was still on -the job. He had slept in the car that night. - -“Good gracious, are you really going to take that mutt back with you?” -his uncle demanded. “All the way East?” - -“You’ve said it. Why, I bet he’d follow the train, if I didn’t take him. -He appreciates me at my true value, this blooded collie does, don’t you, -Jeff, old thing?” - -Jeff responded by leaping up and licking his face. - -They were off at six, and rode all day northward through the “desert” -country, sometimes down in the bottom of bare, desolate looking cañons, -sometimes up on the plateau where nothing but endless miles of sage -brush lay between them and the Cascades. In the morning Jefferson was -the nearest mountain, and they could see the whole eastern face, -snow-white and precipitous, with the summit pinnacle looking from this -distance like a tiny little white button on top. Later they had to -descend by a long, winding road cut out of the bank, without any guard -rails, into the Deschutes Cañon, across the river on a bridge, and climb -out on the other side. As afternoon came on, Jefferson dropped behind -them, and Mount Hood grew nearer, 11,225 feet of snow, shaped like an -almost perfect pyramid. - -Again they descended into a cañon, and climbed out of it for six miles -by a road so steep that they had to keep in low speed all the way, so -narrow Bennie prayed they wouldn’t meet anybody, and without any sign of -a guard rail, or fence, or wall, to keep a car from skidding off into -the hole below. - -“Say, if I drove a car out here much, I’d have nervous prostration,” -Spider said, as Uncle Billy crawled past a descending Ford, with his -right wheels about eight inches from the rim of the cañon. - -“And if I had to drive down Fifth Avenue, I’d probably have it,” the -doctor laughed. - -The sun was setting as they finally came into a region of orchards and -endless grain fields, hit a good road, and whizzed rapidly down hill, -steeper and steeper, into the gorge of the Columbia River, and ran right -into a thriving, lively town called The Dalles. - -While the cars were being looked after in a garage, Bennie went to a -butcher’s shop to get some more food for Jeff, fed him, and put him up -in the car again, for the night. Then they all went to the hotel, -registered, got the dust off their faces and clothes, and went in to -dinner. - -The next morning Jeff was not in the car. The garage man said he stayed -there a while the night before, and then, when nobody was looking, -evidently jumped out and ran away. - -“Oh, gee, he was looking for me!” Bennie cried. “I ought to have tied -him. Poor old Jeff, he’s just hunting for me, all over this town!” - -“Too bad,” said Uncle Billy. “But he’ll find a home somewhere—he seems -to make friends easily, and your mother’ll be awful glad.” - -“Well, I got to find him. Please drive around town while I look for -him!” - -“But I have to be back in Portland, Bennie. I’ve got to be at the -hospital tomorrow morning.” - -“Aw, just ten minutes! Please!” - -“Well, we’ll take a look. Get in.” - -They started slowly down a residential street, Bennie hanging out of the -car and whistling. One block, two blocks, three blocks they went, turned -a corner, and began on another street. - -Suddenly Spider gave a yell. “Hi, Bennie, there’s your pup!” - -The doctor stopped. Sure enough, in a yard beside a small house, playing -with a boy of ten, was Jeff! - -Bennie jumped out, ran to the gate, and whistled. - -Jeff cocked his ears, looked toward Bennie, wagged his tail, took three -jumps toward the fence—and then turned around and went back to the small -boy! - -“Sure, Bennie, that dog would follow your train all the way to Chicago,” -laughed Spider. - -“He appreciates you at your true worth,” called Uncle Billy. - -“Just the same, he’s my dog, and I’m going to have him!” Bennie said, -angrily, laying his hand on the gate. - -“Hold on,” said his uncle. “Is he your dog? Where did you get him? Seems -to me _he_ has most to say about whose dog he is. He chose you, so’s he -could get a trip to the mountains, and now you’ve quit camping, he’s -chosen this kid.” - -“Well, he chose me first.” - -“Come here, son,” the doctor called to the small boy, who came to the -gate, Jeff at his heels. “Where did you get this dog?” - -“He followed me home from the store last night,” said the boy. “He’s a -fine dog. Is he yours?” - -“He’s mine,” said Bennie, sternly. “Come here, Jeff!” - -At the sound of his angry voice, Jeff got behind the small boy’s legs. - -“I didn’t do nothin’ to make him follow me,” the little fellow said. -“Honest, I didn’t. He just came. Ma said I could keep him. I—I never had -a dog.” - -He was almost in tears, both because he thought he was being accused of -stealing Jeff, and because he feared they were going to take his new pet -away. - -“Have a heart, Bennie,” Spider said. “He wants the pup worse than you -do.” - -Bennie hesitated, but his fondness for Jeff was too much. “No, sir, he’s -my dog,” he declared. - -“Let Jeff decide it,” said Uncle Billy. “He doesn’t really belong to -either one of you. That’s fair, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, I guess so,” Bennie confessed. - -“Now, you go ten feet up the sidewalk. Son, you walk down as far as that -tree. Spider, hold Jeff till they are set. Now, both of you, call him!” - -“Here, Jeff! Here, Jeff!” called Bennie. - -“Come here, Buster, Buster!” called the little boy. - -Spider released Jeff as they called—and the pup jumped up and licked -Spider’s face! - -“Gee whiz, he’s _my_ dog!” Spider shouted, while the doctor sat in the -car and roared with laughter. - -“Try again,” he said, after a second. - -The two boys called once more, and Jeff, without hesitating longer, -sprang to the little fellow, nearly knocking him down. - -“All right, you keep him,” Bennie declared. “He’s a fool pup. I won’t -guarantee he’ll not run away from you tomorrow.” - -“I bet he _won’t_!” the little chap declared, throwing his arms around -Jeff’s neck. - -Bennie didn’t look back. - -“Yes,” Uncle Billy mused, “Jeff certainly regarded you at your true -worth, Bennie. He was certainly a one-man dog, too, true to his master -till death.” - -“Aw, quit it,” Bennie pleaded. “I always really knew he was a mutt, but -I—I was kind o’ fond of him, just the same.” - -“Never mind,” said Spider, “you’ve done your good turn for today. You’ve -given him to that kid.” - -“Yes, I have!” said the honest Bennie. “He did the good turn, I’ll say. -He gave _himself_ to the kid. A lot I had to do with it!” - -They picked up the Stone car at the garage again, and set off at last -for Portland, down the Columbia Highway, which is one of the finest -motor roads in the world. It is laid out beside the great green river, -sometimes down on the bank, beside the railroad, sometimes climbing up a -thousand feet to the top of the cliffs, sometimes cut out of the sides -of the cliffs, sometimes having to go right through a headland of lava -by a tunnel. All the way through the Columbia gorge, from The Dalles -nearly to Portland, the car rolled along the wide macadam highway, with -the green river on one side, and the towering cliffs and waterfalls on -the other, or else climbed up and down these cliffs by cleverly -engineered grades. - -The highest waterfall they passed was Multnomah, which dropped hundreds -and hundreds of feet over the cliff, almost on the very road. And near -it were several superb basaltic lava pinnacles, towering 2,000 feet -above the car. - -“Oh, Uncle Billy, haven’t we time to stop and have a try at that one?” -Bennie cried, pointing to a great dome-like pinnacle which jutted out -from the cliff like the tower at the front of a church. - -“That’s St. Peter’s Dome,” his uncle said. “We wouldn’t have time to -climb that if we had a year. Nobody has ever succeeded in getting up -it.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because a couple of hundred feet or so below the top, it is not only -perpendicular all around, but the wall overhangs a shade. Nobody can -climb an overhung precipice. I suppose we could carry up a coast guard -mortar, and shoot a rope over the top, and then hoist you up in a -breeches buoy, maybe. But I’m afraid there won’t be time to do that -today.” - -“You folks out here have it pretty soft, I’ll say,” Bennie commented. - -“How’s that?” - -“Why, all you have to do is get in a car and drive out a few miles on a -macadam road, and there you are right at the foot of rock climbs so hard -nobody has ever climbed ’em! Out East, we either have to sail to Europe -and tackle the—the Spitzes, or else ride 3,000 miles across the U. S. A. -when we want a climb. I’m going to get a job in Oregon when I get -through school.” - -“So you’re satisfied with Oregon?” his uncle laughed. - -“I’ll tell the world I am!” Bennie answered. - -[Illustration: Saint Peter’s Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far -Distance.] - -They rolled into Portland in time for dinner, which they all ate at -Dumplin’s house. The next day the scouts spent in packing their trunks, -and seeing the city with Dumplin’ for a guide. They took the evening -limited for home. The doctor took them to the depot, and Mr. Stone and -Dumplin’ came down to see them off. The depot was full of men and women, -in khaki clothes, with packs and alpenstocks. They were members of the -Mazamas, going to take another train to get them to Diamond Peak, for a -week’s climbing. - -“If one of them spoke a kind word to me, I’d swap my ticket East in -three and four-fifths seconds, and go with ’em,” Bennie declared. “I -don’t want to go home, Uncle Billy.” - -“Don’t you want to see your father and mother?” the doctor asked. - -“And get your little old Algebra out and nicely dusted?” added Dumplin’. - -“’Course I want to see the folks, but I don’t want to leave these old -mountains,” Bennie answered. “I guess Spider and I will never forget old -Jefferson. And say, Mr. Stone, don’t you forget you’re going to send us -the movie films when they’re printed. We’ll have ’em at the Town Hall, -for the benefit of the Boy Scouts.” - -“I won’t forget. And don’t you forget you’re coming back some day.” - -“A swell chance of forgetting that!” laughed Bennie. “And don’t forget, -Dump, that you’re coming East to college, with Spider and me.” - -The train was made up now. The boys shook hands and shouted a dozen more -messages of farewell as they went through the gates and climbed aboard. - -It was dark when the train got up into the Columbia gorge. They saw no -more of the Cascade Mountains. The next ones they saw were the Rockies. -There was little snow left now, in mid-August, on the Rockies. - -“Give me the old Cascades,” said Bennie. - -“Just the same, I’d like to stop off a few days and climb the Rockies, -and see Glacier Park, and Yellowstone Park, and the Grand Canyon, and——” - -“Did you say a few days?” Bennie laughed. “Spider, you and I have got to -get busy the next few years, and make a bunch of money, so’s we can -really see America.” - -“We’ve done pretty well for one summer, at that,” Spider answered. “And -I’ll tell you one thing, it’s up to us to do something to pay for it. -I’ve got a scheme, too.” - -As they traveled homeward, Spider developed his scheme. It was to raise -some money for the scouts by showing Mr. Stone’s movies, and with the -money have a lot of signs made, to mark trails with. Then Spider and -Bennie and the scout master, maybe, would lead the scouts in opening up -footpaths for trampers over the highest hills and cliffs around -Southmead. Some of these trails used to exist, but they had long since -grown over, and the summer boarders were always getting lost trying to -find them. But many of the wildest places, the spots where there were -the best views, had no trails at all. - -“We’ll make trails,” Spider declared. - -“Yes, and we’ll build some shelter lean-tos where we can go and spend -the night,” Bennie offered. - -“Sure, and we’ll make some easy trails, and some hard ones, with cliff -climbs in ’em.” - -“Sure, and put warning signs on the bad ones—‘Dangerous—only for -experienced climbers.’” - -“Like us,” Spider laughed. “Seriously, though, I bet we can do a lot to -help the scouts and the town, and everybody, and have a lot of fun, and -you and I can survey and map out the trails first, and get our merit -badges in hiking that way, at the same time!” - -“Great!” cried Bennie. - -They continued to lay their plans all the way home, but they forgot them -for a day or two in the excitement of greetings, and seeing their -parents, and the old town, and all their fellow scouts. Bennie spent -half his time for the next few days trying to cut up wood and weed the -drive, while half a dozen boys stood around, making him tell them about -Crater Lake, and the climb up Llao Rock, and how Dumplin’ fell on -Jefferson. - -But after the first week was over, and they had settled back into the -life of Southmead, Spider and Bennie got together with Mr. Rogers, the -scout master, and outlined their trail plans. He was enthusiastic about -them, and they set to work at once, with the help of his suggestions. -They went out every afternoon till school opened, hiking through the -woods and up the small 2,000-foot mountains around Southmead, surveying -practical routes for paths, and making sketch maps. After school opened, -they had to abandon the daily trips, but got in long ones on Saturdays. -By October they had enough work planned out to keep the scout troop busy -for months, and the task of opening the trails with scout axes, brush -hooks, and pruning shears began. - -The first trail opened was an old, steep path, long since overgrown by -laurel and other bushes and small trees, up the mountain to the top of -the cliffs the boys had climbed the previous winter. It took them five -Saturdays, working with a gang of ten scouts, to get this trail, two -miles long, cleaned out. By that time, Mr. Stone’s pictures had come, -and the scouts made twenty-five dollars by exhibiting them at the Town -Hall, so that everybody could see what the Oregon mountains were like. -Mr. Rogers kept the money, and the first use made of it was to have -three or four white signs made, to mark the newly-cut trail. Every sign -carried, in black letters, the name of the trail—“Cliff Path to Monument -Mountain,” and, below, the name of the organization erecting -it—“Southmead Boy Scouts.” - -As soon as these signs were ready, the troop took them out and put them -at the proper places—at each end, and at the points where old wood roads -crossed, to make confusion. - -During the winter, Spider and Bennie hiked on snowshoes many miles, over -all the surrounding hills, trail planning, and visited the scouts in the -next town, planning with them a foot-trail over the long, rocky ridge of -wooded hills between the two villages. When spring came, this work, too, -was started, the two troops working from their respective ends. They -finally met at the town boundary, erected a shelter there, and had a big -camp fire and celebration. - -By the end of the summer, Bennie and Spider saw real results—not so many -as they had planned, but yet enough to cause the local Board of Trade to -get out a little trail map for summer visitors, which Spider was asked -to draw, and to cause the summer visitors to hike in larger numbers than -ever before. And wherever they hiked, on the new trails, they saw the -neat signs to guide them, posted by the Boy Scouts. - -“It’s fine work, boys,” said Mr. Rogers, after the two scouts had passed -their examinations for merit badges in hiking. “We’ve got a long trail -to the next town, we’ve got one up Monument, we’ve cleaned the old path -to Eagle Rock, and we’ve built one to the Cave. If we keep these cleared -out, and add one new one a year, we’ll soon have Southmead the best town -for tramping in the United States!” - -“Just the same,” said Bennie, a little wistfully, “I wish I was going to -climb old Jefferson tomorrow, where there isn’t any trail at all!” - -“If you hadn’t climbed him, though, you wouldn’t have been so keen for -this work we’ve been doing,” Spider said. “It’s because we got into the -real wilderness that made us want to help folks around here to get out -and hike.” - -“Right—as usual,” Bennie laughed. “I’m not kicking. It’s great stuff, -making trails. I like it. But some day!—Oh, you Crater Lake, I’m going -back to you!” - -“We might get in shape for it by taking a crack at the Monument cliffs -tomorrow,” Spider laughed. “We haven’t climbed them since spring.” - -“You’re on,” said Bennie. “Let’s carry packs and blanket rolls, and hike -on down the other side, and spend the night at Wilson Pond.” - -“That’s only fourteen miles—I’m your man,” cried Spider. - -“’Course, it isn’t much, but it’ll keep us in condition,” Bennie -declared, with great pretended airiness of manner. “We’ll hike back home -in time for breakfast.” - -Mrs. Rogers, who overheard this conversation, came out on the porch when -the boys had gone. - -“Bennie’s a great joker,” she laughed. - -“He is—and he isn’t,” the scout master answered. “As a matter of fact, -it _is_ fourteen miles to Wilson Pond, over the mountain, and as a -matter of fact, those two boys _will_ get up tomorrow at four, have a -swim, and be home for breakfast at half-past seven or eight.” - -“Now you’re the joker,” his wife laughed. - -“You take a climb with them once, and see how much of a joke it is,” -said he. - - - THE END - - - _Every boy will want_ - FRANK H. CHELEY’S - The Boys’ Book of Camp Fires - -This is the most complete book of boys’ camp activities ever written. It -contains suggestions for camp cooking and for stunts of all kinds, -handicraft work, camp songs and stories which help toward the fullest -enjoyment of out-of-door life. The author stands among the highest -authorities on camp life. - - - _By the same author_ - - Camp Fire Yarns - The Mystery of Chimney Rock - The Job of Being a Dad - - - The Boys’ Bookshelf - - _Which have you read?_ - - By Walter P. Eaton - _Scouting_ - The Boy Scouts of Berkshire - The Boy Scouts in the Dismal Swamp - Boy Scouts in the White Mountains - Boy Scouts of the Wildcat Patrol - Peanut—Cub Reporter - Boy Scouts in Glacier Park - Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - Boy Scouts on Katahdin - - By Lewis E. Theiss - _Radio Series_ - The Wireless Patrol at Camp Brady - The Secret Wireless - The Hidden Aerial - The Young Wireless Operator Afloat - The Young Wireless Operator—as a Fire Patrol - The Young Wireless Operator with the Oyster Fleet - The Young Wireless Operator with the U. S. Secret Service - The Young Wireless Operator with the U. S. Coast Guard - -“_The finest radio stories ever written—interesting and informational_” - - The Flume in the Mountains - Aloft in the Shenandoah II - - “_Every red-blooded boy will devour such splendid books_” - - By Capt. Edward L. Beach, U. S. N. - _Stories of the American Navy_ - Ralph Osborn—Midshipman at Annapolis - Midshipman Ralph Osborn at Sea - Ensign Ralph Osborn - Lieutenant Ralph Osborn Aboard a Torpedo Boat Destroyer - - “_The best set of American Naval Stories ever written for boys_” - - By Frank H. Cheley - The Job of Being a Dad - Camp Fire Yarns - The Mystery of Chimney Rock - The Boys’ Book of Camp Fires - - “_Boys and fathers, too, will revel in these_” - - - W. A. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/54536-0.zip b/old/54536-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 09cf098..0000000 --- a/old/54536-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/54536-8.txt b/old/54536-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ce9d7c2..0000000 --- a/old/54536-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9037 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Boy Scouts at Crater Lake, by Walter Prichard Eaton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - A Story of Crater Lake National Park and the High Cascades - -Author: Walter Prichard Eaton - -Release Date: April 10, 2017 [EBook #54536] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT CRATER LAKE *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -[Illustration: Pack Train Descending to Hunt's Cove. Mount Jefferson in -the Distance.] - - - - - Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - - - _A STORY OF CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK AND THE HIGH CASCADES_ - - By - WALTER PRICHARD EATON - - _Illustrated with Photographs_ - FRED H. KISER - - [Illustration: W. A. Wilde Company] - - W. A. WILDE COMPANY - BOSTON CHICAGO - - _Copyrighted, 1922_, - By W. A. Wilde Company - _All rights reserved_ - Made in U.S.A. - - - - - FOREWORD - - - (_For Parents and Similar People_) - -It seems to be generally assumed that a story for boys must be crowded -full of adventures, and the assumption is doubtless based on experience. -This would be all right if the adventures were also based on experience. -Unfortunately, however, such is not always the case, and then the result -is something that may possibly satisfy an immediate craving of the boy -for excitement, but in the long run can only confuse his sense of -reality. It is probably more important, in a boy's development, to -clarify his sense of reality than it is to feed his imagination. His -imagination, normally, needs very little prodding to carry him away from -reality. That is why tales of actual adventure, such as the records of -explorers, hunters, and the like, are so worth while for boys. They feed -the imagination while, at the same time, keeping touch with the real. -They have the lure of fiction, and the solidity of fact. - -It has been my steady purpose, in the Boy Scout series of stories which -I have written, to bear this in mind. I have not described places with -which I was unfamiliar, nor created adventures it was impossible for -boys to experience. In the volume preceding the present one, "Boy Scouts -in Glacier Park," I endeavored to give some adequate idea of that -beautiful National Park, and hence of a section of the Rocky Mountain -wilderness, and the actual adventures one may now encounter therein. Our -friend, Bill Hart, of movie fame, may be relied on to supply the other -sort of Wild West adventure, without any need of help from me. The -response of my young readers was so pleasantly encouraging that I am -asking them, in this book, to go still farther West, into another -National Park, Crater Lake, and into the Cascade wilderness of Oregon. -Whitman's ride for Oregon was long ago, and today they are building a -macadam highway where his horse left a solitary track. - -The Cascade Mountains afford numerous opportunities for snow -climbing--and anyone who has practiced this noble sport does not need to -be told that it supplies plenty of adventure. Snow mountains have a way -of withdrawing themselves many miles from human habitation, and a pack -train is scarcely to be afforded save by those who have reached years of -comparative discretion, so I have no fear of sending youngsters out -alone to start up the Roosevelt Glacier. If, however, I can inspire some -few of them to persuade their fathers to take them into the high places, -I know that both they and their fathers will ultimately thank me. - -But chiefly, in the end, I want young America to know and to love and to -preserve what is left of the American wilderness. - - W. P. E. - - _Twin Fires,_ - _Sheffield,_ - _Massachusetts._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - I. Bennie Visits the Public Library and Gives Spider a Surprise 13 - II. Bennie Takes the Rope Up His First Cliff 19 - III. How Bennie Earned a Trip to Oregon 31 - IV. Bennie and Spider Cross the Continent 39 - V. All Aboard for Crater Lake!--and Dumpling in the Other Car 50 - VI. Bennie and Spider Have to Make After-dinner Speeches, and - Bennie's Knees Knock 57 - VII. Held Up by the Snow, with the Thermometer at 86 68 - VIII. Up the Rim of Crater Lake at Last, Through the Snow-drifts 75 - IX. The Mountain That Fell Into Itself 83 - X. Down the Rim to the Lake--The Boys Ski on a Crater Snow-drift - in July 88 - XI. Dumplin' Tests the Strength of a Snow Cornice on Garfield - Peak 106 - XII. Bennie Climbs the Mast of the Phantom Ship and Knows He Has - Done Something 113 - XIII. The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have to Climb - Llao Rock--and They Learn a Lesson 122 - XIV. Bennie Takes a Day Off to Do a Good Turn--He Washes All the - Dirty Clothes 137 - XV. The Long Hike--The Scouts Find Packing Grub and Blanket - Rolls Up and Down Cliffs is Hard Work 144 - XVI. The Climb Up Scott Peak--Bennie Begins Work for a Merit - Badge for Hiking 154 - XVII. Good-bye to Crater Lake, and a Motor Trip to Bend 167 - XVIII. The Boys Encounter "Pep," Who Promises Them a Bear Hunt 174 - XIX. The Bear Hunt--In Which the Boys Discover that the Bear - Doesn't Do All the Hard Work 178 - XX. Bennie Achieves a Dog, and the Party Puts Out a Forest Fire 206 - XXI. The Pack Train Has to Toboggan Into Hunt's Cove, and Bennie - Puts "Action" Into It 221 - XXII. The First Attempt at Jefferson--Dumplin' Almost Falls to - Death--The Hardest Work the Boys Ever Did 234 - XXIII. The Summit is Conquered! 262 - XXIV. Back Over the Divide--A Horse Turns Three Somersaults Down - the Snow Slope 273 - XXV. Bennie Loses Jeff, but Brings Home Something Else to Last - Him Many Years 280 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - Pack Train Descending to Hunt's Cove. Mount Jefferson in the - Distance. (_Frontispiece_) 222 - Crater Lake--Wizard Island, and Over it Llao Rock 80 - Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in Foreground 88 - The Boys Sliding Down Wizard Island Crater (Enlarged from a - Movie) 98 - The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak (Enlarged - from a Movie) 108 - Looking Across Hunt's Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line Shows Route - of Climb; Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin' Slipped 252 - Crossing the Divide Near Mount Jefferson, on July 25th. Three - Fingered Jack in Distance 274 - Saint Peter's Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far - Distance 286 - - - - - Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - - - - - CHAPTER I - Bennie Visits the Public Library and Gives Spider a Surprise - - -Bennie Capen was sitting in the public library reading a book. Miss -Lizzie Cox, the librarian, was watching him with some suspicion. Bennie -was not what you might call one of her regular customers, and she was -surprised to see him come in, ask for a certain book, and take it off to -the reading table. She certainly watched him as if she suspected a -nigger in the wood-pile somewhere. Bennie had a reputation in Southmead, -but it wasn't exactly a reputation for bookishness. Some people said he -was a "bad boy," some people laughed and said he was "full o' pep," and -some people, including Mr. Rogers, the scout master of Bennie's troop, -said the trouble with Bennie was that his engine was too powerful for -the chassis. Anyway, Miss Lizzie Cox, behind the delivery desk, frowned -as she watched him through her gold-rimmed glasses, as if she expected -to see him throw the book at little Bob Walters, across the table, or -pull the hair of Lucy Smith, who was consulting the encyclopaedia -preparatory to writing a composition on "The Products of the Philippine -Islands." - -However, Bennie did none of these things. He read steadily in his book, -after first looking at all the pictures, and emitting several low -whistles, each one of which brought a sharp, admonitory rap of her -pencil on the desk from Miss Cox, and a loud "Silence!" Bennie grinned -cheerfully each time, and went on reading and looking at the pictures. -His eyes were bright, and every now and then he ran his fingers -excitedly through his brown hair, till it stood straight up on his -forehead. - -By and by little Bob Walters returned the bound volume of St. Nicholas -and went out. Lucy Smith exhausted the products of the Philippine -Islands (or her own patience), and took refuge in "Vogue." From the -streets outside came the shouts of a snowball fight. But Bennie kept on -reading. Finally the door opened, and another scout came in, a tall, -slender boy with two books under his arm. He saw Bennie as he was -walking up to the desk, and stopped, surprised. Then he stole over on -tiptoe, and looked over Bennie's shoulder at the book. - -"Gosh all hemlock, Bennie," he whispered, "plugging to get a hundred per -cent in physical geography? You don't care how much of a shock you give -your dear teacher, do you?" - -Bennie looked up, with his usual grin. "'Lo, Spider," he said. "Say, -this old book is some humdinger, I'll tell the world." - -"Don't tell the world so loud, or Miss Cox'll be out over the desk," Bob -Chandler whispered back, catching a sight of the librarian's face out of -a corner of his eye. "What is the book?" - -Bennie turned back to the title page, and Spider read, "On British Crags -and Alpine Heights." - -"Say, wait a minute--look at this picture," said Bennie, turning the -pages to find it. "Here it is. Look at that old cliff! And pipe where -that guy is climbing. Oh, boy! That's only one, too. 'Most every -picture's like that, or more exciting, and it tells how somebody fell -off most of 'em, and was killed, and----" - -"Silence!" from Miss Lizzie Cox. - -"Old crab!" whispered Bennie. "Well, I gotter finish this chapter 'fore -closing time." - -"Why don't you take the book out? I'd like to read it, too," Spider -whispered. - -"Haven't got a card," Bennie confessed. "Guess I don't read as much as I -ought to." - -"Guess you don't," said Spider. "Here, give it to me. I'll take it out -for you." - -"How'd you ever know about it, anyhow?" he asked, when they were outside -the building, on the snowy sidewalk. "Gave me some shock to see you -sitting in the library!" - -"Mr. Rogers told me about it," Bennie answered. "We got to talking about -mountains, and climbing, and he said to go ask for this book and see -what real climbing is like. Oh, boy! I wish we had something like those -old what d'you call 'ems--spitzes--around these diggings." - -"A spitz being what?" Spider laughed. - -"Here, give me the book--I'll show you. It's a German word, I -guess--means spire, maybe--I don't know. Never studied Dutch--probably -wouldn't know if I had--but anyhow they're tall, sharp rocky peaks, -pretty nearly straight up, in the Alps somewhere, and you climb 'em with -your teeth and your toe-nails." - -The two scouts paused in the middle of the sidewalk, while Bennie hunted -out a picture of several men, roped together, climbing the precipitous -face of one of the Dolomites, and their faces were over the book, -looking at the thrilling photograph--when, _blam_, came a snowball, -crashing into Bennie's side. - -He thrust the book into Spider's hands for safe-keeping, stooped for a -handful of snow, and dashed around the corner of the post-office after -the vanishing pair of heels. - -When he came back he was grinning. "Fresh guy, that Tenderfoot," he -said. "His ma won't need to wash his face for supper tonight. Come on, -let's go to my house and look at those old pictures some more." - -They were soon curled up on the couch in his father's library, with the -book first on one lap and then on the other. After they had looked twice -at every picture, they read aloud to each other parts of the text, -especially the most exciting parts they could find, but skipping the -descriptions of scenery and the long foreign names. The Welsh names were -worse than the German. - -What interested them most, however, were the pictures that showed how -the rope is used, both in climbing and descending, and the passages -about it. - -"I wish we had a braided rope!" Spider exclaimed. - -"Guess we could get some sort of a rope, all right," said Bennie. "But -where are we going to get the--the spitzes to use it on? Those old -mountains make ours look like pimples." - -"Oh, they're not so bad--they're _something_, anyway," Spider answered. -"I bet you'd need a rope to climb the cliffs on Monument Mountain, and -maybe, if the snow gets deep, we'd have to cut steps in it to get up to -those cliffs. Might try it." - -"Sure, we could try it. But you wouldn't slide far enough to hurt -yourself if you did slip going up to the cliffs, and I bet _nobody_ -could climb right up the cliffs themselves." - -"I bet the man who wrote this book could," said Spider. "We never really -tried it. What do you say if we get a rope and have a go at 'em, next -Saturday, eh?" - -"You're on!" cried Bennie. "We'll get the old rope tomorrow, after -school. Going to take the troop along?" - -"Not on your life! We'll ask Mr. Rogers, though. We don't want too many. -Those cliffs aren't going to be a picnic, I'll tell the town." - -"You've said it," Bennie assented. "Well, so long till tomorrow. Don't -forget to bring some money for that old rope." - -"And don't you forget that book's out on my card," Spider laughed. -"Won't do it any good if you throw it at the cat." - -Bennie made as if to throw it at him, and he ducked quickly out of the -door. - - - - - CHAPTER II - Bennie Takes the Rope Up His First Cliff - - -The next afternoon the two scouts emerged from Seymour's store with a -hundred feet of brand new half-inch rope, and ran directly into a group -of half a dozen of their fellow scouts. - -"Hi! Get on to Spider and Bennie!" someone cried. "What you goin' to do, -Bennie, rope a steer?" - -"Goin' to hang yourselves?" somebody else demanded. - -"Goin' to tie up the cat?" came from a third. - -"Going to have some spaghetti for supper?" said a fourth. - -"Goin' to fish for minnows through the ice with it?" asked still -another. - -"No, we're goin' to tie up a pound of candy for our dear teacher," -Bennie replied. "Come on, Spider, these guys are too bright for us." - -"Don't trip over your skipping rope, dearie," taunted one of the scouts. -Bennie hurled a snowball at him and then he and Spider dodged away from -a shower of pursuing missiles. - -"Well, they didn't learn much that time," Spider laughed, as they -entered Bennie's back yard, went into the barn, and threw an end of the -rope over a rafter, so that both ends dangled to the floor. - -"Now we'll try coming down the doubled rope," said Bennie. - -He climbed out on the rafter, grasped both strands of the rope, and slid -down. Spider followed him. - -At the bottom they surveyed their bare palms ruefully. - -"Feels as if it was full of splinters," said Bennie. - -"It's too stiff--it's like a piece o' wood," Spider complained. "Guess -it isn't much like the braided ropes Alpine climbers use. What are we -going to do about it?" - -"Ask Mr. Rogers," said Bennie. "We haven't told him about it yet, -anyhow. Come on. Wait a minute, though. No use getting any more -questions fired at us." - -He took one end of the rope and pulled the other end down over the beam. -Then, while Spider played it out, he spun around and wound it around his -body. After that, he put on his mackinaw. - -"You look 's if you weighed about two hundred," Spider laughed. - -"I feel like Houdini," said Bennie. - -They found the scout master at home, and told him their plans, and about -the rope. He laughed, and grabbing the loose end, spun Bennie around -like a top, while he unwound it. - -"The first thing to do is to wrap a piece of twine around both ends, so -it won't unravel," he said, "and then boil it for a day in your mother's -wash boiler--if she'll let you." - -"Will you go with us Saturday?" - -"Sure thing. But let's take a couple more of the troop along. Not a lot. -It may be dangerous. We'll take Billy Vance and Tom Shields, eh? They -are strong and careful." - -"Well, not any more," said Bennie. "Gee whiz, we don't want to let 'em -all in on this right off the bat." - -"What kind of a scout are you?" Mr. Rogers asked. "Want to hog all the -fun?" - -Bennie reddened. "No, it isn't that," he said, "but me and Spider sort -of discovered this, and we want to try it out first. A lot of 'em would -only laugh. I got it out of a book." - -"Ho, that's it!" laughed the scout master. "You don't want to be caught -reading a book! Well, I've a good mind to assemble the whole troop, and -tell 'em the glad news. Cheer up, though, I won't. The shock might be -bad for 'em." - -"He's got your number," said Spider, as the two scouts left. - -Bennie grinned, but he looked a little sheepish. - -It took a lot of explaining before Mrs. Capen would let the boys have -the wash boiler, but finally they persuaded her, and slipped the coil of -rope into the water, leaving it there all night to boil. - -The next day the water was a dark brown color, but the rope, after they -took it out and stretched it as hard as they could from the barn around -a tree and back again, dried out much softer than it had been, so that -it could be easily handled. And, to complete their happiness, that night -it began to snow again heavily. - -"I hope it don't stop till Saturday, and there's six feet on the level!" -cried Bennie. - -There weren't six feet, but there were more than two, badly drifted, -when Saturday dawned bright and clear. When Mr. Rogers and the four -scouts set out for the cliffs, two miles away, they were on snowshoes. -Bennie carried the rope, carefully coiled, over his shoulder, and he had -a scout hatchet in his belt, to cut steps with. Each member of the party -had an alpenstock, also, some of them made by taking the guard off old -ski poles, some merely by sharpening a five foot length of pole. The -snow was deep, but it was also fine and powdery, so that even on -snowshoes they sank well in, and had to take turns breaking trail. - -"It doesn't look to me as if we'd have to cut many steps," said the -scout master. - -And it turned out that they didn't, much to Bennie's disgust. To reach -the base of the cliffs, it was necessary to climb for 300 yards or more -up a pile of rocks, of all sizes and shapes, which in ages past had been -broken off from the precipice above, and now lay in a vast heap at the -base, making a kind of wild, irregular stairway, and just about as steep -as a flight of steps. Bennie had hoped that these rocks would be packed -over hard with snow, so they would need to cut steps up the slope. But, -alas! it takes far deeper snows, and snows that do not melt in spring, -to form such a slope. - -What they found, instead, was that the snow had filled in between the -rocks just enough so you couldn't tell whether your foot was going to -sink six inches or six feet, and blown off the top of the rocks, making -them slippery as glass. Of course, they had to leave their snowshoes at -the base. To get up the pile meant nothing more than hard work and -scraped shins. Billy and Tom, the two other scouts who had come along, -began to complain. - -"Say, is this your idea of fun?" said Tom. "You don't need a rope for -this, you need shin guards." - -"Yeah, where'd you get this Alpine stuff, anyhow?" said Billy, as one -foot went down between two hidden stones and he half disappeared from -sight. - -"You wait till we get to the old cliff up there!" Bennie answered -hopefully. - -The party paused and took a look at the cliff wall, now towering just -above them. They had all climbed the mountain many times by the path, -but none of them, not even Mr. Rogers, had ever tackled the cliff face. -It was 200 feet high, most of it a sheer precipice, and nobody in town -had ever dreamed of trying to climb it. - -"Gosh!" Tom exclaimed. "We can't climb _that_!" - -"Well, we're going to try," Bennie replied. "It's not a patch on a lot -in that book, is it, Spider?" - -"You've said it," Spider answered. - -After a few minutes more of hard scrambling, they stood directly under -the face of the precipice. Being straight up, it was quite bare of snow, -except on a few ledges here and there, and at this point nobody could -have climbed it. There was nothing to get even a finger hold on. - -"Well, go on up with your rope, and throw us down an end," Tom taunted. - -"We'll have to work around till we can find a chimney, won't we?" Bennie -asked the scout master. - -"Or a ladder," Billy added. - -They moved along under the beetling face of the rock, going in up to -their waists in the snow which had drifted against the base, until they -came to a sort of gully which divided the main cliff from an out-thrown -spur like a bowsprit. This gully was very steep, about sixty-five -degrees, and was partly filled with snow. A few laurel bushes grew in it -here and there, and it evidently led up to a ledge, because at the top a -little pine tree was growing, a hundred feet above their heads. - -"If we can get up anywhere, it's here," the scout master announced. - -Bennie uncoiled the rope and fastened one end around his waist, so his -hands would be free. Then he started up the gully. There was no question -of cutting steps--the snow was too soft. All he could do was to tread it -down under his feet and trust to its holding him without sliding down -until he could reach up to a laurel bush and pull himself a bit higher. -Twice he slid back. Once his mittens slipped on a bush, and he came down -ten feet before he could get a hold on something. Then he took his -mittens off, and climbed bare handed. Those below heard him give a yell -of triumph just as the last of the rope was apparently going up after -him, and then they saw him come out on the ledge and tie his end of the -rope around the pine tree. - -"Come on!" he called. "All fast! Wow, but my hands are cold!" - -The others came up easily enough, for they had the rope to pull on, and -soon they were all standing on the tiny ledge, a hundred feet above the -base of the cliff. - -"Well, Tom, the old rope was some help, eh?" Bennie demanded. - -"Where do we go from here?" was Tom's reply. - -"Yes, where do we go?" the scout master laughed. - -"Right over to the next ledge," said Bennie, pointing to another ledge, -on the same level, about ten feet away, with next to nothing but bare -cliff between. - -"Oh, do we!" said Billy. - -"Sure," Bennie replied. "This is a traverse. That's what you call 'em, -isn't it, Mr. Rogers?" - -"Sure, it's a traverse all right. I don't like the looks of it, either." - -"Same here," said Tom. "Gosh, if you slipped getting over there--good -night!" - -He looked down the sheer hundred foot drop, and pulled back quickly. - -But Bennie already had the rope pulled up, and one end around his body, -under his arms, again. - -"Here, Mr. Rogers," he said, giving the scout master the coil. "You take -a brace and play me out. I'll get the rope over to the other ledge, and -tie one end there, and then you can put it 'round the tree, and throw me -the other end. Then you'll all have a railing to cross with." - -Mr. Rogers looked worried. "Now, go slow and watch your step, Bennie," -he cautioned. "Here, Spider, take hold of this rope behind me, so two of -us'll have a grip." - -Bennie took off his mittens again, and beat the snow from the crevices -of the rock ahead of him till he could get a good grip with his fingers. -Then he shoved his feet out on the tiny ledge below, hardly six inches -wide, and slowly, cautiously, made his way toward the other landing. He -had only ten feet to go, but in the cold, without gloves, and with the -rocks slippery from snow, it was painful work, and he wasn't sure if his -fingers would stand it without letting go, they soon pained him so. Mr. -Rogers watched him anxiously, as he played out the rope. The others held -their breaths. - -But he got there, and a shout went up from everybody. He blew on his -fingers and then tied his end of the rope around a tree on the new -ledge, while the scout master passed the other end around the first -tree, and then threw the end across. When that end, too, was tied, a -double rope stretched across the gap between the ledges, and the rest -could put it under an armpit, hold it fast with one hand while they -grabbed the cracks of rock with the other, and come over in perfect -safety. Then they pulled the rope over to them, and started on. - -"Some traverse!" Bennie cried. "I thought once I'd have to let go, -though, my fingers got so cold." - -"Summer's the time for this sort of work," said the scout master. - -Billy, who had said nothing for several minutes, looked back at the -traverse, and down into the drop of space below. - -"I was scared pink," he said, "and I don't care who knows it." - -"I wasn't scared, 'cause I knew Mr. Rogers and Spider would hold me," -said Bennie. "Still, I'd have gone a ways at that, and kind of dangled." - -The new ledge led around a corner, and then upward for twenty feet, and -brought them to a pile of jagged rocks which could be climbed without a -rope, by brushing off the snow, till they were only twenty feet below -the top of the cliff. Here there was only one way up. By grabbing any -little handholds they could find, it was possible to climb up about a -dozen feet to a tiny ledge, one at a time, and get into a narrow upright -crack, about two feet wide. This crack led right to the summit, and you -could work up it by pushing with your feet and hands on one side and -your back on the other. At least, that is what Bennie declared. - -"It's a chimney!" he cried. - -"Well, I wish there was a fire at the bottom of it," sighed Tom, hitting -his hands together. - -Bennie started to tie the rope under his arms, but Spider grabbed it. - -"Say, whose card did you take that book out on?" he said. "My turn now." - -After considerable feeling around for toe-holds, Spider got to the -ledge, and into the chimney. When he stood erect, the top was only a few -feet over his head, so he soon had his fingers above the rim, and pulled -himself out and vanished. A moment later they heard his "All fast!" and -with the rope to climb with, the rest were speedily beside him on the -snow-covered summit of the mountain. - -Everybody gave a shout as the prospect burst on them--the 200 foot drop -at their feet to the bottom of the cliff, and then the long steep slope -below, and then the valley farms and roads, all lying under a dazzling -carpet of white, and the far-off village and still farther away more -blue mountains. - -"I was never on a mountain in winter," said Spider. "Gee, it's great!" - -"You've said it!" cried Tom and Billy. - -Bennie didn't speak for a moment. - -"Say, it sort of makes a feller feel queer," he said, finally. "I mean, -all this bigness!" - -"It's the altitude, Bennie," Tom remarked. "Goes to people's heads, -sometimes." - -"Shut up," Bennie retorted, good-naturedly. "Just the same, I know now -why men go bugs on mountain climbing." - -The descent was more rapid, and even more exciting, than the climb. They -used the doubled rope, pulling it down to them after they had made a -fifty foot descent (the rope was a hundred feet long), and speedily -reaching the traverse. - -Here Bennie and Spider offered to let either Tom or Billy carry the rope -across to make the railing, but both of them said, "Not on your life!" -in one voice, and most decidedly. So Spider took it across, and when -everybody was over, Bennie tied one end around the tree, tossed the rope -down the gully the full hundred feet, and told the rest to slide down -it. - -"How you going to get down?" Tom asked. - -"You'll see." - -When the last man was down, Bennie doubled the rope around the tree, and -slid on the two strands till he reached a laurel bush in the gully. -There he hung on, pulled his rope down, slipped it around the bush, and -came the rest of the way, in a shower of snow. - -Fifteen minutes later they were down again at their snowshoes, and as -they put them on and tramped out across the fields away from the -mountain they looked back up at the cliffs, rising sheer and naked -toward the blue sky. - -"Doesn't seem as if we could have got up there, does it?" Bennie cried. - -"Now it's all over, seems as if it was great sport," Billy laughed. "But -while you're doing it--say, I wasn't thinking of much but keeping hold -of that old rope!" - -"That's a very good thing to think of, too," said the scout master. -"Boys, I want you to promise me one thing, on your honor as scouts. -That's dangerous work, especially at this time of year. I want you to -promise me you won't try to take any of the other, smaller boys up -there. We don't want any nasty accident in our troop. Will you?" - -"We promise," they all said, soberly. - -"Wow! I'd like to go to the Alps!" Bennie burst out, a moment later. -"Say, Spider, let's you an' me go climb one of those spitzes." - -"All right," said Spider. "We'll start tomorrow." - -"Just the same," Bennie added, seriously, "I'm going to climb a _real_ -mountain some day, if it takes a leg." - -"It'll take two of 'em, not to mention two hands, a strong back and a -good head," Mr. Rogers laughed. - -"A good head, did you hear that, Bennie?" said Tom. - -Bennie answered with a handful of snow. - - - - - CHAPTER III - How Bennie Earned a Trip To Oregon - - -At dinner that night Bennie was so full of his adventure on Monument -that he described it to his father and mother in minute detail. - -"Good gracious, Bennie! don't you ever _dare_ to do such a thing again!" -his mother cried. "I don't see what Mr. Rogers is thinking of to take -the scouts up such a place," she added to her husband. - -"Guess Rogers knows his way around," Mr. Capen answered. "A boy's got to -have a certain amount of excitement to keep him out of mischief." - -"Sure!" said Bennie. "You've said a mouthful!" - -"Bennie!" his mother cut in sharply. "I won't have you talking that way -at my table, and to your own father." - -"Aw, Ma, it's just slang--what's the harm?" - -"One harm is, that it doesn't show proper respect for your father," she -answered. - -"Sorry," said Bennie. "Gee, I respect Pa all right. And say, Pa, can't I -go somewhere this summer vacation where there are _real_ mountains? Gee, -I want to climb a _real_ mountain! Will you let me go out to Oregon and -see Uncle Bill?" - -Mr. Capen didn't answer for a moment. Finally he laid down his knife and -fork, looked sharply at his son, and replied, "Why should I?" - -"Well, why shouldn't you?" was all Bennie could think of at first. Then -he added, "Uncle Bill said he'd take me on a trip in Oregon some time, -if we'd come out there, and a feller ought to see his own country. -Everybody says that--see America first. Guess it's the best way there is -to study geography and history and--and things." - -"H'm," said his father slowly. Then again, "H'm. Well, young man, do you -know what you are asking? Do you know what it costs to get to Oregon and -back? It costs a lot of money, I can tell you, and if you went, your -mother and I would have to stay at home while I earned it, so you'd have -to travel alone." - -"Let him go across the continent alone?" exclaimed Mrs. Capen. "I guess -not!" - -"Oh, gosh, you'd think I was a baby," Bennie protested. - -"No, we don't think you are a baby," his father answered, "but we do -think you are unreliable, and that you don't do your school work -faithfully, and you don't do the things we ask you to do around the -place. How about that dead apple tree you were going to cut up this -week?" - -"Oh, gee! I forgot it," Bennie said. - -"Exactly. You forgot it. You evidently forgot to study your history and -your Latin, this week, too, I gather from what the principal told me -to-day. Now, when you act this way, all I say is, why should I let you -go to Oregon, or anywhere else? What have you done to show me that -you'll make real use of your opportunities? Your friend Bob Chandler, -now, I'd trust. He'd keep his eyes open and learn a lot, because he -learns every day at home." - -Bennie hung his head. Then he looked up at his father. - -"Say, Pa, if I get good marks all the rest of the year, and if I come to -the bank every Saturday morning and help you, and if I prune all the -apple trees, may I go to Oregon?" - -"How do you know your Uncle Billy wants you?" his mother demanded. - -"I bet I can fix _that_ all right. Say, Pa, can I?" - -"You get the good marks for a month, son, and work on the apple trees, -and come to the bank--and at the end of the month we'll see," his father -answered. - -"Gee, that's easy!" Bennie shouted. - -After dinner he started to call up Spider and suggest going to the -movies. He got as far as the telephone, in fact, and then hesitated. It -was a hard fight for a minute, but he won out. Slowly he turned away -from the 'phone, walked up to his own room, got out his textbooks, and -began to study. - -His father was watching him, from the library. When he had gone -upstairs, Mr. Capen laughed. - -"The boy's gone to study," he said to his wife. "It took a mountain to -make him!" - -During the next month Bennie had more than one battle with himself, and -he didn't always win out, either. But, on the whole, he did better than -his father had ever dreamed he would. Spider helped him, too. Bennie had -told nobody but Spider the reason for his reformation, and he had added -a hope that maybe his uncle would suggest that he bring Spider along. -Spider's father owned the largest store in town, and Spider thought that -if he promised to work in it spare hours that spring and the next -winter, his father would let him go. - -"'Sides," Bennie said, "if you should go, Ma and Pa would let me, I bet, -'cause they think you're what they call 'responsible.' So you just _got_ -to help me stick at these old books." - -Spider was a natural student. He liked to study, and it came easy to -him. So day after day he made Bennie come over to his house after -supper, and studied with him. When Bennie tried to talk, he said, "Shut -up!" After a couple of weeks, Bennie began to make the discovery that -the only way to get a lesson learned, or any job done, is to go right -ahead and do it. He set himself a regular hour every day to prune in the -apple orchard, and he studied hard in the school periods, and in the -evenings. At the end of the month, his father called him into the -library. - -"Well, son," he said, "you've certainly bucked up. Your report card here -doesn't look natural. Neither does the orchard." - -"Can I write to Uncle Bill now?" Bennie grinned. - -"Not yet," said his father. "You're doing fine, but this is only one -month. I've got to see if you can keep the habit. If you do as well next -month, you may write." - -"Easy," said Bennie. - -He didn't really mean that "easy," but as a matter of fact, it was much -easier than it had been the first month. He _was_ getting the habit. -Before the second month was over, Tom had called him "teacher's pet," -and been knocked into a slushy snow-drift and had his neck stuffed with -snow. - -"I'll teacher's pet you!" Bennie laughed, finally letting him up. - -At the end of the second month Mr. Capen told him he could write to his -uncle, and if his uncle would let him come to Oregon and take him on one -of his mountain trips, Bennie could go--"providing, of course, you pass -all your examinations in June," his father added. "It's up to you." - -"I'll pass all right!" Bennie said, joyfully. "And say, Pa, if Spider's -father'll let him go, do you suppose Uncle Bill would mind if he went -with me? Gee, it would be great to have old Spider along!" - -"I'm sure Uncle Billy wouldn't mind, and I know your mother would feel a -lot easier about your going," Mr. Capen said. "I'll see Spider's father -today." - -"Golly, you're some dad!" cried Bennie. - -"Well, I feel I've got more of a son than I had two months ago," said -Mr. Capen. - -Bennie hadn't seen his Uncle Bill (a younger brother of his mother's) -for three or four years. He lived in Portland, Oregon, where he was a -very successful doctor, and every summer he took a vacation in the -mountains, to get himself fit for his winter grind. Bennie remembered -him as a tall, strong, good-natured man, who always came to see Mrs. -Capen on his rare trips East, and always talked to Bennie about what fun -it would be to show him "a real country"--meaning Oregon. Bennie liked -him, but it was hard, at that, to sit down in cold blood and invite -yourself for a visit, and, still worse, to invite somebody else to go -with you! Bennie began, and tore up, two or three letters before he got -one that he thought would do. This is what he sent: - - Dear Uncle Bill: - - The last time you were East you pulled a lot of talk about showing me - "a real country." I guess you never thought I could get that far to - see it, so you were safe. But I've been plugging hard this winter and - got such high marks that Pa thought I was sick and Ma sent for the - doctor, and he says I need a change or I'll know too much. So I'm all - ready to be shown that country of yours. And there's a chum of mine - here, an awful good scout, Bob Chandler (Spider, we call him), who - doesn't believe Oregon is so much, either, and he'd go along, too, if - you asked him real polite. Besides, if he came, Ma would let me come. - Ma thinks if I go alone a Pullman porter will think I'm a dress - suitcase and pull me off the train at Omaha, or something. And I guess - it's kind of fresh my suggesting this about Spider's going, but he's - an awful good scout, and he and I have been climbing Monument Mountain - on a rope. Shall I bring my rope? It is 100 feet long, and we boiled - it on the stove so it is soft. If we do come what clothes shall we - bring? - - Your loving nephew, - Bennie. - - P.S.--Mother and Father are both well and send their love. - - B. - -The chances are that before this letter was sent, Bennie's mother had -written to her brother. But if she did, Bennie didn't know it. He mailed -his letter, and counted the days it would take to reach Portland. In -twice that time he ought to have an answer. At the end of the week he -and Spider were haunting the post-office. - -Then, one day, the answer came. Bennie tore it open, and this is what he -read: - - Dear Bennie: - - I start for Crater Lake and the Sky Line Trail on July 1st, leaving - Portland by motor. I am a plain, rough man, but I might be improved by - your learned society, and our scenery would be honored by your - inspection. By all means bring Spider. Spiders are very useful in - camp, to cook the bacon in. You'd better come two or three days ahead - of the start, so I can look over your outfit. Bring your scout axes, - canteens, flannel shirts, khaki breeches, leggings, and things like - that. Boots are the most important item--very heavy, and water-proof. - You can get good ones here. Bring snow goggles if you have them. Save - your rope. I have one, though it isn't boiled like yours. I always fry - my ropes. I'll write to you later about trains, and more about your - equipment. Tell your mother that she is going to have a nice, quiet - summer. - - Your humble uncle, - William Warren. - -Bennie read this letter aloud to Spider, and they both emitted a whoop -of joy. - -"Some bird, old Uncle Bill!" cried Bennie. "Always fries his ropes! I -bet he's got a real Alpine rope--braided and everything. Gee, I'll bet -we climb a real humdinger of a mountain. Maybe Mount Hood! Oh, boy!" - -"Say, I'd work every afternoon in the store for the rest of my life, to -climb old Hood!" said Spider. "Come on, let's go look up how high Mount -Hood is." - -"I've looked it up--it's 11,225 feet," said Bennie. - -"And Monument is 1,600," Spider reflected. "More'n 9,000 feet taller -than Monument! Wow!" - -"It's going to be a long time till June," said Bennie. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - Bennie and Spider Cross the Continent - - -It certainly did seem a long while to both the scouts between the time -of getting Uncle Bill's letter and the closing of school in June. But it -was a pretty busy time, too. Bennie had to keep on studying, so he could -make sure of passing his examinations, and Spider had to put in an hour -or two every day in his father's store. Beside that, they had to have -another go at the Monument Mountain cliffs as soon as the snow was gone -in the spring, and at about every other rock, big or little, within -tramping radius of home. They took the rest of the scouts along on these -expeditions, but as nobody but Bennie and Spider were going to Oregon, -the others didn't get so excited about climbing as they did, and soon -everybody was playing baseball, leaving Bennie and Spider to practice -rock scaling alone. - -June came at last, and so did examinations. Bennie passed them easily, -for the first time in his life--just because he had got his work from -day to day. Then the time came to buy their railroad tickets and get -their berths reserved. Before they knew it, their trunks were packed, -and they were ready to start on the long journey. - -Bennie noticed that his mother didn't say very much the night before, -but just sat and looked at him, while he was going over the tickets with -his father, and folding them into a new pocketbook, with $100 in new -bills, which Mr. Capen had brought home from the bank. Bennie put the -purse into an inside pocket, and went over to his mother. - -"Gee, Ma," he said, "you'd think I was going to the North Pole or -somewhere, instead of just to visit Uncle Bill. Nobody's going to speak -cross to your little Bennie, or make him take any wooden money, or hit -him over the bean. Don't you worry. I guess me 'n' Spider can take a -railroad trip without anybody needing to worry." - -But though he spoke with a laugh, Bennie didn't feel very much like -laughing, because when his mother looked at him, and tried to smile, he -saw the tears behind her eyes, and he knew, somehow, that it wasn't -because she was afraid for him, but because he was going to be away from -her so long. He couldn't quite understand this, but he loved his mother -tremendously, and it made him want to weep, too. In about one minute he -was weeping, and so was his mother, with an arm about his shoulder. - -Mr. Capen looked up in surprise. - -"Hello!" he said. "Hello! So you don't want to go, eh?" - -Bennie straightened up, and gulped hard, trying to swallow his sob in a -grin. - -"Where--where do you get that stuff?" he demanded. - -"Well, you don't seem very _cheerful_ about going." - -"It was 'cause Ma wasn't cheerful," said Bennie. - -"I'm cheerful, dear," said his mother, smiling at him. "I wasn't crying -because I was sad, but just because--because--well, you won't -understand, but because you're so big and grown up now, and can go away -by yourself." - -"Well, I don't see's that's anything to cry about, for a fact," said -Bennie. - -"Bennie," his father remarked, "you have never been a mother." - -"You said a mouth----" - -"Bennie! slang, to your father!" said his mother. - -"You have uttered a truthful remark, sir," grinned Bennie. - -The next day Mr. and Mrs. Capen and Spider's father and mother came down -to the depot with the two scouts. Half a dozen of their troop were -there, too, and the last thing they heard as they waved from the car -window, was the scout yell. The last thing Bennie saw was his mother's -face. She was smiling bravely at him, and keeping the tears back. - -In about an hour the boys had to change to a through train, which took -them to Chicago. At Chicago they would have to spend the afternoon and -early evening, and then take the Northwest Limited on the Union Pacific, -which took them right to Portland, Oregon. They had their tickets in -their pockets, and their berth checks, and about once in fifteen minutes -they felt of themselves, to see if the precious pocketbooks were still -there. - -Neither Bennie nor Spider had ever been West before, and as long as -daylight lasted they sat close to the window. But it was dark all too -soon. When the train entered Syracuse, and traveled, apparently, right -down the main street, the two scouts looked right into the lighted -shop-windows, but out in the country they saw nothing. So they went to -bed, each with his precious pocketbook under his pillow. - -They were up at daylight, and dressed long before the other passengers -began to come into the washroom. Now they saw the Great Lakes beside the -track, like the ocean, and rolled through the smoke of Gary, where the -great steel mills are, and saw Lake Michigan, and almost before they -knew it, were in Chicago. - -The boys had careful directions what they were to do in Chicago. They -were to get right aboard the transfer 'bus and ride over to the -Northwestern station, checking their suitcases there. Then they could -walk around the city, if they liked. It is a queer sensation to arrive -in a great city which you have never seen before. Bennie and Spider, -after the 'bus had rolled them quickly across the bridge to the other -station, and they had checked their bags, walked out into the street, -without any idea where they were, and turned east to see the town. They -recrossed the bridge, walked a few blocks, and were suddenly in the -Loop. The streets were none too wide. The elevated railroad roared and -thundered overhead. The great buildings towered into the air. Trolleys, -motors, thousands of people crowded the way from wall to wall. - -"Some burg!" Bennie exclaimed. "Little old New York hasn't got much on -this village. I didn't know Chicago was so big." - -"Guess we haven't got everything in the East," Spider answered. - -They walked on till they reached Michigan Boulevard, that splendid great -avenue which sweeps down by the lake shore, and they wondered how -Chicago stands for the smoke of the trains between the Boulevard and the -beach. - -"Why don't they _make_ the old railroad electrify itself?" Spider asked. -"Gee, it's turned all the marble sooty black." - -It was a hot day, and getting hotter, so they finally went out on a pier -and sat in the breeze till it was time to hunt up a place for supper. - -After supper they walked around the Loop, which was now filled with -theatre crowds, and then back to the station, got their bags, and hunted -out the track their train was to go on. The rear observation platform -had an illuminated red sign hung out behind, with the name of the -train--"Northwest Limited." It gave them a thrill to see those words! -And that train for three days would be their home. As soon as the gates -were open, they got aboard and hunted out their berths. - -The next morning, when they woke, the train was rushing through Iowa. -Mile after mile after mile of rolling country, dotted with farmhouses, -great red barns, little wood lots close beside them, and endless acres -of sprouting corn, and tall wheat, as far as the eye could see. Mile -after mile, and never a town, but always the fields of corn and wheat, -the herds of cattle, the great red barns. - -"Golly!" Bennie exclaimed. "We don't know what a farm is, do we?" - -"I never saw so much corn in my life--I didn't know there _was_ so -much," Spider answered. - -That day they passed through Omaha, and were still bowling along through -the endless oceans of corn in Nebraska when night came. It was terribly -hot now, and dusty and dirty. Spider wiped his face, and when he looked -at his handkerchief, it was black! Bennie said he felt as if somebody -had poured cinders down his back. - -"Wait till you wake up tomorrow," said the brakeman, who overheard them, -"and you'll see snow." - -"You look sort of honest," Bennie laughed, "but I don't believe you." - -"All right," said the brakeman. "Want to bet?" - -"Can't," said Bennie. "All my money's in hundred dollar bills." - -"We cross the height of land in Wyoming before you're awake," the -trainman went on. "We're up 7,000 feet or more there--in Wyoming." - -"You mean the Rocky Mountains? Do we cross 'em at night?" cried Spider. -"Gee, what tough luck." - -"Not much mountains where we cross. But you'll see mountains, all right, -if you don't sleep all the morning--and snow, too." - -"Bring me some now, I want to take it to bed with me," said Bennie. - -Spider, whose turn it was to sleep in the lower berth that night, pulled -up the curtain as soon as it was daylight, and looked out. He gave a -jump, reached up and poked Bennie awake, and began to dress. In ten -minutes the boys were out on the observation platform, staring hard. The -train was in Wyoming now, on a vast, high plateau, a country that didn't -look like anything they had ever seen. It rolled away to the horizon in -every direction, like a tossing, oily gray sea, without a tree on it, -apparently without any grass on it worth mentioning, but covered with -pale green sage bushes in clumps here and there. It was a naked, -desolate looking land, and yet they saw great droves of cattle wandering -over it, and now and then a white strip of road, and finally, all of a -sudden as the train rounded a bend, seemingly right beside the track a -couple of miles away, a huge blue mountain covered completely on top -with a cap of white snow, and streaked with snow all down the ravines on -its northern side. - -The scouts gave a yell of joy at the sight. "A snow mountain!" they -cried. - -"Do I win or not?" said the brakeman, appearing behind them. "That's the -mountain. Pretty soon, off south, you'll see some higher ones, down in -Utah." - -"How far is it to that mountain--about five miles?" Bennie asked. - -It looked two, but he thought he'd add a few. - -The trainman grinned. "I wouldn't try to walk it before breakfast," said -he. "It's about twenty or thirty, I reckon." - -That day they rolled along through endless miles of the naked cattle -country, that in the East would have seemed like a desert. No New -England cow could have lived on it, Spider declared. Then they began to -get into the Idaho mountains, on the branch line, and turned and twisted -down canons with the naked red hills folding up in front of and behind -the train. They went to sleep in Idaho and woke up in Oregon--woke up to -see more mountains, and more snow--long ranges of mountains to left and -right with snow on the summits, though it was now almost July first, and -hot as Tophet in the train. - -The train presently began to climb an endless grade, up and up and up, -getting over the pass of the Blue Mountains, and into heavily timbered -country--real woods at last, after the long ride through the prairie and -the sage brush. On and on went the train, till at last it reached the -Columbia River, and the excited boys, braving the cinders that swirled -in on the observation platform, sat out there and saw at last below them -the great green river rushing swiftly along, cutting its way through the -high, rocky banks. - -These banks began to get higher and steeper. They were entering the -gorge of the Columbia, where it cuts through the Cascade range. Soon the -banks were real precipices, 1,000, 2,000 feet high. At The Dalles, they -picked up the Columbia Highway, the most wonderful motor road in -America, and could see where it was cut right out of the sides of the -cliffs in places. When the train stopped at Hood River, a lot of people -got off to stretch, the boys with them, and a man took them down the -platform and said, "Look!" - -They looked to the south, and there it was! Shooting up apparently right -behind the depot, shaped like a cone, dazzling white, tall, stately, -beautiful against the sky--Mount Hood! These were the eternal snows! -There was a real climb! - -Bennie just gasped for a second. Then he found his tongue. "It--it's -just as big as I thought it would be!" he said. - -"It's the finest thing in the world," said the man. "I live in Portland, -and every clear day I look at it, sixty miles away, and it's like a -friend." - -"Is it hard to climb?" Spider asked. - -"No," said the man. "It's a cinch. If you're looking for a climb, go -down and tackle Jefferson." - -"Never even heard of it," said Bennie. - -"There are a lot of things out here you eastern folks never heard of," -the man answered. - -The boys wanted to ask him more, but just then the conductor called "All -aboard," and they lost him in the rush. - -For the next hour they were busy looking at the scenery, at the great -river on one side, and the great cliff walls on the other, with -thousand-foot waterfalls leaping down almost on the train, and the -Columbia Highway running alongside of the track in places, in other -places disappearing and coming into sight again far up on top of some -headland. - -"Gee, I wish we were in a motor!" Spider sighed. - -"Maybe Uncle Bill will take us this way in his," said Bennie. - -Now the cliffs grew lower. The river was through the gorge. Presently -the river disappeared, and the train ran through level land a little -way, and the houses began to get thicker and thicker. They crossed -another river on a drawbridge, and saw tramp ships lying up to the -docks, and on the other side rolled into the Portland depot. - -At the train gate, looming up above the crowd, Bennie spied the head of -his uncle, and in another minute he had him by the hand, and was -introducing Spider, and Uncle Billy was putting the dress suitcases into -his car, and then they were off through the streets of Portland, with -the lights coming on, the darkness falling. - -"I guess you boys are pretty hot and tired, eh?" said Uncle Bill. "Of -course, you never have any hot weather in the East." - -"It's about like this Christmas time at home," Bennie answered. "I was -just wishing I had an overcoat." - -"You'll wish you had a couple before I get through with you," said Uncle -Bill. "I heard to-day there are seven feet of snow yet on the rim of -Crater Lake. We've got to camp up there. It'll be pretty slippery, too, -getting down to the water. Guess we'll have to fry a couple of ropes." - -"Boil mine--about four minutes," said Bennie. - -His uncle laughed as he put the car up a steep grade out of the business -section to the heights overlooking the city. The residences look right -out over the town, and now they could see the checkerboard squares of -the streets, marked out with electric lights. They stopped at the -doctor's house, and he showed them in, his housekeeper meeting them. - -"Now beat it and get a bath," he said, "and then grub! Hurry up, for I'm -all ready to eat, and if you keep me waiting, I'll have to begin on one -of those ropes." - -"Say, he's a regular scout," said Spider, as they were cleaning up. - -"Boy, I got a hunch we're going to have some good time!" answered Bennie -from the tub. - - - - - CHAPTER V - All Aboard for Crater Lake!--and Dumpling in the Other Car - - -When the boys came downstairs, Uncle Billy, who was a bachelor, led the -way at once into the dining-room, and they began to eat. - -"I've got a surprise for you," he said, as he carved the meat. "How'd -you boys like to be movie actors?" - -"Oh, you Charlie Chaplin!" Bennie grinned. "Sure, I'd like it. Spider, -though, ain't beautiful enough." - -"Of course, he hasn't your classic Greek features," said Uncle Billy, -looking hard at Bennie's snub nose. "But maybe he can ride a horse. Can -you ride a horse, Bennie?" - -"Sure--I guess so. I never tried." - -"Can you, Spider?" - -"Not very well, sir. I have ridden our old delivery horse a good bit, -though, but mostly bareback." - -"You see, Bennie," the doctor laughed, "he's going to be a better actor -than you are, after all, in spite of your fatal beauty." - -"What do you mean, actors, anyhow?" Bennie demanded. "What's the big -idea?" - -"Well," the doctor explained, "we're not going alone on this trip. I -have a friend, a business man here in Portland, who is a fine amateur -photographer. He's got a new movie camera now, that he wants to -experiment with. He wants to take a sort of scenic picture of the Oregon -mountains, so he's coming along, in his car, with his son, Lester. You -and Spider and Lester and I have got to be the troupe. Whenever he sees -a nice precipice he wants to shoot, we'll have to do a Douglas Fairbanks -up the side of it, or make a Pearl White jump down a thousand-foot -waterfall. How does that strike you?" - -"Uncle Billy," Bennie said, very solemnly, "you have come to exactly the -right people. Spider and me--I--are the original human flies. We walk up -precipices before breakfast every day at home." - -"With a boiled rope?" his uncle laughed. "Well, I'm glad you're trained -for the job. Wait till you see Lester Stone, though. He's the real -athlete! Slender, wiry, hard as nails!" - -"How old is he?" the scouts asked, instantly alert and a little bit -jealous. They'd show him eastern boys could be hard and athletic, too! - -"Just about your age," the doctor answered carelessly. "He and his -father will be over to meet you after dinner." - -It wasn't long after dinner before the door-bell rang, and the scouts -heard Uncle Billy greeting somebody in the hall. A moment later he -ushered in a big six-footer of a man, and a boy who was just about as -wide as he was high. - -"My nephew, Bennie Capen, and his old college chum, Spider Chandler," -said Uncle Billy. "Boys, this is _my_ college chum, Dick Stone. And this -is Dick's willowy and athletic little son, Lester. I'm trying to get -some flesh on his bones, because the poor little thing has been puny -since childhood." - -Mr. Stone shook hands so hard that Bennie winced, and then they shook -hands with Lester, who had a round, pink face like a cherub and eyes -that danced merrily. - -Bennie and Spider couldn't help bursting out laughing. - -"What's the matter?" Uncle Billy asked solemnly. "Did somebody make a -joke? I never can see a joke!" - -"You can make one, all right," Bennie laughed. "Gee, you said Lester was -wiry and hard." - -"What's the joke in that?" the doctor demanded, looking very stern. "He -is! Only the wires are insulated. You poke his arm and see if he isn't -hard." - -Lester doubled his fist, and tightened the muscles of his arm, and -Bennie and Spider hit him above the elbow. To their amazement, he _was_ -hard--at that point, anyway. They looked at him with new respect. - -"Just the same," Bennie said, "I hope you fried that rope good and -plenty." - -("He looks just like an apple dumpling," Spider whispered to Bennie, a -minute later.) - -("Sure, let's call him Dumpling," Bennie whispered back.) - -("Guess we'd better not begin right now," Spider suggested. "That guy'd -make a great guard on our football team.") - -("If he fell on the ball, it would explode," laughed Spider.) - -The rest of the evening was spent in going over the maps of Oregon, to -lay out their trip, and in planning equipment. They were to be gone six -weeks or more, and expected to camp all the time. As they were going to -get from place to place in only two motor cars, which between them had -to carry five passengers and all the equipment, it took close figuring. -The scouts, of course, didn't have much to say about all this. They just -sat and listened, because they were guests, and, besides, they had never -been off on such an expedition. - -But what fun it was only to listen! Have you ever been off on a camping -trip? Of course you have. So you know the joy of getting together a day -or two before the start, each person with a list of things he thinks -ought to be taken, and then going over the lists, checking them off to -see that nothing is being taken that is not needed, and nothing is -forgotten that _is_ needed. It's almost as much fun as the trip itself. - -The scouts soon discovered that Mr. Stone was as jolly as Uncle Billy, -and that "Dumpling" was even fuller of fun than his father. Before an -hour had passed, the scouts were calling him Dumpling to his face, and -then his father and the doctor took it up; but Dumpling himself only -grinned the broader and said, "Ho, I don't care what you call me, so -long's you call me to dinner." - -The next morning the boys were up early, and out of the house, to get a -glimpse across the city of the white pyramid of Mount Hood against the -eastern sky. They spent that day hard at work with the doctor getting -the equipment out and sorted and packed into the car. - -They had never seen an automobile rigged like Uncle Billy's. It was a -powerful five-passenger car, with extra braces on the running-boards. -First the doctor screwed a kind of iron fence on one running-board which -came up as high as the tops of the doors. Then, on the other, he set two -boxes, also as high as the doors, and as deep as the running-board. -These boxes opened not at the top, but at the front, with hinged doors. -Inside of them were shelves. On the shelves of one he stood the -provisions--the canned fruits, the condensed milk, and all the other -things they were going to take at the start. The other was filled with -camp dishes. When the boxes were full, the doors were shut and locked, -and the boxes strapped firmly to the car. - -Then, on the other side, in the space between the fence and the side of -the car, went the heavy canvas bags containing the tent and the three -sleeping bags. These bags were wonderful things. They rolled up and went -into canvas sacks. But when you unrolled them, you found inside a tire -pump, and you pumped them up with air, making a nice pneumatic mattress -to sleep on. Inside the canvas flap which strapped over this mattress -were several warm blankets. - -"Say, boy!" cried Bennie. "This beats sleeping on old hemlock boughs, -the way we have to at home, eh, Spider? Remember the way the boughs used -to get all full of sticks about one A. M. last summer?" - -"I'll say so. We're going to sleep so well on these we'll forget to wake -up." - -"Oh, no you won't! Not with me in camp," the doctor smiled. - -After the running-boards were loaded, Uncle Billy got out a wonderful -camp stove, which collapsed into three pieces, with the funnel also -shutting up, and put the whole thing into a canvas sack, which lay on -the floor of the car. Then he put in three folding camp stools and a -folding table. Finally he handed each boy a stout khaki dunnage bag. - -"Now," said he, "get all your stuff into those two bags! No suitcases -allowed on this trip! Your two bags and mine, and the canteens and our -cameras and the alpenstocks and the fried rope, and overcoats and one of -you boys and anything else we've forgotten have all got to go on the -rear seat." - -"Think I'll sit in front with you," said Bennie. - -"Think I'll ride with the Stones," said Spider. - -"Not with Dumpling in the car, you won't!" Bennie laughed--"unless he -travels in a trailer on behind." - -The doctor prescribed early bed that evening, because they were to get -an early start. - -"What do you call early, seven o'clock?" asked Bennie. - -Uncle Billy looked pained. "Seven o'clock!" he sniffed. "My esteemed -nephew, at seven o'clock on this trip we will usually have traveled at -least fifty miles, and you'll be asking about lunch. I'll wake you up at -five." - -"And I thought I was going to have a nice summer!" said Bennie, -pretending to be very gloomy. - -At five o'clock the next morning, he and Spider were sleeping soundly -when a voice boomed into their dreams, "All aboard for Crater Lake! Last -call!" - -They were out of bed and rushing to get first into the tub before they -half knew what had happened. - -But it was really long after seven before they got started. The dunnage -bags had to be packed with the clothes they were going to need, -breakfast eaten, everything gone over again to make sure nothing was -forgotten, and then followed a wait of an hour before the Stones' car -arrived, loaded down like theirs, with the tripod of the movie camera in -a case on top of the luggage in the rear, and Dumpling and his father -sitting in front. - -"All aboard!" shouted the doctor. - -"Well, how do you get aboard?" said Bennie. "You can't open a single -door." - -"If you can't get into a car over the top of the door you'll never get -up Mount Jefferson," said his uncle. - -Bennie was in the front seat with exactly two motions. Spider dove into -the rear, and found a hole to sit in amid the luggage. The doctor and -Mr. Stone tooted their horns, the housekeeper waved from the door--and -they were off! - - - - - CHAPTER VI - Bennie and Spider Have to Make After-dinner Speeches, and Bennie's - Knees Knock - - -The day before had been cloudy and cold, though the boys had been too -busy with their packing to notice it much. Now, however, that they were -off at last, and wanted to see every bit of country there was to be -seen, they were acutely conscious that it was a heavy day, without a -single glimpse of Mount Hood through the vapor, and the threat of rain -at any minute. - -"Nice weather you've handed us for a start off," said Bennie to his -uncle. - -"Oh, this won't last long," Uncle Billy assured him. "We have the finest -climate in Oregon of anywhere in the world. It's never very cold in -winter, and it's never very hot in summer, and our tent probably won't -get wet on this entire trip." - -"Is that so?" said Bennie. "Some smart tent, I'll say. Look at your -wind-shield." - -Indeed, as he spoke, the first drops of the rain began to splash on the -glass. - -"You wait!" Uncle Billy smiled. - -On the edge of Portland they stopped for gas, and the Stones' car pulled -in behind them. A big, smiling man, covered with axle grease, came out -to fill them up. - -"Hello, Doc," he said. "Off for a trip? Got a fine day to start. As far -as I can see, it rains for twelve months of the year in Portland, and it -ain't very pleasant the rest of the time." - -Bennie and Spider shouted with joy at this, and the garage man looked a -little surprised. - -"Well, that went big!" he said. - -"Uncle Bill didn't tip you the wink in time," Bennie answered. "He's -just been telling us it never rains in Oregon." - -"Sorry I crabbed your game, Doc," the man laughed. "Didn't know these -scouts weren't native web-feet." - -"They'll not see any more rain till they get back to Portland," the -doctor said, quite seriously. - -The garage man winked solemnly at Bennie, who grinned back. - -"Well, Uncle Bill, we sure have got one on you now," Bennie laughed, as -they drove on. "Eh, Spider?" - -"Kind of looks so," Spider had to admit. - -"The sun will be coming out at Salem, and this is the last rain you'll -see, except maybe a thunder shower or two," Uncle Billy persisted. "And -now, just for that, I'll tell you something else. We'll get to -Salem--that's the State capital--in time for lunch. The Boy Scouts of -Salem are going to give us the luncheon, not on your account, but -because you are with me. You two boys will have to make speeches. Good, -long speeches, too, not just 'Glad to be here.' Got one on me, have you? -Take that!" - -"Aw, quit your kiddin'," Bennie cried. "Not really, Uncle Bill?" - -"Gosh, I never made a speech in my life!" Spider groaned from the rear -seat. "I'd just go right down through the floor." - -"Our floors are made of good old Douglas fir--not a chance," the doctor -grinned. "You'll have to stand right up and show 'em how good -Massachusetts is." - -"Poor old Massachusetts," said Bennie. "She's got a bum chance to make a -hit with us representing her. Oh, golly, what'll I do?" - -"I guess you'd better be thinking of something to say as we go along. I -was going to stop so we could pick some real Oregon cherries on the way, -but maybe I'd better not. You'll need to keep your alleged minds on your -speeches." - -Bennie and Spider looked at each other and groaned. - -"Honest, Uncle Billy, I think this is a real nice climate," said Bennie. - -"Ha! nothing doing! You can't get around me that way. Besides, they are -probably cooking the luncheon already. The invitations are all out." - -"Has old Dumplin' got to make a speech, too?" - -"Oh, no," said the doctor. "He's a native, not a distinguished visitor -from the East." - -"We'll be extinguished visitors by the time it's over," Spider said. - -"Hi, that's good! Remember it, and put it in your speech," Bennie cried. -"Wish I could think of something funny. Gosh, you never can when you -want to." He looked woebegone. - -"You get up with a face like that, and you'll make a hit like Charlie -Chaplin," Spider assured him. - -The boys cheered up a bit, however, as the rain ceased and the car sped -on up a good road, through the rich fields of the Willamette valley, -mile after mile of prune orchards and cherry orchards and hop -plantations and Loganberry fields where the canes, tied in rows to -wires, stretched for hundreds of yards on either side of the road. - -Presently they came to a "ranch" (as everybody out there calls his farm -or orchard), where the cherries were being picked, and the doctor -stopped the car. The Stones, who were right behind, stopped too, and -everybody got out. - -"Sell us some cherries?" asked the doctor. - -"Got anything to pick 'em in?" asked the owner of the orchard. - -"Sure--the radiator pails." - -"All right, you can pick all you want in that first tree, for fifty -cents. Hold on, though. Not that cute little feller there. I don't want -my tree busted down." - -"I'll stand below and you can throw 'em into my mouth," Dumpling -laughed. - -They got the collapsible canvas pails which were carried in the cars to -fill the radiators with, and began to pick. The cherries were huge -things, of a deep, wonderful, winey red, and almost melted in your -mouth. Bennie and Spider had never seen nor tasted such cherries, and -they ate two for every one they picked. The pails were full in five -minutes, at that, and still the tree hardly seemed touched. - -"What's the name of these babies?" Bennie asked. - -"Bing," said the doctor. - -"No, I didn't ask you to play soldier. I asked you what's the name of -these cherries?" - -"Bing, I tell you. Bing, B-i-n-g." - -"Well, it sounds like Bing," Bennie laughed. "That's a silly name for a -cherry, but, oh, boy, some fruit!" - -"You won't be in any condition to eat that lunch when we get to Salem," -the doctor laughed. - -"Soon's I get there, and think about that old speech again, I won't want -any lunch, anyhow," Bennie answered. "Might 's well fill up now." - -The two cars rolled into Salem at noon. Salem is a small city, built -around a large central park in which the State Capitol building stands. -This park was now filled with roses, the bushes even growing in long -rows between the sidewalks and the street. The doctor ran the car around -this park, and then hunted up the camp where they were to be entertained -by the Salem Boy Scouts. This was in a grove, just outside the town, and -about fifty scouts were already there, with three or four fires going. -As the two cars came up, the scout master gave a sharp command, the -troops fell into formation, at attention, and there was a loud cheer of -welcome as Bennie and Spider tried to climb out over the luggage -gracefully. Poor Dumpling had a hard time getting out of his car, but -not one of the Salem scouts laughed. In a few minutes, the scout master -had presented the guests all around, and preparations for the luncheon -began in earnest. - -It was a good lesson in scouting, all right. Different boys had definite -jobs, and they went at them quickly and efficiently. Sawhorses and -boards were produced from a wagon, and made into rough tables. More -boards, on boxes, made the seats. Paper plates, knives, forks, and -spoons, and tin cups were put in place. The scouts who could cook best -were busy at the fires. There was the smell of coffee, of broiling -steak, of frying potatoes, and of flapjacks. Three or four of the scouts -meanwhile were putting great dishes of fruit--berries and cherries--on -the tables. In spite of all the cherries they had eaten, the smells made -Spider and Bennie hungry again. They tried, of course, to help with the -preparations, but the Salem scouts wouldn't let them. - -"No, you're guests," the scout master said. - -Finally the scout master clapped his hands, and called in a loud voice, -"Come and get it!" This was the first time Spider and Bennie had heard -the western camp call to grub. But they didn't need to be told what it -meant. - -As soon as the food was eaten, the scout master rose in his place, and -announced that troop leader Tom Robinson would welcome their guests to -Oregon. Tom Robinson, a tall, powerful boy of sixteen, got up looking -extremely scared, and everybody shouted and applauded, whereupon he -looked scareder still. But he made a nice little speech, in spite of his -nervousness, telling Spider and Bennie how glad the Salem scouts were -that they had come so far to see Oregon, which, he said, had the finest -climate in the world, and hoping they'd have a good time, and inviting -them to come and visit the Salem scouts in their camp up in the -mountains in August. - -Everybody applauded again, and then looked at Spider and Bennie, -yelling, "Speech, speech!" - -"You do it," whispered Bennie to Spider. - -"Go on--you got to do it," Spider retorted. - -"You've both got to do it," the scout master laughed. - -So Bennie got up. He felt queer in his knees, which didn't seem to half -hold him up, and his mouth felt dry. When he finally spoke, his voice -sounded strange to him, as if it belonged to somebody else. - -"We're awfully glad to be here," he said, "and you scouts are sure good -to us to give us this grand feed. I ate so many Bing cherries this -morning I thought all I could do would be to make a noise like a robin, -but I sure got away with my share of the grub. It's pretty fine to come -4,000 miles, all across the U. S. A., and find a bunch of scouts out -here just the same as at home. Some organization, the Boy Scouts! -'Course, we came to see the wilderness, and about all the wilderness -we've seen so far is a big city like Portland, and Salem, and about ten -million fruit trees, and sixteen million automobiles. And we heard it -was a good climate out here, too, but my uncle's garage man says it -rains twelve months in the year and isn't very pleasant the rest of the -time. But we sure like Oregon, and you fellows are a great bunch of -scouts, and--and I guess that's all I got to say." - -Bennie sat down abruptly, amid much applause. - -"Some speech!" Spider whispered. - -It was now Spider's turn. - -"Everything Bennie said goes for me," he began, "except this knock on -the climate. It was raining when we left Portland, but Dr. Warren told -us it would be clear when we got to Salem, and here's the old sun coming -out now. I want to say the Salem climate's all right--like the Salem -scouts. And Bennie forgot something, too. He's always forgetting things. -Once he forgot it was vacation, and tried to get into the schoolhouse. -Now he's forgotten to say to you fellows that when any of you come East, -you just show up in Southmead, where we live, and we'll try to be half -as decent to you as you've been to us. And we hope you'll all come." - -Loud cheers greeted this speech, and Bennie applauded harder than -anybody. - -"That last part goes, you bet," he shouted. "I didn't really forget it, -though. I just got rattled." - -The meeting broke up with a scout cheer, and the boys heard the shouts -and good-byes even after the cars had started down the road. - -"Some swell feed!" said Bennie. "Pretty nice of 'em, eh, Spider? I guess -they must like you pretty well, Uncle Bill, or they wouldn't have done -this for us." - -"I ran into them in their camp last summer, and got to know 'em," the -doctor answered. "Well, how do you like being an after-dinner orator?" - -Bennie looked sober. "Tell you one thing," he replied. "Next year in -school I'm going in for debating, the way Spider does. I'm not going to -feel such a boob on my feet again. Gee, I was scared pink." - -"I won't let you forget that, Bennie," said Spider. "We'll make a -Demosthenes of you yet." - -The cars were now racing southward up the Willamette valley, and -traveling on the fine Pacific Highway, which stretches all the way from -Portland to the California boundary. - -"I want to make Eugene tonight," said Uncle Billy. "That's why I'm -stepping on her. Eugene is the town where the State University is--the -college that Harvard came west to play football with a few years ago. -We'll find a good camp site just south of Eugene, and spend the night -there. Tomorrow we'll push on as far as we can toward Medford." - -"When do we get to Crater Lake?" the boys asked. - -"Well, I doubt if we make Medford tomorrow. It'll take another day. Then -we'll stock up with provisions, and try to make the lake the next day, -which will be the Fourth of July. That's the day the Park is due to -open." - -"Can we get some firecrackers in Medford?" - -"Sure!" the doctor laughed. - -The valley grew narrower as they ran on southward, and the hills on -either side seemed higher. But still the boys saw no mountains, and none -of the great forest trees they'd heard about in Oregon. They reached -Eugene late in the day--a lively little town, with the big, handsome -buildings of the University dominating it. Still they saw no mountains. - -"Well, I suppose there _are_ some, but you got to show me," Bennie -declared. - -Beyond the town, they ran the cars up a side road to a patch of woods by -a stream, and hurried to make camp and get supper before it was dark. - -"Let's see how good scouts you really are," Mr. Stone said to the boys. -"One of you set up the stove and make a fire, and two of you get up the -tents and blow up the sleeping bags. Uncle Bill and I will get the grub -ready." - -Dumplin' took the stove as his job, because he knew how it worked. As -soon as it was set up, he hustled around for dead wood. Meanwhile Bennie -and Spider strung the ropes between trees for the tents, cut pegs, and -got the tents up. Then they tackled the sleeping bags. It was warm that -evening, and before they had gone far they were hot. - -"Say, how much air do these things hold?" Bennie called. "I been pumping -an hour." - -"Well, sleep on it flat if you're tired. But I want mine blown up," his -uncle answered. - -At last they had all five bags blown up and laid in the tents. By this -time the fire was roaring in the stove, and Dumplin' had a neat little -wood-pile beside it, the two men had set up a folding table and chairs, -and food and coffee were cooking on the stove. Pretty soon Mr. Stone -called out, "Come and get it!" and with a lantern hanging from a limb -over the table, they all sat down. - -"Well, this sure beats a hotel!" said Uncle Bill. - -"Beats a couple of hotels," said Dumplin', wiping his perspiring -forehead. "You don't have to wear a coat here." - -"Wait till you get to the lake, and you'll be hollering for a coat," his -father smiled. - -After supper, the boys drew lots to see who would wash the dishes. -Bennie lost, and the rest built a little camp fire between the two tents -while he was clearing up. They lay around the fire talking for an hour, -and then Uncle Billy ordered "Bed!" - -"Early start tomorrow," he said. "Everybody out at five." - -The boys undressed and crawled into their sleeping bags. Then they -bounced up and down to feel how comfortable they were. - -"Mine's too hard," said Bennie. - -"So's mine," said Spider. - -"You've got so much air in mine I'll have a blowout," said Uncle Billy. - -"Gee, think of all that work for nothing!" Bennie groaned. - -If anybody had been outside the tent, he would have heard three little -hisses as they let some air out of their beds. Then, three minutes -later, he would have heard three people breathing in sound slumber. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - Held Up by the Snow, With the Thermometer at 86 - - -The next day, sure enough Uncle Billy routed everybody out at five -o'clock. They had pancakes and syrup, and bacon and coffee and toast for -breakfast, and then camp had to be struck and the cars packed again. The -sleeping bags had to be deflated and rolled up by the three boys, and -put in their canvas cases. The tents had to be rolled up and also put in -cases. The dunnage bags had to be repacked, the dishes washed and put -into the boxes on Uncle Billy's car. It was long after seven before they -got away. - -On this day, at last, they began to get a taste of wild Oregon--but just -a taste, the doctor told them. They finally came to the head of the -Willamette valley, and climbed up a long grade, beside a wild, tumbling -stream, amid huge old fir trees, and then down a long, wooded canon on -the farther side. They rolled through more valleys full of fruit -orchards, and they passed through several towns. In one of them, where -they stopped to get an ice cream soda--or rather ice cream sodas, for -both the scouts had two apiece and Dumplin' had three--a big banner was -stretched across the street, with the words on it in letters two feet -high: - - IT'S THE CLIMATE. - -"Golly, you wouldn't think they had any climate anywhere else," said -Bennie. "Out here, you've only got one kind. In little old Massachusetts -we have every kind." - -"Sure, and on the same day, too," Uncle Billy laughed. - -All that afternoon they climbed up endless grades, where the highway was -cut out of the sides of the canons, and the great trees shadowed the -road, and down again, and up again. - -"Are we in the Cascade Mountains now?" the boys asked. - -"No, these are just hills," said the doctor. "You won't see any -mountains till we get almost into Medford. Cheer up, they'll be there -tomorrow." - -The grades were so numerous, and so long and hard, that it was -impossible to make as many miles in a day here as it is in the East. As -the sun began to sink, the doctor began watching for camp sites, and -presently he pulled into a field beside the road where a brook came down -from a hill, and they camped for a second night on the road. - -An early start again was ordered, and now the grades grew less severe -again, and after a few hours the cars ran out into a wide plain, and -suddenly the boys gave a yell. - -"The mountains!" they cried. - -Sure enough, there they were. To the east lay the blue rampart of the -Cascade range, and right in the centre, covered white with snow, shot up -the peaked pyramid of Mount McLaughlin. To the south and west, shutting -the valley in, rose more mountains, some of them still showing snow on -their summits. Across the head of the valley ran a tumbling green -stream, the Rogue River. - -"That river comes down from close to Crater Lake," said Uncle Billy. - -"Gee, I'd like to get into it right now," Bennie remarked. - -A dozen miles more, and they were in Medford, a neat, clean little city -(it would be called a town in the East), surrounded by flourishing fruit -orchards and grain fields. The boys scouted around for some crackers and -fireworks, while the men restocked the cars with provisions, got gas and -oil, and inquired about the road to the lake. - -"Well," said the doctor, as they met at the cars again, "we don't get to -Crater Lake tomorrow." - -"Aw, gee, why not?" Bennie demanded. - -"Road's not open yet to the rim. Can't get much beyond Government Camp." - -"What's the trouble--snow?" asked Mr. Stone. - -The doctor nodded. - -"Snow!" said Spider, wiping his hot forehead. "Don't sound possible." - -"It's the climate," said Bennie. - -Everybody laughed, and Dumplin' announced he was going to get another -ice cream soda while the leaders decided what to do. - -When he came back, the doctor and Mr. Stone had decided to go back up -the road and then up the Rogue River for a few miles, on the way to -Crater Lake, and camp there over the Fourth and the day following. By -the third day it was probable, the doctor said, that the government -rangers would have the snow blasted out of the road. - -"_Blasted_ out?" said Spider. - -"Sure; they use TNT. It would take forever to shovel those drifts." - -"Oh, let's go up and watch 'em!" Bennie pleaded. - -"And get the cars mired? No, thank you! We'll camp by the Rogue River -and wait. You can swim and Spider can study birds, and Dumplin' can wish -he was nearer a soda fountain. Come on." - -They turned off the highway at the Rogue River bridge, and the minute -they were off the macadam the dust began to fly. Spider looked back into -the cloud. - -"Glad I'm not in the Stones' car," he said. "What makes it so dusty?" - -"This soil is all volcanic ash or pumice," said the doctor, "and it -hasn't rained here, probably, for a month, and won't for five or six -more." - -"It's the climate," chuckled Bennie. - -Two or three miles up this dusty road, and close to a small, dilapidated -looking house, made of boards and huge, hand-hewn shingles or "shakes," -the doctor put the car off the road and into a field which was baked as -hard as a brick, with the grass dried up and brown. At the edge of this -field was a grove of trees with shiny copper-colored bark and glossy -green leaves, called laurel trees, and beyond them the bank plunged -sharp down for fifty feet to the rushing green river. - -"Camp," said Uncle Billy, stopping the car. "Here's where we live for -two days at least." - -As soon as camp was made, and wood cut, the entire party ran down the -bank to a gravelly beach by the river's edge, stripped, and plunged into -the water. Five yells immediately rose in the stillness, and five bodies -came splashing back to shore. - -"That water comes down from the snow-fields, all right," said Mr. Stone. - -"That's why it's so green," said the doctor. - -"And why Dumplin's so pink," laughed Bennie, pointing at Lester, who -certainly looked like a very plump boiled lobster. - -That night they sang and joked around the camp fire till nine o'clock, -because there was no early start in the morning. When Bennie woke up, -however, he saw that Spider's bed was empty. Going down to the river in -his pyjamas, for a plunge, he found Spider, all dressed, with a -note-book in his hand, watching birds. - -"Gee, this is a great place to see birds," Spider called. "I've got nine -kinds already, most of 'em that I never saw before. And you want to -watch for the funny little lizards on the ground." - -Bennie almost immediately heard a rustle in the dead leaves beside him, -and looking down saw a small lizard-like creature scurry up on to a flat -stone. He reached down to pick it up--and the lizard wasn't there! He -was on a stone two feet away. - -"Say!" he called, "this is the quickest thing I ever saw. Beats a -weasel." - -"Mr. Stone says they call 'em swifts," Spider answered. - -Among the new birds that Spider saw, and added to his bird list, he -later learned from Mr. Stone and the doctor, were ravens, western -tanagers (a beautiful, bright yellow bird), valley quail, camp robbers, -water ousels, which live always by the water and build their nests -behind the waterfalls, the western catbird, which is much like the -eastern, only brownish, and blue jays of a much darker color than in the -East. These jays fought and squawked around the camp all day long. Then -there were crows and other birds he already knew. - -"Well, never mind your old birds now," Bennie said after breakfast. -"This is the Glorious Fourth. Let's fire off some crackers and do -something to celebrate." - -"We might run down to Medford and see the parade," the doctor suggested. - -This was hailed with delight, so they unpacked the cars, and started off -for the day. Medford was full of people. There was a parade and a ball -game and a lively time generally. - -"Well, this is what I call wild life in Oregon," Bennie laughed. "We -came 4,000 miles to get into the wilderness, and here we are with about -ten thousand other people watching a parade in a city. Some wilderness!" - -"You wait," his uncle cautioned. "In about a week, you'll have so much -wilderness you'll be crying for home and mother." - -That night, back in camp, they set off their own fireworks, shooting the -rockets from an improvised chute out over the water, and the next day -they spent in exploring two or three old gold diggings they found by the -bank--shafts which some prospector had laboriously dug far into the -earth, but without getting much gold, apparently, for the diggings had -all been abandoned. Bennie and Spider spent two or three hours searching -everywhere for nuggets, but they found nothing. It was hot and sultry, -too, and everybody was getting impatient. - -"I'm going to start tomorrow for the lake," the doctor said that night. -"We'll camp below the rim if we can't get up. It's too hot here." - -"It's the climate," said Bennie--and the doctor and Dumplin' fell upon -him and rolled him on the hard ground till he howled for mercy. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - Up to the Rim of Crater Lake at Last, Through the Snow-drifts - - -Everybody was out at 4:30 the next morning. The hot weather still held. -In fact, it was hotter than the day before. Bennie waited till he was on -the extreme edge of camp, with a clear field to run in, and then -remarked, "It's the climate." - -But everybody was too busy packing to chase him. - -At seven o'clock the cars were ready, and the start was at last made on -the last lap for Crater Lake. - -"It's only eighty miles--even a bit less from here, I guess. But it's -up-hill all the way, and of course we don't know what kind of roads -we're going to get into." - -For many miles they ran along past scattered ranches where the -irrigation ditches paralleled the road, and the alfalfa scented the air. -Then the country began to get rougher, the road began to climb, the -tumbling, foaming green river dropped farther and farther below them -into a wild ravine, while they climbed along the side. - -"This is something like!" Bennie shouted. "Bring on some more of your -old wilderness!" - -"You'll get some more pretty soon now." - -They passed a little settlement, where both cars stopped for gas and to -let the engines cool, and then the road ran into a forest, and traveled -straight as an arrow, making a long aisle as far as the eye could see. - -"Government forest," the doctor said. "This is a government road. Well, -boys, what do you think of these trees?" - -The boys looked on either side of the dusty white road, into stands of -Douglas fir that almost took their breath away--great giants six and -eight feet through, and rising without any branches for a hundred feet -or more, straight as masts, and after the first branches going on up -another fifty or a hundred feet. - -"Some shrubs," said Bennie. - -"You'll see a lot of bigger ones before we get back to Portland," said -the doctor. - -After running for ten miles or so through the forest, while the car and -their faces became covered with the white pumice dust, they came -suddenly on a beautiful, cold little stream, and beside this stream an -open camp ground, maintained by the government for anybody who wanted to -use it. Here they stopped for early lunch, under the cool shadows of the -great trees. - -There were at least a dozen other cars there, and half as many tents -were pitched in the woods. Fires were going. Some campers had wash hung -out to dry. The camp was clean and well cared for. - -"Well," said Spider, looking around, "all I can say is that -Massachusetts has got something to learn from Oregon. If you tried to -camp anywhere at home, you'd get chased off. And when the State does get -any land for a forest, it doesn't make any provisions for camping. They -won't let you build a fire. Can't camp without a fire." - -"Here's something for you scouts to think about," Mr. Stone said. "Why -don't you talk up State forests and camp sites when you go home? The Boy -Scouts could do a lot if they all got together." - -"You bet we'll think about it," Spider said. "Why, there's a State -reservation right near Southmead, and a nice park on it, and the State -hasn't even made a path around the pond so you can get to the water." - -"People in the East haven't learned how to camp yet, anyway," the doctor -said. "They think they've got to have a hotel every fifty miles." - -"Sure," said Bennie. "Ma's idea of roughing it is to have hot and cold -water and steam heat." - -After lunch they pushed on, and soon began to climb again, up and up, -while the radiators boiled in the heat, till they came to the entrance -of the Crater Lake National Park, where they stopped to pay the tolls on -the cars, and have a tag pasted on the wind-shield. While this was being -done, the boys crossed the road and looked down into a tremendous gorge -cut by Castle Creek into the lava rock. It was their first real taste of -what was ahead. Soon after this, as the road kept on climbing, they -began to get glimpses through the trees of mountain tops, covered with -snow, and before long the road began to get muddy in places, as if the -snow had but recently melted from it. - -At last they reached Government Camp, where the Park superintendent and -the rangers live, at the foot of the last slope to the rim. Here there -were great patches of snow all about in the woods, and trickles of water -beside the road. - -"Can we get up to the rim?" the doctor called to someone in a doorway. - -"Half a dozen cars have gone up, and haven't come back," a voice -answered. - -"Maybe they can't get back," the doctor laughed. - -"Maybe," said the other man. "But I reckon they got through. Better put -on your chains, though." - -After the chains were put on both cars, they started out once more, on -the last pull to the lake. - -"Only three or four miles now," said Uncle Billy, "and a thousand feet -to climb." - -The road was muddy, but well graded, as it wound up the ravine, through -heavy timber, with great drifts of snow on either side. Before long they -came to places where the drifts had been shoveled out to let the road -through, and in these places the road was so soft that everybody but the -drivers got out and walked. The boys made snowballs and pelted each -other. Once or twice the cars stuck, and they had to get boughs to put -under the wheels. But there was no serious delay till they were almost -at the top of the climb. Here they found several cars stalled ahead of -them. Going forward, they found that one big drift was still in the way. -Part of it was cut through, but the last end was still ten feet of solid -snow. The rangers were even now laying a train of TNT through it, and -connecting the fuses. The boys rushed back for their cameras. - -When the dozen charges were ready, everybody ran out of the way. A -ranger connected the wires, and went back behind a tree to the battery. -A moment later there was a terrific explosion, and a huge geyser of -black smoke and black water rose from the drift, the blackened water -settling down in a fine, dirty mist on the snow to leeward. - -"Gosh, I hope I snapped that at the right time!" said Bennie. "Made me -jump so, I couldn't tell." - -Mr. Stone, who was working with a graflex, said he thought he got a good -one, anyway. Then they went forward and found the twelve charges had -blasted out a deep ditch in the snow right through the drift. Men sprang -in with shovels, and in fifteen minutes the cars could plough through. -From there on the snow was melted from the road, and flowers were -already coming up through the soft brown pumice soil. - -Right ahead of them the boys saw the hotel, and in front of the hotel -the land seemed to disappear. It didn't look at all like a mountain -here. The road was now quite level, and there were woods all about. Only -to the right there was a mountain peak, close by, covered with a great -cap of snow. It looked more as if they were coming to the edge of some -canon. - -"Where's the lake?" they demanded. - -"Can you stand it for two minutes more?" the doctor asked. - -Now the car was close to the hotel. The boys jumped out and ran ahead, -up a little grade. And then they stopped stone dead, and drew in a long -breath of astonishment. - -Right under their feet the land fell away at so sharp an angle that it -was practically a precipice, for more than a thousand feet. This great -precipice stretched out to right and left, rising here and there into -crags and cliffs a thousand feet above them, and swung around in a vast -circle six miles in diameter, thus making what looked like a gigantic -hole in the earth. At the bottom of this hole lay the lake; but it was -not an ordinary lake. It was not just water. In fact, it didn't look -like water. It was a wonderful, a vivid, an unbelievable blue. It was -bluer than the sky. - -"It's the bluest thing I ever saw!" cried Bennie. "Wow! how do you get -down to it?" - -"There's just one trail down here," his uncle answered, "and one around -on the east side. Those are the only two ways down to the water." - -"And what's that little peaked island out there?" Spider asked, pointing -to what looked like a pile of cinders at one side of the lake, cinders -covered with green weeds. - -"That's Wizard Island. After this old volcano collapsed into the crater, -and before it filled with water, she started up again to build a new -volcano. That island is the result. It's a little volcano all by itself, -with a crater in the top. That island is 800 feet above the water line, -and the green you see on it is made by big trees." - -"Gosh!" said Bennie. "It looks about eight feet high, instead of 800. -Can we get to it?" - -"We'll get to it, all right. But we've got to make camp before we do -anything." - -[Illustration: Crater Lake--Wizard Island, and over it Llao Rock] - -"Will you tell us after supper all about this lake, how it got made and -everything?" Spider asked. "Gee, I wish I'd studied geology." - -"You've come to the right place to begin," said the doctor. "But now for -a camp site. Come on with me." - -Leaving the cars, they walked westward along the rim, looking for a -chance to get the cars through the drifts. They could manage, they -found, to run them a few hundred feet west of the hotel, along what -looked like a road. There was a considerable open space between the edge -of the rim and the timber, however, and to get back from the rim to the -trees they had to get the camp spades out of the cars and dig a ditch -through two feet of snow. At last the cars were through, and a -comparatively dry spot found under some big fir trees. Here the tents -were put up, with the stove between them, the cars unpacked, the beds -inflated, and Dumplin' and Bennie went after wood while Spider took the -pails and went back over the snow toward the hotel for water. All the -water has to be pumped up to the hotel and the camp grounds from a -spring back down the road. When he returned, he reported that already a -dozen more cars had arrived, several tents were going up, and there were -a lot of people at the hotel. - -Meanwhile Bennie and Dumplin' had discovered that past campers had -cleaned out so much of the dead wood that it was hard to find enough for -a fire, especially as the woods were still full of snow and the fallen -branches buried or else soaking wet. However, they rustled up enough for -that night and breakfast, and preparations for supper began. - -As the sun got lower and lower, the water of the lake seemed to turn a -darker and darker blue, and the snow cap on Garfield, the peak just to -the east, turned a lovely rose red--and Bennie put on his coat. - -"What you putting that on for?" his uncle asked. - -"It's the climate," said Bennie, with a grin. - -"Well, suppose you and Dump go drain the radiators before we forget it," -the doctor laughed. - -"What do you mean, drain the radiators? Are you kidding?" the boys -demanded. - -"Kidding? Not on your life. Go do as I tell you." - -"But, gee whiz, they were _boiling_ about three hours ago," Dumplin' -said. - -"That was three hours ago, and 2,000 feet lower. Go do as I tell you." - -"Some climate, I'll say!" Bennie laughed. But he was still skeptical, it -was plain to see. He thought his uncle was trying to play a joke on him. -However, he and Dumplin' drained the cars. - -A few minutes later they heard the welcome call from the camp, "Come and -get it!" - - - - - CHAPTER IX - The Mountain That Fell Into Itself - - -It was still twilight when dinner was over, and the doctor said, "First -class in geology will now be held on Victory Rock. Do you scouts have -merit badges in geology, by the way?" - -"No," said Spider. - -"That's funny. Seems to me you ought to," Mr. Stone declared. "Scouts -are hiking around the country all the time, and it's a mighty good -chance to see how the earth was made." - -Victory Rock, the boys found, is a kind of bowsprit of lava thrust out -from the rim, so that when you stand on it you can see almost all the -circle of the lake, and the water appears to be directly under you. - -"Now, take a good look," Uncle Billy said, "and then try to imagine what -this place was like before the big explosion. The rim here is 7,000 feet -above sea level. In other words, we've climbed up, to get here, about -half the height of the original mountain. We are about at snow line." - -"About!" Bennie laughed. "About is good!" - -"Now just imagine the line of ascent we took from Government Camp -carried right on up, all around the lake. When the slopes met, over the -middle, in the peak of the original mountain, geologists reckon that -peak was from 14,000 to 15,000 feet high. This was one of the highest -mountains, if not the highest, in the United States proper. It was an -active volcano, of course. If you'll look over there to the northwest, -you'll see a big, steep precipice with a rounded top. That's called Llao -Rock. Do you see how the bottom of it curves up at either end? Well, -that curve shows you where the bottom of a ravine was on the original -mountain. In some eruption, ages ago, a great stream of lava flowed down -that ravine, filled it up to overflowing, and hardened into rock. If you -travel around the lake, you can pick out where each ravine was by the -laval cliffs." - -"How high is that Llao Rock?" asked Spider. - -"About 2,000 feet from the water." - -"Gee, then that lava stream was more'n a thousand feet deep!" - -"It was," said the doctor. "Much more." - -"And then what happened?" Bennie asked. - -"Well, I wasn't here at the time," said Uncle Billy, "but as near as the -scientists can figure it out, there must have been a tremendous -eruption, scattering pumice all over Oregon and making a lot of our rich -soil, and then, at the level where we are now, probably a lot of vent -holes blew out, making the whole top of the mountain, which was only a -shell around the great crater hole, so insecure that it just toppled -inward of its own weight. About seven or eight thousand feet of the -mountain just collapsed into the crater." - -"Say, I'd like to have been here with the old kodak!" Bennie cried. "And -then what happened?" - -"Well, then the bottom of the crater evidently started to spit again, -and build up a new mountain. It built up a perfect cone, just the shape -of the old mountain, almost to the level of the rim. That's Wizard -Island out there. Wizard Island is a later kind of lava and volcanic -stuff than what you find in the rim walls. But the old mountain got -tired about then, and decided to call it a day, and it's been resting -ever since." - -"But how did the water get here?" Dumplin' asked. - -"Out of the sky. There are no springs, so far as anybody knows, in the -crater. That water has just come from the snow and rain--mostly snow, -which has been falling into the hole for untold ages. Over on the east -side of the lake, it is 2,000 feet deep." - -"Say, you could almost dive there without hitting your head on bottom, -couldn't you?" Bennie laughed. "What makes it so blue?" - -"Nobody seems to know that. Some people think there must be some -chemical or mineral gets into it. Anyway, there's no other lake in the -world which has its color." - -"I'll bet there isn't!" Spider declared. "My, it's a beautiful thing. -When are we going down to it? Are there boats on it? How do they get the -boats down there?" - -"One at a time!" Mr. Stone laughed. "We'll go down as soon as the trail -is opened. They get the boats down the trail on wheels, by man power, -and keep 'em winters over on Wizard Island. You could see the boat-house -if it wasn't so dark." - -"Let's go over to the hotel and find out if the trail is open yet!" the -boys cried, and led the way without waiting for an answer. - -No, the trail wasn't open, the hotel manager told them. But the boatmen -had been down and got some rowboats out, and two men had gone down -fishing that afternoon. - -"But it's not a safe trip," the manager added. "We don't advise anybody -to try it. The government is going to begin shoveling the snow out of -the trail tomorrow morning. You'd better wait a day or two." - -They thanked him, bought some souvenir post-cards to send home, and went -back to camp. - -"Have we got to wait?" the boys demanded. - -The two men only smiled. - -"Better be up early," they said. "We might have a try at it. Can't tell. -Bennie seems to want a bit of real wild stuff. Maybe we can give it to -him." - -There was not wood enough in camp to make a camp fire, and no chance to -get any more till daylight. Everybody had put on his sweater, and the -air was getting colder and colder. - -"Nothing for it but to go to bed," Mr. Stone declared. "And be thankful -you have those blankets you didn't need at Rogue River." - -"It's the climate!" said Bennie, as he shivered in his pyjamas and -wriggled hastily in between all the blankets he could stuff into his -sleeping bag. "Oh, you blankets!" - -"And down in Medford, eighty miles away, they're probably kicking off -the sheets," laughed Uncle Billy. "What do you think of Crater Lake now, -eh?" - -But Bennie only grunted. He was already half asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER X - Down the Rim to the Lake--The Boys Ski on a Crater Snow-drift in July - - -The two scouts were first awake the next morning. They took no more time -getting dressed than the law allowed, for it was shivery cold, and then -went outside the tent to wash. The sun was just coming up, and the night -mists still hung around the sides of the rim and over the water of the -lake, which was so still that it was exactly like a huge bright blue -mirror, six miles wide, in which everything hung upside down. The water -in the pails at the side of the tent had a skim of ice over it! - -Bennie broke the ice and poured some water in a basin, dousing it on his -face and spluttering with the cold. They went over the snow-drifts to -the tap to get more water, and the snow was crusted and held them up so -that their hobnailed boots crunched and squeaked on it. - -"And this is July 7th!" said Spider. "Well, you thought your uncle was -joshing about the radiator last night, didn't you?" - -"I sure did," Bennie answered. "Didn't realize what a difference -altitude makes." - -[Illustration: Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in -Foreground] - -After they had brought the water, and made a fire in the stove, the -scouts went off after a wood supply, while the rest were dressing. They -wandered a long way back down the slope, through the forest, and tried -to imagine, as they looked back, that instead of being cut off at the -rim the mountain went on up another 8,000 feet. - -"I guess if it did, we'd be on a glacier here, instead of just snow," -said Spider. "Look, Bennie, at those flowers coming up within a foot of -this drift! I'm going to collect a lot of flowers on this trip, and get -a merit badge in botany, too. Why don't you get after some merit -badges?" - -"Aw, gee, what good am I at botany and stuff like that?" - -"Well, you could go after one in forestry. We'll be seeing a lot of real -forests. And there's hiking, and camping. Oh, lots of 'em." - -"Got your manual with you?" - -"Sure." - -"Well, let's look 'em up later, and see what chance a dub like me has," -Bennie answered. "But this ain't getting us much fire wood." - -They were so far from the camp ground now that dead wood was plentiful, -and they returned to camp over the drifts and the bare clearings where -the wild flowers were just sprouting--spring in July--dragging dead -limbs enough to last two or three days. The smell of coffee and bacon -greeted them as they came up the last slope to the camp. - -"By the way," Spider asked at breakfast, "what was the name of this -mountain before it fell into itself?" - -"Who was there to name it, you poor fish?" laughed Bennie. - -"I never thought of that!" - -"It has a posthumous name, though," said Mr. Stone. - -"Come again--come again!" Bennie said. "What kind of a name?" - -"Ho, I know what that means!" put in Dumplin', his mouth full of wheat -cakes. - -"What _what_ means?" the rest demanded. - -"P-p"--he swallowed hard, and then got it out--"posthumous." - -"Well, what does it mean?" - -"It means something that comes after you're dead. If a man writes a book -that ain't printed till he's dead, it's a posthumous book." - -"My son," said Mr. Stone, "I am proud of you." - -"Not to say surprised at him," the doctor laughed. - -Dumplin' grinned triumphantly, and reached out for more cakes. - -"Well, what was its p-p-posthumous name?" Bennie demanded. - -"They call the mountain Mount Mazama. You see, there's a famous club of -mountaineers in Portland, who are called the Mazamas, and that's why the -name was given to this vanished peak." - -"Mazama--sounds sort of Indian." - -"It is--it's the Indian word for a mountain goat." - -"That's us," said Bennie. "When do we leap lightly down the rim to the -water?" - -"As soon as you've washed the dishes," said his uncle. - -The sun was well up when they started, and the chill had gone from the -air. You could hardly believe water had frozen two hours before. Mr. -Stone carried his movie camera, which weighed fifty pounds, on his back -in a knapsack made for it, Dumplin' carried the tripod, also in a sack, -Bennie and Spider carried their canteens filled with spring water, their -cameras, and the lunch in knapsacks. The doctor had two canteens and the -coil of 125 feet of soft alpine braided rope. Everybody had an -alpenstock. As the little procession passed the hotel, the people there -looked at them curiously. - -"You evidently mean business," somebody said. - -"We're going down to the lake," said the doctor. - -"I wouldn't try it, if I were you," the other man replied. "Two chaps -went down yesterday, and they had a pretty bad time. They say it's -extremely dangerous." - -"We'll take a chance," said Uncle Billy. - -The trail starts down just east of the hotel. It is a wide footpath cut -in the soft lava and the powdery pumice and conglomerate of the slope, -switchbacking down a sharp ravine. But this ravine was now almost filled -with snow, so that the path was buried, and the descent had to be made -over the bare snow slope, at an angle of fifty degrees. If you once -started slipping, there was nothing to stop you for a thousand feet. The -park gang of a dozen men or more, with shovels, were just attacking the -snow at the top, shoveling out the path and tossing the snow chunks on -to the slope, down which they slid and bounded like a bombardment. - -The doctor led the way past the shovelers, so they would be out of the -range of the falling lumps, uncoiled the rope, tied one end around his -waist, flung the other end down the slope, drove his alpenstock deep and -firm, braced his feet, and said: - -"Now, you all go down to the end, one at a time. Keep a firm hold on the -rope. Don't ever let go with more than one hand. When you get to the -bottom, brace your stocks, and Stone, you take up the slack on me as I -come down." - -One by one the boys and Mr. Stone faced half sideways to the slope, kept -hold of the rope with the right hand, and went down the 125 feet step by -step. As Bennie started down, he saw that just above them on the rim -were a dozen people, come from the hotel to watch. - -"Gee, this is the life!" he shouted. - -The boys watched Uncle Billy come down when everybody else was at the -rope's end. He had no rope to help him, of course, but he used his -alpenstock with one hand, and drove his boots firmly into the snow with -a sideways motion which made a little step for him. - -"Guess old Uncle Bill knows his way about," thought Bennie. - -From this point, the operation was repeated, getting them down 250 feet. -But by now the shovelers in the path above had worked ahead, and the -snow chunks were whizzing past uncomfortably close. They saw that the -ravine narrowed ahead of them into a kind of bottle neck, and all the -chunks worked into that neck. They would have to pass right through it. -No use in yelling up to the shovelers to quit, either. Their job was to -get the trail opened as soon as possible. Besides, they were laughing, -and the little party down in the ravine knew that meant they were just -waiting to get them into the narrow place and bombard them. - -"Keep half an eye up the slope this next drop," the doctor said, "and -watch out for cannon balls. Those fellows up there are going to wing us -if they can. The chunks won't break any bones, but they'll hurt. Once -we're through the neck, we can get round behind that rock, and be out of -range." - -"Let her go!" said Mr. Stone. - -Nobody lost any time on that next drop. Mr. Stone went first, and no -sooner was he out into the narrow groove of the ravine than a perfect -avalanche of snow chunks came whizzing down. Most of them got broken up -before they reached him, but every now and then one hung together, as -big as a shoveler could lift out of the path, and went whizzing by a -mile a minute. One of them bounced up just before it reached him, and -landed _ker-blam_ against his camera sack, smashing into a thousand -pieces, and nearly taking him off his feet. - -"The idiots!" Uncle Billy said. "I'd like to throw 'em all down here -head first. Go ahead, Dump. Your father's round the bend now." - -"You're an easy mark, Dumplin'!" yelled the boys, as poor Lester slid -down the rope into the path of the whirling missiles. "Hi! look -out--here comes a big one!" - -Lester ducked, and a block of snow bounded right over his head. Bennie -had no such luck when he started, though. He dodged a couple, but a -third chunk caught him right in the head, smashed wetly around his neck -and ears, and he felt the water trickling down inside his shirt as he -hurried, half blinded, around the rock to shelter. Spider and the doctor -soon joined them, Spider nursing a bump on the leg from a snow chunk -with a stone in it. - -"Great idea of a joke, those guys have," said Bennie. "Funny thing, -Dumplin' never got hit at all, and he's the easiest mark. Where do we go -from here?" - -The doctor looked around. Straight down below them was a long slope of -pumice and gravelly looking stuff, at a very steep angle, with a few -trees and lava blocks breaking it up, and patches of snow. - -"Here," he said, and threw out the rope. - -Bennie started first. His feet seemed to hold well in this soft ground, -and he let his hand just slide along the rope, seeing how fast he could -walk down. Suddenly the ground just slipped away under him. He sat down, -and began to slide. His hand, held too loosely on the rope, was yanked -off. He grasped for the rope again, but it was out of reach. For one -sickly, awful moment, he saw the lake and the rocks hundreds of feet -below him, and thought he was going to land down there--or what was left -of him. Down, down he slid, six feet, eight feet, hit a patch of snow -and went faster, while he tried vainly to dig in with hands and heels. -Then, as suddenly as the first slip, he realized that in ten feet more -he'd hit a tree growing on a tiny flat place by a piece of solid lava. A -second, and his feet struck the roots with a thump, and he stopped -abruptly. - -When the rest got to him, he was still sitting there, trembling a -little, and trying to clean off his clothes. His uncle's face was white, -but all he said was: - -"I thought you knew how to climb, Bennie. I see you've got to be taught -to keep a hold on the rope." - -"It--it came so sudden." - -"It always does come sudden," his uncle answered. That was all he said. -That was all he ever said about it the whole trip. But it was all he -needed to say. Bennie felt deeply ashamed. He had failed on the very -first climb! He resolved then and there that the next time he'd hang on -to that rope with a death grip. - -"Were you scared?" Spider whispered to him, as they got down to the -trail where the snow had melted off, and could walk the last few feet of -the way. "Gee, I was scared blue when I saw you goin', till I spotted -the tree, and knew you were goin' to hit it. Hadn't been there, though, -you'd been a goner. Golly!" - -"Sure I was scared," said Bennie. "Didn't have time to think much about -it, though, before I hit the good old roots." - -Dumplin' now dropped alongside. - -"If it had been me," he said, "I'd have knocked the tree down, and gone -right on." - -"You'd 'a' made an awful splash in the lake," Bennie laughed, though his -voice still trembled a little. - -There were only three boats at the landing, and none of the boatmen had -yet come down that day. They were waiting for the trail to be opened. -But the hotel manager had told Uncle Billy how to find the oars, and -loading the cameras and lunch into a couple of the skiffs, they pushed -off, Bennie insisting on rowing one boat, and Lester the other. The lake -was very still as they floated out over its blue water. - -"It don't look more'n ten feet deep to me," said Bennie, glancing over -the side. "There's the old bottom." - -"Look up at the cliffs and take ten more strokes, and then look down," -said Mr. Stone from the other boat. - -Bennie did so. - -"Jiminy crickets and little jumping hoptoads!" he exclaimed. "Why, there -isn't any bottom!" - -Sure enough, the bottom had dropped completely away. They were floating -on what seemed like a bottomless blue liquid. - -"I feel as if we were sort of hanging in a piece of the sky," said -Spider. "I never had such a funny sensation." - -The doctor smiled. "You've got the Crater Lake blues," he said. "It -scares some people." - -"I like it," said Spider. "Gee, it's wonderful!" - -Bennie glanced over his shoulder at Wizard Island, which looked about a -quarter of a mile away, headed his bow for it, and started to pull -again. - -"We'll be there in a jiffy," he said. - -"How far do you think it is?" his uncle asked. - -"'Bout a quarter of a mile." - -"It's almost two, in a straight line." - -"Gee!" said Bennie. - -From the level of the water, Crater Lake was quite a different place. -Instead of looking down from the rim, you looked up, and the cliffs that -hemmed you in seemed far higher and far steeper. They looked as steep as -they really are. The high points around the rim--Garfield Peak, Dutton -Cliffs, Llao Rock, Glacier Peak, the Watchman, were all snow-capped, and -in many places the snow came down the rim ravines in great white wedges -like capital V's, almost to the blue water. The hotel looked like a -little Noah's ark. - -"Say, if a guy got caught down here and had to go on shore where he -couldn't get to the trail, what would he do? Could he climb out?" Bennie -asked. - -"There's a trail out over there on the east, at that lowest place," said -the doctor. "The rim is only 500 feet high there. Those two are the only -trails. You might be able to climb out at some other points. A -photographer once climbed up under Llao Rock and worked along the base -of the lava precipices till he reached the top of the rim. But if I was -caught down here in most places, I'd sit tight till a boat came for me." - -"You needn't die of thirst, anyhow," Spider laughed. - -Slowly Wizard Island drew nearer, and at last Bennie pulled into a -little cove, and they hauled the bow up. Lester pulled his skiff in a -moment later. Wizard Island, all around the base, seemed to be composed -entirely of huge blocks of blackish-brown lava, out of which evergreens -mysteriously grew--big, fine trees, too. They scrambled up over these -blocks, and soon found a trail winding up the steep slope through the -woods. The lava blocks ceased now, and the whole little mountain was -composed of a fine material much like cinders from a locomotive. In -fact, the baby volcano now resembled nothing so much as a huge cone of -cinders, covered with trees. Up and up they toiled, Mr. Stone panting -under the weight of his movie camera, and at last reached the summit. -Before anybody even looked about, the canteens were unslung and half -emptied. Then they looked. - -The top of Wizard Island was a perfect circle, like Crater Lake itself, -only a tiny circle, two or three hundred feet across. Inside was a -crater, about a hundred feet deep, and now filled on the south side, -where the sun didn't hit it, with a huge snow-drift pitching steeply -down to the bottom. - -"Ah! I thought so!" cried Mr. Stone. "Boys, get busy. I'm going to take -a movie of you sliding down a crater on the snow. Try it once standing -up, and see if you can keep your feet." - -[Illustration: The Boys Sliding down Wizard Island Crater. (Enlarged -from a Movie)] - -The three boys ran out on the drift to the edge, and stepped over. The -snow was soft enough so that they sank in a little and pushed enough -snow ahead to bank up after ten or a dozen feet. When it did this, it -would pitch you head foremost unless you were spry and jumped over the -bank in time. The first try all three boys went headlong a quarter of -the way down, and made the rest of the trip on their stomachs. They got -up and struggled back up the steep incline. - -By this time the camera was set up and focussed. - -"Good!" said Mr. Stone. "Now get out of the picture a way, and when I -say 'Shoot' come walking in to the edge. Stop there a moment and point, -as if you were daring each other to go down. Then all slide. Keep your -feet if you can. At the bottom, get up quickly, and come scrambling -back. Ready? Get on your marks, shoot!" - -The three boys came into the picture as the crank ground and the camera -clicked. They stopped at the rim, and began to act. - -"I dast you to slide down!" said Bennie, forgetting this was a movie, -and nobody would hear his voice. - -"Ho!" said Dumplin', "that's nothin'." - -He tossed off his cap. Spider tossed off his. The three of them stepped -over the rim, and shot down. Dumplin' got a third of the way and -spilled, head foremost. A second later Spider followed him. Only Bennie -got to the bottom on his feet. He yelled and waved his arms in triumph, -and all three started scrambling and slipping back up the drift, digging -into the snow with heels and hands. As they came up over the rim again, -the camera stopped clicking. - -"Good," said Mr. Stone. "That's a dandy." - -"Some Douglas Fairbanks, eh?" cried Bennie. "Gee, Dumplin', you sure did -a comic fall. Bet that would get a laugh on the screen." - -"My hands are cold--and I'm sweating," said Lester. "That's going some." - -"It's the climate!" came from three mouths at once. - -They now walked around the little rim, and on the west side of the -island saw, at the base of the cone, a flat space of a few acres, with a -tiny little pond in it. - -"This is a volcano within a volcano, and that is a lake inside of a -lake," the doctor pointed out. "You don't often find that. Now let's eat -some lunch, and go down and see if we can catch a fish or two for -supper." - -They sat, hatless and coatless, in the shade of a little tree beside a -snow-drift, and ate their lunch, finishing up the last of the water in -the canteens, also. Then they descended to the boats. Mr. Stone mounted -his camera in the bow of one boat, with Lester to row, while Spider -rowed the other, the doctor sat as passenger, and Bennie got out the -collapsible rod his uncle had brought, jointed it, and adjusted the -tackle. - -"Don't seem fair to fish for trout with a spinner, as if they were -nothing but pickerel," he declared. "Wish we had some flies." - -"We want the fish to eat," said the doctor, "and Stone wants a picture. -We'll use the surest way to get 'em. Now, Spider, row very slowly and -just as steadily as you can, just offshore, around the rocks. Keep an -even pace--that's the main thing. If the spinner yanks, the fish get -suspicious." - -Their boat crept softly along, with the Stones' boat not far behind, Mr. -Stone sitting by the camera as if it were a machine gun pointed at them. - -Suddenly the line, trailing behind, tightened, Bennie gave a cry, there -was a leap and a silver flash in the water astern, and the fight was on! - -"Play him, play him!" the doctor shouted. "Keep on rowing, Spider. Give -Stone a chance to shoot! Bring him up slowly, Bennie, don't lose him!" - -"I won't lose him," Bennie answered grimly. "Gee whiz, what a trout! He -pulls like a whale!" - -Slowly he reeled in, and then had to play out again, as the fish made a -dash past the boat. But the big spinner hook was too much for him, and -after three or four minutes he was alongside, giving his last kicks and -splashes in the water. - -"Swing around, swing around, so the camera can get this!" called the -doctor. - -As the boat swung, Lester pulled nearer, the camera kept on clicking, -and Bennie, reaching over, grabbed the line short and hauled the trout -into the boat, holding him up to show his size. - -"Some baby!" he cried, breathless with excitement. "He weighs about four -pounds. What kind of a trout is he?" - -"They put eastern brook trout into this lake," said Uncle Billy. "There -were no fish here till it was stocked." - -"Eastern brook trout!" Bennie exclaimed. "Well, that's the funniest -looking eastern brook trout _I_ ever saw. I guess something happened to -'em." - -"It's the climate," Spider chuckled. - -"I think it is myself, and no joke," said the doctor. "They are -certainly a different fish, both to look at and to eat, than the brook -trout we used to catch back home. You catch one now, Spider." - -Spider took the line, and caught a trout. Then the doctor got one, and -the line was passed to Lester, who lost the spinner in a rock on the -bottom, but, with a new hook, caught still a fourth fish. - -"That's enough to last us; now for home," came the orders. - -"I wonder if they've got the trail cleared yet? Don't much want to face -that bombardment again," said Mr. Stone. - -"They'll be through digging for the day, anyhow, before we get in," said -Uncle Billy. - -The long shadows from the western walls were out across the water when -they reached the landing and tied up the boats. There was no sign of -shovelers on the trail, but no sign, either, that the gang had got to -the bottom. They had to make the first half of the climb as best they -could, scrambling up the treacherous slopes with the aid of the -alpenstocks and the rope which the doctor dragged up ahead and fastened -at convenient points. Half-way up, however, they reached the spot where -the trail breakers had quit work, and they were glad enough of the path -and the easy grade the rest of the way. Their packs were getting heavier -and heavier, and the doctor was taking shifts on the camera, before they -finally dragged themselves over the rim, into the sunlight again. - -Bennie was carrying the four trout proudly when they passed the hotel, -and a crowd came out to see the catch. At least a score more motors had -arrived during the day, and the hotel bus was arriving with a load of -people. At their camp, they found two new tents pitched close to theirs, -the cars bearing California license plates. - -"Well, our privacy is gone," sighed Mr. Stone. - -"I don't care, if they haven't got a crying child along, to keep us -awake," the doctor said. - -"Nothing could keep me awake tonight," said Bennie, flopping down on the -ground. - -"And nothing could wake me tomorrow morning," puffed Lester, flopping -down beside him. - -"Well, don't go to sleep till you've cleaned those fish for us," Uncle -Billy laughed. "And, Dump, you get water, and, Spider, you make the -fire." - -The smell of boiling coffee and sizzling trout brought new life to -everybody. And how they ate! The fish meat was reddish in color, more -like salmon than eastern brook trout, but it certainly tasted good, and -there was enough for everybody, with potatoes, and bread, and coffee and -stewed fruit. - -When supper was over and cleared away, and they were sitting around the -little camp fire, in their sweaters again, for the evening chill had -descended with the sun, a man strolled over from the near-by camp. - -"Kind o' cold up here," he remarked. - -"Drained your radiator?" Mr. Stone asked. - -"No. What you giving us?" - -"Just as you like," Mr. Stone replied. "If you like a busted radiator, -it's up to you. I don't care." - -"You mean to tell me it'll freeze up? Why, it was eighty-eight in the -shade in Medford this morning." - -"It was probably hotter than that in Los Angeles," said Uncle Billy, -with a wink at Mr. Stone. - -"No, sir!" the other man retorted. "No siree, Bob. We have the finest -climate in Southern California there is in the world. Never too hot, and -never too cold." - -"It's the climate," chuckled Bennie. - -"You bet your life it's the climate, kid," said the man. - -"Funny, another man from California once told me the same thing," Mr. -Stone smiled. "I'll have to go down there some day and try it." - -"You'd better. No place like it." - -"What are you doing in Oregon?" Uncle Billy suggested. - -"Oh, just taking a look around. Pretty nice little lake here, but you -ought to see the Yosemite." - -"I've been to Coney Island," Bennie grinned, falling into the game. - -"I've seen a picture of Venice by moonlight," said Dumplin'. - -"I've been up Bunker Hill Monument. It is 224 feet high," said Spider. - -The Californian began to get wise to the fact that he was being guyed, -and moved off. They watched him. He went past their cars and glanced at -the ground under the hoods to see if they had really been drained. Then -he went over and drained his own. - -Mr. Stone laughed. "Push any button on a Californian, and you'll start a -record about the finest climate in the world." - -"It's the climate," said Bennie, solemnly. "Let's see, where did I see -that? Oh, yes, on a big banner across the road in a city down in -California." - -"A hit, son. I admit it," Mr. Stone answered. "We do a lot of bragging -ourselves. At that, we've got a pretty nice climate." - -"I move that the next man who says 'climate' has to wash all the dishes -for the next three days," said Dumplin'. "All in favor." - -A great shout of "Aye!" went up, and on that they turned in. - -"Praises be to the man who invented the air mattress," sighed Bennie, as -he crawled wearily into his sleeping bag. "Oh, you pneumatic kid!" - -"Had enough hard work to satisfy you?" his uncle asked. - -"Till about eight A. M. tomorrow," Bennie answered. "Good night, -friends. Please tell the bellhop to bring me hot water at 7:30." - - - - - CHAPTER XI - Dumplin' Tests the Strength of a Snow Cornice on Garfield Peak - - -Their friend the California camper and his party were up bright and -early. At least, they were up early. As Bennie woke up at their noisy -shouting, and listened to their conversation, he didn't think they were -particularly bright. - -"Oh, well, Irvin Cobb couldn't make me laugh at half-past five in the -morning," Dumplin' said at breakfast. "I heard 'em, but I went to sleep -again. I just stayed awake long enough to hear whether they were talking -about their cli--ha! you didn't catch me!--about the atmospheric -conditions of California." - -"Did they?" his father asked. - -"Not's I heard. One of 'em was pulling a merry jest. His idea of a joke, -I s'pose. He was throwing cold water on the ones that weren't up." - -"Gee, I'd have killed him!" the doctor said. "Maybe they'll be gone by -night. Well, what shall we do today? I don't feel like going down to the -lake again till the trail is open. It will be done by tonight." - -"Let's climb Garfield!" - -"Good," said Mr. Stone. "I'd like to get a movie of you all up on that -snow cap against the sky." - -"And I'm going to gather all the kinds of wild flowers I can, and -identify 'em from those mounted specimens in the hotel," said Spider. -"Might's well do some work for a botany honor medal, too." - -Bennie was looking up in the tree as Spider spoke. - -"Look," he said, "who's your friend?" - -"Who are your friends, you mean," added Uncle Billy, also looking up. - -Two large birds, fat and sleek, with gray and black plumage were hopping -nearer and nearer to the tents, apparently much excited. - -"Hello!" cried Spider. "They are new ones on me. Say, aren't they tame!" - -Mr. Stone laughed. "Tame is the word. Everybody look the other way, and -pretend to pay no attention." - -They did so, and suddenly there was a flutter close by, a little peep, a -flap of wings, and one of the birds was right down on the box by the -stove that served as a kitchen table, and up in the tree again with half -a slice of bread in his bill. - -"Well, I'll be switched!" Bennie exclaimed. "Can you beat that! What are -they?" - -"Ever heard of camp robbers?" - -"Are _those_ camp robbers, eh? Canada jays is another name, isn't it? -Well, I thought camp robbers were ugly birds. Those are beautiful." - -"They are beautiful, but now they've discovered the camps up here, we'll -have to keep everything covered. They can't take a hint worth a cent." - -"Let's shoo 'em over to California's camp," laughed Bennie. - -Presently they started off for Garfield. - -"Hey, Uncle Bill, where's the rope?" Bennie asked. - -"Don't need it today." - -"Aw, can't we take it along and find a place to use it?" - -"Nothing doing. We don't carry any excess baggage out here, son." - -The climb up Garfield proved to be an easy one. The trail was clear of -snow for half the distance, and the rest of the short thousand feet was -over drifts that were neither difficult nor dangerous, till they reached -a little flat place a hundred feet short of the summit. Here a sheer -precipice confronted them, with the summit snow cap hanging out over it -like the cornice of a gigantic house roof. - -Mr. Stone set up his camera some distance out from the cliff. - -"Now, I want you all to go up there, around on the side, where the trail -goes, and come out into view on the left end of the top. Then walk in -single file, slowly, along the cornice to the right, and then move back -out of sight again. When you get to the top, don't come into view till I -yell, 'Shoot!'" - -"You mean you want us to walk out on that snow that hangs over the -precipice, Pa?" Lester demanded. - -"Sure, why not?" - -"Well, if it breaks off with our weight, where do we go from there?" - -"It won't break. You don't have to get right on the edge of it, of -course. But it would hold up a team of horses." - -"Yes, but will it hold up Dumplin'?" said Bennie. - -[Illustration: The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak. -(Enlarged from a Movie)] - -"Come on, boys, let's get this Pearl White stuff over," the doctor -laughed. - -They scrambled up around the side to the very peak, and waited till they -heard the signal. Then one by one they walked forward toward the edge. -The doctor led the way, and sounded with his alpenstock. He stopped five -feet short of the extreme edge, however, turned and walked along that -line, the rest following him holding their breaths, and half expecting -to go pitching down any instant. But they didn't. The snow cornice was -many feet thick, and would probably have held up a far greater weight. - -When they were out of the picture again, they looked around. The view -was tremendous, and the first one they had got from a high summit. -(Garfield is a shade over 8,000 feet.) To the south they saw the -glistening white snow cone of Mount McLaughlin, and then far, far away, -150 miles, floating almost like a cloud on the horizon, the great white -bulk of Mount Shasta in California, more than 14,000 feet high. To the -eastward, they looked out over the desert country of southeastern -Oregon, stretching for endless miles. North of them, they looked right -down for 2,000 feet into the blue caldera of Crater Lake. North of the -lake, beyond the farther rim, they could see Mount Thielsen, which -looked like a huge needle of lava sticking straight up into the air, and -beyond that the white pyramid of Diamond Peak. Everywhere near by, on -the outer slopes of the crater, they looked down into dark mysterious -forests marching up the ravines. - -"Well, Bennie, is this big enough and wild enough for you?" the doctor -demanded. - -"I never saw so much land all at once in my life," said Bennie, "or such -a big hole in it. And to think I've seen old Shasta, way off in -California! This beats the old geography!" - -"You loosed a larynxful then," came from Dumplin'. - -"Not very poetic, Dump, but true," the doctor smiled. - -The boys found the steepest drift on the descent, and tried to ski down -it on their boot soles, but they hit such a rate of speed that all three -of them toppled over, and landed at the bottom head over heels. After -they had reached the open trail once more, Spider cut away from the -path, and worked down the side slope, through the pumice drifts and the -tumbled piles of broken lava, gathering specimens of wild flowers. You -would hardly have supposed anything would grow in such unpromising -looking soil, but volcanic stuff rapidly breaks up into a soil rich in -chemical plant foods, especially potash, and soon his hands were full. -Bennie, who had followed him, began to help, and rapidly got interested -in the game of finding new varieties. It was a big bunch they finally -brought into camp, half an hour after the rest had reached home. - -That afternoon Spider took his flowers and a note-book over to the -hotel, where a large case of mounted specimens is exhibited, and spent -two hours identifying them, and listing the names in his note-book, with -his specimens pressed between the leaves. Bennie bought some candy, and -a bunch of post-cards, and scribbled messages to his mother and father -and friends. Finally he came over to Spider. - -"Gee whiz, you're a studious one," he said. "Wish I was. How do you get -that way?" - -"I don't know. I just can't help being interested in birds and plants -and things like that. You've just got to find something you're awfully -interested in, I guess." - -"Well, I'm interested in mountains, but that won't get me any merit -badge. I'm gettin' kind of interested in supper about now, too. What say -we beat it over to camp?" - -They walked back along the rim. The snow cap on Garfield was growing -pink behind them, and the lake below, ruffled by a little wind, was like -a wrinkled carpet of vivid ultramarine blue. The trail, they heard, was -now dug out all the way to the landing. Rested by the quiet afternoon, -they felt keen for fresh adventures. - -"I feel's if I could walk all the way around this old rim," Bennie -declared. "You know, there's a motor road runs around it, only it's full -of snow now. Has to cut down behind Dutton Cliffs and Garfield, way down -to the road we came up on. But the rest of the way round it's up on the -rim. Uncle Bill says it's about thirty or thirty-five miles around, he -thinks, by the road. Bet you we could do it in a day, right over the old -snow. That ought to help toward a merit badge for hiking." - -"I'd rather row around the lake at the base of the cliffs," said Spider. - -"Well, let's do that tomorrow. Shall we?" - -"I guess we'll do what the rest do. Your uncle will have something good -on, sure." - -"Hope so, I need the exercise," Bennie laughed, plunging across the -snow-drift toward the tents. - -"Bennie's feeling awful good," Spider told the rest. "Says he's not -getting exercise enough." - -"The wood-pile is rather low," the doctor remarked quietly. - -Bennie saluted. "Yes, sir, thank you, sir!" he said, and picked up his -ax. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - Bennie Climbs the Mast of the Phantom Ship and Knows He Has Done - Something - - -"Seeing that Bennie is such a glutton for exercise," said Uncle Billy at -breakfast the next morning, "what do you say we give him some, Stone?" - -"We want to keep him well and happy, surely," Mr. Stone answered, -solemnly. - -"Yes, we mustn't let the little darling pine," put in Dumplin'. - -"Or his mighty muscles get flabby," added Spider. - -"You all think you're having a great time, don't you?" Bennie retorted. -"Well, I'm all ready. I guess I'll keep in the procession as long as the -band plays." - -"All right," said his uncle. "Let's get cleared up here, and we'll beat -it down the trail and row out to the Phantom Ship. Bennie can row us out -and back, and climb the mast between whiles, and then tote your camera, -Stone, up the trail again home. Maybe that will restore his lost -appetite." - -Bennie grinned amiably. "What's the Phantom Ship?" he demanded. - -"You'll see." - -The boys noted with delight that Uncle Billy was taking his alpine rope. -Lunches and cameras were carried, too. The trail down from the rim was -now cleared of snow all the way, and the descent was quick and easy. -But, at the bottom, they found that so many people had gone down ahead -of them that all the boats were out. They had to wait two hours while -some of the boatmen, who had gone across to the boat-house on Wizard -Island, got the launch in commission over there, and towed back more -boats. - -"How did they ever get a launch down here?" asked Bennie. - -"Brought it down in pieces and assembled it, I suppose," Spider said. -"Didn't they?" - -"Must have," answered the doctor. - -When the fresh supply of boats arrived, they pushed off, rowing in the -opposite direction from Wizard Island. Now they passed directly under -the jagged red walls of Eagle Crags, which form the north wall of Mount -Garfield, and tower 2,000 feet above the water. Rounding Eagle Point, -they saw Chaski Bay, invisible from the hotel, with a great snow-drift -hanging over it, and beyond that another 2,000-foot cliff headland, with -a long, steep talus slope of soft stuff leading up to the precipitous -lava. - -"What do you see right at the base of that cliff, in the water?" the -doctor asked. - -"Nothing," said the boys. "Just some small rocks at the water's edge." - -"Some small rocks, eh? Well, row on a bit. Keep in nearer shore, -Bennie." - -Bennie rowed on another half mile, and again they looked at the rocks at -the water's edge below Dutton Cliff. - -"Why," Spider said, "those rocks are out in the water. They're an -island." - -"That's the Phantom Ship. They call it a phantom because it looks like -part of the cliff from a distance. You'll see pretty soon why they call -it a ship." - -Sure enough, they did see, in a very few moments. For, as the boats drew -nearer, the detached rocks were seen to be much larger than they had -appeared from a distance, where they had to be measured against the -whole 2,000 feet of Dutton Cliff; and not only were they large, but they -were really one solid mass of dark brown lava, much more pointed at the -end which faced the lake, and with three sharp spires of lava, almost as -sharp as an obelisk, sticking up exactly like three masts. To add still -further to the illusion of a ship, they saw, as they drew still nearer, -that the patches of green on the lava were really pine trees, which now -began to look like sails. - -"It is just like a ship!" Spider exclaimed. "It's a ship made of lava, a -three-master, sailing right out from Dutton Cliff!" - -"Is it one of those masts we are going to climb?" Bennie suddenly -demanded, a suspicion striking him. - -"_You_ are--for the exercise," said his uncle. - -"Yes, I am! Say, I'm pretty good, but I'm no human fly. Gee, I don't see -even a finger-nail hold on 'em." - -"Don't get impatient. Look down in the water a minute. Row slowly. Now -let her drift." - -The boys looked down as the boat floated in toward the dark, straight -sides of the Phantom Ship, down into the deep blue water. No bottom was -visible, though the sunlight seemed to penetrate a long way down. - -Then, suddenly, there was bottom! The bottom seemed to jump up at them, -when the boat was about a hundred feet away from the ship. They had -floated right on over the rim of a tremendous sunken precipice. Even -here the bottom was apparently fifty feet below surface, yet they could -see it clearly. - -"Stop the boat a minute," Spider said. - -Bennie stopped it, and then took his oars out again. Spider, meanwhile, -had taken a nickel from his pocket, and when the ripples had died down, -he laid it carefully overboard, flat on the water. They watched it -wabble and flutter rapidly down, but fast as it went, it was a long time -reaching bottom, showing the depth. Yet they could see it plainly after -it landed and lay shining on the rocks fifty feet below. Then they -watched a big trout swim by, five or six feet under the surface, and -they could see every detail of his color, his fins--all through water -that was bluer than the sky! - -"Now look up at the ship," said Uncle Billy. - -It towered above them now like a real ship, a ship 200 feet long, with -masts 175 feet tall. Here, on the south side, the walls rose in an -almost sheer precipice for many feet, with little clumps of bright -flowers growing in the cracks and on the tiny ledges, which Spider -instantly coveted for his collection of specimens that was going to help -him get a merit badge in botany. - -There was one place, however, near the bowsprit, where you could make a -landing, and Mr. Stone was already getting out there and setting up his -camera. As soon as it was up, he asked the two boats to row around -behind the island, and then come into sight again, passing slowly under -the side of the ship, so he could show both the boats and the lava -cliff. After that he got Spider ashore, and took a movie of him -crawling, wherever he could get a finger or toe hold, twenty feet up the -ship's side and picking a large clump of pentstemon from a crevice. - -"Don't you want to take me and Dumplin' diving off into the water?" -Bennie called. - -"Sure, if you'll do it," Mr. Stone laughed. "Put your arm down as far in -as you can get it first." - -Bennie pushed up his sleeve and did so. He pulled his arm out again -quickly. - -"Thanks, not today," he said. - -"The temperature when you get a ways below the surface remains at 39 -winter and summer, the scientists have found," the doctor smiled. - -"It doesn't feel more'n 29 on top," said Bennie. - -When the pictures were taken, they went around to the north side of the -island, where the sides were not so steep, and taking the alpine rope, -they all landed and scrambled up into the high saddle between the rear -and the central mast--"the deck, this ought to be called," they said. - -When they got up in here, they found it was possible to climb still -higher up the tallest mast (the rear mast), till they reached a sharp, -complete crack which separated it into two parts. This crack had not -been visible from the water. - -"It's a regular chimney," Bennie exclaimed. "A chimney open at both -sides. Do we go up that?" - -"I don't," Dumplin' answered. "I couldn't get into it." - -"I don't," said his father. "I wouldn't get into it." - -"It's about forty feet from here to the top," said Uncle Billy. "I know -a man who climbed it. It took him an hour and fifteen minutes." - -Bennie wasn't joking any more. He pulled himself up from the little -platform where they were resting till he stood in the crack, and then he -felt of the walls of smooth lava, and looked up for hand and foot holds. - -"But there aren't any holds," he said. "Hanged if I see how _anybody_ -can climb up here." - -"Oh, you'll find a few holds, if I remember right, places where you can -get a sort of apology for a rest," his uncle said, casually. - -"Say, are you joshing me or not? Did somebody really climb up here?" - -For answer his uncle stepped into the chimney with him. - -"This is the way," he said. - -He braced his back against one side of the crack by pressing hard with -his hands against the other side. Then he raised both his feet free of -the ground, while he held himself wedged by sheer muscle, and set his -feet against the wall a little way up. Then he pressed so hard with his -legs that they wedged him in, and raised his hands, hunching up his -shoulders a few inches at the same time. Again bracing with his arms and -shoulders, he got his feet up a few more inches. Then his hands and -shoulders again. Progressing in this way, almost crawling, in fact, he -was before long so far up in the chimney that Bennie could walk under -him. Then, almost as slowly as he went up, he came down. - -"You see, it can be done," he said. "I don't say it isn't hard work. But -you wanted exercise." - -"Give me the rope!" said Bennie, shortly. - -"What's the idea of the rope?" asked Lester. - -"So the rest of you can get up," Bennie answered. - -He tied the rope under his arms, while his uncle held the coil, to play -it out. Then he tried his shoes on the wall to see if the nails held, -and found they would hold in the lava, where they slipped on granite or -other hard rock, and began to work his way up. He worked in silence. -Spider and Lester shouted joshing advice at him, advising him to use his -teeth, to sit down a while where he was and take a rest, and anything -else they could think of, but he was wasting no breath on replies. In -fact, he needed all the breath, all the strength and all the attention -he had to keep on going. A dozen times he thought he would have to give -it up. Once he thought his strength was going to fail him and he would -fall. That was when he was about twenty feet from the bottom. But each -time he grit his teeth and either seemed to get a kind of second wind, -or else found just the faintest hint of a foothold, or a handhold, so he -could relieve for a moment the awful tension on his arms and back. - -Toward the top, he was literally moving inch by inch, his strength was -so far gone. He was just able to get his hands over the rim at last, -take a good grip, and hold himself there while his strength came back -enough to enable him to pull himself up over the top, and get his weight -on to his stomach, where he hung for a full minute, with his legs -dangling back into the crack. - -Finally he pulled them up, too, and found himself on a tiny little -space, hardly large enough to sit on, with the rocks and the lake 175 -feet below him. It was like sitting on top of a church spire. Trembling -with muscular exhaustion as he was, he didn't care to sit there long. In -fact, he took one good look down, had a feeling as if his stomach turned -a flipflop, drew up half of the rope and turned it around the top of the -spire, and then grasping both strands of the doubled rope, came sliding -down the chimney. - -His uncle gave him a pat on the shoulder. - -"Good work," was all he said, but Bennie knew then that he had really -done something. - -"Why didn't you wait for us?" Spider demanded. - -"Isn't room on top for more'n one at a time," Bennie replied. "Go on up -and see what it's like. Keep hold of both strands of the rope, though. -How long did it take me?" - -"About an hour and twenty minutes," said Mr. Stone. - -"Is that all?" said Bennie. "I felt as if it was day after tomorrow -before I got there." - -And he sat down wearily. - -Meanwhile Spider was hauling himself up on the doubled rope. He didn't -stay up much longer than Bennie, though. - -"Kind o' ticklish up here," he called back. "Glad the wind doesn't -blow." - -Then he slid down. Nobody else wanted to go up, so the rope was pulled -down, and the party descended to the boats again, to eat luncheon, which -had been long delayed. Afterwards, they fished for an hour, and got -enough trout for a meal. - -"Want to row us home, Bennie?" his uncle asked. - -"Spider hasn't had a chance to row all day," Bennie answered. - -The mile of zigzag trail up from the lake to the rim seemed endless to -Bennie that evening, and when the rest went over to the hotel after -dinner to hear the music and watch the dancing, he felt like refusing. -But he didn't. He went, too, rubbing his eyes to keep them open. - -"I guess you'll sleep tonight, eh?" Uncle Billy said, when they finally -got back to camp. - -"I'm going to sleep so hard I'll puncture the mattress," Bennie -answered. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have To Climb Llao - Rock--and They Learn a Lesson - - -The next morning the doctor and Spider woke up before Bennie did, and -they let him sleep till breakfast was almost ready. When he did get up, -he stretched himself and discovered that his muscles were a bit stiff, -but otherwise he felt, he said, "like a fighting cock." - -"Well, don't feel so good you eat up all the pancakes before I get one!" -Dumplin' laughed, snatching for the plate. - -"I guess what I need to take the kinks out of my back is exercise," -Bennie remarked, with a grin. - -"We'd better get hold of Jack Dempsey, and let Bennie box with him every -day," Mr. Stone put in. - -"Aw, I wouldn't want to hurt him," Bennie answered. "What we going to do -today, Uncle Bill?" - -"We'll have to think it over," his uncle replied. - -But before anything was decided, a bell-boy came from the hotel with the -news that someone had been taken sick there, and asking the doctor to -come right over. It turned out that a man who had arrived the night -before had eaten something on the road that poisoned him, and he was so -sick that the doctor didn't dare go far from camp that day. Mr. Stone -wanted to stay near camp also, to make motion pictures of parties -climbing up and down the rim, and he needed Lester to help him. So -Bennie and Spider asked if they might go down to the water, get a boat, -and row across the lake, taking their lunch with them. - -"I don't know," the doctor said, frowning. "You can both swim, and you -know how to row, but that lake can get pretty rough, and if you're -forced to land, there's no way of getting back till somebody can come -after you." - -"Oh, but look at the old lake! It's calm as a mirror," Bennie pleaded, -"and there's not a cloud in the sky." - -"We want to see what Llao Rock looks like when you're right under it," -Spider added. "We'll be awful careful." - -"Will you promise to keep fairly near shore, and if the water gets rough -to beat it for home?" the doctor asked. - -"Sure we will." - -"Well, I oughtn't to let you go. I'm responsible to your parents for you -chaps. But, after all, you're big enough to take care of yourselves. All -right, but be back at the landing before the sun gets off the middle of -the lake. Promise me that?" - -The boys promised, and set off down the trail in high spirits, some -sandwiches, hastily made, and some sweet chocolate in their pockets for -lunch. There were a dozen or more other parties starting down the trail, -too, or getting ready to start, so the scouts made the descent in record -time, in order to be sure of getting a boat. - -Once out on the water, they decided it would be too much of a pull to -try to circle the entire lake, under the cliffs--a matter of about -twenty miles or more. But they could pull straight for the grotto on the -east side of the lake, beyond the Phantom Ship, a matter of five miles, -then cut across to Llao Rock, about four and a half miles, and then four -miles home. - -"Sure we can row that," said Bennie. "That's only thirteen and a half -miles. Call it thirteen, 'cause we won't land, probably, at Llao." - -"Sure," answered Spider. "Easy." - -Well, it was easy to the grotto, which they finally found by rowing -along the edge of the cliffs. The grotto is simply a shallow cave, only -a few feet up from the water, but once you are in it you look out on the -blue lake, through the opening, as if you were looking through a big -window. The boys ate their lunch in here, and then started directly -across for Llao Rock. - -But the very first thing that they noticed was that the wind had come -up, blowing directly against them, and with the wind a chop of water, -which went slap, slap, slap under their bow. They pulled hard, and made -slow progress. - -About half-way across, Bennie, who was rowing, said, "You pull a while, -Spider. I'm through for a bit." - -Spider took the oars and tugged. The wind and waves were certainly -rising. They were slapping the how hard now, and swinging around so that -the rower was half the time tugging at one oar or the other to keep his -course. - -"You know what your uncle said," Spider panted. "Strikes me we're a long -way from shore, and this old lake is kicking up a sea. I think we better -turn with the wind, and beat it back to the other shore, and then make -for home." - -"We got to make for home, all right," Bennie answered, his face getting -white as he looked first at the waves and then up at what were -unmistakably gathering clouds over the rim. "But if we go back to that -east shore we get the full force of the sea, 'cause the wind is west. If -we get in under the west side, we'll be out of the wind, in shelter. -Then we can run for home that way." - -"There's something in that," Spider assented. "If we can get there." - -"We _got_ to get there," Bennie cried. "Look at that old black cloud up -there." - -Spider took one look, and began to pull for all he was worth. - -It was dangerous business changing places in that sea, but finally he -had to give up to Bennie again. - -"Look out for those oars!" Bennie shouted. "We'd be goners if we lost -one of them. We got to make shore, and wait till this is over. Oh gee!" - -This last exclamation was caused by a wave that hit the boat almost -broadside, drenching both boys to the knees and putting an inch of water -on the bottom. - -Bennie got hold of the oars, headed the boat into the sea again, and -Spider began to bail with his cap. Wave after wave now hit their bow, -and came spraying over, soaking them. There were whitecaps all around. -The sun had disappeared behind the dark cloud, and the wind seemed -rising steadily. Bennie pulled with every ounce of strength he had, and -Spider bailed madly. Slowly, very slowly, almost as if they were -standing still, Llao Rock drew near. They had to make the dangerous -change once more, when Bennie's strength gave out, and once more the -boat swung broadside, and shipped a dangerous quantity of water. - -"If she'll only stay afloat till we make the shore!" Bennie cried. "Gee, -it don't seem to be a bit calmer over here." - -"If it is, I'm glad we ain't out there," Spider panted as he tugged at -the oars. - -In spite of all he could do, with only his cap to bail with, the boat -was perilously full of water before the great lava precipices of Llao -Rock finally towered right above them, and they saw and heard the waves -on the stony shore. - -"How are we going to land without smashing the boat?" Spider puffed. - -"Hang the boat! How are we going to land without smashing our heads?" -Bennie answered. "Hold her right inshore, and when I see a place pull -for all you've got left!" - -"Pull!" he yelled a moment later. - -Spider drove the boat in. A wave caught it and threw it forward, but the -bow drove between two lava fragments which rested half in water, half on -shore, and while Bennie grabbed one oar and pushed at the stern, Spider -jumped from the bow with the painter in his hand. He landed on a stone -at the water's edge, slipped back above his waist, scrambled out -dripping wet, hauled on the painter, and got the bow in close. Bennie -got out, and between them they hauled the boat up where the waves -couldn't knock it free, and tipped her over to let the water run out. - -Then they both sat down and panted. - -"Well, I'd rather be here than out there," Bennie finally said. - -"I don't mind saying I didn't know whether we'd ever get here," Spider -answered. "I guess that was a close call, all right. Gee, but my arms -ache!" - -"Mine don't--they haven't any feeling left in 'em," said Bennie. "Well, -what are we going to do now? We can't stay here all night and freeze to -death." - -"I sure am wet and cold," Spider answered. "And you can't make a fire -out of lava and pumice. Funny thing, not a drop of rain has fallen. -Look, there's the sun again over on the top of Scott." - -"No more sun here, though," Bennie said, looking up the 800 foot sharp -slope of pumice above them, that ended at the 1,200 foot absolutely -precipitous and terrifying leap of Llao Rock. "We're under the shadow of -that old rock." - -"Well, we'll just have to hop round and keep as warm as we can, till the -old lake quiets down and we can row home." - -"She don't show any signs of quieting down," said Bennie. "Hear the old -wind. 'Sides, it'll take a long while for those waves to quit. And I -don't want to go out on that water again! Gee, I couldn't row a hundred -feet." - -"We could if we had to," said Spider, bravely. "Anyhow, probably your -uncle will send the launch out after us." - -"They don't know where we are, and we can't make a fire to signal." - -"They'll have field-glasses," Spider suggested. "We can wave our -handkerchiefs." - -"'Sides," Bennie went on, "maybe the launch is out, too, and it'll be -dark before they can get here, and maybe they won't come across in this -sea. I'll be frozen stiff by that time. I move we climb up to the rim -road and walk home. It's only eight miles from Llao Rock to camp, -according to the map." - -"Climb up!" exclaimed Spider, looking aloft at the terrific precipice. -"This has gone to your head, Bennie." - -"You poor fish, we wouldn't climb the rock itself," Bennie answered. -"Don't you remember, Uncle Billy said somebody worked up to the base, -and then along on top of the pumice slope to the rim? If somebody else -did it, we can do it. If we see the launch coming after we get up a ways -we can come down. Anyhow, it's better'n freezing to death here. It'll -keep us warm." - -"Looks to me like an awful job," Spider objected. - -"Well, you can stay here then, _I'm_ going," Bennie declared. His voice -was shrill, and Spider realized that he wasn't quite himself. Besides, -he was shivering with cold. Spider was shivering, too, here in the -gloomy shadow of Llao Rock, with the wind beating upon them. - -"All right," he decided, "if you go, I go. Come on. We got to hit the -rim road before dark. But take it easy, Bennie, for Pete's sake. We got -to save our strength, and this old stuff's awful treacherous, too. Test -your footing." - -"I'll test my footing, all right," Bennie answered, starting up the -long, steep incline of powdered pumice and loose conglomerate, out of -which here and there thrust up jagged lumps and spikes and little cliffs -of harder lava. - -It was hard work, all the harder because they were so wet and tired. And -they soon found it was dangerous work. Drive your foot down into the -soft stuff too hard to get a brace, and you start a little landslide -right under your own feet. That releases a lot of stuff above you, which -starts down, too, and it is only too easy to get carried down with the -rush. The boys found this out, fortunately, before they had climbed very -far, so that they didn't slide far enough to hurt them. After that, they -climbed side by side, ten feet apart, instead of one behind the other, -and zigzagged across the slopes, instead of going directly up. - -It seemed ages before they reached the top of the loose stuff, at the -very base of the mighty precipice. From here they could see the whole -lake, and scanned the water for any sign of the launch, but no launch -was to be seen. So they kept on. - -Their troubles, which they thought would be over when they reached the -base of the cliff, were not over. They still had a long, soft slope to -climb at the foot of the lava, which was impeded by huge broken -fragments fallen from the cliff above. Often they couldn't go around -these, because if they did they got too near the edge of the slope, and -were in danger of starting down on a landslide. They had to work over -them. However, they toiled on, getting warm, at least, with the -exertion, until they reached the long and almost level stretch that led -rapidly to the rim. - -Here, for the first time in ten minutes, Bennie spoke. "We're going to -make it!" he cried. - -"And we're going to make it before dark!" Spider answered. - -They hurried on now, with renewed courage, and gained the rim at last, -coming up out of the cold shadows into the sharp mountain gale and the -last low rays of sunset. - -Both boys flopped for a minute on the dry pumice back from the rim, and -lay there getting back some of their strength. - -Spider was the first up. "Come," he said, "we got to find the rim road -before it's dark." - -"Eight miles!" Bennie sighed. "Oh, you automobile!" - -"Come on--no use crying for automobiles. We got to find that road and -hoof it. We can't stay out all night in these wet clothes, without any -blankets." - -Bennie got up wearily. "All right. The old road'll be pretty close. All -we got to do is walk down the back slope, away from the rim." - -"But it's all snow," said Spider. "How'll we know the road when we see -it?" - -"If we can't tell a road when we come to it, snow or no snow, we're bum -scouts and deserve to stay here and freeze to death," Bennie retorted. - -As a matter of fact, in spite of the snow, they did find the road, by -catching at a distance a cut through trees, and then by picking up a -long open space bare of snow, which the road crossed, showing plainly. -Once on it, the chance of missing it again was not great unless the -night got very dark. With bright starlight, even without a moon, the -tired scouts, as they plodded along, now for brief welcome stretches on -the bare ground, but mostly on the soft drifts where every step was an -effort, reckoned they could keep the trail. - -"Besides," Bennie said, "if we lost it, we could always sort of follow -the rim." - -"Yes, and have to climb up over the top of the Watchman and Glacier -Peak. No, thanks. I've climbed enough today. It'll be in woods a lot of -the way, and we can always feel the opening. You know how we can follow -a wood road at home in the dark." - -"Oh, you home!" sighed Bennie. "Think of bacon, and coffee, and baked -potatoes! Oh, boy, I'm going to cry in a minute, I'm so empty." - -"Take up a hole in your belt, like the Indians," Spider suggested. - -It was getting dark now rapidly, and they were plodding wearily across a -long opening on the heavy snow, which was like walking on a pile of rock -salt, and wondering where the road was on the other side, when suddenly -Spider stopped. - -"Look!" he cried. - -"What is it? I don't see anything." - -"Look, in the trees. I saw a light!" - -"How do you get that way?" Bennie demanded. "Light! We're about six -miles from nowhere here. Haven't any campers been around the rim road. -Can't get around. Buck up, Spider. Don't cave now!" - -"Oh, quit," said Spider crossly. "There! There it is again!" - -This time Bennie saw it. There _was_ a light in the woods ahead of them. -Moreover, it wasn't a camp fire. It was moving. - -"Somebody with a lantern!" Bennie exclaimed. He stuck two fingers into -his mouth and blew a long, shrill blast. - -The answer was a "Hoo-oo!" in Uncle Billy's voice! - -"How'd they know we were here?" said Bennie, as they both shouted back, -and stumbled on more rapidly toward the light. - -A moment later they were beside Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone, and out of -his pack Uncle Billy was taking a thermos bottle of hot tea, and the -boys were drinking it. Around his shoulder, they saw, the doctor had his -alpine rope. - -"I guess that doesn't go to the spot!" Bennie exclaimed. - -"Never knew tea was so good," said Spider. - -And now followed rapid questions and answers, as the tramp to camp was -resumed. No trouble about finding the road now! They had a lantern, and -the back tracks of Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone. - -"How'd you know where we were?" the boys demanded. - -"Watched you with a glass," said the doctor. "I saw the lake getting -rough, after you started across, and I saw that cloud coming. Stone went -down the trail to send the launch for you, but the launch was out with a -party. Finally it got in under the lee of Wizard Island, and everybody -tried to signal it to come across, but it didn't come, and finally -somebody rowed over from it and reported the engine had gone dead and -they couldn't start it. They're bringing the passengers back now, when -the lake's got quieter. - -"By that time, we'd seen you land at Llao Rock, so we planned to row -over and get you just as soon as we could, if they didn't get the launch -started up. But then you began to climb." - -The doctor paused. - -"Well," he finally went on, "I had a bad five minutes then, I can tell -you. But there was nothing to do about it, so we watched to make sure -you were really going to try to make the rim, and then we beat it over -here. You made better time up than I thought you could. We expected to -get to the rock before you got up. I brought the rope to--to help you." - -"Why did you keep on into the wind?" Mr. Stone asked. "Why didn't you -turn back and run with it to the east shore where you came from?" - -The boys explained how they thought they were going to get out of the -wind under the protection of Llao Rock. - -"There's no protection on that lake in a storm," the doctor said. -"Fortunately, there aren't many storms. I told you to keep near shore, -though, and you crossed right over. Well, never mind that now. Guess -you've had your lesson." - -"Guess we have," said Bennie, as he stumbled wearily along, hardly able -to drag one foot after the other. "But we thought we were pretty near -the north shore when we crossed. Only to get there, we'd have to go -broadside, and besides, it was taking us away from camp." - -"Still," said his uncle, quietly, "you didn't quite live up to your -promise, did you?" - -"No, sir," Bennie admitted. "It won't happen again, Uncle Billy." - -The six miles back to camp turned out to be seven. It seemed to the boys -that they would never get there. But at last they did. Dumplin' had a -roaring fire going, both in the stove and the camp fire ring of stones. -Coffee was ready to boil, and bacon to fry. He had eggs, too, bought -from the hotel. - -The scouts fell into their tent and ripped off their clothes, getting a -rub-down before putting on dry ones. By the time they were ready, their -dinner was cooked, and they came out to the table, dragging their feet -wearily, and slumped down on the camp chairs. - -"Good old Dumplin'!" said Bennie, as he waded into the food, "I never -loved you so much as I do at this minute." - -"P'r'aps you'd like to kiss him," Spider suggested, also cheering up as -he felt the warmth of the food. - -"No, I'm not strong enough yet to do that," Bennie laughed. - -"You never will be!" Dumplin' retorted, filling his plate again. - -After their supper the boys hung their wet clothes by the camp fire, and -huddled by it themselves for a while, but Uncle Billy soon ordered them -to bed, and they didn't need to be told twice. - -The doctor came into the tent after they had crawled into the grateful, -warm blankets on the comfortable air cushions of their sleeping bags. - -"All right?" he asked. - -"Uncle Bill," said Bennie, "it was my fault we crossed the lake. Spider -didn't have a thing to do with planning the trip." - -"No, we were both to blame," put in Spider. "We knew we couldn't row all -around the lake, and we wanted to see the grotto and Llao Rock both, so -we cut across. I--I guess we didn't really think." - -"We won't say anything more about it," the doctor answered. "It's come -out all right. But maybe next time you'll believe that I know more about -this country than you do, and when I ask for a promise, it isn't just an -old maid's fancy." - -"Yes, sir," they both answered. - -When he had gone out, Spider whispered across the tent, "He's a peach, -your uncle. Gee, he didn't bawl us out a bit." - -"Made me more ashamed than if he had," Bennie replied. - -"Me, too." - -"I guess we gave him a bad time of it, worrying about us. I guess we -deserved to get ours." - -"Well, we got it, all right." - -"Kid, you've enunciated a history full!" Bennie answered. "We're bum -scouts. Never again." - -"Never again," echoed Spider. - -They were sound asleep when Uncle Billy returned from a last call on his -patient at the hotel and went to bed. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV -Bennie Takes a Day Off to Do a Good Turn--He Washes All the Dirty Clothes - - -The next day neither of the scouts felt much like strenuous exertion. -Their arms ached from pulling the boat, and they both had blisters on -their hands, and the excitement had left them rather tired. - -Mr. Stone looked at them while they were eating breakfast. - -"Well, Bennie," he said, "what are you and Spider going to do today? I -can't seem to think of anything left around here that will give you as -much exercise as you want. Of course, you haven't yet run all the way -down the trail and run all the way back again. You might try that. Or -you might row to Llao Rock and tow your other boat home, before the -launch has to go for it." - -"Naw, that's too easy," Bennie grinned. "I kind of thought we might hike -around the rim road. How far is it--forty miles? We'd be back in time -for dinner." - -"A good idea!" Uncle Billy exclaimed. - -"What's a good idea?" asked Bennie, beginning to be sorry he'd made the -joke. - -"A hike," said the doctor. - -Spider and Bennie groaned. - -"Not today!" the doctor laughed. "Tomorrow, maybe. We haven't had a real -hike yet, and I heard you talking the other day, didn't I, Bennie, about -wanting to work for a merit badge in hiking?" - -"Where'll we hike to--how far?" put in Dumplin'. "Look at those two -lovely automobiles, just doing nothing. Don't seem right to me to let -'em loaf so." - -"Well, you can stay back in camp, and have the wood all cut and the -dinner cooked for us when we get back," said his father. - -"Yes, I will!" Dumplin' retorted. "I may be fat----" - -"It's just possible," put in Bennie. - -"I may be fat, but I can keep goin' as long as any of you, I guess!" - -"You may not be so fat when we get back," Uncle Billy went on. "I think -it would be a great idea to give Bennie some regular exercise, about -tomorrow, also the day after, and the day after that. We'll hike over to -the base of Mount Scott, because that's the highest point around here, -packing our blankets and grub. Then the second day we'll climb Scott, -and the third day we'll hike back again." - -"Ho, that's no hike at all, if you take three days for it!" Bennie said. -"I been looking on the map. It's less 'n ten miles from here to the top -of the mountain, and the top is only 8,938 feet high, so it's only a -2,000-foot climb." - -"How much better you know this country than I do," said his uncle, -quietly, "and how skilfully you can read the contour intervals on a map. -Well, you may go over and back the same day, if you want to. The rest of -us will take three, however." - -Bennie turned red. "I--I guess I'm a dumb-bell," he stammered. - -"It's just possible," Dumplin' put in, while the rest shouted with mirth -at the hit. - -Spider, meanwhile, had gone to his pack and got out the government -topographical survey map of Crater Lake Park. - -"Do we go along the rim?" he asked. - -"More or less. We'll have to climb part way up Garfield, and then find a -way down on the other side, and work along back of Dutton Cliff to Kerr -Valley." - -Spider was studying the contour interval lines of the map closely now. - -"Let's see, we go up at least 500 feet for a start, and then we go along -a mile or two, and then we--holy mackerel!--then we drop right down -'most a thousand! And then----" - -"Yes?" said Bennie. - -"And then we go up again 'most a thousand, and then we walk a mile, and -then--jumping bullfrogs and little fish hooks!--then we just fall down, -let's see, about a thousand feet into Kerr Valley. That's less than -6,500 feet above the sea. Scott is almost 9,000. We've still got a climb -of 2,500 feet ahead of us." - -"Aw, go on, you're making that up," Bennie insisted. "You can't tell all -that from the map. Let me look." - -"Maybe _you_ can't tell," Spider retorted. "I always told you you didn't -half read a map. Go on--look for yourself." - -And he passed the map over. - -Bennie studied it carefully. "I guess maybe you're right," he finally -confessed. "Well, exercise is just what I need! How's the path, Uncle -Bill?" - -"Path!" the doctor laughed. "You'll cross the rim road at the bottom of -Kerr Valley, where it comes down from the rim to get around the cliffs -back to the hotel here. But that's the only path you'll see. This is -going to be a hike, not a Sunday School picnic or a young ladies' -seminary out for a walk." - -"Suits me fine." - -"Good!" said his uncle. "I advise you to rest up for it today, though." - -"I know what I'm going to do today, all right. Anybody got any dirty -clothes?" - -"I haven't got much else," said Dumplin'. - -"Fine. Bring 'em out, all of you. Mrs. Murphy's on the job this morning. -I'm going to wash things up." - -"Want me to help?" Dumplin' asked. - -"No, you go off with Spider and collect pretty little flowers. Don't let -'em bite you, though. They're wild flowers, remember." - -Everybody groaned at this pun. - -"Mrs. Noah threw a belaying pin at her husband for making that one on -the ark," said Uncle Billy. - -"What's the difference," Bennie began, "between Noah's ark and Joan of -Arc?" - -But everybody dove, with another groan, into the tents, to get their -dirty clothes. - -When everybody but Bennie had gone from camp, he heated a big pail of -water, got out a cake of soap, and washed all the dirty clothes, hanging -them on a tent rope in the sun to dry. Then he picked up camp as neat as -he could, aired all the bedding and remade the sleeping bags, and -finally went off and hunted up dead branches for fuel, dragging them -back to camp. After lunch, while the rest were loafing, he took the -fishing rod and sneaked away unseen, went rapidly down the trail, and -working around on the rocks by the shore, managed to hook three trout. -He was just coming up over the rim with them when Spider and Lester, -wondering at his long absence, had started out to look for him. - -"I sure hate a man who pins roses on himself," Bennie remarked, as he -was cleaning the fish for dinner, "but I just can't help admitting that -I've been mamma's little white-haired boy today. I've washed all your -dirty shirts and socks, and I've got wood, and I've cleaned up camp, and -now I've dragged my poor old aching bones down a thousand feet and back -again to catch you three sweet little fishie-wishies for supper. Won't -somebody please say 'Thank you, Bennie, you are a good boy'?" - -"Bennie doesn't like himself a bit, does he?" remarked Dumplin', -addressing a camp robber in a tree overhead. - -"Can't you prescribe something for his poor old aching bones, Doc?" -asked Mr. Stone. - -"Try rubbing 'em with a little fish oil, Bennie," Spider put in. - -"I think I shall prescribe exercise," Uncle Billy laughed. - -"Well, of all the ungrateful bunches, you sure get the loving cup!" -Bennie exclaimed. "I hope you all choke on a fish bone." - -"The Bible says virtue is its own reward, Bennie," remarked Mr. Stone. - -"Pretty skinny pickings for some of you guys, then," Bennie grinned. - -But after supper Uncle Billy strolled out with Bennie to the point of -Victory Rock, to see the lake like a great blue mirror in the twilight, -and he said, quietly: - -"We were all much obliged to you for what you did today. Never mind the -joshing." - -Bennie laughed. "Ho! I didn't mind. Can't get my goat so easy as that! -Besides, the old Bible is right, I guess. You don't do a good turn -because you're going to be thanked for it. You do it 'cause it makes you -feel better inside." - -"That's the idea, exactly," Uncle Billy answered. "Bennie, you're a good -scout. Your heart is just where it ought to be every time. The only -trouble with you is that you haven't quite got your head working yet. If -you are going to amount to anything as a mountaineer or -explorer--anywhere in the wilderness--you've got to learn to use your -head, and never bite off more than you can chew. Will you try to -remember that?" - -"I sure will, Uncle Bill," Bennie answered. "I'm awful fresh, I guess, -and I talk a lot, but I'm learning right now, every day. You just sit on -me hard when I need it." - -"You needn't worry about my doing _that_," the doctor grinned. - -"No, you're some sitter," said Bennie. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - The Long Hike--The Scouts Find Packing Grub and Blanket Rolls Up and - Down Cliffs is Hard Work - - -Bright and early the next morning preparations for the hike began. This -was to be no ordinary jaunt. They were going out for three days and two -nights into a wilderness, where they would have to make long, severe -climbs up and down treacherous lava ledges; where they would have to -sleep out in the open, tentless, in a climate where water freezes at -night; where they couldn't get a mouthful of food except what they could -carry with them. - -"You see, boys," said the doctor, "it's going to be quite a problem how -to take along enough stuff to keep us warm, and keep us fed, and yet be -able to travel with it on our backs." - -Each member of the party put in his shoulder pack his own food ration, -consisting of tea (because it is lighter than coffee), some bacon, -powdered egg, a little dehydrated vegetables, a small bag of flour, a -small bag of sugar, a package of bouillon cubes, a can of preserved -fruit, a small can of condensed milk, two pounds of raisins, two boiled -potatoes, and several cakes of sweet chocolate. In addition, each person -put in two extra pairs of wool socks, and a set of underclothes. Then, -out of their sleeping bags, they each took a double blanket, and made a -blanket roll, fastening the ends with straps from the motors. Bennie and -Spider each had a boy scout individual cook-kit, in a khaki case with a -shoulder strap. These two kits, with a tin cup and plate and spoon for -the others, and one, larger frying-pan and kettle carried by Uncle -Billy, was all the cooking outfit they carried. However, the doctor made -everybody carry a canteen, and Bennie, Spider and Mr. Stone each carried -a camera. Everybody had a sweater, also, and two belt axes were taken. -The doctor had his rope. - -When the shoulder packs were on, and the blanket rolls, and the -canteens, and the cameras and camp kits, everybody was glad enough of -the alpenstocks which the doctor handed around. - -"Say, I need this stock to help me stand up," said Dumplin'. "I feel -like a walking department store." - -"I'll bet we aren't toting any more than a soldier has to carry on a -march, at that," said Spider. "Are we, doctor?" - -"No, I don't believe we're packing so much," Uncle Billy answered. "A -gun's heavier than a stock, too. But it's enough. Going to be hot -today." - -As the little procession filed past the hotel (which by now was full of -tourists), a crowd came out to watch them go past. - -"Going on a hike, boys?" somebody called out. - -"No," Bennie answered, "we're going over to Wizard Island to play -tennis." - -"Wonder what makes people ask foolish questions?" Dumplin' mused. - -"It's the----" Bennie began. Then he caught himself. "Ha! thought you -had me, didn't you?--it's the altitude!" - -"You chaps won't talk so much at three o'clock," remarked Mr. Stone. - -For the first half mile, they had a trail, the trail they had already -taken up Garfield Peak. But half-way up, they left the trail, and struck -right out, without any path at all, around the tumbled crags of broken -lava, and over the snow-fields and patches of soft pumice soil that -crown this part of the rim on the southeastern side of the lake. The -going was very slow and difficult, up hill and down, in and out among -the rises and dips, with the sun beating down upon them till their packs -and hot blankets seemed almost unbearable. At first, they could see the -blue lake almost 2,000 feet below them, while they worked along the -crest of Eagle Crags, but after a while they had to drop down behind the -rim to avoid a climb up Dyar Rock, and lost all sight of it. - -After about two miles, they came out on the crest of a slope that led -down to Sun Creek, and saw the Sun meadows below them. They would have -rejoiced at this sight if they hadn't also seen the wall of the deep -ravine rising up on the other side, steeper and higher than under their -feet. - -"Oh, for the wings of a dove!" sighed Dumplin'. - -"Lot o' good a dove's wings would do _you_," said Bennie. "Take a -dirigible to lift you." - -"A bridge across would do me," said Spider. - -"Meanwhile, we'll get a little exercise crossing on our own feet," Uncle -Billy smiled. "Come on, now, and watch your step. Sound your footing -with your alpenstocks, and keep out of line, so if anybody starts a -slide, it won't spill all the rest." - -They made the descent slowly and painfully over the first steep pitches, -and then more rapidly till they sank at last on the ground by the water -of Sun Creek, which came down from a snow-bank up on the rim at the head -of the ravine, threw off packs and blankets, and plunged their mouths -in. - -"Do we lunch here? I'm hungry----" from Dumplin'. - -"We do," the doctor answered. "And it's a brief lunch, too. Everybody -take one handful of raisins, and half a cake of chocolate." - -"Oh, gee, is _that_ all?" cried Dumplin'. - -"That's all. John Muir used to climb for two or three days in the high -Sierras on a pocketful of raisins, and didn't even carry a blanket. Come -on, get busy." - -Everybody obeyed, and the doctor saw to it that they didn't take too -many of their raisin supply, either. - -"I consider this a Lucullan feast," remarked Mr. Stone. - -"Whatever that is," said Bennie. "If you mean some banquet, I'm right -along with you. Always did like these seven-course dinners." - -"Anyhow, it won't take long to wash the dishes," Spider reflected. - -As soon as the raisins and chocolate were eaten, and the canteens -refilled, they picked up their packs and blankets again and put them on. - -"Gosh! mine weighs more'n it did," said Bennie. "Somebody's put -something into it." - -"Mine, too." - -"Mine, too." - -"Mine, too." - -"Wait till they get really heavy before you kick," said Uncle Billy. -"Forward, march!" - -The thousand-foot wall of the Sun Creek ravine which faced them was just -about the height from the lake to the rim at the hotel, but it was not -so steep, except for a little distance at the start. On the other hand, -there was no trail at all, no sign that any other human being had ever -been up it, and when the going was not amid treacherous lava fragments -which broke if you put your weight on them, it was over soft pumice into -which your feet sank deep, and then began to slide backwards. Finally -Bennie took his uncle's rope and scrambled up ahead with it, till he -could find anchorage, so the rest could have its help. When he was -fagged, somebody else took a turn. It took them more than an hour to -make the half mile up the wall, and at the top they pitched off their -packs and blankets, their shoulders and backs dripping wet with -perspiration, and everybody set his mouth to his canteen and drank. - -After a rest, they crossed Dutton ridge, a mile of broken going, and -then began to descend into the next ravine, called Kerr Valley, which is -the deepest ravine on the slopes of old Mount Mazama, and lies right at -the foot of Scott Peak. The descent was not dangerously steep till the -last three hundred feet, and there they used the rope again to help -them. - -As they came out at last into the mile wide ravine of Kerr Valley, out -of which the snow had pretty well melted except under the trees, and in -which the wild flowers were springing up, they saw where the rim road -came down from the rim and descended the valley to get around the mass -of ledges and ravines they had been crossing. It was now three o'clock, -and, as Mr. Stone had predicted, nobody was saying much. - -They could see the round, dome-like pile of Scott's Peak, directly -across the valley, and Bennie did ask how far it was from there to the -top. - -"Thinking of keeping on up today?" his uncle asked. - -"Aw, don't rub it in," said Bennie. "I couldn't climb an ant-hill now." - -"Well, a mile more will take us across the valley to water," his uncle -laughed. "Guess we can all stick that out." - -On the other side of the valley, across the still deserted and useless -rim road, they found a stream, called Sand Creek, which came down, the -doctor said, from a spring on the cliffs of Scott, just above them. - -Here they dumped their packs again, stripped off their clothes, and the -three boys were only restrained by main force from falling in. - -"You're too hot to go in that ice water," the doctor said, grabbing -Bennie. "Wash your feet all you want to, and splash yourselves." - -After the wash, they put on their dry underclothes, and spread the other -set in the sun (which was fast dropping down the west), and then set -about making camp. - -"I say we find a straight-faced rock to build the fire against," Bennie -suggested, "so it will throw the heat all one way, and we can sleep -around it in a half circle, out of the wind." - -"I move we find a place where the ground is dry and a snow-drift hasn't -just melted off it," added Spider. - -"And where it's nice and soft," added Dumplin'. - -"And where it's near wood," added Mr. Stone. - -"Maybe you'd like a room with a bath, and have your breakfast brought up -to you," Uncle Billy laughed. "Well, go to it. Find your rock, Bennie. -Whoever's got the axes, cut wood, and lots of it." - -A smooth place was finally found in the lee of a block of lava, some -little way from the stream, but near a patch of firs and hemlocks, where -there was plenty of dead wood. Dumplin' started stoning up a big -fireplace, while the two scouts chopped wood and Mr. Stone brought water -in the big kettle and two little kettles of the camp kits and in the -canteens, and the doctor mixed a pancake batter, and made the bacon and -egg powder ready to cook, and peeled one of the two potatoes in each -pack. - -As the sun dropped down behind the high ridge to the west, a chill -almost immediately came into the air. In less than an hour everybody, -who had been so hot all day, was thinking about putting on his sweater. -But the fire burned brightly, the potatoes smelled delicious in the -frying-pan, and as soon as they were done, the smell of bacon and eggs -rose from the same pan. Water for bouillon tablets and tea boiled in the -kettles. The food disappeared down hungry mouths, and every plate was -scraped clean, ready for the pancakes to follow. They had no syrup to -eat on the cakes, but nobody seemed to mind that. After the cakes, they -drew lots to see whose can of fruit should be opened, because the lucky -one would have so much less to carry in his pack. Dumplin' won, to his -delight. His can was peaches, and how good they tasted--after the can -was finally pried open, with the aid of a scout ax, a stone and a broken -jack-knife blade! - -Then the dishes were washed, more wood heaped on the fire, sweaters -donned, and in the gathering darkness, and the utter silence of the -wilderness, the five hikers sat in a close ring before the fire, and -relaxed their weary muscles. - -"Well, I'm glad I lugged that grub," said Bennie. "'Bout three o'clock, -though, I would have dumped the whole pack over the rim for two cents." - -"Me, too," said Dumplin'. "Gosh, this hiking is hard work! Don't see -much adventure in it. Here we've come about eight or nine miles, and -took us all day, and nothin' happened." - -"What did you expect to happen?" his father asked. "Expect to meet an -elephant, or have the mountain erupt?" - -"Gee, _I_ think it's a wonderful adventure!" Spider exclaimed. "It's -been a kind of _battle_. I--I can't say what I mean, but it was just the -same when Bennie and I were getting up Llao Rock. We were sort of -_fighting_ up. Only instead of fighting another man, who tries to hit -you back, you are fighting just--just--well, just the wilderness." - -"And it's against you all the time," said Mr. Stone. - -Bennie had grown very thoughtful. "No, it's _not_ against you all the -time," he said. "Excuse me for contradicting, Mr. Stone. I don't mean to -be fresh. But the way I feel is that it's against you if you don't know -how to meet it, but if you do know, it is always kind of putting out -things to help you." - -"Such as----?" asked his uncle. - -"Well, such as dead wood for a fire, and a chimney to crawl up in, if -you know how, when you strike a precipice, and maybe food to eat. I bet -we could find food in the roots of some of these wild flowers, if we had -to." - -"Give me bacon," said Dumplin'. - -"Gee, Dump, you go to church behind your belt buckle," said Bennie -scornfully. "But I'm with Spider, though, that a hike like this is a -regular adventure, 'cause it's a sort of fight all the way, and it's all -up to you whether you get through or not. Gee, I wish I was an -explorer!" - -Uncle Billy smiled. "We may get a little exploring yet, before we get -back to Portland. You never can tell. Well, who's going to sleep -tonight?" - -"I guess we all are." - -"Till the cold wakes us up," said Mr. Stone. - -"And a rock grows up through our shoulder blades," said Spider. - -"Whenever that happens, put some more wood on the fire," said Uncle -Billy. - -Then everybody rolled up in his blanket, feet to the fire, with his pack -for a pillow, and in spite of the bare ground, in place of a nice air -mattress, was soon asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI -The Climb Up Scott Peak--Bennie Begins Work for a Merit Badge for Hiking - - -But the night wasn't very old before everybody had discovered that there -is a big difference between sleeping on an air mattress, inside four or -five blankets in a sleeping bag, under a tent, and sleeping on the bare -ground, in one blanket. Bennie and Spider had slept on the bare ground, -to be sure, many a time on their scout hikes at home, but that was -always in summer, when it was warm. To be sure, it was summer now, but -they were more than 6,000 feet up, on the crest of the Cascades, with -snow all around them. - -It seemed to Bennie as if he had been asleep only fifteen minutes, when -he was waked up by cold. He didn't fully wake up at first, but only just -enough to feel the wind getting down around his neck, and to feel his -whole body stiff and uncomfortable. He yanked the blanket tighter around -him, and tried to go to sleep again. But, instead, he woke up still -more. - -At last he was awake enough to prop himself up on one elbow, and look at -the fire. It had burned down to a few glowing embers in the stone pit -against the lava block. Overhead the stars were extremely bright, but -the night itself seemed dark. There wasn't a sound in the world. Yes! -Hark! Bennie's ears grew alert in the darkness. Far off he heard a roar, -starting low, then growing louder, then dying away. At first he couldn't -understand it; then he realized it was a landslide somewhere on a steep -slope, perhaps over on the rim of the lake a mile and a half away. He -listened again, but there was no further sound--only a whisper of wind -in the fir trees close by, and the gentle run of the water in the creek. -Suddenly Bennie realized that he was in the very heart of the -wilderness, that except for his four companions asleep beside him, there -wasn't a human being within a day's hike. He also realized that if he -didn't put some wood on the fire pretty quick, it would be out entirely. - -So he crawled out of his blanket as gently as he could, and tried to -make no noise as he put on more fuel. He blew on the coals till the new -wood caught, and then turned his cold back to the flames. As he did so, -he saw Spider's eyes open in the sudden light. Spider blinked a second, -and then sat up. - -"Hello," he whispered. "You cold?" - -"Gosh, I was most frozen," Bennie whispered back. - -"Me, too. Been sleeping on a rock, right in the middle of my hip. Ow, -it's sore!" - -Spider now got up also, and came close to the fire. - -When they were warmed up again, they lay down once more, and managed to -doze off. But long before morning, Bennie woke to see first Mr. Stone -and then his uncle putting more wood on the fire. It wasn't yet -dawn--just the first hint of lightness in the sky--when Bennie finally -woke up so cold and so stiff and uncomfortable from the hard ground, -that further sleep seemed impossible. He was just rousing himself to put -on more wood when he heard Spider stir, and then sit up. - -"I'm going to stay up," he whispered. "Let's take a trot around to get -warm." - -Spider rose, and after building up the fire and huddling over it a few -minutes, they walked away from camp. - -"Let's go up the valley to the rim," Spider said. "We can go on the rim -road, and have easy walking. Gee, I'd like to run all the way, and get -up some circulation." - -They set out rapidly, and reached the rim in fifteen minutes. It was -lighter now, and they could see plainly. The lake at this point was only -500 feet below them, for they had come out on the lowest point on the -entire rim. But, even so, they seemed to be looking down into the -clouds. They looked up into clouds, too, whole masses of clouds around -the peak of Scott, of Dutton Cliff, of Garfield. Then the daylight -increased rapidly, the clouds began mysteriously to disappear, holes -came in them showing the blue water--and suddenly Spider grabbed -Bennie's arm and pointed half-way down the side. - -Bennie looked, and saw a small deer--a mule deer, as it is -called--coming rapidly up the steep incline, directly toward them! He -could not get their scent from so far below, and he quite evidently -hadn't seen them. On he came, bounding easily up the incline, where a -man would have toiled breathlessly. - -"Wow! I'd like to be able to go up a mountain like that!" Bennie -exclaimed. - -Almost at his first word, they saw the deer's big ears prick up. He -landed stock still and rigid, and raised his eyes. Then he saw the two -boys above him, and with a single bound, so quick the scouts couldn't -detect how he made the turn, he was off at right angles, along the -slope. Working upward as he leapt along, he reached the rim three -hundred yards away from them, and disappeared like smoke into a stand of -fir. - -"What a shot!" breathed Bennie. - -"Aw, you couldn't have hit him in a year," Spider laughed. - -"Why couldn't I?" - -"First place, you can't shoot well enough, and second place I'd have -knocked up your gun," said Spider. "I wouldn't shoot a deer as long as I -had anything else to eat." - -"He was kind o' pretty," Bennie agreed. - -"'Tisn't that so much. But he's _wild_. He's part of the wilderness. He -belongs to it. Killing a deer is just as bad as knocking off the top of -a mountain, or spoiling all the forest trees." - -"Maybe you're right," Bennie admitted. "But how about going back and -getting grub?" - -The sun was up when they reached camp again, and so were the other three -campers. - -"'Smatter, boys?" asked Mr. Stone. "Getting an appetite before -breakfast?" - -"So cold we couldn't sleep," they answered. - -"I was none too warm myself." - -"And I was none too comfortable," the doctor added. - -"Ho!" cried Dumplin', who was starting the breakfast over the fire, "I -never woke up once. Just as warm as anything, and never felt a stone in -me all night." - -"Well, who wouldn't be warm if he was covered with a blubber -bed-spread!" Bennie retorted. - -"And who wouldn't sleep soft if he carried his own upholstery?" said -Spider. - -"All right, kid," Dumplin' grinned. "But there are times when it pays." - -The sun was not far up when they finished breakfast, cached the grub and -blankets and the packs, and armed only with the alpenstocks, a pocketful -of raisins and chocolate, the canteens and cameras, set out for the -summit of Scott's Peak, which rose directly above them, and seemed to be -reached, after the first pull up the steep side of the ravine, by a -fairly easy incline. The map showed, too, that the distance was less -than three miles. - -"Three miles--three hours," said Bennie. "A mile an hour is what the -Appalachian Club allows. We'll be there at half-past nine." - -"Getting sure again, are you?" said his uncle. "This isn't Mount -Washington, where the Appalachian Club climbs. This is Scott's Peak. It -isn't made of granite, but it's a spur volcano spit up out of the side -of old Mazama, and it's about 2,500 feet of nice, soft pumice dust from -here on." - -It was. - -Once over the first scramble up the side of the ravine, they settled -down to a steady plod in the soft, volcanic stuff. Their feet sank deep -into it. The pitch was greater than it looked, too, and every time they -threw their weight on to the forward foot, it sank back a way. Sometimes -there were patches of snow they could get on, for partial relief. But -mostly this side of the mountain had melted off, and it was just a long, -weary, back-breaking grind up the pumice. Did you ever climb a steep -pile of sand? Anyhow, you have walked in the deep, dry, soft sand above -the tide mark on a beach. You know what hard work it is. The climb up -Scott was just like that, only more so. One hour, two hours, three -hours, four hours, and part of five, with many a rest, and the sun -getting hotter and hotter, before they reached the summit. - -"Well, boys, this is the highest you've been yet," said Mr. Stone. -"Eight thousand nine hundred and thirty-two feet." - -"Wish there was a tree we could shin to make it an even 9,000," said -Bennie. - -Dumplin' wiped the sweat from his face, and collapsed on the ground, -panting. "I wouldn't climb a barber's pole," he announced. - -"Well, you can see most of eastern Oregon without sitting up," his -father laughed. - -This was certainly true. From the top of Scott, they could look eastward -for a hundred miles, over a great plain almost as flat and bare as the -sea, a sage brush desert. North and south they could look mile after -mile in either direction along the tumbled, snowy world of the Cascade -range. And just below them, to the west, they looked down 3,000 feet -into the blue hole of Crater Lake. - -"There's most room enough for a feller to breathe, out here," Bennie -remarked. Then he started to drink from his canteen, and discovered it -was empty. - -"Fill it with snow," said his uncle. - -Dumplin' had drunk up all his supply, too, so both of them hunted out a -snow-bank, dug down to clean snow, and began to stuff it into their -canteens. "Gosh! where does it all go to!" Dumplin' remarked, after -three or four minutes. - -"Takes a lot of snow to make a little water," Bennie answered. "Mine's -full--full o' snow. Now let her melt!" - -Presently, after he had eaten his raisins, he took a pull at the -canteen, and got about one good swig of water. - -"Let's be going down," said he. - -"Just so you can get a drink?" asked Spider. - -"Marvelous, Watson, marvelous," Bennie laughed. "Why haven't they given -you a job on the detective force?" - -But the rest, by now, had emptied their canteens, too, and everybody was -thirsty, so down they started. It was easy going down. When the slope -was smooth, they set in their stocks as far ahead as they could reach, -and then took a long vault, down past them, pulled them out, and -repeated. In one hour they had covered the ground it took them five on -the ascent. - -It was only a shade after two o'clock when they reached their cache, so -they shouldered their luggage and hiked on down the valley, away from -the lake, for nearly five miles, till they reached a region of grass and -flowers and heavy timber, where the Sand Creek had cut down a deep canon -in the volcanic soil and lava, but the strangest canon you ever saw, -because some of the lava was harder than the rest, and the water hadn't -cut this, but left it sticking up all through the gorge, in great, -round, water-worn pinnacles. Imagine hundreds of Bunker Hill monuments, -round instead of square-cornered, erected helter-skelter at the bottom -of a wild canon, and you have a picture of the pinnacles. Here, near the -brink, in sheltered woods, they made their second night's bivouac. - -And this time Bennie woke up only once in the night, and had to be -shaken awake in the morning. - -"I must be getting fat, like Dump," he said. "I wasn't very cold, and -I'm not very sore." - -"You're getting harder," said his uncle. "If we did this a couple of -weeks, we could all sleep out like tops." - -The third day they hiked back to their camp on the rim, using the rim -road to get around the cliffs and ridges--a long grind with the heavy -packs, but quite uneventful. - -And when they got to camp, the doctor announced, "We leave to-morrow, at -six o'clock. Everybody out at four-thirty. Won't need any grub except -for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch, so we can clean up the larder for -dinner. Bennie, go over and smile sweetly at the hotel cook, and see if -you can coax him to sell you a big beefsteak, and a loaf of bread, and a -head of lettuce." - -"Get a lemon meringue pie if he's got one," Dumplin' added. - -"The cook's an awful grouch," the doctor laughed, when Bennie had gone. -"He'll throw him out of the kitchen." - -Everybody was busy about camp, getting dinner ready, when Bennie -returned with a large package. He opened it with a grin. It contained -two steaks, a head of lettuce, a loaf of bread--and a lemon pie! - -"The cook's an awful old grouch," Mr. Stone remarked to Uncle Billy, -winking at the boys. - -"_How_ did you do it?" demanded the astonished doctor. - -"It's my fatal beauty," said Bennie airily. And that's all he would -tell. - -But to Spider, later, he said, "Remember that fat old guy that used to -cook at the White Doe Inn, back home? The one that used to come to all -our ball games? Well, he's the cook at the hotel here now. I knew Uncle -Bill was trying to put one over on me, and I didn't have a notion how I -was going to beat him, till I saw who the cook was. He came at me mad as -anything, 'cause campers are always trying to buy stuff off him. Looked -as if he was going to throw me out. And then I said, 'Hello, Mr. Leary, -coming down to the field to see us play Lenox tomorrow?'--and he -recognized me--and, say! I was so glad I gave him all the change from -Uncle Billy's bill." - -"Some luck!" Spider laughed. - -"Don't you tell, now." - -"Not a word. But, boy, I'm going to eat my share of that steak!" - -It was a glorious meal, and Dumplin' kissed the pie plate when it was -all over. - -After Bennie had carried the pie plate back to the cook, while the rest -washed up the dishes, Uncle Billy asked for the Scout Manual, and read -what a scout has to do to get a merit badge for hiking. - - "To obtain a merit badge for hiking, a scout must: - - 1. Show a thorough knowledge of the care of the feet on a hike. - - 2. Walk five miles per day, six days in the week, for a period of - three months. This may include walking to and from school or work. He - shall keep a record of his hikes daily, preferably in his diary, a - transcript to be made an exhibit before the court of honor. - - 3. Walk ten miles on each of two days in each month for a period of - three months; in other words, six walks of ten miles each during the - three months. - - 4. Walk twenty miles in one day. - - 5. Locate and describe interesting trails, and walk to some place - marked by some patriotic or historical event. - - 6. Write his experiences in these several walking trips with reference - to fatigue or distress experienced, and indicate what he had learned - in the way of caring for himself as regards equipment such as camping - and cooking outfit, food, footwear, clothing and hygiene. - - 7. Review his ability to read a road map (preferably a Government - topographical map), to use a compass, and shall be required to make a - written plan for a hike from the map." - -"Number one," Uncle Billy said. "What have you learned about the care of -the feet, Bennie?" - -"Wash 'em in cold water when you can, and dry 'em thoroughly. Wear wool -socks, and carry two extra pairs. At home we carry adhesive tape, to put -over a place that may start chafing, so's to stop a blister." - -"That's all right. The best care of the feet, though, is to have stout, -easy boots, that _fit_. Well, number two--we haven't walked five miles a -day for six weeks, have we? You'll have to do that at home. Number -three--'Walk ten miles on each of two days, in each month for a period -of three months.' You can count this hike as ten miles, or its -equivalent, on each of three days, for July, all right. We hardly made -ten miles the first day, but it was equal to fifteen or twenty of -ordinary walking. You did two miles and a half before breakfast the -second day, then six up and down the mountain, and six more before camp -at night. That's fourteen and a half, with three of 'em up Scott's Peak -in the pumice." - -"That ought to count for twenty, I'll say," Bennie declared. "And how -much the last day?" - -"Well, with our getting wood for breakfast, and taking a last look at -the pinnacles, and your two trips to the hotel, I guess we can call -today twenty miles." - -"I'll take a trot around now, if I need to," Bennie laughed. - -"No, you can sit still. Well, that qualifies you on number four, anyhow, -and gives you a good start on number three. Number five you'll have to -do at home. Number six you can attend to some day in camp, and let me -see what you've written about these three days. Number -seven--h'm--you've got a lot to learn yet about using maps, I suspect. -Go get your map of Crater Lake, and let me see you lay out, with a -pencil, what looks like the best way to hike from here to Crater Peak, -five miles south of us." - -Bennie worked over this for some time, and then showed the line he had -drawn. - -"Good!" said his uncle. "I'm glad to see you haven't drawn an air-line -path that plunges you down any 500-foot precipices, or takes you up any -600-foot walls." - -"I learned something on this trip," said Bennie. "I learned that when -they put contour lines close together on a map, it means steep, and if -there are a lot of 'em, and they are very close, it means, 'Detour to -the right.'" - -"That's the idea. Well, boy, are you going to stick? Will you write out -for me an account of this trip, and the next one we take, too, and try -to work for this merit badge?" - -"You bet I will!" - -"May I, too?" asked Spider. - -"Gee, he's got so many badges now he looks like Marshal Foch," said -Bennie. - -"The more the better," laughed the doctor. "Now, boys, bed! Big Ben is -set for 4:30." - -"It'll take a Big Bertha to wake _me_ at 4:30," said Dumplin'. - -"Oh, you air mattress!" sighed Bennie, as he crawled into his sleeping -bag. - -Spider answered never a word. He was fast asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - Good-bye to Crater Lake, and a Motor Trip to Bend - - -Uncle Billy was as good as his word the next morning. At half-past four -he shook Bennie and Spider, and he had to shake them hard, too. Then all -three of them went into the other tent, and rolled Mr. Stone and -Dumplin' upside down in their sleeping bags. It was still cold, and the -sun was not yet up over the snowy crags of Garfield. In the still, -crystal-clear air, the water of the lake was without a ripple, and every -rock and tree on the rim was perfectly reflected in the blue mirror. - -"Take a good long look, boys," said the doctor. "It's good-bye to Crater -Lake as soon as we can load the cars." - -"I hate to leave it," Spider said. "I don't believe I'll ever see -anything so grand again, or have such a good time." - -"I hate to leave it, too," said Bennie. "But I bet we'll have a lot more -good times. I guess old Oregon is full of 'em." - -"I am satisfied with Oregon," Dumplin' began to sing, in a high falsetto -voice to the tune of "Glory, glory, hallelujah." - -"Shut up, do you want to wake everybody else on the rim, just because -you're up?" his father cautioned. - -"Time they got up," Dumplin' laughed. "Early to bed and early to rise, -makes a man dopy with sleep in his eyes." - -"Gosh, if he can't sing, he makes up poetry," Bennie groaned. "Give him -a flapjack, quick." - -As soon as breakfast was over, Mr. Stone and the doctor tinkered the -cars for the trip, while the boys struck the tents, deflated and rolled -up the sleeping bags, packed their dunnage sacks, and then began to stow -the luggage in the cars. It was after seven when everything was at last -packed aboard, and Uncle Billy gave the order to start. The engines -turned over, reluctant to start after their long idleness, but at last -the explosions came, the exhausts spit smoke, and the cars moved out -over dry ground, where a week ago had been a snow-drift, headed toward -the road. - -"Good-bye, old lake!" cried Bennie. - -"Au revoir, for me. _I'm_ coming back some day," said Spider. - -"And now where, Uncle Billy?" Bennie added. - -"Bend," said his uncle. "I wish we could go back home on the Sky Line -Trail that some day Oregon is going to build into a highway right up -along the spine of the Cascades. But at present it is only a ranger's -trail, and it takes weeks to travel it, with an expensive pack train. So -we are going by motor up the east side of the range to the town of Bend, -and we'll get a pack train there and go in and sample a bit of the Sky -Line Trail, to say we've ridden it, and maybe climb a snow mountain." - -"Are we going in on horseback?" Bennie demanded. - -"We are, if we go at all," said his uncle. - -"Hooray! I never rode horseback!" - -"You'll have plenty of chance to learn, then," Uncle Billy smiled. -"About the first night, you'll wish you hadn't tried to learn, too." - -"Bet I won't!" Bennie retorted. "How far is it to Bend?" - -"Oh, a hundred miles, I guess. Maybe more." - -"Seven-thirty now--twenty-five miles an hour, that means we get there at -noon." - -"You are my idea of an optimist, Bennie," said the doctor. "This is an -eastern Oregon road we are going to travel on. If we should travel -twenty-five miles an hour, we wouldn't get there at all." - -For many miles, the road out of the park took them in a southerly -direction, down the Anna Creek valley, through a noble forest of yellow -pines, a tree the boys had never seen before, which has great flat -scales of bark which looks almost like copper, and past the deep canon -the creek has cut in the lava, with sides fantastically carved into -giant columns. Finally, they reached the gate of the park, were checked -up by the gateman, and went on, swinging eastward now. - -Bennie, as soon as they were off the government road, very soon realized -why they wouldn't make Bend at noon. In eastern Oregon, a country "dirt" -road, which in the East is usually quite decent in summer isn't a dirt -road at all, really, because there isn't any dirt. All the soil is -powdered volcanic ash and pumice, no doubt deposited there by Mount -Mazama ages ago. This volcanic soil looks almost gray-white in color, -and a road made on it, without any macadam, is very quickly pounded, in -dry weather, into a layer of dust inches thick, which rises like a smoke -screen behind the car, and gets kicked out of holes in the road by the -passing tires till the holes deepen more and more, making the road one -endless series of bumps. - -Instead of traveling at twenty-five miles an hour, the doctor held the -car down to fifteen, and very often had to go slower than that. - -And it was hot down here below the range, hot and close. The yellow -pines, and then endless acres of ugly lodge-pole pines, lined the road -on both sides, shutting out wind and view. Only now and then did they -catch a glimpse of Scott's Peak, and later of Thielsen. They were in the -dry country, too, for almost no rain ever falls on the east side of the -Cascades. So they passed no brooks, after leaving Anna Creek. Choked -with dust, the boys sampled the canteens frequently, and rejoiced that -they weren't in the second car, which was following far behind, to keep -out of the dust as much as possible. - -It was almost noon when they reached a stream at last, coming down from -the snow-fields--and they were only half-way on their journey! Here they -stopped for lunch. The doctor had insisted on saving out two cans of -peaches for this occasion, and now they understood why. It was a job to -worry the dry bread and the bacon down their parched throats, but how -those cool peaches, and the juice they were canned in, did go to the -spot! - -The trip was resumed, and they went on and on northward, through endless -forests of yellow pines, one of the few trees that will flourish in this -dry region, till at last they came into the tiny little town of -Crescent. - -It was Bennie who spied a sign, "Soda" over the one store. He gave a -yell, and hoisted his feet over the car door, ready to jump. - -The soda turned out to be the bottled variety, and it hadn't been kept -on ice. In fact, there was no ice in the place. But even that didn't -prevent the five tourists from leaving behind ten empty bottles when -they departed again. - -The road through the endless yellow pine forest began to get better now. -It had been straightened out and rock ballasted in places, and Uncle -Billy stepped on the gas. He was traveling along at twenty-five miles or -more, leaving a cloud of dust behind, when Bennie suddenly cried, "Say, -I believe we just went through a town. Golly, I wonder if there was a -soda there. Let's go back." - -"This car doesn't know how to turn around," said Uncle Billy. "That was -the town of La Pine. I know the man who used to own most of it." - -"What happened? Did he lose it out of his pocket?" said Bennie. - -"I guess it crawled under a pine needle and hid from him," said Spider. - -It wasn't long now before the car rolled out of the yellow pine forests -into a great clearing, where every tree had been cut down as far as the -eye could see, and a fire had followed, burning up all young stuff and -making the ground dry, naked ashes. - -"That's what the lumbermen do to us!" Uncle Billy cried. "It's worse -than what they do to you in the East, because the fire does so much more -damage in this dry country. I wonder how long it will be before we wake -up and make them lumber properly? I hope you Boy Scouts will always work -for conservation and proper forest laws." - -"If they'd left one old tree to the acre for cone bearers, and kept the -fire out, I should think the forest would almost start itself again," -said Spider. "But they haven't left a single tree." - -"They are hogs," Uncle Billy exclaimed, angrily. "It makes my blood boil -every time I go through country like this, and think that the voters of -the State let 'em do it." - -The road was hard now, the car went faster, and in a short time they -began to see the houses of a town. They swung under a railroad, rolled -on to asphalt pavement, and found themselves in the middle of Bend, a -brisk, clean little city of 5,000 people. - -"Well, what do you know about this!" Bennie laughed. "It just pops right -up here in the desert, like a toadstool. And, oh, boy, there's a soda -fountain--and a movie theatre!" - -Spider and Uncle Billy laughed. "He's a great wilderness scout, he is," -said the doctor. "He's gladder to see a movie theatre than he was to see -Crater Lake." - -Bennie grinned a little sheepishly. "No, it isn't that," he said, "but -as long as we got to be in a town, might as well have something to do." - -"The first thing I'll do is to get a bath," the doctor laughed, as he -drove right past the drug store, and stopped in front of the hotel. - -The other car rolled up behind them, Mr. Stone's and Dumplin's clothes -and faces covered thick with dust, and the car looking gray-white all -over. The boys got out the dunnage bags and carried them into the lobby, -while the cars were taken to a garage. As soon as the doctor and Mr. -Stone came back, they got three rooms, one for Bennie and Spider, one -for Dumplin' and his father, and one for the doctor. Off came their -clothes, and from three bathtubs came the sounds of splashing. - -They were a much cleaner and more civilized looking outfit when they -came down to dinner. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - The Boys Encounter "Pep," Who Promises Them a Bear Hunt - - -They were just coming out of the dining-room when a tall, very thin man -came hurrying in from the street, saw them, and with a loud, "Hello, -Doc!" rushed over to shake Uncle Billy's hand. - -"Just heard you were in," he cried. - -The doctor introduced him as the "biggest booster in Bend." His name, -the boys gathered, was Peters, though the doctor called him "Pep," which -was evidently his popular title. - -"Well, boys, what do you think of Oregon?" he demanded as soon as he -knew they were from the East. "Some State, eh? I'll say it is. Wait till -you see the Jefferson country. Say, want to go on a bear hunt?" - -Of course, he had started by asking them what they thought of Oregon, -and the boys were all set to make a polite answer, but he never gave -them a chance to reply, and ended up instead by asking if they wanted to -go on a bear hunt! - -"Sure we do!" the boys chorused. - -("He's a queer one," Bennie whispered to Spider. "Answers his own -questions half the time.") - -"Pep" was now talking again. "I can fix it up, Doc. Maybe your friend -would like to get a movie of a bear. There's a crowd in camp over at Elk -Lake now who want a bear hunt. Some of 'em do, anyhow. We can go over -there and pick 'em up, and run over to Newberry Crater and pick up a -bear all right. You know old Vreeland, who lives on the big ranch south -of La Pine? He's got a pack of hounds, and plenty of horses, and he'd -rather go on a bear hunt than go to Heaven. What do you say?" - -"Well, boys, what do _you_ say?" the doctor asked, turning to the scouts -and Dumplin'. - -Bennie sighed with comical exaggeration. "Oh, of course, I'll go if you -want to," he answered. "I strive to please." - -Everybody laughed except Spider. "Are you going to kill the bear?" he -questioned. - -"No, indeed," said Pep. "We catch 'em by the tail out here in Oregon, -and then tie a blue ribbon round their necks, so they'll look prettier -as they gambol through the woods." - -Spider bit his lip as if he was angry, and was trying not to make a rude -reply. - -"That's all right, too," he finally said, "but some folks like to kill -wild animals and some folks don't. I'm one of the ones who doesn't. -Bears don't do any harm. I'd like to see one, and see Mr. Stone get a -picture of it. Hunting with a camera is harder, and better sport, I -think." - -"I'll say it'll be hard, all right," said Pep. "Wait till you see the -stuff you'll have to carry your camera through! As for the shooting, -Newberry Crater is a State bird and game refuge, and you have to get -permission to hunt bears on it; but I've got that O. K., because they -want the bears killed off. All they ask is that you report the stomach -contents." - -"I've just got something new I've not shown any of you yet," Mr. Stone -now put in. "It was waiting for me here, in my mail. It's a movie camera -no bigger than a kodak, which works with a spring instead of a crank, -and takes twenty-five feet at a time. I can carry it in the pocket of a -hunting coat. It's for just such a time as this, when the big camera -couldn't be taken along. I'd like to try it--that is, if you can -guarantee the bear." - -"What'll happen to me if I don't produce the bear?" Pep demanded. - -"We'll take your horse, and make you walk home," the doctor said. - -"Easy! It's only thirty miles! Shall we start tomorrow morning?" - -"Sure. I guess we can stow you into our cars somewhere." - -"Stow me nothing! I got a car of my own. It's a dandy, too--a genuine -antique, built in 1909. They made regular cars in those days. Well, you -be ready at eight o'clock. I'll be around for you, and lead the way." - -"But we haven't any guns," said Bennie, suddenly. - -"Don't matter. Vreeland has plenty. Don't need more'n one, anyhow, to -kill a bear. So long." - -Pep departed, striding with his long legs out of the lobby. - -"He's a queer one," said Mr. Stone. "What does he do for a living?" - -"Real estate, I guess," the doctor answered. "He's a great booster for -Bend, and spends half his time fixing up parties for visitors who come -here. He's a great card. Well, boys, I suppose you're going to the -movies now?" - -"I can see the movies without coming 4,000 miles," Bennie answered. "Me -for a look around this burg." - -"Me, too," said Spider. "Doug Fairbanks won't seem such a wonder after -we've climbed old Llao Rock." - -"Boys," cried Uncle Billy, "you have not come to Oregon in vain!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - The Bear Hunt--In Which the Boys Discover that the Bear Doesn't Do All - the Hard Work - - -Right after breakfast the next morning they got the cars out and left -behind at the hotel all the luggage they wouldn't need on the -bear-hunting trip. Mr. Stone was exhibiting his new camera, an -astonishing invention which he held in his hand like a kodak, while it -took twenty-five feet of film (he could carry as much as two hundred -feet of extra reels in one side pocket, too), when Pep appeared in his -"antique." They heard him before they saw him, in fact. The car was a -runabout. The paint apparently had vanished about 1918. The muffler was -broken so that she roared and spit like a motorcycle. One mud-guard was -so cracked that it half hung from the car and flapped and rattled. The -other three were bent and dented. The wind-shield was cracked, and the -radiator was covered with iron rust where the water had boiled over and -run down the sides. When Pep put his foot on the brake to stop, she -shrieked and wailed like a sick cat. - -Bennie walked over to this car and stared intently. - -"Some boat!" he said. "Some boat! Say, Spider, a scout is always -respectful and kind to the aged and infirm. Remember that. What's its -name, Mr. Peters?" - -"Its mother never named it," said Pep. "I've called it a lot of things, -but they aren't very polite." - -Dumplin' laughed. "I know what its name is, all right." - -"Yes?" - -"Its name is Methuselah." - -"I thought Methuselah died when he was only nine hundred," said Bennie. - -"Say, if you boys make fun of my car, I won't let you ride in it," Pep -threatened. - -"Would it hold up two passengers?" asked Bennie. - -"All aboard!" called the doctor. "Stop insulting Pep's chariot, and -climb into your own. Lead the way, Pep." - -Pep spun his crank around, Methuselah grunted, spit, coughed, and then -roared, the doctor and Mr. Stone stepped on their starters, and the -procession moved down the main street of Bend, Methuselah leading, and -swung south on the same road they had come up the day before. Once out -in the open, Pep began to travel. Through the cloud of dust he kicked -up, those behind could see the rear wheels of the old runabout go -bobbing up and down, and from side to side. The doctor's speedometer -crept up to thirty, to thirty-five, to forty miles, as he followed. - -"Gosh, he doesn't care what happens to him!" Bennie said. "Think of -hitting forty on this road in Methuselah!" - -"Think of hitting forty on _any_ road in Methuselah," Uncle Billy -laughed. "He'll stop pretty soon, to cool her off--and tell us it was -for something else." - -Before long he did stop. When the other cars drew up, Pep was standing -beside Methuselah, at a place where a side road led off to the west, -toward the white-capped mountains. - -"Thought you might miss the turn if I didn't wait," he explained. - -The doctor winked at the boys, and Bennie got out and started to put his -hand on Methuselah's radiator. But he speedily removed it. - -"Will you have your eggs three minutes or four this morning, gents?" he -asked. Then he listened with his ear near the hood. "Uncle Billy, I -think you ought to come here," he added. "I'm afraid poor old Methuselah -has got blood pressure." - -Even Pep laughed at this. "Maybe I give him too much meat," he said. - -The cars now turned up the side road, which was little more than a -couple of wheel ruts through the endless yellow pine forest, and began -to wind their way southwestward. Even Methuselah didn't hurry through -here. The road was too rough and too winding. - -"Say, I expect to meet myself coming back on this road," Bennie -declared. "The feller who laid it out must have had the blind staggers." - -"If it was straightened it wouldn't be more than half as long," said the -practical Spider. - -Presently, coming around a sharp turn, they found Methuselah silent and -stalled, with Pep, the hood lifted, poking into the engine. - -Everybody climbed out, and went over to him. - -"What's wrong?" they asked. - -"I just stopped to tell you about a man who was drawing a load of hay -over this road once," said he. "He never got it out, because the horses -ate it all up behind his back from the tail of the wagon." - -"That's a good story. Now let's go on," winked the doctor. - -"Wait just a minute," Pep said. "Methuselah's foot slipped, and he -sprained his carburetor. I think it's his carburetor. Maybe he pulled a -tendon in his ignition." - -"Quick, doctor, the arnica!" called Bennie. - -But Spider, who knew something about cars, was poking into the engine. - -"I don't think it's the carburetor," he said. "You've flooded that -trying to start her. Let me have a screw-driver, and you turn her over -slowly." - -He traced the ignition around till he found a spot where there was no -spark, and behind that found a loose connection, into which had settled -an insulating film of dust and grit. When this was cleaned and -tightened, Methuselah coughed and spit and roared again, and once more -they started on their way. - -Methuselah had no more mishaps, though they expected to find him stalled -around every bend, and after a couple of hours they came out of the -yellow pine forest into open country, right under the big mountains, and -presently before them lay Elk Lake, with the white reflection of South -Sister, 10,000 feet high and snow covered, mirrored in the dark water. -The road ran along beside the lake to the upper end, and there, in a -grove of pines and fir trees, was a big camp, and men and women just -sitting down to luncheon at long board tables. Methuselah had been -parked beside the road, and Pep was bobbing about talking and laughing -with the crowd. - -"What's the big idea?" Bennie asked. "Gee whiz, a whole bunch of strange -people, and no chance for a swim!" - -"I guess they don't own the whole lake," the doctor laughed. "Anyhow, -they'll give us some grub." - -The crowd, they found, was a convention of Oregon editors, with their -wives. They were having a fine time, no doubt, but the newcomers didn't -seem exactly to fit. - -"Spider was one of the editors of our high school paper last winter," -said Bennie, "but all I did was get an advertisement for it from Dad. I -thought we were going to hunt bears, not editors." - -As soon as lunch was over somebody got up and began to make a speech. -The crowd sat back and got ready to listen. Whereupon Uncle Billy -beckoned to the boys and Mr. Stone, and they silently sneaked away from -the tables. - -"I didn't go on a vacation to listen to speeches," the doctor said. "It -will be too late to get into camp at Newberry Crater tonight if we hang -around here till that bunch gets through telling each other what's wrong -with the newspaper business. You wait here while I have a heart-to-heart -talk with Pep." - -After ten minutes the doctor came back with the long, lank Peters. - -"Sorry, boys," Pep said. "I thought there were a couple of good sports -in this outfit who really wanted a bear hunt. But when I told 'em they'd -have to sleep out, and get up at three A. M., they decided they'd rather -listen to the speeches. Some folks would do anything rather than get up -in the morning. Well, come on, we'll get our bear even if there isn't -anybody to write it for the papers." - -"Oh, ho!" cried Uncle Billy, "so that was it! Well, I am a dumb-bell, as -Bennie would so elegantly put it. I didn't realize before why you were -so set on having some editors along. You want to be boosting Bend all -the while, don't you? Maybe Spider will write it up for his school -paper. That's something. Cheer up, Pep, and see if Methuselah is still -alive." - -Pep spun the crank till the drops of sweat fell from his forehead before -she coughed and started. - -"I get a fine lot of exercise with this car," he panted, wiping his face -before he climbed aboard. - -They cut south from the winding road after a little way, and presently -arrived in the hamlet of La Pine, the town which Bennie said one of -Uncle Billy's friends once lost out of his pocket. Not far from this -town, in an extraordinarily green meadow beside the Deschutes River, a -long meadow like a rich oasis in the dry desert soil, they came to the -Vreeland ranch, where the house sat beneath great poplar trees, and the -barns were full of fresh-cut alfalfa and the cattle were browsing as -they do in the East, along the river bank. - -"Give this soil some water," said Spider, "and instead of a desert, it's -like our richest farms at home." - -"Yes, sir. Irrigation is all we need in Oregon to grow anything," said -Uncle Billy, as the three cars pulled up in the yard. - -Pep found Mr. Vreeland out in a field, and brought him in. He was a big, -bronzed man, who looked hard and wiry for all his gray hair and beard, -and at the suggestion of a bear hunt his eyes lit up and he smiled. A -long, low whistle brought an answering joyous yelp from a near-by barn, -and four hounds, with thin bodies and long ears and sad faces, came -jumping and wriggling up to him. - -"Them pups'll get you a bear, if there is a bear," said their master -proudly. "I guess we can rustle up the horses. Let's see, we'll need six -for you, and one for me, and one for the rustler, and a pack -animal--that's nine. We'll start in an hour. Hi--Tom!" he shouted to a -man out in the paddock. - -"He doesn't lose any time," whispered Mr. Stone. - -"Not when he smells a bear," Pep replied. "He can see a bear track in -the dark. And he's got some regular dogs." - -While the horses were being saddled the boys made up six blanket rolls -for their party, and one for Pep, and packed up enough provisions for a -couple of days. The provisions, a few "eating irons" and cooking -utensils, and the blankets were put on the pack horse. Mr. Vreeland -brought out two rifles, one for himself and one for somebody else. - -"Who gets it?" he asked. - -"Not I," said Spider. - -"Nor I," said Mr. Stone. "Here's my gun." He patted the case of his tiny -movie camera, which was slung from his shoulder. - -"I'll take it," said Bennie. - -"Know how to use it?" the man asked. - -"N-not very well," Bennie admitted. - -"Well, it isn't loaded," Mr. Vreeland laughed. "Suppose you carry it -today, and learn how much it weighs. Are we all set?" - -Tom, the horse rustler, brought the saddled horses into the yard, and -each rider was assigned a mount. - -"Pick out a good strong one for that half starved little chap there," -said Mr. Vreeland, pointing to Dumplin'. "All you boys are good riders, -I suppose?" - -"Oh, sure," said Bennie. "We gallop all the time over the wide prairies -of Massachusetts. Got a nice mantelpiece for me to eat off of tonight?" - -"It's tomorrow night you'll need that," the man laughed. "All aboard!" - -In spite of his weight and his gray hair, Mr. Vreeland swung into his -saddle with the ease and grace of a cowboy. The doctor and Mr. Stone and -Pep were not quite so easy, but they knew how to ride. Dumplin', -however, was as green as the two eastern scouts, and the three of them -made a mess of mounting, and after they were mounted and their horses -had started on a slow trot out of the yard, they bobbed around and -jounced up and down like three apples in a dump-cart. - -"Say, how do you manage this stunt?" Bennie called to his uncle. "If I -keep on this way, I'll all fall apart." - -"Stand in your stirrups as naturally and easily as you can, and then -lean forward a little from your waist," the doctor called back. "Don't -try to do anything but just relax from your waist up, and stand on your -stirrups." - -The boys tried this, and gradually, very gradually, they began to get on -to the trick, so that their bodies rode a little better with the motions -of the horses' backs. It was hard work, though, and they were glad -enough when they had crossed the highway, headed east up a road through -the yellow pines, and finally dropped down to a walk as the road began -to climb. When the horses stopped trotting, the three boys sat back in -their saddles and took the weight off their tired legs. Of course, they -bounced a bit, but that didn't matter when the horse wasn't trotting. - -They were on the lower slopes of Newberry Crater now, which is an -8,000-foot mountain standing fifty miles or more east of the Cascade -range, all alone in the desert pines, and was once a volcano. On the -top, Uncle Billy told them, is a big crater, almost as large as Crater -Lake, but only a few hundred feet deep, and instead of being filled with -water, it contains two ponds and a lot of summer camps. The whole -mountain is a State game reserve, for the slopes are covered with pine -woods, and the water attracts both birds and animals. - -The party climbed slowly up the dusty road for two hours, while the boys -wriggled and shifted in their saddles to find easy positions (which they -couldn't find), and the rifle Bennie was carrying either banged his back -or had to be held across his saddle, growing heavier and heavier. - -At last, as the sun was setting in the west, they came out of the yellow -pines into a big open meadow, through which Paulina Creek flowed on its -way down the mountain, making the grass rich and green. Here Mr. -Vreeland turned in. The horses were watered at the stream and then -hobbled (hobbles are just leather bands like handcuffs put around their -forelegs, so they can move around to feed, but cannot wander far away). -On the edge of the meadow, near the brook but under the pines, camp was -made, by the simple process of building a fire and spreading the -blankets on level spots of dry ground. While Mr. Vreeland and Tom, the -horse rustler, were cooking supper, the rest went to the creek for a -bath. The water was icy cold, but, as Bennie said, it was softer to sit -on than a saddle. - -After supper they gathered around the fire for a while, in the cold -mountain air of night, while Mr. Vreeland told bear stories. The four -dogs lay sleeping close to them, one of them, old Ben, Mr. Vreeland's -pet, with a muzzle snuggled against his side. - -But before long he ordered them to bed. - -"I'll get you up before the sun," he said. "That's the only time to -start after bears. Their tracks are fresh then, and the dogs can follow -'em." - -In spite of their saddle soreness, and the bare ground they were -sleeping on, the boys rolled up in their blankets, without undressing, -and were soon fast asleep. There is nothing like riding a horse in the -mountains to make you slumber! - -"Golly, doesn't seem as if I'd more'n dropped off," said Bennie, sitting -up and rubbing his eyes when he was awakened by the voice of Mr. -Vreeland. - -"I don't care what becomes of ol' bear. I'm goin' sleep some more," -mumbled Dumplin', drawing his blankets tighter about his neck and -rolling over on the other side. - -"Yes, you are!" yelled Spider and Bennie, grabbing the blankets and -rolling him suddenly out of them. - -It was still dark in the woods, with a dim, gray light over the open -meadow. They could scarcely see the horses, which they heard feeding and -thumping about on hobbled feet. Tom had the fire going, and soon there -was the welcome smell of coffee. After the coffee, everybody felt more -awake, the light increased, the trunks of the trees began to emerge from -the gloom, and Tom and Mr. Vreeland rounded up the horses and began to -saddle. - -"Well, son," said Mr. Vreeland to Bennie, "how about that gun today? -You're going to ride some pretty rough country, and she'll get heavy." - -"I don't think he'd better carry a gun through this going," the doctor -said. "Especially as it is somebody else's gun, and he's somebody else's -boy, whom I'm responsible for." - -"Well, of course, I don't want to worry my uncle," Bennie assented, with -surprising cheerfulness. - -"You mean you need both hands to hang on to your horse," said Spider. - -"Marvelous, Sherlock, simply marvelous!" Bennie laughed. "When we get to -the old bear, I'll take the gun from my bearer, and put a well-directed -bullet through his brain." - -Now, in the fast increasing daylight, they were off, Mr. Vreeland -leading the way and sitting his horse as straight as a ramrod. The boys -were stiff and sore, but once on the saddle they felt easier than the -day before. - -The leader crossed the meadow to the upper side, and put his horse up on -a long sloping ridge covered with an open stand of yellow pine. As they -climbed this ridge, the boys could see a long distance between the -trees, and discovered that the side of the mountain was composed of a -series of long ridges, like this one, with deep erosion gullies between -them. The sides of these gullies were very steep, and at the bottom grew -thick stands of lodge-pole pines. After climbing a way on the first -ridge, and evidently seeing nothing which appealed to him, Mr. Vreeland -suddenly turned his horse right down the side, into the gully. As the -boys followed they found their horses' heads almost underneath them, and -they had to lean far back in the saddles to keep their balance. At the -bottom, Mr. Vreeland simply rode right into the dense stand of little -lodge-pole pines and disappeared. The doctor, Mr. Stone and Tom and Pep -followed. And after them went the three horses that carried the three -boys. There was nothing to do about it. The horses were trained to -follow in file, and it was their job to go through where the others -went. But the boys made an interesting, not to say painful discovery. - -They discovered that when a horse goes through a thicket of lodge-pole -pines, he picks out a place that is wide enough for him to squeeze -through, and high enough so his head doesn't hit a limb. But he doesn't -pay any attention to the fact that his rider's feet and legs stick out -on either side and his rider's head is considerably higher than his own. -He's looking out only for himself, and it's up to the rider to take the -consequences for getting on his back. - -When they emerged on the farther side of the gully, Bennie didn't have -any cap, Dumplin' had a hole torn in the right knee of his trousers, and -Spider had a rent in the left shoulder of his shirt and a long scratch -on his face. - -But there was no stopping for repairs. Already the other horses were up -on the next ridge, and with a heave and snort the boys' horses suddenly -stood on their hind legs and scrambled up also, the boys leaning far -forward and hanging on to the horns of their saddles to keep aboard. - -"Some sport!" panted Bennie. "Gee, that was a good cap, too." - -"My face feels as if the cat had sharpened her claws on me," said -Spider. - -"My knee's bleeding," puffed Dumplin'. - -Mr. Vreeland kept on up through the open woods of the ridge, and -suddenly pulled his horse to a sharp halt, in a little patch of light -made by the rising sun. Here he spoke softly to the dogs, who had been -padding along at his horse's heels with a bored air, as if a bear were -the very last thing they were thinking about. As the dogs trotted -sharply forward under the horse's nose and began to sniff where he -pointed, Mr. Stone got his camera out of the case and made ready. -Suddenly all four dogs began to utter little moaning sounds, like barks -just beginning in their throats, and with a loud bay the two younger -ones started off down the mountain, while Mr. Stone's camera whirred. -Ben, however, didn't go. He kept on moaning and sniffing around. - -"They are back tracking. You watch Ben and Cap, the wise old boys!" Mr. -Vreeland cried, his eyes dancing with excitement. - -Then Ben and Cap, too, suddenly uttered deep, silvery, triumphant bays, -and sprang down the farther side of the ridge into a second ravine. An -instant later the other two dogs came crying back and followed them, -just in time to get into the last foot of the film. Then Mr. Vreeland -put his horse down after them at a gallop, and vanished into the pines, -followed by Tom and the doctor and Pep. Mr. Stone had a hard time -holding his horse while he got his camera back into the case. Then he, -too, went down the side of the ravine and into the lodge-poles. - -"Now, darling, _please_ take it easy! Whoa! Whoa!" yelled Bennie at his -horse, as that animal cascaded down the soft soil of the bank and made -for the wall of tearing little trees. - -Holding their legs as close to the horses' sides as they could, ducking -to protect their faces, wriggling and squirming in their saddles to -avoid having their legs torn and bruised by trees between which the -horses squeezed, the boys got through, and followed the hunt. They could -hear the dogs baying in the next ravine, and over the ridge they went, -in time to see the tail of Mr. Stone's horse vanishing into another -thicket of scrub. - -This kept on for an hour or more--it seemed ages to the three boys. In -their efforts to get through the ravines without any more injury to -their clothes or their persons than was necessary, they had to slow -their horses down, and the hunt, which was working steadily up the -mountain, got farther and farther ahead of them. They had long since -lost all sight even of Mr. Stone, and the deep, bell-like baying of the -hounds grew fainter and fainter. At last it ceased altogether. - -When that happened Bennie pulled up his horse and waited for Spider and -Dumplin' to catch up. - -"Say, fellers," he asked, "what are we going to do? We've lost the hunt, -all right. I can't hear a sound now, and we've been off the tracks for -twenty minutes, I guess. Those last two ravines we came through hadn't -been broken before, and I haven't seen a hoof-print for a long while." - -"We're a swell lot of bear hunters, we are," Dumplin' panted. "Gee, -Spider, look at your face!" - -"Well, if it looks anything the way it feels, I'm some beauty, I can -tell you that. Look at your own face--and your pants, too." - -"I don't feel as if I had any pants left," said Bennie. "Gee, I'm sore -all over, and my hands are all torn. What are we going to do?" - -"I guess it's up to us to go back to camp," Spider suggested. - -"How are we ever going to find camp?" Dumplin' demanded. "As far as I'm -concerned, we're lost." - -"'Lost on Newberry Crater, or The Young Bear Hunters from Bend'--sounds -like a dime novel," Bennie grinned. "Maybe we could follow our trail -back by the blood on the ground. But I got a better idea than that. -Let's go on up this ridge a ways till we come to an open place, and then -sit there and wait. We can always follow the ridge down westward till we -come to the road. Guess we can't starve. Maybe the old bear will trot -around past us. They don't travel in a straight line, I guess. Anyhow, -it's a chance, and I guess it's our only chance to get back in the -game." - -"That's a swell idea!" said Dumplin', scornfully. "What you going to do -if he does come around? You wouldn't carry the old gun. Use your -pocket-knife?" - -"No, I'll look at him between my legs," Bennie answered. "The old bear -won't trouble us. All he's thinking about is getting away from the -hounds. Anyhow, I don't see any use in trying to follow any longer, -'cause we've sure lost the hunt, and I hate to go back this early in the -day. We may find a place where we can look out and see something." - -"Sounds good to me. You're the captain. Lead on," said Spider. - -So Bennie led the way up the open woods of the spine, which were growing -lower now, and presently they found themselves in a little clearing on a -sort of peak of lava. From here they could look out on one side for -miles and miles, over the wilderness of the mountain side, to the white -summits of the Cascades. But not a sight nor a sound of the hunt did -they have. - -They dismounted stiffly, aching in every joint, and tied the horses in -the shade. Dumplin' flopped to the ground with a groan. "My knee's all -stiff," he complained, "and the blood's all clotted on my leg. Gee, I've -got six tears in my pants!" - -The boys looked themselves over. Their clothes were torn, their hands -and faces scratched and covered with blood, and their thighs and knees -sore with the bruising trees. They were, in fact, a woe-begone looking -lot. - -"And I could drink a barrel of water, and eat a ton of food," sighed -Bennie. - -"If you talk about water, I shall cry!" Dumplin' exclaimed. "My mouth's -full of cotton." - -"Go to sleep, and forget it," said Spider. - -"If the bear comes, wake me up," Dumplin' answered, closing his eyes at -once. - -While Dumplin' was slumbering Bennie and Spider debated what they should -do. It seemed pretty stupid to sit there all the morning doing nothing, -when they had come 3,000 miles to Oregon for a taste of the real -wilderness. But, as Spider pointed out, if they tried to follow the hunt -again they would only get more hopelessly lost. Finally they decided the -only thing to do was to wait till they heard some sound of it again and -then make toward the sound. Unless the bear went clear around the -mountain, sooner or later he ought to come within sound of them again, -they reasoned. He would try to get back to his familiar hunting ground. -They waited one hour, two hours, getting more and more thirsty, when -Spider suddenly cried "Hark!" - -Far off, somewhere, he and Bennie couldn't yet tell where, they heard -the deep, silvery bugle of one dog, apparently old Ben, who had the -deepest voice. The hunt was coming their way again! Quickly they roused -Dumplin', and all three listened. Yes, there was no mistake! It was the -bay of a hound, and it was coming nearer! - -"There's only one dog, though," said Bennie. "What's the matter with the -others?" - -"Probably old Ben has got ahead of the others, or they've got off on -another track," said Spider. "Let's wait and see if it stops in one -place. That'll mean Ben's treed the bear, I guess. Then we can go there -and not get lost again." - -"Maybe _you_ can," said Dumplin'. "I couldn't go anywhere now, 'cept on -a stretcher." - -"We'll leave you here then--the air's fine," said Bennie. - -The baying didn't stop in one place, however, for ten or fifteen -minutes. It seemed to be moving up and down the mountain. Finally, -however, it came from a single direction, seemingly only a quarter of a -mile to the right, and down the mountain a bit, and the boys thought -they detected a change in the sound. They also could now hear a second -dog. - -"I bet old Ben has treed him!" Bennie cried, "and one of the other pups -has caught up! Come on, let's go see!" - -"Just us, a couple of dogs, and no gun, against a bear? No, thank you!" -exclaimed Dumplin'. - -"Well, I don't live in Oregon," Bennie replied, "but I know that when a -bear is treed by a dog, he stays up the tree. Anyhow, I'm going to take -a chance. You can stay here alone, if you want to. I'm going to see that -old bear. That's what we came here for." - -He got up and untethered his horse, climbing stiffly and with a groan -into the saddle. Spider followed him. - -"Oh, well, if you go, I'm going--if I can ever get aboard that beast," -said Dumplin'. "Gee, he's about a thousand feet high!" - -Bennie led the way toward the sound of the barking, which was still in -one place, but not so loud now, and very hoarse. They had three ravines -to cross, but in their excitement they didn't think about the fresh -tears and scratches. In fifteen minutes they came very near the sound of -the barking. A moment later they broke up out of a lodge-pole thicket to -find old Ben running 'round and 'round the trunk of a huge yellow pine, -his bark almost gone, like the voice of a man who has been making too -many speeches, nothing much left but a hoarse whisper, while Cap was -standing with his front paws up the trunk as high as he could reach. - -The boys looked up the tree and gave a wild yell, while old Ben, seeing -them there, sprang at the tree with renewed life, as if he were trying -to climb it, too, to show them he really wasn't winded after all. Far -up, sixty or seventy-five feet from the ground, in the crotch of the -first big limb, lay a black bear. His forepaws were hugging the limb, -his head was poked over, his tongue kept hanging out, and they could see -his little eyes looking at them. Since they had no gun, he was perfectly -safe as long as he cared to sit there, and he appeared to know it. - -"There's nothing for us to do but wait for the rest," said Bennie. -"Golly, he's a big bear! I wonder what he weighs?" - -"I hope he stays where he is," Dumplin' put in. - -"Come on, let's tie our horses and sit down and wait. Oh, boy, we beat -the others to the bear!" - -"No, sir, I sit here. My horse can go faster'n I can. Two dogs aren't -big enough, all alone, to tackle that bear if he starts coming down." - -"Maybe you're right at that," Bennie admitted. "But, say, we've sure got -one on the rest when they show up! We'll tell 'em we kept right on old -Ben's heels, and beat 'em to it!" - -"We'll tell 'em so," Spider grinned. "But if you think you can put it -over on Mr. Vreeland you've got another guess coming." - -So they attempted to sit on their horses near the tree, but the horses -had something to say about that. Some downward current of air brought a -sudden bear scent to them, and they began to rear and back and wheel, so -that all three boys jumped off as quickly as they could, and led the -twitching animals a long way down the slope and tied them. They hadn't -realized before how much a horse fears the smell of bear. - -"I nearly got spilled before I could get my foot out of the stirrup," -Bennie said. "Thought I was a goner for a minute." - -"Me too," said Dumplin'. "This isn't so much fun as it's cracked up to -be. Gee, I wish I knew how to ride the way Mr. Vreeland does! He'd just -have _made_ his horse stand still." - -As they were walking back they heard at last the bay of the other two -dogs, and then the far-off sound of a horse crashing through -lodge-poles. In two minutes the other dogs joined Ben in a dance below -the big tree, and in two minutes more Mr. Vreeland and Tom rode up. -Behind them, down the mountain, could be heard Pep's and Mr. Stone's and -the doctor's horses. - -Mr. Vreeland didn't see the boys at first, because they hid behind some -bushes. - -"Are the doctor and the camera man behind?" they heard him ask Tom. "Too -bad the kids had to drop out. We'll have to go hunting for them after -Mr. Bear's disposed of. They're wandering around lost, I suppose." - -"Is that so?" cried the boys, jumping up from behind the bush. - -"Well, I'm darned!" Mr. Vreeland exclaimed. "How did you get here? -Where's your horses?" - -"Down the slope--tied," said Bennie. "We kept right on old Ben's heels. -How'd you lose the trail? Get off on a false scent? Too bad!" - -Mr. Vreeland fixed Bennie with a cool look, which had a twinkle behind -it. - -"Were you huntin' the bear, or was he huntin' you?" said he. "I used to -know a nigger down South, where I was once, who always went out behind a -fox hunt, and sat down after a bit, and waited for the fox to come -trottin' back. He'd get the fox, and the rest would get the exercise. -They had to do somethin' kind o' drastic to that nigger." - -("I told you so!" Spider laughed at Bennie. "Can't fool him.") - -"You look as if the bear caught you, too," Mr. Vreeland went on. "Did he -make those scratches with his claws? He's got nice claws." (This last as -he cast a contemplative glance up into the tree.) - -"Just the same, we beat you to the old bear, however we did it," Bennie -grinned. "Who's going to shoot him?" - -"Well, if you got here first, you can take a crack," Mr. Vreeland said. -"Wait till the camera man comes. I hear 'em now." - -A minute later the doctor and then Mr. Stone and Pep came into the -clearing. They were not torn and scratched so much as the boys, but much -more than Mr. Vreeland and Tom. And they were even more surprised to -find the boys there. However, there was no time for talk. The horses -were dancing with nervousness, the dogs were jumping against the tree, -and the hear was moving on the limb as if he contemplated climbing -higher. Mr. Stone unlimbered his camera, Spider walked off into the -woods because, he declared, he refused to see a fine animal shot in cold -blood, and Bennie, armed with a rifle, was told to fire, aiming at the -base of the brain. - -He sighted and pulled the trigger, trembling with nervousness for fear -he wouldn't make a good shot. The kick of the gun staggered him for an -instant, but as soon as he caught himself he stared into the tree, to -see the bear snarling with pain and rage, but still crouched, alive, on -the limb. - -Bennie handed the rifle hastily to his uncle. "You do it!" he cried. -"Gosh, all I've done is hurt him. I don't want to mess the poor thing up -any more." - -"Well, of all the----" Mr. Vreeland began. - -"Shoot him, Vreeland," said the doctor, sharply. "I'm no hunter." - -The old man raised his rifle, sighted it so quickly that it seemed part -of the same motion, and there was a sharp crack. The bear seemed to -spring right off the limb and fell, a black ball of fur, seventy feet to -the ground. - -The dogs were on it in a second, as its paws gave one or two feeble and -undirected swipes. Then it lay dead. The dogs were called off, and -promptly lay down, panting and exhausted. Bennie wanted to go away -somewhere and lie down, too. He felt sick. He had thought it would be -wonderful sport to kill a big bear, but now that he had pumped a bullet -into it, and then seen the creature, helpless and defenseless, come -crashing down dead out of the tree, the fun was gone. If the bear had -been attacking him, or even attacking anybody, it would be different. -But just to shoot it in cold blood, for the sake of killing something, -suddenly struck Bennie as a low down, cruel trick. He felt the way -Spider always felt. He'd never been able to understand Spider's point of -view before, but now that he had pumped a bullet into the bear, he -understood. He thought of their talk about the deer that morning by the -rim of Crater Lake. - -But Mr. Stone was calling. He'd got a fresh roll of film into his -camera, and wanted to take the whole party around the dead bear. Tom and -Mr. Vreeland propped the big brownish-black body up into a sitting -posture, Bennie stood beside it, with a gun in his hand, and Dumplin', -with a grin on his face, walked up, grasped the bear by the paw, and -shook hands with a great show of friendliness. - -"You weren't planning to do that about twenty minutes ago," came the -voice of Spider, returning to the scene. - -"Neither was the bear," Dumplin' answered. - -Tom, Mr. Vreeland and the doctor now set about skinning the carcase, -which weighed, the hunter estimated, about three hundred pounds. After -that the doctor opened the stomach. - -Bennie watched this operation for a moment, and then turned quickly -away. - -"What's the matter?" his uncle asked. - -"It--it isn't what you'd call real sweet and pretty," said Bennie. - -"You'll never make a doctor, then," said his uncle. - -"Not a bear doctor, anyhow," Bennie laughed. - -But Spider stood right by. He was intensely interested to see what the -doctor found. - -"Any evidences of a predatory diet?" he demanded. - -"Of a _what_?" said Dumplin' and Bennie. "Say, Mr. Peters, did you bring -a dictionary?" - -The doctor was looking carefully into the opened stomach. - -"As far as I can see," he answered, "this bear was living on vegetable -food, for the past day or two. No trace of bones, feathers or meat. I -should say he'd been feeding on berries." - -"Why does the government want 'em killed, then?" cried Spider. - -"Why not? What good do they do?" Mr. Vreeland cut in. "Seems to me you -boys are about the most tender-hearted people I ever stacked up against. -What do you want to do, spoil all sport?" - -"It's just as much sport hunting with a camera," Spider replied, "and a -lot more dangerous, if you aren't armed, and takes a heap more patience -and skill." - -"Yes, and what do you get?" - -"You get a picture--if you're lucky--and you leave the animal alive for -the next man to see." - -Mr. Vreeland grunted in disgust, scraped all the fat he could off the -big, heavy skin, folded it up, put it over his saddle, and called his -dogs. The boys got their horses, and the tired, hungry party rode down -the mountain, following an open ridge to the meadows, and then trotted, -lame and sore, to their camp. After a hasty meal, they rode back to the -ranch. The doctor paid Mr. Vreeland for the trip, and insisted on giving -him something for the bearskin beside, because it was his shot which -brought down the bear. Then they all stood by while Pep struggled to get -Methuselah started, and presently were out on the road again, headed for -Bend. - -Bennie sank back into the deep cushions of the motor with a huge sigh. - -"Oh, boy!" he said, "p'r'aps these cushions don't feel good! The last -five miles, my saddle was made of cast iron. I'm dead to the world." - -"How far did that bear travel before he was treed?" asked Spider. - -"I'd say he probably ran fifteen miles," said the doctor. "It was -enough, and lucky for you boys he doubled around, or you wouldn't have -seen him. I'm pretty sore and tired myself." - -"What I don't get," said Bennie, "is how Mr. Vreeland and Tom rode right -through those pine thickets without getting torn to pieces. Gee, I've -got to buy a new cap and a pair of trousers and a shirt in Bend before I -can gladden the public eye." - -"They know how," the doctor laughed. "After a while, you learn to -estimate how much room there is, as well as the horse does, and protect -yourself in advance." - -"It was an awful lot of fun," Spider continued--"all but shooting the -bear. I think it is wicked to kill off all the wild animals, when they -are harmless. Pretty soon we won't have any wild life left. The bears -_must_ be harmless, because they don't shoot 'em in the national parks, -and nobody gets hurt, and the other game is thick. Mr. Vreeland thinks -I'm chicken-hearted, I could see that. But I can't help it. It's not -because I'm chicken-hearted. It's because I love the woods and the wild -animals in 'em, and hunting with a gun strikes me as kind of silly and -wicked." - -The doctor drove in silence for a minute. Then he said, "I feel more or -less as you do. But you must remember this: Vreeland is an old man who -was brought up on the frontier. When he was a boy he had to hunt to get -fresh meat. Game was as thick as huckleberries then. There were even -grizzlies here in Oregon. It seems perfectly natural to him, and he -can't understand why eastern people, or any people, shouldn't want to -hunt. He can't understand the word _conservation_ at all. But you young -fellows, who are born later, into a world where most of the game has -been killed off, and most of the forest cut down, don't want to see less -wild animals and less woods--you want to see more. Your point of view is -just the opposite of his. Conservation has got to be preached and -practised by the young chaps. The old fellows don't understand it. They -think a man is afraid, or chicken-hearted, if he won't shoot a wild -animal. That's why I want to see the Boy Scouts learn all about -conservation, and help in the good work." - -"You bet!" said Bennie. "When that old bear kind of looked at me and -groaned, when I hit him, something turned over in the pit of my tummie. -I guess he had as good a right to live as I have. But I'll sure need his -old skin to cover me, if the stores are closed when we get to Bend. I -got to have some new pants." - -"It's Saturday. They'll be open all the evening," Uncle Billy laughed. - -All three of the boys had to buy new khaki breeches when they reached -Bend, and new flannel shirts, and Bennie had to get a cap. The doctor -gave them some salve and plaster for their cuts and scratches, and after -a bath they were ready to eat everything the waitress brought to the -table. - -"And now," said Mr. Stone, after dinner, "shall we all go to the -movies?" - -Dumplin' gave his father one look of scorn. - -"Bed!" he groaned. - -"Bed!" said Bennie. - -"Bed!" said Spider. - -But Pep, who had stayed to dinner with them, said, "I've got to hunt up -the editor of the _Star_, and tell him about this hunt--good story--more -advertising for Bend." - -"Don't forget to tell him how the three brave boys, alone and unarmed, -got to the bear long before the skilled hunters," said Bennie. - -"I'll tell him _exactly_ how they did it," Pep laughed, as he said good -night. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - Bennie Achieves a Dog, and the Party Puts Out a Forest Fire - - -The next day, Sunday, they stayed in Bend, and, to tell the truth, the -boys were just as well pleased. They were all three sore and stiff. -Dumplin' had a cut on his knee, Spider's shoulder ached where a dead -pine limb had torn both his shirt and his skin, and Bennie had three big -black and blue bruises on his legs. The two scouts spent most of the day -writing letters home, and also writing up the account of their long hike -at Crater Lake, to Mount Scott, as part of the examination for a merit -badge in hiking. Spider also studied his government pamphlet on Oregon -trees, which he had bought at the Crater Lake Inn. Uncle Billy said that -when they got into the heart of the Cascades they would encounter a -great number of different kinds of trees, and Spider was determined to -identify them. - -While they were busy with this, Uncle Billy was busy at the telephone, -arranging with a man who lived at Sisters, a little town nearer the -mountains, to meet them Monday morning with a pack train, and take them -in to Mount Jefferson. - -"I don't know whether we are going to get to Mount Jefferson or not," -the doctor said at luncheon. "Norman tells me the snow up here was even -heavier last winter than it was at Crater Lake. He says he tried to get -over the Divide to Jefferson yesterday, by the short way, and the snow -blocked him. We'll have to go in past Marion Lake. That'll take three -days, and maybe we won't get there that way. I certainly never knew so -much snow at this time of year." - -He was wiping the perspiration off his forehead as he spoke, which made -everybody laugh. But they could look out of the big plate glass window -at the west end of the dining-room and see, fifty miles away, the -white-clad summits of the Three Sisters, three big mountains side by -side, shining in the sun. - -"Are we going to be on horseback all this trip to Jefferson?" Dumplin' -asked plaintively. - -"You can walk if you want to," his father smiled. - -"I feel now as if I'd have to," Dumplin' sighed. "Wish they made -pneumatic saddles." - -That afternoon, between trips to the garage to pack the cars, and trips -to the drug store to buy Spider a note-book for his tree observations, -and to get ice cream sodas, Bennie acquired a dog. Maybe it would be -more truthful to say that the dog acquired Bennie. He was a young dog, -hardly more than a puppy, one of those very small collies which the -western sheep men use in herding their flocks. Dumplin' called him a -half portion dog. The poor little chap had evidently lost his master, or -else he had wandered away from home. He didn't seem to worry much, -however. What he was plainly looking for was somebody, anybody, who -would be kind to him. He trotted up and down the street, following -different people and trying to attract their attention. - -The second time Bennie saw him, he said, "I don't believe that dog's got -a master. He's looking for a kind home. Come here, Towser." - -He whistled to the pup, and the dog came bounding up to him, tail -wagging madly, and crouched puppy fashion at his feet. When Bennie -stooped to pat him, he sprang up, put his forepaws on the scout's chest, -and tried to lick his face. - -"Gosh, you nice little mutt!" Bennie exclaimed. "I sure like dogs, and -you're a regular dog." - -To this the dog replied with a whine of joy, and from that moment he -clung to Bennie like a brother. - -"Now you got him, what you going to do with him?" Spider asked, as the -pup bounded along beside them, fairly shaking with delight, as his tail -switched back and forth. - -"Dunno. Get him some grub first, I guess. He looks awful thin." - -Bennie went around to the hotel kitchen and begged some meat scraps, -which the pup devoured greedily. After that, he tried to follow Bennie -into the hotel. No dogs were allowed inside, however. - -"I guess he'll go away now," Bennie said, shutting the door in the poor -dog's face. - -But when they came out from dinner the dog was still lying in front of -the door, and as Bennie went out to the sidewalk he leaped upon him, -trying to lick his face. He settled down on the door-mat when the boys -went in for the night, and the last thing they saw was his face looking -in at them through the screen, his eyes reproachful and sad at being -left out. - -And when they came down at six in the morning, he was still there! At -sight of Bennie, he emitted a glad yelp and began scratching at the -door. - -"Say, that pup is certainly fond of me," Bennie said, going out and -petting it. "Can't I take him along, Uncle Billy?" - -"Not a chance," the doctor answered. "We've got troubles enough. -Besides, he probably belongs to somebody here in Bend. He'll go home -when we've gone." - -When they were putting the last of the baggage into the cars in front of -the hotel the dog leaped into the doctor's car and sat on the driver's -seat, wagging his tail furiously, as much as to say, "Well, well, I'm -all ready to start; hurry up!" - -He had to be put out three times before the cars were ready. When the -order came to start, Bennie hugged him hard, while the pup licked at his -face. - -"Good-bye, you little mutt, you," said he. "If my uncle wasn't a -flinty-hearted old thing, we'd take you along." - -Then Bennie climbed over into the car, and they were off for Mount -Jefferson. They ran north out of Bend, and then turned west, toward the -distant mountains. In the early morning light, clear as a bell, they -could see the snow-clad peaks rising against the sky, all the way from -the Three Sisters in front of them to Mount Hood, a hundred miles to the -north. More than fifty miles away, northwestward, rose the sharp, -glittering white pyramid of Mount Jefferson, their objective. It was -their first sight of it, and the doctor slowed down the car so they -could have a good look. - -And as he did so, they heard a little yip beside the car--and there was -the pup, his tongue hanging out, his chest heaving, but his eyes fixed -on Bennie in triumph! - -"Oh, Uncle Billy, the poor little mutt!" Bennie cried. "Some speed, I'll -say. He's going to follow us till he runs his head off. Can't I take him -in?" - -The words were hardly out of his mouth, and the doctor had no time to -reply, before the pup, with one spring, landed in Bennie's lap. - -"Looks as if you _had_ taken him in," the doctor grinned. "Well, let him -stay now. But you'll have to feed him out of your own rations. We can't -pack food for a dog." - -The dog, with wiggles of his tail and body that expressed his joy as -plainly as any words could, snuggled down in Bennie's lap and tried to -lick him. - -"What are you going to name him?" Dumplin' called out from the other -car. - -"I guess his name is Mutt," Bennie laughed. - -"Seeing's how we are going to Jefferson, better call him Jeff," Dumplin' -retorted. - -"Jeff it is," Bennie answered, grinning at the joke. "Good old Jeff! I -bet he's a good dog. I bet he can round up a flock of sheep. I'm going -to take him home when we go." - -"How pleased your mother will be," said his uncle. - -The cars started up again now, and they rode for almost fifty miles -northwestward, getting presently into the yellow pine forests and then -the foot-hills, so that Jefferson disappeared entirely from view. At -last the doctor turned his car down a side road, and stopped in front of -a small house, all by itself in a forest clearing beside a lovely little -river. Opposite this house was a barn, and in the barnyard was a herd of -horses. - -"Allingham Ranger Station! All out! Far as we go!" cried the doctor. -"Hello, Norman!" - -This last he shouted to a stocky young man, in khaki riding breeches and -leather leggings, who was standing by the barn. - -Norman was to be their guide. The horses were his. With him he had two -more men, one to take care of the horses and one to cook. That made -eight saddle horses needed for the party. There were eight more pack -horses to carry the luggage. Although it was only 9:30 o'clock, it took -them till almost one to get the cars unloaded, and the tents, dunnage -bags, sleeping bags, provisions, cameras, alpenstocks, and so on, packed -on the eight horses. Bennie and Spider were of little use in this -packing process, because they knew nothing about it. They brought the -stuff to be packed to Norman and his two helpers, and watched them stow -it across the pack saddles, stretch a canvas over, and then throw a long -rope over the heap and under the horse's belly, back and forth several -times, till, when it was finally hauled taut and tied, it made a large -diamond-shaped design of the load, and held it firmly on. - -"Say, that's a complicated process," said Spider. "I can tie most knots -after I've seen somebody do it, but I couldn't do that." - -"It takes some practice to throw a diamond hitch," Norman laughed. -"Well, let's saddle our old cayuses now." - -The eight riding horses were saddled, the boys each attending to his own -nag. But Norman inspected the saddles before they mounted, and tightened -the girths. - -"Now, adjust your stirrups," he said. "Don't have them too short. Two -fingers between you and the saddle when you stand up is enough. We're -not going to ride in Central Park this afternoon." - -"Where are we going to ride, by the way?" the doctor asked. "Any chance -of getting into Jefferson Park?" - -"Not a chance," said Norman. "We can't even get in to Hunt's Cove -direct, as I 'phoned you. We've got to detour around by Marion Lake. Too -much snow." - -"Hope he knows where all those places are," whispered Bennie. - -"But can we climb Jefferson from Hunt's Cove?" the doctor asked. "Has -anybody ever done it?" - -"Never heard of anybody. But we can have a look." - -"Why can't you climb it from Hunt's Cove--wherever that is?" Bennie -asked. - -"Maybe you can," Norman replied. "But it's no picnic. Wait till you -see." - -"Well, I've been hearing about all this snow," Bennie grinned, wiping -the sweat from his forehead, "for two days. I'd like to see some right -now." - -"Give us time," Norman smiled. "And now we're off. We've got fifteen -miles to make before dark." - -"But how about lunch?" Dumplin' suddenly demanded. - -"Marion Lake before dark!" Norman answered. "No lunch." - -Dumplin' groaned. - -"It'll help you reduce, Dump," Bennie taunted. "Gidup, Dobbin! Oh, gee, -where's poor little Jeff?" And he began to whistle. - -Jeff appeared with a loud yelp from the side of the stream, where he had -evidently been cooling himself. Shaking off the water, he dashed ahead -of the procession of sixteen horses, barking madly, and the march for -Jefferson began. - -The trail lay through a thick yellow pine forest. This was a United -States government forest, so that the fire had been kept out and the -little pines were everywhere coming up under the old ones, much to -Spider's delight. But the trail itself was dry and dusty, and their -noses soon smarted, their throats were dry. With the loaded pack horses, -they could not trot, but plodded on in single file, the dust rising in -clouds behind them. - -They had been traveling perhaps an hour when Norman, riding ahead, -suddenly pulled up his horse, and Bennie, just behind him, saw him -sniff. - -"What's the matter?" the scout asked. - -"I smell smoke," Norman answered. Then he looked at the dust cloud -behind to see which way it was moving. - -"We are going into the wind. Must be ahead," he said. "You come on with -me. Let your uncle lead the train." - -He kicked his horse and dashed up the trail. Bennie kicked his horse, -and dashed after him, not at all sure that he could keep his saddle. -Strangely enough, though, he found it easier to gallop than to trot, and -found himself falling into the motion of the horse. - -A quarter of a mile up the trail the smell of smoke was plain. Over a -knoll they dashed, and they saw smoke in the forest ahead. A moment -later they heard the crackle, and then they were on the fire. It was a -small one as yet, evidently just under way, but it was licking savagely -into the small trees and the dead stuff, all dry as tinder or else full -of inflammable pitch. And the flames were moving toward them! - -Norman wheeled. "Go back!" he yelled. "Stop the train where it is, and -tell Joe to stay with the horses while the rest bring up all the axes, -and that camp spade in my pack. Then you go back as fast as you can to -the Ranger Station and tell the ranger. If he isn't there, find him!" - -Bennie wheeled his horse, and dashed back. He gave the message to the -rest, and kept on. Both he and his horse were panting, drenched with -sweat and thick with dust, when he reached the Ranger Station again. The -ranger was there, as good luck would have it. While Bennie watered his -horse, he telephoned for help; then he saddled and galloped up the -trail, with Bennie behind him, but some way behind, for Bennie's horse -was getting weary. - -When Bennie reached the pack train, Joe, the cook, had all the horses -lined up facing back toward the station, ready to retreat if the fire -came nearer. Everybody else had gone to fight the flames. So Bennie left -his horse, too, and with stiff, aching legs, ran up the trail. As he -drew near the scene, he could see, between him and the flames that were -still confined to the smaller trees and the stuff on the forest floor, -five men and two boys working like mad. Norman was digging a little -ditch, while the rest, with axes and scout hatchets, were chopping down -the small trees to make an open lane several feet wide. They had this -lane and ditch cut across the direct path of the fire, and were swinging -it around on each end, as if they were going to enclose the flames in a -big ring. Bennie grabbed a hatchet, and went madly to work with the -rest. - -Nobody was wasting any breath talking. The fire was coming nearer all -the time, and the nearer it came the hotter they grew. But when, in the -centre, it reached the lane and ditch--and stopped, they gave a loud -cheer, and worked all the harder to get around the two sides before it -could spread out. - -"If only the wind won't change!" the ranger did say, breathlessly, and -then stooped to his work. - -It is doubtful if they could have outflanked the fire, however, with -only eight pairs of hands, if help had not arrived. Half a dozen men -came galloping up, their horses rearing and snorting at sight of the -flames, and leaped off with spades and axes. With this new, fresh help, -the fire was outflanked on the two sides, and as it moved more slowly -back against the slight wind, they were able to get it under control. - -When the danger was over, they paused, wiped their hot, dripping, dirty -faces, and looked at the burned area. - -It was hardly more than an acre in extent, but an acre, as Bennie said, -is quite enough to dig a ditch around in a hurry, without proper tools. - -"Thank the Lord it's no more," the ranger declared. "If you hadn't -spotted it when you did, it would have worked down into those thicker -pines over the knoll, and then we'd have been in for a real overhead -fire, and no mistake. Once in there it would jump up into the big -fellows." - -"What I want to know is, what started it?" said Mr. Stone. - -"Party went in ahead of you this morning, to fish at Marion Lake," said -the ranger. "Cigarette, probably. Idiots! Snoop around there, Norman, -and see what you can discover tonight. I'll be over in the morning -myself. I want to stick by here tonight and make sure this doesn't blow -up again. Well, boys, Uncle Sam is grateful to you, all right!" - -They went back to the pack train, and then resumed their journey, -crossing the black, smoking patch of the fire, and waving good-bye to -the ranger and his helpers. - -"Well, there are two precious hours gone," Norman growled. "We'll have -to make camp in the dark." - -"But we stopped a bad fire," said Bennie. "Aren't you glad?" - -"Sure, I'm glad. But I hate to camp in the dark. Get up!" - -He kicked his horse, and all the train behind picked up to a faster -pace. They didn't hold it long, though, for the trail began to go -up-hill presently, and the character of the forest to change. Instead of -the big yellow pines, the path rose into a forest of smaller trees of -many kinds, and shrubs, too. Spider did his best to pull off specimens -of the foliage or needles as he rode past, so he could identify them. -The guide would not let them stop. - -Even at the top of the pass they were still in the forest, and could get -no outlook. But as the trail grew level again, on the pass, they ran -into snow-drifts and pools of water just melted. It was the first sign -of anything cool that day. Over the pass the trail began to descend into -a wild forest of big evergreens, and for the next few weary miles -Bennie, for one, had little idea of where they went. He was dizzy from -lack of food and his exertions in the heat, and he was so saddle sore -that he had to keep shifting his weight to try to ease the stiffness. -His bones and his head both ached. It was getting dark in the forest, -too, whenever they had to go down into the bottom of a ravine. Nobody -was saying a word, except, the horse rustler, who kept yelling at the -pack horses to make them hurry. - -At last, when it seemed as if he couldn't stand his saddle another -minute, and when it was so dark in the deep, damp woods that Norman was -almost invisible at the head of the train, they heard him call, "Turn -left," and followed him down a side trail, so dim they would never have -detected it in the dark. - -A moment later there was light ahead, and they were on the shore of -Marion Lake! The woods went right down to the water. There was no beach. -The lake itself was a good-sized pond, perhaps a mile long, and across -it rose up the snow-draped, needle-pointed spires of Three Fingered -Jack, nearly 8,000 feet high. Nobody looked at the view, however; there -was no time. The boys got out the tents and sleeping bags, the cook set -up the stove and prepared food by lantern light. The doctor and Mr. -Stone rustled wood. Norman and the helper took the horses off in the -darkness to find a bit of open pasturage if they could. For half an -hour, weary as they were, everybody worked like mad. And then, dirty as -they were, they all rushed to the stove at the cry of "Come and get it!" - -"I was never so hungry in my life," Bennie said. - -"I ain't hungry any more," Dumplin' replied. "I was three hours ago, but -now I'm past caring. I'm just a vacuum." - -"Stomach or head?" his father asked. - -The food had been cooked in a hurry, but nobody cared. Eating by lantern -light and the glow from the stove door, they gobbled the bacon and -swallowed the coffee in eager gulps. - -"Glad Ma can't see my table manners now!" Spider remarked, his mouth -full. - -When the meal was over Norman went off again through the trees to see if -he could find the camp of the fishermen who possibly set the fire, and -the rest lay on their backs by the water, discussing the exciting day. -Norman came back to report that three men were camping around a -headland, and he suspected one of them must have thrown away a -cigarette, though they denied it. - -"And to think," said the doctor, "that if we hadn't come along, the fire -might have got a headway and burned thousands of acres, just because one -man didn't have sense enough not to throw a cigarette butt into the -brush! Some folks ought not to be allowed in the woods." - -"Well, me for a bath and bed," said Mr. Stone. "I don't know which I -need more." - -The full moon was rising behind Three Fingered Jack when they all jumped -into the lake, which was surprisingly shallow near shore, and had a good -bath. Then they climbed wearily into their tents, and in two minutes -they were in bed. But no sooner had they got snuggled down in the dark -than there came a yell from the doctor. - -"Here, get up, Bennie, and take that pup out of here! He's licking my -face!" - -"Oh, gee, he's all wet, and he's shaking himself on me," from Spider. - -"Aw, let him sleep at my feet, Uncle Billy," from Bennie. - -"No, sir; he'll hunt fleas in the night. I want a good sleep. You get up -and take him outside!" - -So poor Bennie got stiffly up again, and led Jeff out of the tent, -making him a little bed out of a canvas pack cover by the flap. Jeff -curled up contentedly, with a good-night lick and whimper, and Bennie -went back. - -Already he could hear Spider breathing hard, and in one minute he, too, -had dropped off like a soldier after a battle. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - The Pack Train Has to Toboggan Into Hunt's Cove, and Bennie Puts - "Action" Into It - - -The next morning Bennie expected to be sore and stiff, but somehow he -wasn't. He felt fine. The day began at sun-up with a plunge in the lake, -and then an early start, because the horses hadn't had enough to eat, -and Norman wanted to get to pasturage. It was a wonderful day for -Spider. They were now on the western side of the Cascade Divide, the -side on which the rain and snow falls all winter, so that the woods, -instead of being dry, were as rich and dark and damp as an Adirondack -forest. The yellow pines had vanished, but in their place were great -cedars, and stands of Douglas fir trees bigger even than those on the -way to Crater Lake. About the middle of the morning they picked their -way down a steep, broken, rocky trail into a canon, and at the bottom -they rode for a long way through a forest of fir trees so big that when -anybody rode around one, both horse and rider vanished from sight! These -trees rose 150 feet without a limb, straight as masts, and they were -over 200 feet tall. - -"Some shrubs!" cried Bennie. "My neck's nearly broken trying to see the -tops of 'em." - -"How'd you like to shin up one, Bennie?" Mr. Stone called. - -"I'd rather shin up it than saw it into wood for the stove," Bennie -answered. - -"Who owns these trees?" asked Spider. - -"Your Uncle Sam," Norman called back. - -"I'm glad of that. I hope they're never cut down. I wish everybody in -America could see them, and know what trees are!" - -"A lot of people in America would think they were dead before they could -get here," Uncle Billy laughed. "We are some ways from civilization, -Spider." - -At noon they came to a natural meadow, and pastured the horses for two -hours, while they themselves ate lunch. Then they pushed on. Late in the -afternoon, when the boys were getting saddle sore and weary again, and -everybody was hot and sweaty, Norman suddenly turned up the side of the -canon, by a dim trail through the bushes (there were few trees on this -slope, due to an old fire). The trail was very steep, the horses sweated -and panted, the pack horses had to be tugged and driven. For an hour -they climbed, with frequent rests for breath, until the forests lay -below them and the tumbled canons, and they came into an open pasture -near sunset time, a pasture full of glorious red and blue wild flowers -and rich grass. They crossed this toward the east, still climbing, and -suddenly came up over a crest into a second pasture, which was even -fuller of flowers, and was the top of the mountain they had been -climbing. But that wasn't what made them pull up their horses and shout. - -What made them do that was what they saw apparently only two or three -miles eastward--the great white pyramid of Mount Jefferson, covered with -cold, glittering snow, rising up and up against the sky, its summit -needle flushed pink with sunset! It was a beautiful sight, but it was a -tremendous sight, too. The mountain looked immense, terrific. - -Bennie sobered after his first shout. - -"Do you mean to say we are going to climb _that_?" he demanded. - -"Surely," his uncle smiled. - -Bennie, for once, made no reply whatever. - -They went into camp immediately, above a big, fine spring on a slope of -the meadow, which is called Minto Pasture. The horses were unsaddled and -unloaded, hobbled, and sent out to graze their fill. Tents were strung -between some trees on the edge of the big natural clearing. Dry wood was -gathered, and supper got under way. They were more than 5,000 feet up -here, and the minute the sun set it grew very cold, with a strong, -bitter wind blowing down from the snow-draped mountain. There were -snow-drifts in the woods beyond the spring. Everybody got into sweaters, -and huddled around the boiling coffee-pot. Even Jeff snuggled up close -to Bennie--but that might have been because he was hungry and was -looking for food. - -He got the scrapings from all the dishes, and the last batch of -pancakes, which nobody else had room for, and then went bounding off -again, barking and wheeling amid the grass and flowers. - -"Great dog, that!" Bennie declared. - -"Well, here come some cattle. Let's see how good a dog he is," Norman -grinned, pointing up the pasture. - -Sure enough, a herd of cattle, turned out to range wild during the -summer, was breaking out of the woods. - -"They'll be around all night, and walk all over camp, and get into the -spring, if we don't chase 'em off," Norman went on. "Sic your sheep dog -on 'em, Bennie." - -Bennie whistled to Jeff, and then pointed to the cattle. - -"Sic 'em, Jeff! Drive 'em away!" he said. - -Jeff gave a yelp, jumped madly around in a circle--and then ran barking -loudly directly toward a bird sitting in a low tree, singing its evening -song! - -"Yes, that's a great dog," remarked Uncle Billy. - -"He certainly knows how to herd up cattle," Norman added. - -"Maybe he's a bird dog, Bennie," said Spider. - -"I know what he is," Dumplin' grinned. "He's a Chickadee hound!" - -"Aw, you make me sick," Bennie retorted. "Just 'cause he's a pup, and -hasn't been trained yet. Come here, Jeff. Bite 'em!" - -Jeff came back, as proudly as if he had herded the cattle instead of -scaring one small bird, and once more he had to be put out of the tent, -after everybody had got nicely to sleep. - -The next morning the thermometer, which the doctor carried in a case -with his aneroid barometer, registered only 38 at five o'clock. -Everybody was glad to pile out and hustle around striking camp, to get -warmed up for breakfast. - -"Now, gentlemen, we've got our work cut out for us," said Norman, when -they were ready to start. "Everything has been a picnic so far, but now -we are going to run into the snow. I don't know whether we can make -Hunt's Cove or not. It will depend on how good sports you are." - -"If the last two days have been a picnic, I don't know whether I want to -see your idea of working," said Bennie. - -"Afraid?" - -"Afraid, your grandmother. But I sure am sorry for poor old Dobbin," -Bennie retorted. - -Old Jefferson, which looked so near, wasn't so near as it looked, of -course. Mountains never are. They descended gradually from Minto -Pasture, through a "ghost forest" for two or three miles. A ghost forest -is a forest which has been burned, without consuming the standing -trunks. There the trees stood, thousands of them, but ghostly gray and -dead--not a live branch, not a needle. Beyond this forest, they came out -on a great plateau three miles wide, which was bare of everything except -low bushes, wild flowers, a few snow-drifts and lava heaps, and a tiny -brown tarn of water. The fire had done its work thoroughly here. - -"Grizzly Flats, they call this," Norman said. "But I guess it's been a -long time since any grizzlies were seen here." - -"What a fire this must have been!" Spider was saying, when Bennie -suddenly cried, "Sh!" - -"What is it?" - -"Somebody's following us over the trail on a motorcycle," he answered. -"Don't you hear?" - -It certainly sounded that way. Far off they heard the roaring buzz of an -unmuffled engine. - -"An aeroplane!" Spider exclaimed. - -They halted, listening and watching. A moment later, flying fairly low, -the plane came over Minto Mountain behind them, and swept toward Grizzly -Flats. As if he saw them, and wanted to tell them so, the aviator -swooped a bit over their heads, then rose again, banked against the -white wall of Jefferson, and swung off to the north. - -"_What_ is he doing here?" the boys exclaimed. - -"It's one of the new aeroplane forest patrol," Norman said. "They go out -every day now, in the dry season, to spot fires. We haven't had a bad -fire--not one of the old-fashioned big blazes, since they started in. -They can get up and see into all the canons, everywhere, every day, and -get back with the tip in no time." - -"But what would they do if they had to land?" asked Spider. - -"I guess it's up to them not to have to land," Norman answered. "I don't -want the job--but it's a great work, just the same." - -"Well, I'll say war isn't the only risky thing," put in Bennie. "That -guy ought to have a medal for flying over this country every day." - -The plane had disappeared. They pushed on, and soon found themselves at -the edge of Grizzly Flats. Right below them the land dropped at an angle -of fifty or sixty degrees for a thousand feet, into a deep hole. -Directly across this hole it went up again, and up and up and up, for -the other side was Mount Jefferson. They were only a mile from the wall -of the mountain, but for all they could see, they might as well have -been a hundred miles. It looked quite impossible to take horses down -that slope. To the right and left were dense woods which the fire hadn't -burned, and these woods were full of snow. The hole below them, called -Hunt's Cove, was carpeted with snow. The great pyramid of Jefferson -opposite them was blinding white with snow. - -"You wait here," said Norman, "while I prospect." - -He went off to the south, into the woods, and they saw his horse -climbing up over the drifts. Uncle Billy got out his field-glasses, lay -on his stomach with his elbows firmly on the ground at the rim of the -precipice, and began a long, careful study of the slopes of Mount -Jefferson. He was very grave about it, and didn't say a word, except now -and then in a low voice to Dumplin's father. The three boys wandered -along the rim, wondering how Norman was going to find a way down. They -couldn't see any trace of a trail. Wherever the slope was enough off the -perpendicular to hold a trail, it was covered with snow. - -Norman didn't return for nearly an hour. When he finally came back, he -said, "Well, I think I've found a way, if you care to risk it. I'll risk -the horses." - -"As bad as that, eh?" the doctor replied. "Well, if you'll try it, we -will. I think I've found a way up the mountain, too, though I don't like -the looks of certain rock slides down that big west snow-field." - -"But why do we go on the big west snow-field?" the boys asked. "Looks as -if we could just go right up the southwest shoulder." - -"Look sharp at the summit pinnacle, Bennie," the doctor said, handing -him the glasses. - -Bennie looked. All he said was "Wow!" and passed them to Dumplin'. - -"Do we climb _that_?" Dumplin' demanded. - -"We do, if we get to the top of Jefferson," the doctor answered. "You -see, that top peak, or pinnacle, is absolutely straight up and down. -It's just a slab of lava set up on edge and covered with snow and ice. -The only place it can possibly be climbed is on the northern end, so -we've got to get around to the northern end. My plan is to go up from -Hunt's Cove by the southwest spur to the 7,000-foot level, where the -permanent snow begins, then traverse the big west snow-field and get up -on that first northwest shoulder, which apparently leads us right up to -the north end of the pinnacle. It looks possible. Well, Norman, we're -ready." - -Norman led the way southward into the woods at the rim of the Cove. As -soon as they were in the deep shadows of the evergreens, they were on -snow, and deep snow. Some drifts were still as much as ten feet deep, -and so hard that the horses barely sank over their hoofs. - -"The trail is somewhere underneath us," Norman called back. - -He traveled for almost a mile above the rim, and then led the way over. -By zigzagging through the woods, on the steeply pitched snow, they were -able to ride about half the way down. Then he called for them all to -dismount. - -"Want to get a good motion picture, Mr. Stone?" he asked. - -"Sure." - -The big camera was unpacked, and Norman and Mr. Stone disappeared with -it, down the steep pitch ahead. Ten minutes later Norman came back. - -"Now," said he, "each man lead his horse. Keep as far away from him as -you can, and jump fast, or he'll step on you. Go in single file, and Joe -and Bill you go last and drive the pack horses ahead of you. Come -on--follow me." - -They pitched down a few feet through the evergreens, and came to the top -of a long, straight, open chute, like a ski run cut in the woods, -covered deep with snow, and descending 500 feet to the very bottom of -Hunt's Cove. It was evidently the path of an old landslide. Part way -down, at one side, Mr. Stone had set up his camera, and was ready to -shoot them as they went past him. - -"Ready? Go!" cried Norman, and over the edge he went, dragging his -horse. - -Bennie followed, and Spider and Dumplin' and the doctor, and the pack -horses, and the rest, in single file. Two jumps, and you were speeding -up. Three jumps, and the horses were going ten feet at a plunge, -snorting and slipping and sometimes going through the snow to their -bellies, and the boys, ahead of them, were leaping from side to side -madly to keep out of the way of their iron-shod, plunging hoofs. - -As he passed the camera, Bennie heard the crank grinding, and the -laughing voice of Mr. Stone crying, "More action, Bennie!" - -Bennie was about to make some reply, when his foot slipped, and he -turned a superb somersault, and only was stopped from rolling the rest -of the way to the bottom because he kept hold of his horse's bridle. - -It was all over in two minutes, but it was certainly lively while it -lasted. Then all the horses, their legs wet, shivering and trembling -with nervousness, stood huddled at the foot of the chute, and Mr. Stone -was seen descending with his camera. Bennie sprang back up the slope to -get the tripod. - -"Say, that beats skiing!" he cried, "and I sure got some more action for -you, Mr. Stone." - -"You did," the man laughed. "You did! That was the best action picture I -ever took." - -They found at the bottom of Hunt's Cove a small open meadow, boggy now -with melted snow and full of white cowslips and running brooks, but -full, also, of fresh grass for the horses, and all around the meadow -deep forests of fir trees and deep drifts. Among the trees, beside a -rushing stream of ice cold water, and in a dry place between drifts, -they pitched their tents. - -There was no danger of a fire spreading here, with the snow all around, -so they built a roaring camp fire between the tents, and while the -dinner was being cooked the doctor got from his pack a box of spikes, -and they began to fix their shoes for the climb. - -Uncle Billy fixed his first, to show them how. As the heavy soles of his -boots were already studded thick with sharp hobs, he didn't have to put -in any short spikes. But into each sole, with the help of a key wrench, -he screwed eight sharp steel spikes more than an inch long, and four -more into each heel. - -"I'd hate to be catching when you tried to slide for home," Bennie said. -"Those are wicked looking hoofs!" - -"Now make yours just as wicked. And be sure you get the spikes in -straight and firm," his uncle answered. "Everything on this trip so far -has been a mere picnic to what we are going to get tomorrow. It's not -only going to be the hardest work you ever did in your life, but the -most dangerous. We can't have anything wrong with our equipment." - -Everybody who didn't already have plenty of sharp hobs in his boots also -screwed in a large number of short steel spikes, in addition to the long -ones. Then all the shoes were freshly oiled, to make them as nearly -water-proof as possible, and Uncle Billy got out the amber goggles, to -see if they were unbroken. He also produced a stick of grease paint. - -"What's that for? Are we going to act in a play?" Dumplin' asked. - -"No, but we are going to paint our faces, just the same. You'll be glad -enough of this stick before the sun sets tomorrow." - -After supper the cook made ready six small packages of lunch, for Norman -was going to make the climb, too, and the doctor wound up his alarm -clock. - -"Bed, boys!" he ordered. - -"Oh, no, not yet!" - -"Who's captain here? Bed, I said! We get up at three o'clock sharp -tomorrow morning." - -"Say, it's worse than a bear hunt," Dumplin' groaned. - -"You'll think it is, by the time we get back to camp tomorrow night," -the doctor smiled. "I have a hunch that even Bennie is going to get -enough exercise, for once." - -"Ho," said Bennie, "Uncle Billy's trying to scare us! Can I take Jeff -along, Uncle, up his own mountain?" - -"It might be a good way to get rid of him," the doctor answered. "But if -you _don't_ want to get rid of him, I advise you to tie him up in camp." - -"I wonder if Uncle Billy is trying to scare us?" Bennie whispered to -Spider as they got ready for bed. "Don't seem as if the old mountain was -so bad as all that." - -Spider was very sober. "I had a good look at it through the glasses -yesterday," he replied. "I don't mind saying right now that it's got me -scared. Remember those pictures in the book at home?" - -"You mean the old Spitzes, and things? Sure!" - -"Well, we're going to get some of that stuff ourselves tomorrow." - -"Hooray!" said Bennie. "The real thing beats a book." - -But he began to think of the pictures as he was going to sleep, pictures -of men clinging to precipices with awful depths below them, and in his -dreams he was falling, falling, falling---- - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - The First Attempt at Jefferson--Dumplin' Almost Falls to Death--the - Hardest Work the Boys Ever Did - - -He was falling into a terrible black canon where there was a loud noise -of whirling water--and he woke to hear the alarm clock buzzing. The grip -of the bad dream was still on him, and he was shivering a little, as -Uncle Billy got up and lit the lantern in the tent. It was pitch dark in -the woods outside, and still as death. But as they dressed, the three -could hear Mr. Stone and Dumplin' dressing in their tent, and then the -sound of the cook starting the breakfast fire. Those who were to make -the climb put on light shoes, for they were going to use the horses as -far as timber line. They came out of the tents wearing their heavy -sweaters, for it was bitterly cold, and washing by the brook was a very -sketchy job. Nobody even suggested a bath. - -While breakfast was cooking, they huddled around the stove. Meanwhile -the horse rustler had gone up into the open meadow to round up six -saddle horses. He was bringing them back as they ate their bacon and -drank their coffee by lantern light, still huddled around the stove. As -soon as the horses were saddled, each member of the party put his lunch -into his pack, slung a canteen over his shoulder, tied his climbing -boots over the saddle horn, took his alpenstock in his hand, like a -lance, made sure he also had his colored goggles, and mounted. - -"I feel like Sir Launcelot," cried Dumplin', tipping his alpenstock -forward, like a knight about to tilt. - -"I'd hate to tell you what you _look_ like," Bennie laughed. "Did Sir -Launcelot carry his boots on his saddle?" - -Bennie was the last one into the saddle, because he had to catch Jeff -and tie him up. "Don't let him loose till we've been gone a couple of -hours," he called back to the cook. "Don't want him to follow us and -break his neck." - -The sleepy cook grunted, and Jeff whined and moaned and tugged at his -improvised rope collar, as Bennie patted him good-bye and climbed into -the saddle. - -It was still dark in the woods as they moved out of camp, but out in the -open meadow of the cove there was a kind of gray daylight. Norman and -the doctor led the way, putting the horses across the creek, and heading -them for the steep side wall opposite the chute they had descended the -day before. - -This wall, when they came to it, was not so steep, however, as the -chute. It had once been burned over, too, so that there was no timber -except some dead, fallen stuff, and no snow. They zigzagged up it -quickly, and at the top, looking over a two-mile gentler slope of low -forest, they saw again the snow-white cone of the mountain rising up -against the sky--or, rather, they half saw it, for the white clouds were -swirling around it. - -"They'll lift with the sun," said Norman. "Don't worry." - -For the next hour, the horses plodded upward, over deep, hard snow, -packed in huge drifts under the evergreen trees, which got smaller and -smaller as they approached timber line. What had looked like an easy -slope from below turned out to be full of short but steep pitches, over -lava ledges, and if it had not been for the snow they could hardly have -taken the horses up without endless zigzagging. - -It was bright morning when they reached timber line, on the southwestern -shoulder of the mountain, but as yet the sun had not reached them, of -course, being cut off by the great bulk of the cone. They tied the -horses to the last little trees, where the poor creatures would have to -stay, without food or water, till night. Then they put on their heavy, -spiked boots, shouldered their packs, canteens and cameras, the doctor -with his coil of alpine rope, and set out for the summit above them, -around which the clouds were scudding at a tremendous pace, driven by a -strong west wind. - -"How high up are we now?" Spider asked. - -"About 7,000 feet, I should guess," the doctor answered. - -"Then we've got about 3,500 feet to climb," Spider reckoned. "That's not -as much as Mount Washington from Bretton Woods or the Crawford House. -You climb 4,200 there." - -"It's 700 feet less," said Bennie. "Gee, I'm good at arithmetic." - -"The only difference being that this is the second hardest snow climb in -the United States (excluding Alaska, of course), and we are tackling it -by a route which, so far as I know, nobody has ever tried before," the -doctor smiled. - -"What's the hardest?" Bennie asked. - -"The north side of Mount Baker in Washington, up the Roosevelt Glacier," -his uncle answered. - -"You been up there?" - -"Yes." - -"Gee, I'd like to!" - -"Suppose you do this one first," said his uncle, "and suppose you follow -me, instead of racing ahead." - -Bennie fell back into line. - -They had reached a long, upward-stretching snow-field now, which the -doctor said was the foot of permanent snow. It never melted entirely -away. It was frozen now so hard that it held them up, and the long -spikes were needed, or they would have slipped. They had to jam their -alpenstocks hard down to set them into it. It led upward for a quarter -of a mile or so, to a spine of broken, naked lava. As they climbed this -slope, they could look back into the hole of Hunt's Cove--or they could -look where the cove was. They could only see it by flashes, as it were, -because whole seas of billowing white clouds were driving in over Minto -Mountain, crossing above the cove, and hitting Jefferson just below -them. As these clouds hit, they seemed to get thinner, slid right up the -snow slope past the climbers, like white snow, and blew off into blue -space over the peak. - -Spider, who was watching them slide up the snow-fields, suddenly cried, -"Look! Look at the summit!" - -Everybody looked upward. The sun had evidently risen now, and as the -clouds reached the top of the mountain they ran into its rays. The angle -was just right to refract the rays down to the climbers, and the result -was that the summit peak of the mountain was haloed with a beautiful -rainbow. This rainbow lasted for ten minutes or more, and then the sun -got too high, and it disappeared. - -By the time they reached the lava spine, the clouds were thinner, and -the wind had died down. They were warmed up with climbing, too, and took -off their sweaters. The doctor got out the rope, and proceeded to make -six loops in it, tied with knots which couldn't slip. The loops were -about fifteen or twenty feet apart. He put the first loop under his own -arms; then came Bennie, then Dumplin', then Mr. Stone, then Spider, and -last of all, Norman. Everybody then covered his face with grease paint, -putting it especially thick on noses and lips, and donned colored -goggles. - -Then the doctor spoke. "Now, boys," he said, "from this point on you -must obey orders quickly and without question. You must do exactly what -I tell you to, and nothing else. There are two things to remember, above -everything. Number one is this,--every second man on the rope must have -his stock driven in deep and firm, with a good grip on it, when the man -in front takes his stock out to make a step, and he mustn't pull his -stock out of the snow till the man ahead has made the step and driven -_his_ stock in again. If you do that, you see, fifty per cent of us will -always be anchored, if anybody slips. If I find you cannot or will not -obey this rule, I'll stop the climb at once. The second thing is:--never -let the rope get taut between you and the next man, so it can yank -either of you, and never let it get slack enough to trip anybody. Keep -it sagging, but not dragging. Now, all set!" - -Uncle Billy spoke sternly. The boys knew he meant what he said, and that -it was serious business ahead. They followed him carefully down the -north side of the lava spine, and found themselves on a steep slope of -pumice and fine conglomerate, like a mixture of gravel and wood ashes, -hung at such a sharp angle that it just did stay there, and that was -all. It hung at what is called the angle of repose. As Uncle Billy -started out across it, to get to the snow slope beyond, Bennie noticed -that every time he put his foot down, the stuff below him started -slipping a little. Bennie looked down the mountain to see what would -happen if they started a slide and all slipped. A hundred feet below the -snow began again, and ran down for a thousand feet or more, smooth as -glass, and ended at the top of a precipice! Below that, all he could see -was a hole! Something went flipflop in the pit of his stomach at the -sight, and he looked quickly away, just in time to see that if he didn't -step out, the rope between his uncle and himself would be pulled taut. -So he had to walk ahead, on to the treacherous slope. It was exactly -like running tiddly-benders on thin ice, only instead of the danger of -going through into water was the danger of starting a landslide and -going down with it. You could feel with every step the sickening start -of the slide. - -However, everybody got across to the snow. - -"Well, I'm glad _that's_ over!" exclaimed Mr. Stone. "That conglomerate -is hung exactly at the angle of repose. One degree more tilt, and she'd -slide off into the canon. Where do we go from here?" - -The doctor pointed to the great west snow-field that lay between them -and a high shoulder, which extended toward the northwest. - -"We have to traverse that snow-field," he said. - -Everybody looked at it. Between them and it were four or five little -snow slopes, each about a hundred yards wide, and separated by ridges of -broken lava fragments. The great west snow-field itself looked to be a -quarter of a mile wide, or even more. It was practically unbroken, -except for one island of lava near the middle, looked smooth as glass, -was tilted at an angle of more than forty-five degrees, and stretched -right up to the precipice of the summit pinnacle, and right down to the -top of the precipice which dropped to the canon. If you slipped when you -were out on it, and started down, it was certain death. Bennie didn't -need to be told a second time why fifty per cent of the climbers must -have their alpenstocks driven in at every step! - -The doctor now took his scout ax out of the sheath at his belt, and -stepped out on the first snow-field. Being on the western side of the -mountain the sun had not yet touched it, of course, and even when he -drove his boot down hard, he could not make enough of an impression for -a good footing. So, holding his stock in his right hand and driving it -deep into the snow at each stride, he leaned down and with the ax in his -left hand cut out a chunk of snow--one blow inward against the slope, -and a second downward. This took out the chunk in such a way that a very -small but level step was made. He reached as far ahead as he could, and -the steps were three feet apart. - -Bennie watched him carefully, glad not to look either up or down the -terrifying slope. While his uncle was cutting, with his stock driven in, -Bennie took a step behind him and drove his stock deep. Then he waited, -clinging to it, while the doctor pulled his stock out and moved one step -ahead. As the doctor cut and moved, cut and moved, Bennie discovered -that there was a regular rhythm to it, and the only way to keep this -rhythm unbroken was to pull your stock up at the right instant--that is, -when you saw the man ahead drive his in. If you delayed doing it, you -broke the rhythm. But to pull your stock up at the right instant wasn't -so easy as it sounds. Once driven two feet deep into the packed snow, -the sharp point wedged there almost like a nail in wood. You had to pull -it out with one hand, and pull it out quickly, without stopping your -stride and above all without upsetting your balance on the tiny, icy -steps. It took muscle. It took a lot of muscle, and it strained your -back and shoulder. - -When they all were across the first snow slope, and were resting a -moment on the lava spine, Uncle Billy said, "Well, Bennie, how do you -like it so far? Getting any exercise yet?" - -"I always thought you climbed mountains with your legs," Bennie -answered. "But I feel as if I was climbing with my back and shoulder. -Gosh, it's hard work pulling that old alpenstock out!" - -"They say a good mountain climber is a combination of a weak head and a -strong back," his uncle laughed. - -"Too bad, Bennie, your back isn't very strong," said Dumplin'. - -"Well, if your back is strong, you'll be able to scale Mount Everest," -Bennie retorted. - -They moved out now across the second small snow-field, and then the -third and fourth. They were working upward a little, as well as across, -and the summit precipices grew nearer. Bennie looked up once at those -cliffs towering almost over his head, absolutely precipitous and hung -with ice--and looked quickly down again. Jefferson hadn't seemed very -hard to climb from a distance, but now that summit looked absolutely -impossible, and sure death if you tried it. He preferred to keep his -eyes on his uncle, who was methodically cutting steps across the frozen -snow. - -They rested a moment, and took a drink from the canteens, on the last -lava spine before they tackled the big snow-field. Uncle Billy looked -out across it with troubled eyes. - -"I don't like those two chutes down the centre," he said, pointing to a -couple of deep scars, like ditches, which started far up at the base of -the pinnacle cliffs, swept down the middle of the field, and only ended -at the top of the canon wall far below. - -"Nothing coming down 'em now," Norman said. "I don't believe there will -be till the sun gets around this side. It's coming down tonight that -we'll be in danger." - -"What has made them?" Spider asked. "They look like toboggan slides." - -"That's about what they are. They are made by big hunks of lava and ice -breaking off the pinnacle and sliding down, digging a chute as they go." - -"How fast do the hunks travel?" asked Dumplin'. - -"Fast enough!" Norman laughed. - -But Dumplin' didn't laugh. He looked up that terrific incline to the -ice-capped summit precipices, and said, "Do we have to cross those -chutes?" - -"We do if we want to climb Jefferson," the doctor answered. - -"Tell Mama I was a good boy," Dumplin' groaned. - -"Shut up!" said his father, sharply. "Uncle Billy knows what he's -about." - -Without further words, the doctor started out on to the big snow-field, -cutting steps as he went. Bennie followed, his arm and shoulder aching -now, his heart thumping a little in his chest as he thought of those -chutes ahead. When they reached the first one, it turned out to be about -six feet deep and eight feet wide. The sides were almost straight, and -the snow on the bottom was packed hard and smooth. - -His uncle beckoned Bennie up to him. - -"Drive in your stock," he said, "and play me out on the rope. If we hear -anything coming, take up the slack, and haul me back to you." - -He started cutting steps down the side, across the bottom, and up the -farther side. Nothing happened, and once across, he cut a good firm step -to brace his foot on, faced back toward the chute, told Dumplin' to come -up to Bennie, and then he took up the slack of rope between himself and -Bennie, while Dumplin' played out the rope behind. In this way, -everybody got across. - -"Well, that's that," said the doctor, with a sigh of relief. "Now for -the next one." - -The next chute turned out to be just about the same size, and they -crossed it slowly and cautiously, by the same method. Again nothing -happened, and soon they were at the lava island, which turned out to be -much nearer the northwest shoulder than it had looked. Here they sank -down on some firm rock to rest, and while they rested, the sun peeped -over the shoulder of the mountain south of them, and almost instantly -the snow all around leaped into a blinding dazzle. The boys, who had -taken their colored glasses off, put them hurriedly on again. - -The doctor laughed. "Not much dust up here--the snow stays clean and -reflects the light," he said. - -"Pretty soon you'll be yelling for more grease paint, too." - -When they started on again, it was boiling hot. In spite of the glasses, -their eyes began to smart, for the dazzle got in around the edges, and -their faces and necks to burn. - -"And now the real business is beginning," the doctor said, heading -directly from the lava island to the base of the northwest shoulder. - -Bennie took one look at that shoulder, and cried, "Do we climb that?" - -"Sure thing." - -"Well, if you say so, I suppose we do. But I'm no human fly." - -Ahead of them was an unbroken wall of snow, the side of a vast drift -which had blown over the shoulder. It was about three hundred feet high, -and the angle couldn't have been less than sixty-five degrees. If you -will tip a board or a ruler up to an angle of sixty-five degrees, and -then imagine that slope to be hard, icy snow crust, with a drop of two -or three thousand feet to the bottom of a canon below you, you've got -some idea of what the climbers were up against. - -But the doctor went right ahead, cutting steps. He was chopping almost -opposite his face, the slope was so steep. Bennie, watching him, had to -tip his head way back, as you would to watch a man ahead of you on a -ladder. He kept his head tipped back, too. He tried one look -downward--and no more. All he saw was the top of Dumplin's cap--and then -the white snow slope sliding away to the hole of the canon. He swallowed -hard and bit his lips, which had already begun to swell and crack. - -"I will _not_ get scared," he whispered to himself. "I will _not_ get -scared!" - -The dazzle of the snow was now right in their faces, because the slope -was so steep, and they could actually feel the reflected rays blister -their noses. Their eyes smarted, their lips were cracking. But nobody -had any time or chance to do anything about it. There was enough to do -without that. Every second man had to be absolutely sure his stock was -driven deep when the man above him took an upward step, and he had to -pull out his own stock and drive it in firmly on a level with his face -(no small muscular task) when it was his turn to take an upward step. -The doctor was cutting good, high steps, too, a couple of feet to a -rise. Bennie ached in every joint, and felt as if he were balancing on -the edge of eternity--as, indeed, he was! But he climbed grimly, -steadily, keeping the alternate rhythm with the doctor. - -There was no chance to rest here. For half an hour they crawled up. Mr. -Stone said he'd like a movie of it, but there didn't seem to be any way -to take a movie of it. It wasn't safe for anybody to get off the rope; -in fact, it would have been sheer recklessness. Bennie was never so glad -of anything in his life as he was of his uncle's call, "The top!" He -scrambled up over the edge of a great drift, and found himself on a -narrow spine of snow and lava blocks, a spine leading straight up to the -northern end of the summit pinnacle. - -When the rest were over the rim, they took off the rope, and sat down to -rest on a lava platform. The wind had died down. It was calm and -cloudless now, and there wasn't a sound in the world--not a whisper of -wind, not a bird song--nothing but the stillness of the everlasting -snows, and their own voices, which sounded strange up here, almost -startling. - -The doctor took out his instrument for measuring altitude, called an -aneroid barometer. It showed that they were over 9,000 feet. Their -watches told them it was one o'clock. - -"Wow, we've been climbing more'n nine hours since breakfast!" said -Bennie. "I wouldn't have guessed it." - -"Funny, I don't feel very hungry," said Dumplin'. - -"That is funny," his father laughed. - -"It's the funniest thing he ever said," Bennie added. "Didn't hear you -making many jokes coming up that old drift just now, Dump." - -"You won't hear me making _any_ jokes till we get down this mountain -again," Dump replied. "Gee, my lips are all cracked, and my nose feels -as big as a house, and my back aches, and my eyes smart, and I haven't -got any wind and--and----" - -He paused for breath. - -"But except for that you're feeling fine, eh?" Uncle Billy smiled. -"Well, out with the lunches, everybody. We've got to eat and be on our -way. We ought to have got here by eleven o'clock. But maybe we can go -faster now. The snow is getting soft, and I won't have to cut steps, and -the shoulder won't be very steep." - -They ate their lunches, huddled on the shady side of the lava block, to -keep out of the sun glare, put more grease paint on their lips, noses, -cheeks and necks, and set out again up the shoulder. The sun had been -shining up here for several hours, and the snow was softened. Their feet -sank ankle deep into it, in fact, and in a short distance it had soaked -through their boots so that their feet were wet and cold, while their -faces were burning. The pitch of the shoulder, too, turned out to be -much steeper than they had reckoned. Even the doctor and Norman were -fooled, old hands that they were at mountain climbing. It was so steep -that the doctor kept them roped, and it grew steeper as they toiled -slowly upward, like tiny black ants on the vast white expanse of the -mountain. It was almost three o'clock when they reached a big jagged -pyramid of lava which stuck up above the snow, just below the summit -pinnacle, and found a level spot in its lee. Here the doctor gathered -them together into a group, and pointed to the pinnacle, without at -first saying a word. - -Bennie looked up a forty-five degree slope of dazzling snow, frozen into -little wind ripples like desert sand, for two or three hundred feet, and -saw that slope end at the base of the pinnacle itself. The pinnacle, as -he could see only too plainly now, was a sheer precipice at every place -except the edge just above them. That edge--the north end, which the -shoulder they were climbing on led to, was just enough off the -perpendicular to make it a daring and desperate hazard. Even it, in some -places, looked perfectly straight up. And those places were not snow -covered, as Bennie could now see. They were just green, glistening ice! -The pinnacle rose thus for a full 300 feet, into the naked blue sky. - -Dumplin' groaned. "I can't do it," he said. "Honest, Dad, I can't do it! -I didn't say anything, but I got dizzy back on the shoulder, and my -head's aching now. Gosh, I don't want to look at it!" - -He turned quickly away. Bennie started to laugh, but stopped himself -when he saw his uncle's face. - -"Sit down, Dumplin'," the doctor said kindly. "You won't have to climb -it. Rest a bit, and don't think about it. None of us is going to climb -it." - -"Oh, why not?" Bennie exclaimed. "It doesn't look to me as if anybody -_could_ climb it, but if they have, I guess we can, with you to lead us. -Gee, think of getting this far, and stopping!" - -"How long do you think it would take us to go from here to the top?" his -uncle asked. - -"Half an hour." - -"An hour," Spider amended. - -Norman laughed, and said nothing. - -"It would take nearly two hours up, from this point, and two hours -down," said the doctor. "If you boys were all skilled climbers, and one -of you could cut the steps, we might do it in an hour and a half each -way. But I wouldn't let even Norman cut the steps on that pinnacle--he's -not done enough ice climbing. And I'm pretty well fagged already. -Besides, it's three o'clock. If we didn't get back to this spot till -seven, where do you think we'd spend the night? Want to spend it up on -these snow-fields, with soaked shoes, and no food, no fire and no -blankets?" - -"No, and I don't particularly want to go down that shoulder wall and -cross those chutes after dark, either," Norman said. "It'll be dark -before we get to the horses if we start back now." - -"Give me one shot at the pinnacle, and I'm with you," Mr. Stone said, -pointing his camera. - -Bennie and Spider turned reluctantly away. It seemed tough to get up -10,000 feet, almost to the very base of the summit pinnacle, and then -have to turn back. - -"It's like being licked, when you still have a punch left," Bennie said. - -"We were licked by daylight, not by the mountain," his uncle answered. - -The descent of the shoulder to the lava block where they had eaten -lunch, which Bennie and Spider had expected to make in rapid time, was -just as slow as the ascent. The pitch was so steep that they did not -dare to come down facing forward. They had to face up the slope, and -sink their feet into their old tracks, as you come down a ladder. - -At the lava block, Mr. Stone shifted to number one on the rope, so he -could be the first down the wall of the drift, and get a movie of the -rest. Bennie stayed at number two, Dumplin' at three, Uncle Billy took -number four place, then Spider, and finally Norman. The doctor told -them, before they started down, how to make the descent, using the steps -cut that morning. You faced sideways to the wall of snow, drove in your -stock firmly, and then sank your left foot to the lower step, got a good -footing, sank your right foot also, and then pulled out your stock and -drove it home again lower down. Everybody was cautioned to keep the -rhythm, and not to pull out his stock till the man above had made his -step and anchored again. - -When they were ready, Mr. Stone slipped over the edge, and Bennie had a -sickening feeling as he saw him disappear. When the rope was played -nearly out, Bennie started. That first step took his nerve more than -anything all day. With his stock driven into the snow at the very edge, -he had to look down to see where to place his foot, and in doing so, he -had to see past the step, fifteen feet down to the top of Mr. Stone's -hat, and then 300 feet to the bottom of the drift, and then the long, -white shoot of the snow-field to the canon hole! For one instant, -Bennie's knees shook. Then he got a brace on himself, and began slowly, -cautiously, to creep down, testing each footing before he pulled out his -stock. - -As soon as Dumplin' appeared above him, he kept an eye upward, to make -sure that his stock was always driven in when Dumplin' changed position. -And he soon found, too, that Dumplin' was coming very slowly. - -"Poor old Dump," Bennie thought, "I bet he's too fat for this kind of -work. I must be careful not to go fast, and yank the rope. Might pull -him off." - -They were about half-way down, and Bennie had just driven his stock hard -in, waiting for Dumplin' to shift, when he saw the snow under Dump's -foot beginning to cave. The step had melted since morning, and grown -weak, and the boy, besides, had got his weight too much on the very -edge. Dumplin' felt it give, too, and with a little cry tried to get his -alpenstock driven in again. - -"Dumplin's slipping! Hold him, Uncle Billy!" Bennie called. - -Even as he spoke, the step gave way, and Dumplin's alpenstock, which he -hadn't been braced to drive deep enough, gave way also. Dumplin' began -to drop! Bennie saw him coming directly down. If he kept on, he would -hit him, and both of them would go! It was a sickening instant, while -Bennie leaned in against the snow, braced both feet, and clung with both -hands to his stock. - -But Dumplin' dropped only four or five feet, and hung there, against the -slope, while Uncle Billy's voice came down, cool and steady, "Don't drop -your stock! Get your foot back on a step, Dumplin'. Keep your head!" - -It was all over so quickly that Bennie could hardly realize for a second -just what had happened. Of course, Uncle Billy had been anchored, and -when Dump slipped, he could only go the length of the slack between him -and the doctor! Bennie really knew that when he called up to his uncle. -But he had forgotten everything but his instinct to cling to his stock -when Dumplin' had actually begun to fall. He felt suddenly sick and -faint. - -Then he said to himself, "This is no place to be sick on! Get on to your -job!" - -[Illustration: Looking Across Hunt's Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line -Shows Route of Climb. Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin' Slipped.] - -He heard the doctor above and Mr. Stone below encouraging Dumplin', too, -and he knew it was up to him. - -"Some old rope, Dumplin', if it can hold you that way," he shouted. -"Come on, now, steady. I'll kick the steps out bigger so's they won't -break again." - -He kicked and packed them vigorously as he descended, and soon Mr. Stone -was at the bottom, and he was within fifteen feet of it. Mr. Stone asked -them to stop for a minute while he got out of the rope and went fifty -feet out on the traverse, and took a movie of the final stages of the -descent. - -When he got back, Dumplin' was sitting on the snow, very pale, but -grinning as cheerfully as he could. - -"Rope kind of yanked me under the arms," he said. "But I'm all right. I -won't be so dizzy now we're down. I couldn't see very well, and I guess -I didn't get my foot far enough in on the step. It was looking down got -my goat." - -The doctor and his father patted his back, and once more shifted -positions on the rope. - -"Once we get across those chutes, and it's plain sailing," Uncle Billy -said, as he prepared to start out across the big snow-field, on the -little path of steps he had cut that morning. Bennie noticed that there -was a red ring around his left hand, and realized that he had seized the -rope with a lightning twist when Dumplin' slipped, and caught the weight -that way, before the yank came on his body, and before Dumplin' could -get up speed. - -"He's some quick thinker," Bennie reflected. "Gee, I guess you have to -be, in this game." - -They were now out on the big traverse. Their morning steps were melted -out deeper and larger, and they made fairly rapid progress toward the -first chute. Nothing had come down it while they were approaching, and -nothing came as the doctor crossed. But, once on the other side, he took -his large jack-knife from his pocket, opened it, and held it ready to -cut the rope as the others crossed, for if something should come down -large enough to stick up above the sides while the rope was stretched -across the chute, it might pull them all down with it. Nothing at all -happened, however, either here or in the second big chute. Once across -the latter, Uncle Billy gave a sigh of relief. - -"Well, _that's_ over!" he said. "Now we have plain sailing." - -Hardly were the words out of his mouth when they heard a crackle and -roar far up on the pinnacle precipice. Looking quickly upward, they saw -snow powder, like white smoke, rising from the base of the cliff, and -something descending toward them, not in the chute at all, but on top of -the smooth snow! - -"Run for it!" Bennie instinctively cried, taking a step forward that -nearly yanked Dumplin' off his feet again. - -"Stop!" the doctor cried, in a sharp command. "Don't you dare give -orders again! Don't try to run! You'll have us all down. Watch it, till -we see just where it is coming, and how big it is. Let it come between -us if we have to, and if it's too big to pass under the rope, I'll cut. -Stand ready to hold the rope up, or move as I tell you to!" - -The thing was coming toward them, piling up snow in front of it. This -piling up of the snow impeded its progress and diminished its speed. It -had to push its way. Instead of coming a mile a minute, as the boys -expected it would, it came slowly enough to give them time to estimate -where it would pass. - -"Move ahead!" the doctor snapped. "Easy, now--don't try to run. Don't -forget your stocks--don't pull on the rope. Steady!" - -They moved forward several steps, and just as Norman, the last one on -the rope, took a long, quick stride of two steps instead of one, the -great hunk of lava, as big as a molasses hogshead, went slowly but -inexorably downward, over the very spot where, a few seconds before, -they had stood! Slowly as it moved, pushing the snow ahead, and piling -it out on the sides, nothing could have stood in its path. They watched -it go on down, leaving a track two feet deep behind it. - -"There's chute number three just started," Norman said. - -They heard another crack and roar on the pinnacle as he spoke, and -looking up again saw something starting down one of the big chutes -behind them. - -"Say, let's get out of here!" Dumplin' cried. "I don't like this." - -"I'm not stuck on it myself," Uncle Billy answered. "Forward, march!" - -They plugged ahead to the first lava spine, and rested a minute, looking -back over the traverse. The sun was sinking, and its rays hit the slope -almost level, making dark shadows of their steps, like a long row of -dots out across the great field of white. These dots crossed the -traverse, and then went straight up the shoulder, and in that light the -shoulder looked as perpendicular as the side of a house. - -"Did we go up there?" Spider exclaimed. - -Dumplin' took one look, and remarked, with such a heartfelt expression -that everybody laughed, "Gosh, I don't believe it!" - -But there was no time for a long rest. Tired as they were, they had to -keep on going, for they were still a long way from camp. - -As they started across the first of the five smaller snow traverses, it -seemed to Bennie as if his back and shoulders were one big ache every -time he had to pull out his stock from the sticky snow. Yet Uncle Billy -was moving ahead with a regular stride, and he _had_ to get his stock in -and then out with one firm motion, or else lose the step, fall behind, -and make the rope yank his uncle. He gritted his teeth and told himself -that he _would not_ let that happen. - -As they stepped up on the second lava spine, Bennie cried, "Hello, old -lava!" - -As they reached the third spine, Dumplin' cried, "Hello, old lava!" - -As they reached the fourth, Spider cried, "Hello, old lava!" - -"You boys seem to be glad you're getting down," the doctor called back. - -"We're glad we're getting where we don't have to pull these stocks out -of the snow in time to your steps," Bennie replied. - -"Sorry to go so fast--but we must get to the horses before dark," his -uncle answered. - -At last they were creeping over the treacherous slope of pumice, they -were up the southwest shoulder--they were on the lower snow-field which -sloped more gradually to timber line and the horses! - -"Rope off!" the doctor called. - -He coiled it up and hung it over his shoulder. - -"Now, each man for himself," said he, starting down with huge strides, -his boots sinking into the soft snow, which had been frozen crust that -morning, and keeping him from sliding. The rest followed. It was such a -relief to be free of the rope and the danger that they took a new lease -of life, and almost ran down the quarter mile to timber. - -When they reached the poor hungry, thirsty, impatient horses, however, -the sun had sunk behind the western mountains, and the hole of Hunt's -Cove was already dusky. - -"Don't change your boots. We can't ride down as quickly as we can lead -the horses," the doctor commanded. "Saddle them quickly, and come on." - -In the timber, too, the snow had softened, and the horses sank knee -deep. Bennie soon discovered that a horse, which scrambles rapidly up a -steep slope, goes very slowly down it, especially when the footing is -soft snow and he doesn't know whether he is going to break through a -long way or not. The doctor and Norman, more used to the ways of horses, -and knowing how to manage them, were soon far ahead. Mr. Stone was -somewhere in between. The three boys were before long so far in the rear -that the leaders had vanished. Bennie and Spider could have gone a -little faster than they did, but Dumplin' was about all in with -weariness, and they stuck with him. By the time they reached bare ground -at the head wall of Hunt's Cove, it was so dusky they could just make -out the tracks. Below them, somewhere on the slope, they could hear the -leaders crashing down through the fire scar. - -"Come on," Bennie urged. "We got to hurry. Can't see the track at all on -the bare ground. It's dark down in the cove already." - -"I could hurry, but I can't make this darn horse go any faster. Nearly -pulled my arm out dragging him," Spider answered. - -The three of them started over the rim, tugging at the reluctant horses, -who wanted to pick their way gingerly over the dead, fallen timber. The -long spikes in their boots, which had been so necessary up on the snow, -were a hindrance now. They kept catching in the dead sticks, and half -turning the boys' ankles when they stepped on a hard piece of lava in -the dark. Several times they tripped and fell, scratching themselves. -Once Spider's horse slipped, knocking Spider over and bruising his leg. -At the bottom, now, they heard the doctor calling to them. - -"Coming as fast as we can!" Bennie yelled. - -It was pitch black night at the bottom of the cove, in the heavy woods. -They could just see the doctor waiting for them. The minute they were -down, he led the way, after Norman and Mr. Stone, who had kept on to -camp. In the dark they couldn't see the swampy places, or the little -brooks, and soon their boots, soaked all the afternoon by snow, were -full of water, and they were wet almost to their waists. They came to -the main stream at last, and mounted the horses, spikes or no spikes. -The horses reared and balked, and had to be kicked and driven into the -dark water, and nearly spilled their riders as they scrambled snorting -out on the farther bank. - -Nobody had said a word for ten minutes, but now, through the black -forest ahead, they saw suddenly the red glow of a big fire, and Bennie -emitted a whoop. - -"Hello, fire!" he yelled. - -"Hello, food!" yelled Dumplin'. - -"Dumplin' has recovered," said the doctor. - -The boys dropped off their horses at camp--literally dropped off. The -rustler, who had stayed in camp, took the horses back to pasture, and -the doctor and the three boys joined Norman and Mr. Stone in front of a -huge camp fire, flopped wearily on the ground, and began to peel off -their boots and stockings. They took off their trousers, also, and got -dry clothes from their dunnage bags. Then, without even attempting to -wash the grease paint off their faces, they flopped on the ground again -beside the roaring fire, and let the cook bring them food. - -"If anybody speaks to me before I've had a cup of coffee, I'll bite -him," said Bennie. "I was never so tired and cross in my life." - -"Nobody wants to speak to you," Dumplin' retorted. "Don't worry." - -"And yet," said Uncle Billy, "if we'd really got to the top, we'd be so -set up now that we wouldn't mind the weariness. It's like a crew race. -You'll notice it's always the losing crew which collapses at the finish -line." - -"I'd like to try it again, from a base camp at timber line," Norman -said. "That would give us two hours more of daylight at each end. We -could do it easily with that." - -"If anybody talks about climbing Jefferson again, he's in danger of his -life," Bennie retorted. - -"Well, well, Bennie has had enough exercise for once!" Mr. Stone smiled. -"He must have had--he hasn't even spoken to poor Jeff." - -"Oh, gee, I was so tired I forgot him!" Bennie cried, jumping up with -sudden energy. "Where is he, cook? What you done with him?" - -"Whined so I tied him up down the creek a bit," the cook answered. He, -too, was cross, because he had to get supper so late. - -Bennie grabbed a lantern, and went off into the woods, calling, "Jeff, -Jeff!" Those in camp heard a far-off yelp of greeting, and a few minutes -later Bennie returned, with Jeff at his heels, and lay down by the fire -again with the dog's head snuggled up to him. - -It was after ten o'clock when supper was finished. The six climbers took -enough water from the stove to wash the worst of the grease paint from -their faces, and without any further preparation for bed pulled off -their clothes, got into their pyjamas, crawled, stiff and lame and -aching in every joint, with cracked and bleeding lips, and red, smarting -eyes, into their sleeping bags, and almost before their heads touched -the little air pillows were fast asleep. - -Bennie had started to remark to Spider, as he got into bed, that real -mountain climbing was the hardest work there was, but he forgot what he -was going to say before he could open his mouth. And, if he had said it, -nobody would have been awake enough to listen. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - The Summit is Conquered! - - -The doctor and Mr. Stone let the boys sleep late the next morning. The -sun was high when they finally arose, and tumbled out into the ice-cold -water of the creek for a good scrub with soap. After the bath, and a hot -breakfast, they all felt cheerful and fairly fit again. The aches of the -night before had somehow vanished, though their lips were still cracked -and their noses were peeling. - -"By Jiminy," said Bennie, as he scraped the breakfast plates to feed -Jeff, "I believe I'd like to climb the old mountain again, after all. I -sure do hate to go away from here and admit it beat us." - -"Me, too," said Spider. - -"Well, I know when I'm licked," Dumplin' put in. "I guess if you'd been -dizzy and if you'd slipped the way I did, you wouldn't be so keen to go -back." - -"You've got more weight to cart up than we have," Spider laughed. - -"That's no joke, either," said the doctor. "Dumplin' needs a lot of -training down before he tackles a climb like Jefferson. It isn't his -fault he was dizzy, or that he got so tired. Some people are always -dizzy at high altitudes, anyhow. I wouldn't let him try it again in his -present shape. But if you other boys are game, and Stone is game, I'd -like to tackle the mountain from a base camp where we tethered the -horses. That will keep us here two days longer, so we won't have time to -get in to see Mount Hood close to. You'll have to decide whether you'd -rather reach the top of Jefferson, or see Hood. Those in favor say -'Aye.'" - -"Aye!" - -"Aye!" - -"Aye!" - -"Aye!" - -"The 'ayes' have it," the doctor laughed. "Well, Norman, we'll take up a -tent and bedding right after lunch. We'll sleep at timber line tonight, -and again tomorrow night. Have two horses sent up day after tomorrow -morning, at daybreak, to get the stuff, and have the rest of the train -packed and waiting at the head of the cove. We'll make our getaway over -the head wall by seven or eight o'clock. I'm going to try to get out by -the short trail, day after tomorrow, snow or no snow." - -Everybody lay around all that morning, in the shade of the woods, -resting. After lunch, the largest tent, some grub, the sleeping bags, -and a few cooking utensils were packed on two horses, while the climbers -toted their climbing boots (now dried and oiled again), and a change of -clothes in their packs. Nothing else was taken except the necessary -climbing equipment--not even cameras. Dumplin' went along to spend the -night with them, and have supper ready for them when they got down the -next evening. He was pretty blue at the idea of being left behind, and -kept saying, "I bet I could do it this time, and not get dizzy." But his -father and the doctor wouldn't say he could go. - -They got the tent pitched as near timber line as they could find a -level, dry spot, and spent the latter part of the afternoon gathering -fuel and melting snow for water. The two horses, of course, had been -taken back down the slope by the guide. The six of them were alone, in -the chill silence at the edge of the eternal snows, with the mountain -rising right above them, white and naked, to the glittering pinnacle. -While supper was cooking, Bennie and Spider walked up a few hundred feet -on the lower snow-field, glanced back at the tumbled wilderness of -forest and mountain and canon, stretching south to the white pyramids of -the Three Sisters, and then looked long upward at the pinnacle, pink -with sunset. - -"Gosh!" Bennie exclaimed, "what a lot of wild country! Do you realize, -Spider, that we haven't met a human being since we left Marion Lake?" - -"You forget the chap in the aeroplane," Spider laughed. "Well, we came -out here to see the wilderness, didn't we?" - -"You bet we did! And tomorrow we're going to tackle old Jefferson again. -You know, I feel just as if it was a kind of fight. I bet other -mountaineers feel that way, too. That's why it's such fun." - -"_Other_ mountaineers is good," Spider replied. "You talk as if you were -a Swiss Guide." - -"Well, I feel as if I could be one, when we get through with this old -ant-hill," Bennie laughed. "I bet that pinnacle is going to be a -sockdologer!" - -Spider's face was sober. "I'm kind of scared of it, I don't mind -admitting. I don't blame poor old Dump a bit for getting dizzy. I don't -get dizzy, but when I think how easy it would be to slip, I kind of get -hollow in the pit of my stomach." - -Bennie was about to answer, when he heard a bark down the slope, and -looking back saw Jeff bounding up the snow! The pup had broken loose -back at the camp (or the cook had let him loose), and he had followed -the tracks up here. He fell upon Bennie with yelps of joy. - -"Well, that pup loves you, if nobody else does," Spider laughed. -"Dumplin' will have to sit on him all day tomorrow." - -With the setting of the sun, it grew very cold up here under the -snow-fields. They all huddled around the fire to eat, and soon after -supper took off nothing but their boots and crawled into bed with even -their sweaters on. The six sleeping bags had been packed into the one -tent, so there was no free floor space at all. The first man in couldn't -get out without stepping on all the rest. Poor Jeff, driven outside, -snuggled down against the tent on the lee side, out of the wind, and so -the night was passed, none too comfortably by anybody. - -They were up with the first daylight, built the fire, and cooked -breakfast. Then Jeff was tied with a piece of the tent guy ropes, and -Dumplin' came with them as far as the southwest shoulder, where they -roped. - -"Don't let Jeff get away and follow us!" was Bennie's parting word. - -"He might use my alpenstock, and make it all right," said Dumplin', -trying to seem cheerful as he saw the rest leaving him. "I'll watch for -you, and have hot supper ready," he added, waving his hand. - -"Good old Dump!" Bennie said, as they moved out on the pumice. "Too bad -he can't come along." - -"He'll be all right in a year or two, after we get the fat off him, and -get him hardened up. He's grown too fast," said Uncle Billy. - -Whether it was because they were now more used to the trick, or because -Dumplin' was not on the rope to hold them back, or because the steps had -not entirely melted away since the day before yesterday, making the -doctor's work easier, or because of all three reasons, they made faster -time than before, and didn't need to rest so long or so often. But they -had four rock chutes to cross instead of two. The one which had been -started by the big lava chunk which nearly hit them was now four feet -deep, and a fourth one had been ploughed, also. But nothing was coming -down them yet, for they reached the traverse long before the sun's rays -got in on that side. They were up on the northwest shoulder at 10:30, -and at the base of the pinnacle at noon. - -Once at the foot of that terrific incline, both the scouts felt suddenly -weak in the knees. - -"Like the looks of it?" the doctor asked. - -"I do not!" Bennie answered. "I'd about as soon try to climb the outside -of the Washington Monument. But if you say people have done it, I guess -we can. It's a fight, and I ain't licked yet!" - -The doctor let them rest before they tackled the pinnacle, and gave his -orders. "I'll go ahead and cut the steps. You, Bennie, will anchor, and -play me out the rope, and don't you come on a step till I tell you. Then -Stone will play you out till you get to the platform I've made for you. -Then Spider plays him out, then Norman plays Spider out. We won't have -more than one of the five of us moving at any one time, in other words." - -The doctor rose, and began to hack steps into the snow, in front of his -face, on the precipitous incline. He had to cut them deep, to get a firm -footing, and it was slow work. Before he was quite played out on his -twenty feet of rope, he cut an extra large step, like a little platform, -and then moved up a couple of steps, and told Bennie to climb to the -platform. Bennie did so, while Mr. Stone played him out. Then Bennie -anchored firmly on the platform, and let his uncle cut his way up -fifteen or twenty feet farther. Bennie then stepped up two steps, and -let Mr. Stone climb to the first platform. Once on it, Mr. Stone played -Bennie up, till he was on a second little platform, just behind the -doctor. Then the doctor moved ahead twenty feet higher, Bennie moved, -Mr. Stone climbed to platform number two, and they all anchored hard, -and waited till Spider reached platform number one. In this way, only -one man ever climbing at a time, with the rest anchored, they crept -slowly up the wall of icy snow. In two places, it was, in fact, not snow -but actual ice, and the doctor had to hack out the steps and could not -use his stock as he climbed. He had to depend on the spikes in his boots -entirely, because he carried no ice ax. Bennie, below him, watched with -terror in his heart, and clung to his alpenstock with a rigid grip. If -his uncle slipped, nothing would save him but that stock! If Bennie's -grip gave way, they would both go, and maybe pull down all the rest! -Here was a battle indeed, here was a fight with the mountain where every -single step you took had to be just right, or you were gone! Bennie -didn't dare look down. He kept his eyes fixed on his uncle's boot soles -above him, and refused even to look off to right and left. He didn't -dare. - -They climbed steadily, and in silence, except for the orders to each man -when he was to advance. Their faces were set and grim. Bennie felt the -strain. He was getting tired rapidly, not from the physical effort, -which wasn't really great except for the doctor, but from the mental -effort, the incessant concentration on every step he took. At last, -after an hour and a half, the doctor went over the top, and shouted back -a loud "Hurrah!" Bennie followed him over, and one by one the rest came -on, to fall at once down on the snow. - -After a long moment, Bennie sat up and looked around him. At first he -felt as if he were riding in an airship in the sky. The summit cap of -snow was small, and on every side ended in a sharp edge--the edge of a -precipice! - -"Look at old Hood up there!" his uncle cried, pointing north. "Seems -near enough to touch today, and it's fifty miles off." - -"I don't want to look at it," Bennie answered. "I don't want to look at -anything. Gosh, I don't like this place!" - -"I don't care for it much myself," Mr. Stone confessed. "You could roll -over twice here, and commit suicide with the greatest ease." - -"But we got here!" Spider exclaimed. "I'm glad we got here! We've beat -the old mountain!" - -"Now you're talking," said Uncle Billy. "You'll all like it better when -we are down again. Well, come on, let's start then, if you don't care -for my view." - -They now reversed positions on the rope, Norman going first, and facing -in against the cliff almost as you descend a ladder, crawled down as -slowly as they had crawled up. But it was even more trying to Bennie, -because he had to look down for each step, and he had to watch the man -descending below him, when he was anchored, in order to brace extra -firmly in case of a slip. He didn't get dizzy, but at every step he had -to fight a kind of nausea, as if he was going to be sick, especially -when he was obliged to lower himself over the two ice walls, with only -his spikes to hold him, and the rope, played out by the man above. When -they were all at the bottom again, he felt faint, and sat down on the -snow a moment, to get back the strength in his legs. - -"Well, boys," he heard his uncle say, "you've done what mighty few -people do any one season. But we're not through yet. We've got to get -home, you know." - -Bennie got up quickly. "I'm all right," he said. "Lead the way!" - -At half-past four o'clock they were back again at the point on the -shoulder where they lunched two days before, and here they rested -fifteen minutes, and ate the small portions of food they had brought. -Nobody was really hungry, however, and soon they were starting down the -drift where Dumplin' slipped. Out across the traverse they went, got -over the chutes without accident, though twice they were barely over -when great toboggans of ice came whizzing down, and at seven o'clock -reached the southwest shoulder. Far below, at timber line, they saw -Dumplin' building up the fire, and they saw, too, his tracks up here in -the snow. - -"He was up here watching us crossing the traverse," Bennie said. "He -beat it down to cook supper. Good old Dump--wish he could have been with -us." - -Off came the rope now, and with wet boots and cracked faces and aching -backs and smarting eyes, they half ran, half tumbled, down the last -snow-field to the camp, and walked into the odor of boiling coffee and -sizzling bacon, while Jeff, released from his tether, came yelping to -meet them. - -"I saw you on top!" Dumplin' said. "I spent half the day up on the -shoulder. I couldn't see you climb the pinnacle, but I saw you on top. -You didn't stay there long." - -"Bennie didn't like it," his uncle laughed. - -"I'll say I didn't!" Bennie cried. "Gee, Dump, I'm not fat like you, and -I guess I'm in pretty good condition, but I kept feeling all the way up -and down that old pinnacle as if I was going to be dizzy the next -minute." - -"That's not a matter of condition with you--it's a matter of nerves," -said his uncle. - -"I felt so, too," Spider put in. "Whenever I looked down, and couldn't -help thinking what would happen if I fell, then I got kind of sick -inside. But when I was just thinking about my next step, I was all -right." - -"And nothing happened," the doctor added. "Climbing is safe enough if -you know how to climb, if you are in good physical condition, and if you -can control your nerves. But you can no more tackle a climb like this -safely without a guide who knows the technique than you can fly an -aeroplane without practice. The accidents happen either to people who -try to climb without knowing the tricks, or to people who aren't in good -shape for the hard work, or to people who can't keep their nerves under -control and take each step slowly, carefully and firmly." - -"What made me so tired at the top?" Bennie asked. "I was twice as tired -then as I am now. Was it the altitude?" - -"No," said his uncle. "Ten thousand five hundred feet wouldn't bother -you a bit. It was because you are still a green climber and you were -fighting your nerves all the way up the pinnacle. Nothing is such hard -work as fighting your own nerves." - -"Well, I'll tell the world my old nerves put up a good scrap, then!" -Bennie laughed. "Anyhow, Spider and I aren't so green as we were three -days ago. I wish the Boy Scouts gave merit badges for mountain climbing. -I bet we could get one." - -"Why don't they give badges for that, I wonder?" Mr. Stone said. - -The doctor shook his head. "Too dangerous," was his comment. "How many -scout masters could you find who are really skilled mountain climbers? -Think what would probably happen if a green climber tried to take a -bunch of scouts up Jefferson. They'd all land down in the canon. And -rock climbing is just as dangerous." - -"How would you get up the pinnacle if it was all ice, the way it was in -a couple of places?" Spider asked. "I mean, so hard, you couldn't drive -your stock in, and the man below you couldn't either?" - -"You'd have to use ice axes," the doctor replied. "An ice ax has a long -handle, and on the back of the blade is a long, sharp, slightly curved -point, like a railroad spike. You cut your steps with the blade, and -then you use this point, driven in above you, to anchor with. That's -what they use in the Alps, where so much of the climbing is on glacier -ice." - -"Well, Spider, we'll have to go to Switzerland next, and climb some old -glaciers," Bennie grinned. - -"And a few spitzes," Spider answered. - -It was bitter cold again that night, and soon after supper they all -crawled into their sleeping bags. They were so weary, however, that even -the cold could not keep them awake. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV -Back Over the Divide--A Horse Turns Three Somersaults Down the Snow Slope - - -The doctor, as usual, was first up. He rose at dawn, got the fire and -the breakfast started, and then routed out the rest. The peak of -Jefferson above them was hidden in mist, and Hunt's Cove below was -filled with white cloud, also. In fact, they looked out over a billowing -sea of white, with the sharp lava spires of Three Fingered Jack to the -south, rising up like an island. - -"Looks like a phantom ship," said Bennie. - -They were scarcely through breakfast, when they heard horses coming up -through the timber, and soon the guide appeared, leading a couple of -pack animals to take the luggage down. An hour later they were once more -in Hunt's Cove. The luggage was repacked, the boys unscrewed the spikes -from their boots and mounted into the saddle again, and Norman led the -way almost due south, following a trail up the head wall, instead of -trying to get back as they had entered across Grizzly Flats. - -"We can get back to the cars this afternoon this way--if we can cross at -all," he said. "But I won't promise we can cross, doctor. A week ago you -couldn't get up on the other side." - -"Just the same, we'll try it," the doctor replied. "Bennie needs some -exercise." - -For the next few miles they traveled through woods and across open -upland meadows, riding on deep snow. In the hot glare of the sun, they -had to put on their glasses again, and repaint their faces. Their lips -once more cracked open, and their noses were burnt a still brighter -brick red. Then they came to the crest of the Divide, below the long -south shoulder of Jefferson, and started down. They realized at once why -Norman said it was impossible a week ago to climb up here. There was a -drop of a couple of hundred feet where the trail was completely buried -in a huge drift, which, Norman said, a week before had an overhang at -the top, completely preventing any horse getting over. But this cornice -had now melted and collapsed. They dismounted, grasped their horses by -the bridles, and started down, taking the slope at an angle to lessen -the pitch. The saddle horses got down well enough, but the pack horses, -with the top-heavy loads on their backs, could not keep their footing so -well, and half-way down one of them fell. He turned three complete -somersaults as he pitched headlong. At first the load held, but at the -second somersault the hitch slipped, and out burst the load, scattering -and tobogganing in all directions--two rolled-up sleeping bags, a tent, -alpenstocks, a dunnage bag, a coffee-pot, and what canned goods were -still left in their provision supply. - -[Illustration: Crossing the Divide near Mount Jefferson on July 25th. -Three Fingered Jack in the Distance.] - -The terrified animal landed in a small fir tree at the bottom, scrambled -to his feet apparently unhurt--and made a dash right back up the slope! -His fall, his snorts, his sudden dash, threw a scare into the other -horses. The saddle horses, of course, were being led, and couldn't get -away, but the pack horses dashed after him. - -"Quick!" shouted Norman, "give all the saddle horses' bridles to one -man, and then head 'em off!" - -Everybody led his horse quickly to the cook, who tied the bridles to a -tree, and then the men and boys ran up the slope as fast as they could, -some going to the right, some to the left, in order to surround and get -ahead of the runaways, and drive them back. - -It was hard work. The snow was deep and soft and wet, the slope very -steep, and a frightened horse, with four legs, can climb faster than a -man with two. Jeff didn't help any. He merely dashed wildly around, -barking loudly, without sense to head the horses back. - -"Call off that chickadee hound!" panted the doctor to Bennie. - -The first horse, minus his load, actually got back to the top, and -scrambled over, before he could be headed. Norman and Bennie followed -him, sneaking on either side through the trees, for a quarter of a mile -before he stopped abruptly at a spot where the snow was melted, and -began to eat grass. Then they crept up on him, got hold of his rope -bridle, and led him back. - -By the time the train was rounded up again, everybody was reeking wet -with perspiration from their knees up, and soaking wet with snow water -from their knees down. - -"My head is burning, and my feet freezing, and oh, boy, for a drink!" -Bennie exclaimed. - -The scattered luggage was collected, the horse repacked, and they moved -on. In less than a mile of rapidly dropping trail the snow ceased -entirely. The trail grew dry and dusty. The yellow pines began to appear -again, and they came to a little lake at the head of a canon--and -everybody, horses and men and boys, drank and drank and drank. - -After that there was no more snow, and before long the trail was in a -forest of yellow pines, and wide as a country road, and all except the -rustler and the cook, who had to look after the pack horses, broke into -a trot. - -In a couple of hours they reached a fine, clear, racing brook, and a -Forest Service camp ground. Across the brook was a real road. The doctor -and Mr. Stone trotted on three or four miles to get the cars, while the -rest waited for the pack horses, and when they arrived got the packs off -and sorted. - -When the cars came back, the baggage was transferred to them, the boys -said good-bye to Norman, Bennie made the cook shake hands with Jeff, and -sinking back into the cushions of the motor cars, the boys sighed with -the sudden sense of luxury. - -"Beats the saddle of an old cayuse, when you're tired," Dumplin' called -from his father's car. - -"Just the same, I'm awful sorry it's all over," said Bennie. "I never -have worked so hard in all my life--and I never had such a wonderful -time." - -"Me, too," said Spider. - -"You've got a good time coming, and in about one hour, or less," said -Uncle Billy. "I don't know whether you've noticed that lunch was pretty -sketchy today." - -"Sketchy is the word," Bennie answered. "Gee, it's three o'clock, and we -haven't had a thing since five A. M." - -"You wait," laughed the doctor. "I've got a surprise for you." - -In a short time he stopped the car at a ranch house beside the great -springs of the Metolius River, which gush right up out of the open -ground of a green meadow in the heart of the forest, irrigating the -whole meadow and making a rich oasis of grass and crops in the arid -soil. - -"Dinner ready?" he called to a woman on the porch. - -"All ready," she answered. - -"How did you order dinner here?" demanded Bennie. - -"Radio," the doctor grinned. - -"He telephoned from the Ranger Station when he went for the car, you -poor fish," Spider said. - -The two men and three boys washed up and went into the dining-room. -There, on a table with a real cloth, was a huge dinner--steak, fried -potatoes, green vegetables, hot biscuit, berries. They ate and ate, and -when the food was gone the woman of the house reappeared bearing a huge -lemon pie, with browned meringue three-quarters of an inch thick, all -covered with little golden drops like honey. - -"Wow!" yelled Dumplin'. "Lemon pie!" - -"Oh," sighed Bennie, "why did I eat so much steak!" - -"I'll take Bennie's piece, then," said Mr. Stone. - -"I'd like to see you try!" Bennie answered. - -When the pie was gone, everybody sat back and sighed with content. - -"That pie was almost as wonderful as Mount Jefferson," Bennie declared. - -"And it didn't make me dizzy," said Dumplin'. - -"It's the kind Mother made," said Mr. Stone. - -"Gosh, I wish _my_ mother could!" Spider exclaimed. - -"It was a good pie," said the doctor, "but don't forget you've lived on -camp fare for a week. It would have seemed pretty good if it hadn't been -as good as it was." - -"Don't try to run that pie down, Billy," Mr. Stone declared. "I will -defend that pie with my last breath." - -"All I can say is this----" Bennie began impressively. - -"Yes?" the rest prompted. - -"I am satisfied with Oregon," he finished. - -"It's the lemon pie!" laughed Dumplin'. - -They rolled into Bend at nine that evening, Jeff was left to sleep in -the car at the garage, and for the next hour there was a grand splashing -in bathtubs, a washing of clothes, a shaving by the two men, who hadn't -shaved for a week, a patching of burnt noses and cracked lips with -salve, and a general clean-up and overhauling. - -"Oh, dear!" sighed Bennie, "it's almost over! I wish we hadn't been able -to get over the Divide today, so's we'd been forced to go back over -Grizzly Flats. That would have kept us out three days more. I don't want -to sleep in an old bed, with sheets!" - -"I guess it won't keep you awake," laughed Spider. "If it does, I'll set -up the sodas tomorrow." - -But he didn't have to. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV -Bennie Loses Jeff, but Brings Home Something Else to Last Him Many Years - - -The doctor routed everybody out at five the next morning. - -"It's the last time, boys," he said. "But we've got to get an early -start today. I must make The Dalles tonight, and Portland tomorrow -night. My vacation is over then." - -"Don't go back on _my_ account," said Bennie. "I'll stick around the -mountains another week or two with you, if you really want me to." - -"Yes, and I'll stick, too," Spider laughed. - -"I wish we could," Uncle Billy answered. "But while we're getting hard -and healthy, a lot of folks up in Portland are getting sick, so you see -I have to be back. Hustle along, boys. No time to lose!" - -It was so early that they had to get breakfast at an all-night lunch -room, where Bennie bought some meat scraps for Jeff, who was still on -the job. He had slept in the car that night. - -"Good gracious, are you really going to take that mutt back with you?" -his uncle demanded. "All the way East?" - -"You've said it. Why, I bet he'd follow the train, if I didn't take him. -He appreciates me at my true value, this blooded collie does, don't you, -Jeff, old thing?" - -Jeff responded by leaping up and licking his face. - -They were off at six, and rode all day northward through the "desert" -country, sometimes down in the bottom of bare, desolate looking canons, -sometimes up on the plateau where nothing but endless miles of sage -brush lay between them and the Cascades. In the morning Jefferson was -the nearest mountain, and they could see the whole eastern face, -snow-white and precipitous, with the summit pinnacle looking from this -distance like a tiny little white button on top. Later they had to -descend by a long, winding road cut out of the bank, without any guard -rails, into the Deschutes Canon, across the river on a bridge, and climb -out on the other side. As afternoon came on, Jefferson dropped behind -them, and Mount Hood grew nearer, 11,225 feet of snow, shaped like an -almost perfect pyramid. - -Again they descended into a canon, and climbed out of it for six miles -by a road so steep that they had to keep in low speed all the way, so -narrow Bennie prayed they wouldn't meet anybody, and without any sign of -a guard rail, or fence, or wall, to keep a car from skidding off into -the hole below. - -"Say, if I drove a car out here much, I'd have nervous prostration," -Spider said, as Uncle Billy crawled past a descending Ford, with his -right wheels about eight inches from the rim of the canon. - -"And if I had to drive down Fifth Avenue, I'd probably have it," the -doctor laughed. - -The sun was setting as they finally came into a region of orchards and -endless grain fields, hit a good road, and whizzed rapidly down hill, -steeper and steeper, into the gorge of the Columbia River, and ran right -into a thriving, lively town called The Dalles. - -While the cars were being looked after in a garage, Bennie went to a -butcher's shop to get some more food for Jeff, fed him, and put him up -in the car again, for the night. Then they all went to the hotel, -registered, got the dust off their faces and clothes, and went in to -dinner. - -The next morning Jeff was not in the car. The garage man said he stayed -there a while the night before, and then, when nobody was looking, -evidently jumped out and ran away. - -"Oh, gee, he was looking for me!" Bennie cried. "I ought to have tied -him. Poor old Jeff, he's just hunting for me, all over this town!" - -"Too bad," said Uncle Billy. "But he'll find a home somewhere--he seems -to make friends easily, and your mother'll be awful glad." - -"Well, I got to find him. Please drive around town while I look for -him!" - -"But I have to be back in Portland, Bennie. I've got to be at the -hospital tomorrow morning." - -"Aw, just ten minutes! Please!" - -"Well, we'll take a look. Get in." - -They started slowly down a residential street, Bennie hanging out of the -car and whistling. One block, two blocks, three blocks they went, turned -a corner, and began on another street. - -Suddenly Spider gave a yell. "Hi, Bennie, there's your pup!" - -The doctor stopped. Sure enough, in a yard beside a small house, playing -with a boy of ten, was Jeff! - -Bennie jumped out, ran to the gate, and whistled. - -Jeff cocked his ears, looked toward Bennie, wagged his tail, took three -jumps toward the fence--and then turned around and went back to the -small boy! - -"Sure, Bennie, that dog would follow your train all the way to Chicago," -laughed Spider. - -"He appreciates you at your true worth," called Uncle Billy. - -"Just the same, he's my dog, and I'm going to have him!" Bennie said, -angrily, laying his hand on the gate. - -"Hold on," said his uncle. "Is he your dog? Where did you get him? Seems -to me _he_ has most to say about whose dog he is. He chose you, so's he -could get a trip to the mountains, and now you've quit camping, he's -chosen this kid." - -"Well, he chose me first." - -"Come here, son," the doctor called to the small boy, who came to the -gate, Jeff at his heels. "Where did you get this dog?" - -"He followed me home from the store last night," said the boy. "He's a -fine dog. Is he yours?" - -"He's mine," said Bennie, sternly. "Come here, Jeff!" - -At the sound of his angry voice, Jeff got behind the small boy's legs. - -"I didn't do nothin' to make him follow me," the little fellow said. -"Honest, I didn't. He just came. Ma said I could keep him. I--I never -had a dog." - -He was almost in tears, both because he thought he was being accused of -stealing Jeff, and because he feared they were going to take his new pet -away. - -"Have a heart, Bennie," Spider said. "He wants the pup worse than you -do." - -Bennie hesitated, but his fondness for Jeff was too much. "No, sir, he's -my dog," he declared. - -"Let Jeff decide it," said Uncle Billy. "He doesn't really belong to -either one of you. That's fair, isn't it?" - -"Yes, I guess so," Bennie confessed. - -"Now, you go ten feet up the sidewalk. Son, you walk down as far as that -tree. Spider, hold Jeff till they are set. Now, both of you, call him!" - -"Here, Jeff! Here, Jeff!" called Bennie. - -"Come here, Buster, Buster!" called the little boy. - -Spider released Jeff as they called--and the pup jumped up and licked -Spider's face! - -"Gee whiz, he's _my_ dog!" Spider shouted, while the doctor sat in the -car and roared with laughter. - -"Try again," he said, after a second. - -The two boys called once more, and Jeff, without hesitating longer, -sprang to the little fellow, nearly knocking him down. - -"All right, you keep him," Bennie declared. "He's a fool pup. I won't -guarantee he'll not run away from you tomorrow." - -"I bet he _won't_!" the little chap declared, throwing his arms around -Jeff's neck. - -Bennie didn't look back. - -"Yes," Uncle Billy mused, "Jeff certainly regarded you at your true -worth, Bennie. He was certainly a one-man dog, too, true to his master -till death." - -"Aw, quit it," Bennie pleaded. "I always really knew he was a mutt, but -I--I was kind o' fond of him, just the same." - -"Never mind," said Spider, "you've done your good turn for today. You've -given him to that kid." - -"Yes, I have!" said the honest Bennie. "He did the good turn, I'll say. -He gave _himself_ to the kid. A lot I had to do with it!" - -They picked up the Stone car at the garage again, and set off at last -for Portland, down the Columbia Highway, which is one of the finest -motor roads in the world. It is laid out beside the great green river, -sometimes down on the bank, beside the railroad, sometimes climbing up a -thousand feet to the top of the cliffs, sometimes cut out of the sides -of the cliffs, sometimes having to go right through a headland of lava -by a tunnel. All the way through the Columbia gorge, from The Dalles -nearly to Portland, the car rolled along the wide macadam highway, with -the green river on one side, and the towering cliffs and waterfalls on -the other, or else climbed up and down these cliffs by cleverly -engineered grades. - -The highest waterfall they passed was Multnomah, which dropped hundreds -and hundreds of feet over the cliff, almost on the very road. And near -it were several superb basaltic lava pinnacles, towering 2,000 feet -above the car. - -"Oh, Uncle Billy, haven't we time to stop and have a try at that one?" -Bennie cried, pointing to a great dome-like pinnacle which jutted out -from the cliff like the tower at the front of a church. - -"That's St. Peter's Dome," his uncle said. "We wouldn't have time to -climb that if we had a year. Nobody has ever succeeded in getting up -it." - -"Why not?" - -"Because a couple of hundred feet or so below the top, it is not only -perpendicular all around, but the wall overhangs a shade. Nobody can -climb an overhung precipice. I suppose we could carry up a coast guard -mortar, and shoot a rope over the top, and then hoist you up in a -breeches buoy, maybe. But I'm afraid there won't be time to do that -today." - -"You folks out here have it pretty soft, I'll say," Bennie commented. - -"How's that?" - -"Why, all you have to do is get in a car and drive out a few miles on a -macadam road, and there you are right at the foot of rock climbs so hard -nobody has ever climbed 'em! Out East, we either have to sail to Europe -and tackle the--the Spitzes, or else ride 3,000 miles across the U. S. -A. when we want a climb. I'm going to get a job in Oregon when I get -through school." - -"So you're satisfied with Oregon?" his uncle laughed. - -"I'll tell the world I am!" Bennie answered. - -[Illustration: Saint Peter's Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far -Distance.] - -They rolled into Portland in time for dinner, which they all ate at -Dumplin's house. The next day the scouts spent in packing their trunks, -and seeing the city with Dumplin' for a guide. They took the evening -limited for home. The doctor took them to the depot, and Mr. Stone and -Dumplin' came down to see them off. The depot was full of men and women, -in khaki clothes, with packs and alpenstocks. They were members of the -Mazamas, going to take another train to get them to Diamond Peak, for a -week's climbing. - -"If one of them spoke a kind word to me, I'd swap my ticket East in -three and four-fifths seconds, and go with 'em," Bennie declared. "I -don't want to go home, Uncle Billy." - -"Don't you want to see your father and mother?" the doctor asked. - -"And get your little old Algebra out and nicely dusted?" added Dumplin'. - -"'Course I want to see the folks, but I don't want to leave these old -mountains," Bennie answered. "I guess Spider and I will never forget old -Jefferson. And say, Mr. Stone, don't you forget you're going to send us -the movie films when they're printed. We'll have 'em at the Town Hall, -for the benefit of the Boy Scouts." - -"I won't forget. And don't you forget you're coming back some day." - -"A swell chance of forgetting that!" laughed Bennie. "And don't forget, -Dump, that you're coming East to college, with Spider and me." - -The train was made up now. The boys shook hands and shouted a dozen more -messages of farewell as they went through the gates and climbed aboard. - -It was dark when the train got up into the Columbia gorge. They saw no -more of the Cascade Mountains. The next ones they saw were the Rockies. -There was little snow left now, in mid-August, on the Rockies. - -"Give me the old Cascades," said Bennie. - -"Just the same, I'd like to stop off a few days and climb the Rockies, -and see Glacier Park, and Yellowstone Park, and the Grand Canyon, -and----" - -"Did you say a few days?" Bennie laughed. "Spider, you and I have got to -get busy the next few years, and make a bunch of money, so's we can -really see America." - -"We've done pretty well for one summer, at that," Spider answered. "And -I'll tell you one thing, it's up to us to do something to pay for it. -I've got a scheme, too." - -As they traveled homeward, Spider developed his scheme. It was to raise -some money for the scouts by showing Mr. Stone's movies, and with the -money have a lot of signs made, to mark trails with. Then Spider and -Bennie and the scout master, maybe, would lead the scouts in opening up -footpaths for trampers over the highest hills and cliffs around -Southmead. Some of these trails used to exist, but they had long since -grown over, and the summer boarders were always getting lost trying to -find them. But many of the wildest places, the spots where there were -the best views, had no trails at all. - -"We'll make trails," Spider declared. - -"Yes, and we'll build some shelter lean-tos where we can go and spend -the night," Bennie offered. - -"Sure, and we'll make some easy trails, and some hard ones, with cliff -climbs in 'em." - -"Sure, and put warning signs on the bad ones--'Dangerous--only for -experienced climbers.'" - -"Like us," Spider laughed. "Seriously, though, I bet we can do a lot to -help the scouts and the town, and everybody, and have a lot of fun, and -you and I can survey and map out the trails first, and get our merit -badges in hiking that way, at the same time!" - -"Great!" cried Bennie. - -They continued to lay their plans all the way home, but they forgot them -for a day or two in the excitement of greetings, and seeing their -parents, and the old town, and all their fellow scouts. Bennie spent -half his time for the next few days trying to cut up wood and weed the -drive, while half a dozen boys stood around, making him tell them about -Crater Lake, and the climb up Llao Rock, and how Dumplin' fell on -Jefferson. - -But after the first week was over, and they had settled back into the -life of Southmead, Spider and Bennie got together with Mr. Rogers, the -scout master, and outlined their trail plans. He was enthusiastic about -them, and they set to work at once, with the help of his suggestions. -They went out every afternoon till school opened, hiking through the -woods and up the small 2,000-foot mountains around Southmead, surveying -practical routes for paths, and making sketch maps. After school opened, -they had to abandon the daily trips, but got in long ones on Saturdays. -By October they had enough work planned out to keep the scout troop busy -for months, and the task of opening the trails with scout axes, brush -hooks, and pruning shears began. - -The first trail opened was an old, steep path, long since overgrown by -laurel and other bushes and small trees, up the mountain to the top of -the cliffs the boys had climbed the previous winter. It took them five -Saturdays, working with a gang of ten scouts, to get this trail, two -miles long, cleaned out. By that time, Mr. Stone's pictures had come, -and the scouts made twenty-five dollars by exhibiting them at the Town -Hall, so that everybody could see what the Oregon mountains were like. -Mr. Rogers kept the money, and the first use made of it was to have -three or four white signs made, to mark the newly-cut trail. Every sign -carried, in black letters, the name of the trail--"Cliff Path to -Monument Mountain," and, below, the name of the organization erecting -it--"Southmead Boy Scouts." - -As soon as these signs were ready, the troop took them out and put them -at the proper places--at each end, and at the points where old wood -roads crossed, to make confusion. - -During the winter, Spider and Bennie hiked on snowshoes many miles, over -all the surrounding hills, trail planning, and visited the scouts in the -next town, planning with them a foot-trail over the long, rocky ridge of -wooded hills between the two villages. When spring came, this work, too, -was started, the two troops working from their respective ends. They -finally met at the town boundary, erected a shelter there, and had a big -camp fire and celebration. - -By the end of the summer, Bennie and Spider saw real results--not so -many as they had planned, but yet enough to cause the local Board of -Trade to get out a little trail map for summer visitors, which Spider -was asked to draw, and to cause the summer visitors to hike in larger -numbers than ever before. And wherever they hiked, on the new trails, -they saw the neat signs to guide them, posted by the Boy Scouts. - -"It's fine work, boys," said Mr. Rogers, after the two scouts had passed -their examinations for merit badges in hiking. "We've got a long trail -to the next town, we've got one up Monument, we've cleaned the old path -to Eagle Rock, and we've built one to the Cave. If we keep these cleared -out, and add one new one a year, we'll soon have Southmead the best town -for tramping in the United States!" - -"Just the same," said Bennie, a little wistfully, "I wish I was going to -climb old Jefferson tomorrow, where there isn't any trail at all!" - -"If you hadn't climbed him, though, you wouldn't have been so keen for -this work we've been doing," Spider said. "It's because we got into the -real wilderness that made us want to help folks around here to get out -and hike." - -"Right--as usual," Bennie laughed. "I'm not kicking. It's great stuff, -making trails. I like it. But some day!--Oh, you Crater Lake, I'm going -back to you!" - -"We might get in shape for it by taking a crack at the Monument cliffs -tomorrow," Spider laughed. "We haven't climbed them since spring." - -"You're on," said Bennie. "Let's carry packs and blanket rolls, and hike -on down the other side, and spend the night at Wilson Pond." - -"That's only fourteen miles--I'm your man," cried Spider. - -"'Course, it isn't much, but it'll keep us in condition," Bennie -declared, with great pretended airiness of manner. "We'll hike back home -in time for breakfast." - -Mrs. Rogers, who overheard this conversation, came out on the porch when -the boys had gone. - -"Bennie's a great joker," she laughed. - -"He is--and he isn't," the scout master answered. "As a matter of fact, -it _is_ fourteen miles to Wilson Pond, over the mountain, and as a -matter of fact, those two boys _will_ get up tomorrow at four, have a -swim, and be home for breakfast at half-past seven or eight." - -"Now you're the joker," his wife laughed. - -"You take a climb with them once, and see how much of a joke it is," -said he. - - - THE END - - - _Every boy will want_ - FRANK H. CHELEY'S - The Boys' Book of Camp Fires - -This is the most complete book of boys' camp activities ever written. It -contains suggestions for camp cooking and for stunts of all kinds, -handicraft work, camp songs and stories which help toward the fullest -enjoyment of out-of-door life. The author stands among the highest -authorities on camp life. - - - _By the same author_ - - Camp Fire Yarns - The Mystery of Chimney Rock - The Job of Being a Dad - - - The Boys' Bookshelf - - _Which have you read?_ - - By Walter P. Eaton - _Scouting_ - The Boy Scouts of Berkshire - The Boy Scouts in the Dismal Swamp - Boy Scouts in the White Mountains - Boy Scouts of the Wildcat Patrol - Peanut--Cub Reporter - Boy Scouts in Glacier Park - Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - Boy Scouts on Katahdin - - By Lewis E. Theiss - _Radio Series_ - The Wireless Patrol at Camp Brady - The Secret Wireless - The Hidden Aerial - The Young Wireless Operator Afloat - The Young Wireless Operator--as a Fire Patrol - The Young Wireless Operator with the Oyster Fleet - The Young Wireless Operator with the U. S. Secret Service - The Young Wireless Operator with the U. S. Coast Guard - -"_The finest radio stories ever written--interesting and informational_" - - The Flume in the Mountains - Aloft in the Shenandoah II - - "_Every red-blooded boy will devour such splendid books_" - - By Capt. Edward L. Beach, U. S. N. - _Stories of the American Navy_ - Ralph Osborn--Midshipman at Annapolis - Midshipman Ralph Osborn at Sea - Ensign Ralph Osborn - Lieutenant Ralph Osborn Aboard a Torpedo Boat Destroyer - - "_The best set of American Naval Stories ever written for boys_" - - By Frank H. Cheley - The Job of Being a Dad - Camp Fire Yarns - The Mystery of Chimney Rock - The Boys' Book of Camp Fires - - "_Boys and fathers, too, will revel in these_" - - - W. A. WILDE COMPANY - BOSTON CHICAGO - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Boy Scouts at Crater Lake, by Walter Prichard Eaton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT CRATER LAKE *** - -***** This file should be named 54536-8.txt or 54536-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/3/54536/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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max-width:23em; } -/* book advertisements */ - p.bkad {font-size:125%; font-weight:bold; margin-top:2em; max-width:20em; margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; } - p.bkpr {font-size:90%; } - p.bkrv { } - dl.blist dt { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } - dl.blist, dl.biblio { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; max-width:25em; } - - dl.int { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; max-width:25em; } - dl.int dt {margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } - dl.int dd {margin-left:2em; } -</style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Boy Scouts at Crater Lake, by Walter Prichard Eaton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Boy Scouts at Crater Lake - A Story of Crater Lake National Park and the High Cascades - -Author: Walter Prichard Eaton - -Release Date: April 10, 2017 [EBook #54536] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT CRATER LAKE *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div id="cover" class="img"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Boy Scouts at Crater Lake" width="500" height="735" /> -</div> -<div class="img"> -<img id="insidecov" src="images/icover.jpg" alt="Boy Scouts at Crater Lake" width="500" height="723" /> -</div> -<div class="img" id="pic1"> -<img src="images/p03.jpg" alt="Pack Train Descending to Hunt’s Cove. Mount Jefferson in the Distance." width="926" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">Pack Train Descending to Hunt’s Cove. Mount Jefferson in the Distance.</p> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<h1>Boy Scouts at Crater Lake</h1> -<p class="center"><i>A STORY OF CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK AND THE HIGH CASCADES</i></p> -<p class="center">By -<br />WALTER PRICHARD EATON</p> -<p class="center small"><i>Illustrated with Photographs</i> -<br />FRED H. KISER</p> -<div class="img" id="p03a"> -<img src="images/p03a.jpg" alt="W. A. Wilde Company" width="200" height="194" /> -</div> -<p class="center small">W. A. WILDE COMPANY -<br /><span class="small">BOSTON</span> <span class="hst"><span class="small">CHICAGO</span></span></p> -</div> -<p class="csmaller"><i>Copyrighted, 1922</i>, -<br /><span class="sc">By W. A. Wilde Company</span> -<br /><i>All rights reserved</i> -<br />Made in U.S.A.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div> -<h2>FOREWORD</h2> -<p class="center">(<i>For Parents and Similar People</i>)</p> -<p>It seems to be generally assumed that a story for boys -must be crowded full of adventures, and the assumption -is doubtless based on experience. This would -be all right if the adventures were also based on experience. -Unfortunately, however, such is not always -the case, and then the result is something that may -possibly satisfy an immediate craving of the boy for -excitement, but in the long run can only confuse his -sense of reality. It is probably more important, in a -boy’s development, to clarify his sense of reality than -it is to feed his imagination. His imagination, normally, -needs very little prodding to carry him away -from reality. That is why tales of actual adventure, -such as the records of explorers, hunters, and the like, -are so worth while for boys. They feed the imagination -while, at the same time, keeping touch with the -real. They have the lure of fiction, and the solidity -of fact.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_8">8</div> -<p>It has been my steady purpose, in the Boy Scout -series of stories which I have written, to bear this in -mind. I have not described places with which I was -unfamiliar, nor created adventures it was impossible -for boys to experience. In the volume preceding the -present one, “Boy Scouts in Glacier Park,” I endeavored -to give some adequate idea of that beautiful -National Park, and hence of a section of the Rocky -Mountain wilderness, and the actual adventures one -may now encounter therein. Our friend, Bill Hart, of -movie fame, may be relied on to supply the other sort -of Wild West adventure, without any need of help -from me. The response of my young readers was so -pleasantly encouraging that I am asking them, in this -book, to go still farther West, into another National -Park, Crater Lake, and into the Cascade wilderness of -Oregon. Whitman’s ride for Oregon was long ago, -and today they are building a macadam highway where -his horse left a solitary track.</p> -<p>The Cascade Mountains afford numerous opportunities -for snow climbing—and anyone who has practiced -this noble sport does not need to be told that it -supplies plenty of adventure. Snow mountains have -a way of withdrawing themselves many miles from -human habitation, and a pack train is scarcely to be -afforded save by those who have reached years of comparative -discretion, so I have no fear of sending -youngsters out alone to start up the Roosevelt Glacier. -If, however, I can inspire some few of them to persuade -their fathers to take them into the high places, -I know that both they and their fathers will ultimately -thank me.</p> -<p>But chiefly, in the end, I want young America to -know and to love and to preserve what is left of the -American wilderness.</p> -<p><span class="jr">W. P. E.</span></p> -<dl class="undent"><dt><i>Twin Fires,</i></dt> -<dt><i>Sheffield,</i></dt> -<dt><i>Massachusetts.</i></dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt><span class="cn">I. </span><a href="#c1"><span class="sc">Bennie Visits the Public Library and Gives Spider a Surprise</span></a> 13</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">II. </span><a href="#c2"><span class="sc">Bennie Takes the Rope Up His First Cliff</span></a> 19</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">III. </span><a href="#c3"><span class="sc">How Bennie Earned a Trip to Oregon</span></a> 31</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">IV. </span><a href="#c4"><span class="sc">Bennie and Spider Cross the Continent</span></a> 39</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">V. </span><a href="#c5"><span class="sc">All Aboard for Crater Lake!—and Dumpling in the Other Car</span></a> 50</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VI. </span><a href="#c6"><span class="sc">Bennie and Spider Have to Make After-dinner Speeches, and Bennie’s Knees Knock</span></a> 57</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VII. </span><a href="#c7"><span class="sc">Held Up by the Snow, with the Thermometer at 86°</span></a> 68</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">VIII. </span><a href="#c8"><span class="sc">Up the Rim of Crater Lake at Last, Through the Snow-drifts</span></a> 75</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">IX. </span><a href="#c9"><span class="sc">The Mountain That Fell Into Itself</span></a> 83</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">X. </span><a href="#c10"><span class="sc">Down the Rim to the Lake—The Boys Ski on a Crater Snow-drift in July</span></a> 88</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XI. </span><a href="#c11"><span class="sc">Dumplin’ Tests the Strength of a Snow Cornice on Garfield Peak</span></a> 106</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XII. </span><a href="#c12"><span class="sc">Bennie Climbs the Mast of the Phantom Ship and Knows He Has Done Something</span></a> 113</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIII. </span><a href="#c13"><span class="sc">The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have to Climb Llao Rock—and They Learn a Lesson</span></a> 122</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIV. </span><a href="#c14"><span class="sc">Bennie Takes a Day Off to Do a Good Turn—He Washes All the Dirty Clothes</span></a> 137</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XV. </span><a href="#c15"><span class="sc">The Long Hike—The Scouts Find Packing Grub and Blanket Rolls Up and Down Cliffs is Hard Work</span></a> 144</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XVI. </span><a href="#c16"><span class="sc">The Climb Up Scott Peak—Bennie Begins Work for a Merit Badge for Hiking</span></a> 154</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XVII. </span><a href="#c17"><span class="sc">Good-bye to Crater Lake, and a Motor Trip to Bend</span></a> 167</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XVIII. </span><a href="#c18"><span class="sc">The Boys Encounter “Pep,” Who Promises Them a Bear Hunt</span></a> 174</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XIX. </span><a href="#c19"><span class="sc">The Bear Hunt—In Which the Boys Discover that the Bear Doesn’t Do All the Hard Work</span></a> 178</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XX. </span><a href="#c20"><span class="sc">Bennie Achieves a Dog, and the Party Puts Out a Forest Fire</span></a> 206</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXI. </span><a href="#c21"><span class="sc">The Pack Train Has to Toboggan Into Hunt’s Cove, and Bennie Puts “Action” Into It</span></a> 221</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXII. </span><a href="#c22"><span class="sc">The First Attempt at Jefferson—Dumplin’ Almost Falls to Death—The Hardest Work the Boys Ever Did</span></a> 234</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXIII. </span><a href="#c23"><span class="sc">The Summit is Conquered!</span></a> 262</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXIV. </span><a href="#c24"><span class="sc">Back Over the Divide—A Horse Turns Three Somersaults Down the Snow Slope</span></a> 273</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">XXV. </span><a href="#c25"><span class="sc">Bennie Loses Jeff, but Brings Home Something Else to Last Him Many Years</span></a> 280</dt> -</dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div> -<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt class="jr"><span class="small">PAGE</span></dt> -<dt><a href="#pic1">Pack Train Descending to Hunt’s Cove. Mount Jefferson in the Distance. (<i>Frontispiece</i>)</a> 222</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic2">Crater Lake—Wizard Island, and Over it Llao Rock</a> 80</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic3">Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in Foreground</a> 88</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic4">The Boys Sliding Down Wizard Island Crater (Enlarged from a Movie)</a> 98</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic5">The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak (Enlarged from a Movie)</a> 108</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic6">Looking Across Hunt’s Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line Shows Route of Climb; Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin’ Slipped</a> 252</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic7">Crossing the Divide Near Mount Jefferson, on July 25th. Three Fingered Jack in Distance</a> 274</dt> -<dt><a href="#pic8">Saint Peter’s Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far Distance</a> 286</dt> -</dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div> -<h1 title="">Boy Scouts at Crater Lake</h1> -<h2 id="c1">CHAPTER I -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie Visits the Public Library and Gives Spider a Surprise</span></h2> -<p>Bennie Capen was sitting in the public library -reading a book. Miss Lizzie Cox, the librarian, -was watching him with some suspicion. Bennie was -not what you might call one of her regular customers, -and she was surprised to see him come in, ask for a certain -book, and take it off to the reading table. She certainly -watched him as if she suspected a nigger in the -wood-pile somewhere. Bennie had a reputation in -Southmead, but it wasn’t exactly a reputation for -bookishness. Some people said he was a “bad boy,” -some people laughed and said he was “full o’ pep,” and -some people, including Mr. Rogers, the scout master -of Bennie’s troop, said the trouble with Bennie was -that his engine was too powerful for the chassis. -Anyway, Miss Lizzie Cox, behind the delivery desk, -frowned as she watched him through her gold-rimmed -glasses, as if she expected to see him throw the book -at little Bob Walters, across the table, or pull the hair -of Lucy Smith, who was consulting the encyclopædia -preparatory to writing a composition on “The Products -of the Philippine Islands.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div> -<p>However, Bennie did none of these things. He read -steadily in his book, after first looking at all the pictures, -and emitting several low whistles, each one of -which brought a sharp, admonitory rap of her pencil -on the desk from Miss Cox, and a loud “Silence!” -Bennie grinned cheerfully each time, and went on reading -and looking at the pictures. His eyes were bright, -and every now and then he ran his fingers excitedly -through his brown hair, till it stood straight up on his -forehead.</p> -<p>By and by little Bob Walters returned the bound -volume of St. Nicholas and went out. Lucy Smith -exhausted the products of the Philippine Islands (or -her own patience), and took refuge in “Vogue.” -From the streets outside came the shouts of a snowball -fight. But Bennie kept on reading. Finally the -door opened, and another scout came in, a tall, slender -boy with two books under his arm. He saw Bennie -as he was walking up to the desk, and stopped, surprised. -Then he stole over on tiptoe, and looked over -Bennie’s shoulder at the book.</p> -<p>“Gosh all hemlock, Bennie,” he whispered, “plugging -to get a hundred per cent in physical geography? -You don’t care how much of a shock you give your -dear teacher, do you?”</p> -<p>Bennie looked up, with his usual grin. “’Lo, -Spider,” he said. “Say, this old book is some humdinger, -I’ll tell the world.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div> -<p>“Don’t tell the world so loud, or Miss Cox’ll be out -over the desk,” Bob Chandler whispered back, catching -a sight of the librarian’s face out of a corner of -his eye. “What is the book?”</p> -<p>Bennie turned back to the title page, and Spider read, -“On British Crags and Alpine Heights.”</p> -<p>“Say, wait a minute—look at this picture,” said -Bennie, turning the pages to find it. “Here it is. -Look at that old cliff! And pipe where that guy is -climbing. Oh, boy! That’s only one, too. ’Most -every picture’s like that, or more exciting, and it tells -how somebody fell off most of ’em, and was killed, -and——”</p> -<p>“Silence!” from Miss Lizzie Cox.</p> -<p>“Old crab!” whispered Bennie. “Well, I gotter -finish this chapter ’fore closing time.”</p> -<p>“Why don’t you take the book out? I’d like to -read it, too,” Spider whispered.</p> -<p>“Haven’t got a card,” Bennie confessed. “Guess -I don’t read as much as I ought to.”</p> -<p>“Guess you don’t,” said Spider. “Here, give it -to me. I’ll take it out for you.”</p> -<p>“How’d you ever know about it, anyhow?” he -asked, when they were outside the building, on the -snowy sidewalk. “Gave me some shock to see you -sitting in the library!”</p> -<p>“Mr. Rogers told me about it,” Bennie answered. -“We got to talking about mountains, and climbing, -and he said to go ask for this book and see what real -climbing is like. Oh, boy! I wish we had something -like those old what d’you call ’ems—spitzes—around -these diggings.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div> -<p>“A spitz being what?” Spider laughed.</p> -<p>“Here, give me the book—I’ll show you. It’s a -German word, I guess—means spire, maybe—I don’t -know. Never studied Dutch—probably wouldn’t -know if I had—but anyhow they’re tall, sharp rocky -peaks, pretty nearly straight up, in the Alps somewhere, -and you climb ’em with your teeth and your -toe-nails.”</p> -<p>The two scouts paused in the middle of the sidewalk, -while Bennie hunted out a picture of several -men, roped together, climbing the precipitous face of -one of the Dolomites, and their faces were over the -book, looking at the thrilling photograph—when, <i>blam</i>, -came a snowball, crashing into Bennie’s side.</p> -<p>He thrust the book into Spider’s hands for safe-keeping, -stooped for a handful of snow, and dashed -around the corner of the post-office after the vanishing -pair of heels.</p> -<p>When he came back he was grinning. “Fresh guy, -that Tenderfoot,” he said. “His ma won’t need to -wash his face for supper tonight. Come on, let’s go -to my house and look at those old pictures some -more.”</p> -<p>They were soon curled up on the couch in his -father’s library, with the book first on one lap and -then on the other. After they had looked twice at -every picture, they read aloud to each other parts of -the text, especially the most exciting parts they could -find, but skipping the descriptions of scenery and the -long foreign names. The Welsh names were worse -than the German.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div> -<p>What interested them most, however, were the pictures -that showed how the rope is used, both in climbing -and descending, and the passages about it.</p> -<p>“I wish we had a braided rope!” Spider exclaimed.</p> -<p>“Guess we could get some sort of a rope, all right,” -said Bennie. “But where are we going to get the—the -spitzes to use it on? Those old mountains make -ours look like pimples.”</p> -<p>“Oh, they’re not so bad—they’re <i>something</i>, anyway,” -Spider answered. “I bet you’d need a rope to -climb the cliffs on Monument Mountain, and maybe, -if the snow gets deep, we’d have to cut steps in it to -get up to those cliffs. Might try it.”</p> -<p>“Sure, we could try it. But you wouldn’t slide -far enough to hurt yourself if you did slip going up to -the cliffs, and I bet <i>nobody</i> could climb right up the -cliffs themselves.”</p> -<p>“I bet the man who wrote this book could,” said -Spider. “We never really tried it. What do you -say if we get a rope and have a go at ’em, next Saturday, -eh?”</p> -<p>“You’re on!” cried Bennie. “We’ll get the old -rope tomorrow, after school. Going to take the troop -along?”</p> -<p>“Not on your life! We’ll ask Mr. Rogers, though. -We don’t want too many. Those cliffs aren’t going -to be a picnic, I’ll tell the town.”</p> -<p>“You’ve said it,” Bennie assented. “Well, so long -till tomorrow. Don’t forget to bring some money -for that old rope.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div> -<p>“And don’t you forget that book’s out on my card,” -Spider laughed. “Won’t do it any good if you throw -it at the cat.”</p> -<p>Bennie made as if to throw it at him, and he ducked -quickly out of the door.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div> -<h2 id="c2">CHAPTER II -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie Takes the Rope Up His First Cliff</span></h2> -<p>The next afternoon the two scouts emerged from -Seymour’s store with a hundred feet of brand -new half-inch rope, and ran directly into a group of -half a dozen of their fellow scouts.</p> -<p>“Hi! Get on to Spider and Bennie!” someone -cried. “What you goin’ to do, Bennie, rope a -steer?”</p> -<p>“Goin’ to hang yourselves?” somebody else demanded.</p> -<p>“Goin’ to tie up the cat?” came from a third.</p> -<p>“Going to have some spaghetti for supper?” said -a fourth.</p> -<p>“Goin’ to fish for minnows through the ice with -it?” asked still another.</p> -<p>“No, we’re goin’ to tie up a pound of candy for our -dear teacher,” Bennie replied. “Come on, Spider, -these guys are too bright for us.”</p> -<p>“Don’t trip over your skipping rope, dearie,” -taunted one of the scouts. Bennie hurled a snowball -at him and then he and Spider dodged away from a -shower of pursuing missiles.</p> -<p>“Well, they didn’t learn much that time,” Spider -laughed, as they entered Bennie’s back yard, went into -the barn, and threw an end of the rope over a rafter, -so that both ends dangled to the floor.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_20">20</div> -<p>“Now we’ll try coming down the doubled rope,” -said Bennie.</p> -<p>He climbed out on the rafter, grasped both strands -of the rope, and slid down. Spider followed him.</p> -<p>At the bottom they surveyed their bare palms ruefully.</p> -<p>“Feels as if it was full of splinters,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“It’s too stiff—it’s like a piece o’ wood,” Spider -complained. “Guess it isn’t much like the braided -ropes Alpine climbers use. What are we going to do -about it?”</p> -<p>“Ask Mr. Rogers,” said Bennie. “We haven’t -told him about it yet, anyhow. Come on. Wait a -minute, though. No use getting any more questions -fired at us.”</p> -<p>He took one end of the rope and pulled the other -end down over the beam. Then, while Spider played -it out, he spun around and wound it around his body. -After that, he put on his mackinaw.</p> -<p>“You look ’s if you weighed about two hundred,” -Spider laughed.</p> -<p>“I feel like Houdini,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>They found the scout master at home, and told -him their plans, and about the rope. He laughed, and -grabbing the loose end, spun Bennie around like a top, -while he unwound it.</p> -<p>“The first thing to do is to wrap a piece of twine -around both ends, so it won’t unravel,” he said, “and -then boil it for a day in your mother’s wash boiler—if -she’ll let you.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div> -<p>“Will you go with us Saturday?”</p> -<p>“Sure thing. But let’s take a couple more of the -troop along. Not a lot. It may be dangerous. -We’ll take Billy Vance and Tom Shields, eh? They -are strong and careful.”</p> -<p>“Well, not any more,” said Bennie. “Gee whiz, -we don’t want to let ’em all in on this right off the -bat.”</p> -<p>“What kind of a scout are you?” Mr. Rogers -asked. “Want to hog all the fun?”</p> -<p>Bennie reddened. “No, it isn’t that,” he said, -“but me and Spider sort of discovered this, and we -want to try it out first. A lot of ’em would only -laugh. I got it out of a book.”</p> -<p>“Ho, that’s it!” laughed the scout master. “You -don’t want to be caught reading a book! Well, I’ve -a good mind to assemble the whole troop, and tell -’em the glad news. Cheer up, though, I won’t. The -shock might be bad for ’em.”</p> -<p>“He’s got your number,” said Spider, as the two -scouts left.</p> -<p>Bennie grinned, but he looked a little sheepish.</p> -<p>It took a lot of explaining before Mrs. Capen would -let the boys have the wash boiler, but finally they persuaded -her, and slipped the coil of rope into the water, -leaving it there all night to boil.</p> -<p>The next day the water was a dark brown color, -but the rope, after they took it out and stretched it as -hard as they could from the barn around a tree and -back again, dried out much softer than it had been, -so that it could be easily handled. And, to complete -their happiness, that night it began to snow again -heavily.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div> -<p>“I hope it don’t stop till Saturday, and there’s six -feet on the level!” cried Bennie.</p> -<p>There weren’t six feet, but there were more than -two, badly drifted, when Saturday dawned bright and -clear. When Mr. Rogers and the four scouts set out -for the cliffs, two miles away, they were on snowshoes. -Bennie carried the rope, carefully coiled, over -his shoulder, and he had a scout hatchet in his belt, to -cut steps with. Each member of the party had an -alpenstock, also, some of them made by taking the -guard off old ski poles, some merely by sharpening a -five foot length of pole. The snow was deep, but it -was also fine and powdery, so that even on snowshoes -they sank well in, and had to take turns breaking -trail.</p> -<p>“It doesn’t look to me as if we’d have to cut many -steps,” said the scout master.</p> -<p>And it turned out that they didn’t, much to Bennie’s -disgust. To reach the base of the cliffs, it was -necessary to climb for 300 yards or more up a pile of -rocks, of all sizes and shapes, which in ages past had -been broken off from the precipice above, and now lay -in a vast heap at the base, making a kind of wild, -irregular stairway, and just about as steep as a flight -of steps. Bennie had hoped that these rocks would -be packed over hard with snow, so they would need -to cut steps up the slope. But, alas! it takes far deeper -snows, and snows that do not melt in spring, to form -such a slope.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div> -<p>What they found, instead, was that the snow had -filled in between the rocks just enough so you couldn’t -tell whether your foot was going to sink six inches or -six feet, and blown off the top of the rocks, making -them slippery as glass. Of course, they had to leave -their snowshoes at the base. To get up the pile meant -nothing more than hard work and scraped shins. Billy -and Tom, the two other scouts who had come along, -began to complain.</p> -<p>“Say, is this your idea of fun?” said Tom. “You -don’t need a rope for this, you need shin guards.”</p> -<p>“Yeah, where’d you get this Alpine stuff, anyhow?” -said Billy, as one foot went down between two -hidden stones and he half disappeared from sight.</p> -<p>“You wait till we get to the old cliff up there!” -Bennie answered hopefully.</p> -<p>The party paused and took a look at the cliff wall, -now towering just above them. They had all climbed -the mountain many times by the path, but none of -them, not even Mr. Rogers, had ever tackled the cliff -face. It was 200 feet high, most of it a sheer precipice, -and nobody in town had ever dreamed of trying -to climb it.</p> -<p>“Gosh!” Tom exclaimed. “We can’t climb -<i>that</i>!”</p> -<p>“Well, we’re going to try,” Bennie replied. “It’s -not a patch on a lot in that book, is it, Spider?”</p> -<p>“You’ve said it,” Spider answered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div> -<p>After a few minutes more of hard scrambling, they -stood directly under the face of the precipice. Being -straight up, it was quite bare of snow, except on a -few ledges here and there, and at this point nobody -could have climbed it. There was nothing to get even -a finger hold on.</p> -<p>“Well, go on up with your rope, and throw us down -an end,” Tom taunted.</p> -<p>“We’ll have to work around till we can find a -chimney, won’t we?” Bennie asked the scout master.</p> -<p>“Or a ladder,” Billy added.</p> -<p>They moved along under the beetling face of the -rock, going in up to their waists in the snow which had -drifted against the base, until they came to a sort of -gully which divided the main cliff from an out-thrown -spur like a bowsprit. This gully was very steep, -about sixty-five degrees, and was partly filled with -snow. A few laurel bushes grew in it here and there, -and it evidently led up to a ledge, because at the top a -little pine tree was growing, a hundred feet above -their heads.</p> -<p>“If we can get up anywhere, it’s here,” the scout -master announced.</p> -<p>Bennie uncoiled the rope and fastened one end -around his waist, so his hands would be free. Then -he started up the gully. There was no question of -cutting steps—the snow was too soft. All he could -do was to tread it down under his feet and trust to its -holding him without sliding down until he could reach -up to a laurel bush and pull himself a bit higher. -Twice he slid back. Once his mittens slipped on a -bush, and he came down ten feet before he could get -a hold on something. Then he took his mittens off, -and climbed bare handed. Those below heard him -give a yell of triumph just as the last of the rope was -apparently going up after him, and then they saw him -come out on the ledge and tie his end of the rope -around the pine tree.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div> -<p>“Come on!” he called. “All fast! Wow, but my -hands are cold!”</p> -<p>The others came up easily enough, for they had the -rope to pull on, and soon they were all standing on the -tiny ledge, a hundred feet above the base of the cliff.</p> -<p>“Well, Tom, the old rope was some help, eh?” -Bennie demanded.</p> -<p>“Where do we go from here?” was Tom’s reply.</p> -<p>“Yes, where do we go?” the scout master laughed.</p> -<p>“Right over to the next ledge,” said Bennie, pointing -to another ledge, on the same level, about ten feet -away, with next to nothing but bare cliff between.</p> -<p>“Oh, do we!” said Billy.</p> -<p>“Sure,” Bennie replied. “This is a traverse. -That’s what you call ’em, isn’t it, Mr. Rogers?”</p> -<p>“Sure, it’s a traverse all right. I don’t like the -looks of it, either.”</p> -<p>“Same here,” said Tom. “Gosh, if you slipped -getting over there—good night!”</p> -<p>He looked down the sheer hundred foot drop, and -pulled back quickly.</p> -<p>But Bennie already had the rope pulled up, and one -end around his body, under his arms, again.</p> -<p>“Here, Mr. Rogers,” he said, giving the scout -master the coil. “You take a brace and play me out. -I’ll get the rope over to the other ledge, and tie one -end there, and then you can put it ’round the tree, -and throw me the other end. Then you’ll all have a -railing to cross with.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_26">26</div> -<p>Mr. Rogers looked worried. “Now, go slow and -watch your step, Bennie,” he cautioned. “Here, -Spider, take hold of this rope behind me, so two of -us’ll have a grip.”</p> -<p>Bennie took off his mittens again, and beat the snow -from the crevices of the rock ahead of him till he could -get a good grip with his fingers. Then he shoved his -feet out on the tiny ledge below, hardly six inches -wide, and slowly, cautiously, made his way toward -the other landing. He had only ten feet to go, but -in the cold, without gloves, and with the rocks slippery -from snow, it was painful work, and he wasn’t sure -if his fingers would stand it without letting go, they -soon pained him so. Mr. Rogers watched him anxiously, -as he played out the rope. The others held -their breaths.</p> -<p>But he got there, and a shout went up from everybody. -He blew on his fingers and then tied his end -of the rope around a tree on the new ledge, while the -scout master passed the other end around the first -tree, and then threw the end across. When that end, -too, was tied, a double rope stretched across the gap -between the ledges, and the rest could put it under -an armpit, hold it fast with one hand while they -grabbed the cracks of rock with the other, and come -over in perfect safety. Then they pulled the rope -over to them, and started on.</p> -<p>“Some traverse!” Bennie cried. “I thought once -I’d have to let go, though, my fingers got so cold.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div> -<p>“Summer’s the time for this sort of work,” said -the scout master.</p> -<p>Billy, who had said nothing for several minutes, -looked back at the traverse, and down into the drop -of space below.</p> -<p>“I was scared pink,” he said, “and I don’t care -who knows it.”</p> -<p>“I wasn’t scared, ’cause I knew Mr. Rogers and -Spider would hold me,” said Bennie. “Still, I’d have -gone a ways at that, and kind of dangled.”</p> -<p>The new ledge led around a corner, and then upward -for twenty feet, and brought them to a pile of -jagged rocks which could be climbed without a rope, -by brushing off the snow, till they were only twenty -feet below the top of the cliff. Here there was only -one way up. By grabbing any little handholds they -could find, it was possible to climb up about a dozen -feet to a tiny ledge, one at a time, and get into a -narrow upright crack, about two feet wide. This -crack led right to the summit, and you could work -up it by pushing with your feet and hands on one side -and your back on the other. At least, that is what -Bennie declared.</p> -<p>“It’s a chimney!” he cried.</p> -<p>“Well, I wish there was a fire at the bottom of it,” -sighed Tom, hitting his hands together.</p> -<p>Bennie started to tie the rope under his arms, but -Spider grabbed it.</p> -<p>“Say, whose card did you take that book out on?” -he said. “My turn now.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_28">28</div> -<p>After considerable feeling around for toe-holds, -Spider got to the ledge, and into the chimney. When -he stood erect, the top was only a few feet over his -head, so he soon had his fingers above the rim, and -pulled himself out and vanished. A moment later -they heard his “All fast!” and with the rope to climb -with, the rest were speedily beside him on the snow-covered -summit of the mountain.</p> -<p>Everybody gave a shout as the prospect burst on -them—the 200 foot drop at their feet to the bottom -of the cliff, and then the long steep slope below, and -then the valley farms and roads, all lying under a -dazzling carpet of white, and the far-off village and -still farther away more blue mountains.</p> -<p>“I was never on a mountain in winter,” said -Spider. “Gee, it’s great!”</p> -<p>“You’ve said it!” cried Tom and Billy.</p> -<p>Bennie didn’t speak for a moment.</p> -<p>“Say, it sort of makes a feller feel queer,” he said, -finally. “I mean, all this bigness!”</p> -<p>“It’s the altitude, Bennie,” Tom remarked. “Goes -to people’s heads, sometimes.”</p> -<p>“Shut up,” Bennie retorted, good-naturedly. -“Just the same, I know now why men go bugs on -mountain climbing.”</p> -<p>The descent was more rapid, and even more exciting, -than the climb. They used the doubled rope, pulling -it down to them after they had made a fifty foot -descent (the rope was a hundred feet long), and -speedily reaching the traverse.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div> -<p>Here Bennie and Spider offered to let either Tom -or Billy carry the rope across to make the railing, but -both of them said, “Not on your life!” in one voice, -and most decidedly. So Spider took it across, and -when everybody was over, Bennie tied one end around -the tree, tossed the rope down the gully the full hundred -feet, and told the rest to slide down it.</p> -<p>“How you going to get down?” Tom asked.</p> -<p>“You’ll see.”</p> -<p>When the last man was down, Bennie doubled the -rope around the tree, and slid on the two strands till -he reached a laurel bush in the gully. There he hung -on, pulled his rope down, slipped it around the bush, -and came the rest of the way, in a shower of snow.</p> -<p>Fifteen minutes later they were down again at their -snowshoes, and as they put them on and tramped out -across the fields away from the mountain they looked -back up at the cliffs, rising sheer and naked toward the -blue sky.</p> -<p>“Doesn’t seem as if we could have got up there, -does it?” Bennie cried.</p> -<p>“Now it’s all over, seems as if it was great sport,” -Billy laughed. “But while you’re doing it—say, I -wasn’t thinking of much but keeping hold of that old -rope!”</p> -<p>“That’s a very good thing to think of, too,” said -the scout master. “Boys, I want you to promise me -one thing, on your honor as scouts. That’s dangerous -work, especially at this time of year. I want you to -promise me you won’t try to take any of the other, -smaller boys up there. We don’t want any nasty -accident in our troop. Will you?”</p> -<p>“We promise,” they all said, soberly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<p>“Wow! I’d like to go to the Alps!” Bennie burst -out, a moment later. “Say, Spider, let’s you an’ me -go climb one of those spitzes.”</p> -<p>“All right,” said Spider. “We’ll start tomorrow.”</p> -<p>“Just the same,” Bennie added, seriously, “I’m -going to climb a <i>real</i> mountain some day, if it takes a -leg.”</p> -<p>“It’ll take two of ’em, not to mention two hands, a -strong back and a good head,” Mr. Rogers laughed.</p> -<p>“A good head, did you hear that, Bennie?” said -Tom.</p> -<p>Bennie answered with a handful of snow.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div> -<h2 id="c3">CHAPTER III -<br /><span class="sc">How Bennie Earned a Trip To Oregon</span></h2> -<p>At dinner that night Bennie was so full of his -adventure on Monument that he described it to -his father and mother in minute detail.</p> -<p>“Good gracious, Bennie! don’t you ever <i>dare</i> to do -such a thing again!” his mother cried. “I don’t see -what Mr. Rogers is thinking of to take the scouts up -such a place,” she added to her husband.</p> -<p>“Guess Rogers knows his way around,” Mr. Capen -answered. “A boy’s got to have a certain amount of -excitement to keep him out of mischief.”</p> -<p>“Sure!” said Bennie. “You’ve said a mouthful!”</p> -<p>“Bennie!” his mother cut in sharply. “I won’t -have you talking that way at my table, and to your -own father.”</p> -<p>“Aw, Ma, it’s just slang—what’s the harm?”</p> -<p>“One harm is, that it doesn’t show proper respect -for your father,” she answered.</p> -<p>“Sorry,” said Bennie. “Gee, I respect Pa all -right. And say, Pa, can’t I go somewhere this summer -vacation where there are <i>real</i> mountains? Gee, I -want to climb a <i>real</i> mountain! Will you let me go -out to Oregon and see Uncle Bill?”</p> -<p>Mr. Capen didn’t answer for a moment. Finally he -laid down his knife and fork, looked sharply at his -son, and replied, “Why should I?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_32">32</div> -<p>“Well, why shouldn’t you?” was all Bennie could -think of at first. Then he added, “Uncle Bill said -he’d take me on a trip in Oregon some time, if we’d -come out there, and a feller ought to see his own -country. Everybody says that—see America first. -Guess it’s the best way there is to study geography and -history and—and things.”</p> -<p>“H’m,” said his father slowly. Then again, “H’m. -Well, young man, do you know what you are asking? -Do you know what it costs to get to Oregon and back? -It costs a lot of money, I can tell you, and if you went, -your mother and I would have to stay at home while -I earned it, so you’d have to travel alone.”</p> -<p>“Let him go across the continent alone?” exclaimed -Mrs. Capen. “I guess not!”</p> -<p>“Oh, gosh, you’d think I was a baby,” Bennie protested.</p> -<p>“No, we don’t think you are a baby,” his father -answered, “but we do think you are unreliable, and -that you don’t do your school work faithfully, and you -don’t do the things we ask you to do around the place. -How about that dead apple tree you were going to cut -up this week?”</p> -<p>“Oh, gee! I forgot it,” Bennie said.</p> -<p>“Exactly. You forgot it. You evidently forgot -to study your history and your Latin, this week, too, I -gather from what the principal told me to-day. Now, -when you act this way, all I say is, why should I let -you go to Oregon, or anywhere else? What have you -done to show me that you’ll make real use of your -opportunities? Your friend Bob Chandler, now, I’d -trust. He’d keep his eyes open and learn a lot, because -he learns every day at home.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div> -<p>Bennie hung his head. Then he looked up at his -father.</p> -<p>“Say, Pa, if I get good marks all the rest of the -year, and if I come to the bank every Saturday morning -and help you, and if I prune all the apple trees, -may I go to Oregon?”</p> -<p>“How do you know your Uncle Billy wants you?” -his mother demanded.</p> -<p>“I bet I can fix <i>that</i> all right. Say, Pa, can I?”</p> -<p>“You get the good marks for a month, son, and -work on the apple trees, and come to the bank—and at -the end of the month we’ll see,” his father answered.</p> -<p>“Gee, that’s easy!” Bennie shouted.</p> -<p>After dinner he started to call up Spider and suggest -going to the movies. He got as far as the telephone, -in fact, and then hesitated. It was a hard fight -for a minute, but he won out. Slowly he turned away -from the ’phone, walked up to his own room, got out -his textbooks, and began to study.</p> -<p>His father was watching him, from the library. -When he had gone upstairs, Mr. Capen laughed.</p> -<p>“The boy’s gone to study,” he said to his wife. “It -took a mountain to make him!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_34">34</div> -<p>During the next month Bennie had more than one -battle with himself, and he didn’t always win out, -either. But, on the whole, he did better than his father -had ever dreamed he would. Spider helped him, -too. Bennie had told nobody but Spider the reason -for his reformation, and he had added a hope that -maybe his uncle would suggest that he bring Spider -along. Spider’s father owned the largest store in -town, and Spider thought that if he promised to work -in it spare hours that spring and the next winter, his -father would let him go.</p> -<p>“’Sides,” Bennie said, “if you should go, Ma and -Pa would let me, I bet, ’cause they think you’re what -they call ‘responsible.’ So you just <i>got</i> to help me -stick at these old books.”</p> -<p>Spider was a natural student. He liked to study, -and it came easy to him. So day after day he made -Bennie come over to his house after supper, and studied -with him. When Bennie tried to talk, he said, “Shut -up!” After a couple of weeks, Bennie began to make -the discovery that the only way to get a lesson learned, -or any job done, is to go right ahead and do it. He -set himself a regular hour every day to prune in the -apple orchard, and he studied hard in the school -periods, and in the evenings. At the end of the month, -his father called him into the library.</p> -<p>“Well, son,” he said, “you’ve certainly bucked up. -Your report card here doesn’t look natural. Neither -does the orchard.”</p> -<p>“Can I write to Uncle Bill now?” Bennie grinned.</p> -<p>“Not yet,” said his father. “You’re doing fine, -but this is only one month. I’ve got to see if you can -keep the habit. If you do as well next month, you -may write.”</p> -<p>“Easy,” said Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_35">35</div> -<p>He didn’t really mean that “easy,” but as a matter -of fact, it was much easier than it had been the first -month. He <i>was</i> getting the habit. Before the second -month was over, Tom had called him “teacher’s pet,” -and been knocked into a slushy snow-drift and had his -neck stuffed with snow.</p> -<p>“I’ll teacher’s pet you!” Bennie laughed, finally letting -him up.</p> -<p>At the end of the second month Mr. Capen told him -he could write to his uncle, and if his uncle would let -him come to Oregon and take him on one of his mountain -trips, Bennie could go—“providing, of course, -you pass all your examinations in June,” his father -added. “It’s up to you.”</p> -<p>“I’ll pass all right!” Bennie said, joyfully. “And -say, Pa, if Spider’s father’ll let him go, do you suppose -Uncle Bill would mind if he went with me? Gee, it -would be great to have old Spider along!”</p> -<p>“I’m sure Uncle Billy wouldn’t mind, and I know -your mother would feel a lot easier about your going,” -Mr. Capen said. “I’ll see Spider’s father today.”</p> -<p>“Golly, you’re some dad!” cried Bennie.</p> -<p>“Well, I feel I’ve got more of a son than I had two -months ago,” said Mr. Capen.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div> -<p>Bennie hadn’t seen his Uncle Bill (a younger -brother of his mother’s) for three or four years. He -lived in Portland, Oregon, where he was a very successful -doctor, and every summer he took a vacation in -the mountains, to get himself fit for his winter grind. -Bennie remembered him as a tall, strong, good-natured -man, who always came to see Mrs. Capen on his rare -trips East, and always talked to Bennie about what fun -it would be to show him “a real country”—meaning -Oregon. Bennie liked him, but it was hard, at that, to -sit down in cold blood and invite yourself for a visit, -and, still worse, to invite somebody else to go with -you! Bennie began, and tore up, two or three letters -before he got one that he thought would do. This is -what he sent:</p> -<blockquote> -<p><span class="sc">Dear Uncle Bill</span>:</p> -<p>The last time you were East you pulled a lot -of talk about showing me “a real country.” I guess -you never thought I could get that far to see it, so you -were safe. But I’ve been plugging hard this winter -and got such high marks that Pa thought I was sick -and Ma sent for the doctor, and he says I need a -change or I’ll know too much. So I’m all ready to be -shown that country of yours. And there’s a chum of -mine here, an awful good scout, Bob Chandler (Spider, -we call him), who doesn’t believe Oregon is so much, -either, and he’d go along, too, if you asked him real -polite. Besides, if he came, Ma would let me come. -Ma thinks if I go alone a Pullman porter will think -I’m a dress suitcase and pull me off the train at -Omaha, or something. And I guess it’s kind of fresh -my suggesting this about Spider’s going, but he’s an -awful good scout, and he and I have been climbing -Monument Mountain on a rope. Shall I bring my -rope? It is 100 feet long, and we boiled it on the -stove so it is soft. If we do come what clothes shall -we bring?</p> -<p><span class="center">Your loving nephew,</span> -<span class="jr"><span class="sc">Bennie</span>.</span></p> -<p>P.S.—Mother and Father are both well and send -their love.</p> -<p><span class="jr">B.</span></p> -</blockquote> -<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div> -<p>The chances are that before this letter was sent, -Bennie’s mother had written to her brother. But if -she did, Bennie didn’t know it. He mailed his letter, -and counted the days it would take to reach Portland. -In twice that time he ought to have an answer. At the -end of the week he and Spider were haunting the post-office.</p> -<p>Then, one day, the answer came. Bennie tore it -open, and this is what he read:</p> -<blockquote> -<p><span class="sc">Dear Bennie</span>:</p> -<p>I start for Crater Lake and the Sky Line Trail -on July 1st, leaving Portland by motor. I am a plain, -rough man, but I might be improved by your learned -society, and our scenery would be honored by your inspection. -By all means bring Spider. Spiders are -very useful in camp, to cook the bacon in. You’d better -come two or three days ahead of the start, so I can -look over your outfit. Bring your scout axes, canteens, -flannel shirts, khaki breeches, leggings, and -things like that. Boots are the most important item—very -heavy, and water-proof. You can get good ones -here. Bring snow goggles if you have them. Save -your rope. I have one, though it isn’t boiled like -yours. I always fry my ropes. I’ll write to you later -about trains, and more about your equipment. Tell -your mother that she is going to have a nice, quiet -summer.</p> -<p><span class="center">Your humble uncle,</span> -<span class="jr"><span class="sc">William Warren</span>.</span></p> -</blockquote> -<p>Bennie read this letter aloud to Spider, and they -both emitted a whoop of joy.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_38">38</div> -<p>“Some bird, old Uncle Bill!” cried Bennie. “Always -fries his ropes! I bet he’s got a real Alpine rope—braided -and everything. Gee, I’ll bet we climb a -real humdinger of a mountain. Maybe Mount Hood! -Oh, boy!”</p> -<p>“Say, I’d work every afternoon in the store for the -rest of my life, to climb old Hood!” said Spider. -“Come on, let’s go look up how high Mount Hood is.”</p> -<p>“I’ve looked it up—it’s 11,225 feet,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“And Monument is 1,600,” Spider reflected. -“More’n 9,000 feet taller than Monument! Wow!”</p> -<p>“It’s going to be a long time till June,” said Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_39">39</div> -<h2 id="c4">CHAPTER IV -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie and Spider Cross the Continent</span></h2> -<p>It certainly did seem a long while to both the scouts -between the time of getting Uncle Bill’s letter and -the closing of school in June. But it was a pretty busy -time, too. Bennie had to keep on studying, so he -could make sure of passing his examinations, and -Spider had to put in an hour or two every day in his -father’s store. Beside that, they had to have another -go at the Monument Mountain cliffs as soon as the -snow was gone in the spring, and at about every other -rock, big or little, within tramping radius of home. -They took the rest of the scouts along on these expeditions, -but as nobody but Bennie and Spider were going -to Oregon, the others didn’t get so excited about climbing -as they did, and soon everybody was playing baseball, -leaving Bennie and Spider to practice rock scaling -alone.</p> -<p>June came at last, and so did examinations. Bennie -passed them easily, for the first time in his life—just -because he had got his work from day to day. Then -the time came to buy their railroad tickets and get their -berths reserved. Before they knew it, their trunks -were packed, and they were ready to start on the long -journey.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_40">40</div> -<p>Bennie noticed that his mother didn’t say very much -the night before, but just sat and looked at him, while -he was going over the tickets with his father, and folding -them into a new pocketbook, with $100 in new -bills, which Mr. Capen had brought home from the -bank. Bennie put the purse into an inside pocket, and -went over to his mother.</p> -<p>“Gee, Ma,” he said, “you’d think I was going to the -North Pole or somewhere, instead of just to visit -Uncle Bill. Nobody’s going to speak cross to your -little Bennie, or make him take any wooden money, or -hit him over the bean. Don’t you worry. I guess -me ’n’ Spider can take a railroad trip without anybody -needing to worry.”</p> -<p>But though he spoke with a laugh, Bennie didn’t feel -very much like laughing, because when his mother -looked at him, and tried to smile, he saw the tears behind -her eyes, and he knew, somehow, that it wasn’t -because she was afraid for him, but because he was -going to be away from her so long. He couldn’t quite -understand this, but he loved his mother tremendously, -and it made him want to weep, too. In about one -minute he was weeping, and so was his mother, with -an arm about his shoulder.</p> -<p>Mr. Capen looked up in surprise.</p> -<p>“Hello!” he said. “Hello! So you don’t want to -go, eh?”</p> -<p>Bennie straightened up, and gulped hard, trying to -swallow his sob in a grin.</p> -<p>“Where—where do you get that stuff?” he demanded.</p> -<p>“Well, you don’t seem very <i>cheerful</i> about going.”</p> -<p>“It was ’cause Ma wasn’t cheerful,” said Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_41">41</div> -<p>“I’m cheerful, dear,” said his mother, smiling at -him. “I wasn’t crying because I was sad, but just because—because—well, -you won’t understand, but because -you’re so big and grown up now, and can go -away by yourself.”</p> -<p>“Well, I don’t see’s that’s anything to cry about, for -a fact,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Bennie,” his father remarked, “you have never -been a mother.”</p> -<p>“You said a mouth——”</p> -<p>“Bennie! slang, to your father!” said his mother.</p> -<p>“You have uttered a truthful remark, sir,” grinned -Bennie.</p> -<p>The next day Mr. and Mrs. Capen and Spider’s father -and mother came down to the depot with the two -scouts. Half a dozen of their troop were there, too, -and the last thing they heard as they waved from the -car window, was the scout yell. The last thing Bennie -saw was his mother’s face. She was smiling bravely -at him, and keeping the tears back.</p> -<p>In about an hour the boys had to change to a -through train, which took them to Chicago. At Chicago -they would have to spend the afternoon and early -evening, and then take the Northwest Limited on the -Union Pacific, which took them right to Portland, Oregon. -They had their tickets in their pockets, and their -berth checks, and about once in fifteen minutes they -felt of themselves, to see if the precious pocketbooks -were still there.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_42">42</div> -<p>Neither Bennie nor Spider had ever been West before, -and as long as daylight lasted they sat close to the -window. But it was dark all too soon. When the -train entered Syracuse, and traveled, apparently, right -down the main street, the two scouts looked right into -the lighted shop-windows, but out in the country they -saw nothing. So they went to bed, each with his precious -pocketbook under his pillow.</p> -<p>They were up at daylight, and dressed long before -the other passengers began to come into the washroom. -Now they saw the Great Lakes beside the track, like -the ocean, and rolled through the smoke of Gary, -where the great steel mills are, and saw Lake Michigan, -and almost before they knew it, were in Chicago.</p> -<p>The boys had careful directions what they were to -do in Chicago. They were to get right aboard the -transfer ’bus and ride over to the Northwestern station, -checking their suitcases there. Then they could -walk around the city, if they liked. It is a queer sensation -to arrive in a great city which you have never -seen before. Bennie and Spider, after the ’bus had -rolled them quickly across the bridge to the other station, -and they had checked their bags, walked out into -the street, without any idea where they were, and -turned east to see the town. They recrossed the -bridge, walked a few blocks, and were suddenly in the -Loop. The streets were none too wide. The elevated -railroad roared and thundered overhead. The great -buildings towered into the air. Trolleys, motors, thousands -of people crowded the way from wall to wall.</p> -<p>“Some burg!” Bennie exclaimed. “Little old -New York hasn’t got much on this village. I didn’t -know Chicago was so big.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div> -<p>“Guess we haven’t got everything in the East,” -Spider answered.</p> -<p>They walked on till they reached Michigan Boulevard, -that splendid great avenue which sweeps down -by the lake shore, and they wondered how Chicago -stands for the smoke of the trains between the Boulevard -and the beach.</p> -<p>“Why don’t they <i>make</i> the old railroad electrify itself?” -Spider asked. “Gee, it’s turned all the marble -sooty black.”</p> -<p>It was a hot day, and getting hotter, so they finally -went out on a pier and sat in the breeze till it was time -to hunt up a place for supper.</p> -<p>After supper they walked around the Loop, which -was now filled with theatre crowds, and then back to -the station, got their bags, and hunted out the track -their train was to go on. The rear observation platform -had an illuminated red sign hung out behind, -with the name of the train—“Northwest Limited.” -It gave them a thrill to see those words! And that -train for three days would be their home. As soon as -the gates were open, they got aboard and hunted out -their berths.</p> -<p>The next morning, when they woke, the train was -rushing through Iowa. Mile after mile after mile of -rolling country, dotted with farmhouses, great red -barns, little wood lots close beside them, and endless -acres of sprouting corn, and tall wheat, as far as the -eye could see. Mile after mile, and never a town, but -always the fields of corn and wheat, the herds of cattle, -the great red barns.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_44">44</div> -<p>“Golly!” Bennie exclaimed. “We don’t know -what a farm is, do we?”</p> -<p>“I never saw so much corn in my life—I didn’t -know there <i>was</i> so much,” Spider answered.</p> -<p>That day they passed through Omaha, and were -still bowling along through the endless oceans of corn -in Nebraska when night came. It was terribly hot -now, and dusty and dirty. Spider wiped his face, and -when he looked at his handkerchief, it was black! -Bennie said he felt as if somebody had poured cinders -down his back.</p> -<p>“Wait till you wake up tomorrow,” said the -brakeman, who overheard them, “and you’ll see -snow.”</p> -<p>“You look sort of honest,” Bennie laughed, “but I -don’t believe you.”</p> -<p>“All right,” said the brakeman. “Want to bet?”</p> -<p>“Can’t,” said Bennie. “All my money’s in hundred -dollar bills.”</p> -<p>“We cross the height of land in Wyoming before -you’re awake,” the trainman went on. “We’re up -7,000 feet or more there—in Wyoming.”</p> -<p>“You mean the Rocky Mountains? Do we cross -’em at night?” cried Spider. “Gee, what tough -luck.”</p> -<p>“Not much mountains where we cross. But you’ll -see mountains, all right, if you don’t sleep all the morning—and -snow, too.”</p> -<p>“Bring me some now, I want to take it to bed with -me,” said Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_45">45</div> -<p>Spider, whose turn it was to sleep in the lower berth -that night, pulled up the curtain as soon as it was daylight, -and looked out. He gave a jump, reached up -and poked Bennie awake, and began to dress. In ten -minutes the boys were out on the observation platform, -staring hard. The train was in Wyoming now, on a -vast, high plateau, a country that didn’t look like anything -they had ever seen. It rolled away to the horizon -in every direction, like a tossing, oily gray sea, -without a tree on it, apparently without any grass on it -worth mentioning, but covered with pale green sage -bushes in clumps here and there. It was a naked, desolate -looking land, and yet they saw great droves of -cattle wandering over it, and now and then a white -strip of road, and finally, all of a sudden as the train -rounded a bend, seemingly right beside the track a -couple of miles away, a huge blue mountain covered -completely on top with a cap of white snow, and -streaked with snow all down the ravines on its northern -side.</p> -<p>The scouts gave a yell of joy at the sight. “A snow -mountain!” they cried.</p> -<p>“Do I win or not?” said the brakeman, appearing -behind them. “That’s the mountain. Pretty soon, -off south, you’ll see some higher ones, down in Utah.”</p> -<p>“How far is it to that mountain—about five -miles?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>It looked two, but he thought he’d add a few.</p> -<p>The trainman grinned. “I wouldn’t try to walk it -before breakfast,” said he. “It’s about twenty or -thirty, I reckon.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div> -<p>That day they rolled along through endless miles of -the naked cattle country, that in the East would have -seemed like a desert. No New England cow could -have lived on it, Spider declared. Then they began to -get into the Idaho mountains, on the branch line, and -turned and twisted down cañons with the naked red -hills folding up in front of and behind the train. They -went to sleep in Idaho and woke up in Oregon—woke -up to see more mountains, and more snow—long -ranges of mountains to left and right with snow on -the summits, though it was now almost July first, and -hot as Tophet in the train.</p> -<p>The train presently began to climb an endless grade, -up and up and up, getting over the pass of the Blue -Mountains, and into heavily timbered country—real -woods at last, after the long ride through the prairie -and the sage brush. On and on went the train, till at -last it reached the Columbia River, and the excited -boys, braving the cinders that swirled in on the observation -platform, sat out there and saw at last below -them the great green river rushing swiftly along, cutting -its way through the high, rocky banks.</p> -<p>These banks began to get higher and steeper. They -were entering the gorge of the Columbia, where it cuts -through the Cascade range. Soon the banks were real -precipices, 1,000, 2,000 feet high. At The Dalles, they -picked up the Columbia Highway, the most wonderful -motor road in America, and could see where it was cut -right out of the sides of the cliffs in places. When the -train stopped at Hood River, a lot of people got off to -stretch, the boys with them, and a man took them -down the platform and said, “Look!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div> -<p>They looked to the south, and there it was! Shooting -up apparently right behind the depot, shaped like a -cone, dazzling white, tall, stately, beautiful against the -sky—Mount Hood! These were the eternal snows! -There was a real climb!</p> -<p>Bennie just gasped for a second. Then he found -his tongue. “It—it’s just as big as I thought it -would be!” he said.</p> -<p>“It’s the finest thing in the world,” said the man. -“I live in Portland, and every clear day I look at it, -sixty miles away, and it’s like a friend.”</p> -<p>“Is it hard to climb?” Spider asked.</p> -<p>“No,” said the man. “It’s a cinch. If you’re looking -for a climb, go down and tackle Jefferson.”</p> -<p>“Never even heard of it,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“There are a lot of things out here you eastern -folks never heard of,” the man answered.</p> -<p>The boys wanted to ask him more, but just then the -conductor called “All aboard,” and they lost him in the -rush.</p> -<p>For the next hour they were busy looking at the -scenery, at the great river on one side, and the great -cliff walls on the other, with thousand-foot waterfalls -leaping down almost on the train, and the Columbia -Highway running alongside of the track in places, in -other places disappearing and coming into sight again -far up on top of some headland.</p> -<p>“Gee, I wish we were in a motor!” Spider sighed.</p> -<p>“Maybe Uncle Bill will take us this way in his,” -said Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div> -<p>Now the cliffs grew lower. The river was through -the gorge. Presently the river disappeared, and the -train ran through level land a little way, and the houses -began to get thicker and thicker. They crossed another -river on a drawbridge, and saw tramp ships lying -up to the docks, and on the other side rolled into the -Portland depot.</p> -<p>At the train gate, looming up above the crowd, Bennie -spied the head of his uncle, and in another minute -he had him by the hand, and was introducing Spider, -and Uncle Billy was putting the dress suitcases into his -car, and then they were off through the streets of -Portland, with the lights coming on, the darkness falling.</p> -<p>“I guess you boys are pretty hot and tired, eh?” -said Uncle Bill. “Of course, you never have any hot -weather in the East.”</p> -<p>“It’s about like this Christmas time at home,” Bennie -answered. “I was just wishing I had an overcoat.”</p> -<p>“You’ll wish you had a couple before I get through -with you,” said Uncle Bill. “I heard to-day there are -seven feet of snow yet on the rim of Crater Lake. -We’ve got to camp up there. It’ll be pretty slippery, -too, getting down to the water. Guess we’ll have to -fry a couple of ropes.”</p> -<p>“Boil mine—about four minutes,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>His uncle laughed as he put the car up a steep grade -out of the business section to the heights overlooking -the city. The residences look right out over the town, -and now they could see the checkerboard squares of the -streets, marked out with electric lights. They stopped -at the doctor’s house, and he showed them in, his -housekeeper meeting them.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div> -<p>“Now beat it and get a bath,” he said, “and then -grub! Hurry up, for I’m all ready to eat, and if you -keep me waiting, I’ll have to begin on one of those -ropes.”</p> -<p>“Say, he’s a regular scout,” said Spider, as they -were cleaning up.</p> -<p>“Boy, I got a hunch we’re going to have some good -time!” answered Bennie from the tub.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div> -<h2 id="c5">CHAPTER V -<br /><span class="sc">All Aboard for Crater Lake!—and Dumpling in the Other Car</span></h2> -<p>When the boys came downstairs, Uncle Billy, -who was a bachelor, led the way at once into -the dining-room, and they began to eat.</p> -<p>“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said, as he carved -the meat. “How’d you boys like to be movie actors?”</p> -<p>“Oh, you Charlie Chaplin!” Bennie grinned. -“Sure, I’d like it. Spider, though, ain’t beautiful -enough.”</p> -<p>“Of course, he hasn’t your classic Greek features,” -said Uncle Billy, looking hard at Bennie’s snub nose. -“But maybe he can ride a horse. Can you ride a -horse, Bennie?”</p> -<p>“Sure—I guess so. I never tried.”</p> -<p>“Can you, Spider?”</p> -<p>“Not very well, sir. I have ridden our old delivery -horse a good bit, though, but mostly bareback.”</p> -<p>“You see, Bennie,” the doctor laughed, “he’s going -to be a better actor than you are, after all, in spite of -your fatal beauty.”</p> -<p>“What do you mean, actors, anyhow?” Bennie demanded. -“What’s the big idea?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div> -<p>“Well,” the doctor explained, “we’re not going -alone on this trip. I have a friend, a business man -here in Portland, who is a fine amateur photographer. -He’s got a new movie camera now, that he wants to -experiment with. He wants to take a sort of scenic -picture of the Oregon mountains, so he’s coming along, -in his car, with his son, Lester. You and Spider and -Lester and I have got to be the troupe. Whenever he -sees a nice precipice he wants to shoot, we’ll have to do -a Douglas Fairbanks up the side of it, or make a Pearl -White jump down a thousand-foot waterfall. How -does that strike you?”</p> -<p>“Uncle Billy,” Bennie said, very solemnly, “you -have come to exactly the right people. Spider and me—I—are -the original human flies. We walk up precipices -before breakfast every day at home.”</p> -<p>“With a boiled rope?” his uncle laughed. “Well, -I’m glad you’re trained for the job. Wait till you see -Lester Stone, though. He’s the real athlete! Slender, -wiry, hard as nails!”</p> -<p>“How old is he?” the scouts asked, instantly alert -and a little bit jealous. They’d show him eastern -boys could be hard and athletic, too!</p> -<p>“Just about your age,” the doctor answered carelessly. -“He and his father will be over to meet you -after dinner.”</p> -<p>It wasn’t long after dinner before the door-bell rang, -and the scouts heard Uncle Billy greeting somebody in -the hall. A moment later he ushered in a big six-footer -of a man, and a boy who was just about as wide -as he was high.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_52">52</div> -<p>“My nephew, Bennie Capen, and his old college -chum, Spider Chandler,” said Uncle Billy. “Boys, -this is <i>my</i> college chum, Dick Stone. And this is -Dick’s willowy and athletic little son, Lester. I’m trying -to get some flesh on his bones, because the poor -little thing has been puny since childhood.”</p> -<p>Mr. Stone shook hands so hard that Bennie winced, -and then they shook hands with Lester, who had a -round, pink face like a cherub and eyes that danced -merrily.</p> -<p>Bennie and Spider couldn’t help bursting out laughing.</p> -<p>“What’s the matter?” Uncle Billy asked solemnly. -“Did somebody make a joke? I never can see a -joke!”</p> -<p>“You can make one, all right,” Bennie laughed. -“Gee, you said Lester was wiry and hard.”</p> -<p>“What’s the joke in that?” the doctor demanded, -looking very stern. “He is! Only the wires are insulated. -You poke his arm and see if he isn’t hard.”</p> -<p>Lester doubled his fist, and tightened the muscles of -his arm, and Bennie and Spider hit him above the -elbow. To their amazement, he <i>was</i> hard—at that -point, anyway. They looked at him with new respect.</p> -<p>“Just the same,” Bennie said, “I hope you fried -that rope good and plenty.”</p> -<p>(“He looks just like an apple dumpling,” Spider -whispered to Bennie, a minute later.)</p> -<p>(“Sure, let’s call him Dumpling,” Bennie whispered -back.)</p> -<p>(“Guess we’d better not begin right now,” Spider -suggested. “That guy’d make a great guard on our -football team.”)</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_53">53</div> -<p>(“If he fell on the ball, it would explode,” laughed -Spider.)</p> -<p>The rest of the evening was spent in going over the -maps of Oregon, to lay out their trip, and in planning -equipment. They were to be gone six weeks or more, -and expected to camp all the time. As they were going -to get from place to place in only two motor cars, -which between them had to carry five passengers and -all the equipment, it took close figuring. The scouts, -of course, didn’t have much to say about all this. -They just sat and listened, because they were guests, -and, besides, they had never been off on such an expedition.</p> -<p>But what fun it was only to listen! Have you ever -been off on a camping trip? Of course you have. So -you know the joy of getting together a day or two before -the start, each person with a list of things he -thinks ought to be taken, and then going over the -lists, checking them off to see that nothing is being -taken that is not needed, and nothing is forgotten -that <i>is</i> needed. It’s almost as much fun as the trip -itself.</p> -<p>The scouts soon discovered that Mr. Stone was as -jolly as Uncle Billy, and that “Dumpling” was even -fuller of fun than his father. Before an hour had -passed, the scouts were calling him Dumpling to his -face, and then his father and the doctor took it up; but -Dumpling himself only grinned the broader and said, -“Ho, I don’t care what you call me, so long’s you call -me to dinner.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div> -<p>The next morning the boys were up early, and out -of the house, to get a glimpse across the city of the -white pyramid of Mount Hood against the eastern sky. -They spent that day hard at work with the doctor getting -the equipment out and sorted and packed into the -car.</p> -<p>They had never seen an automobile rigged like -Uncle Billy’s. It was a powerful five-passenger car, -with extra braces on the running-boards. First the -doctor screwed a kind of iron fence on one running-board -which came up as high as the tops of the doors. -Then, on the other, he set two boxes, also as high as -the doors, and as deep as the running-board. These -boxes opened not at the top, but at the front, with -hinged doors. Inside of them were shelves. On the -shelves of one he stood the provisions—the canned -fruits, the condensed milk, and all the other things they -were going to take at the start. The other was filled -with camp dishes. When the boxes were full, the -doors were shut and locked, and the boxes strapped -firmly to the car.</p> -<p>Then, on the other side, in the space between the -fence and the side of the car, went the heavy canvas -bags containing the tent and the three sleeping bags. -These bags were wonderful things. They rolled up -and went into canvas sacks. But when you unrolled -them, you found inside a tire pump, and you pumped -them up with air, making a nice pneumatic mattress to -sleep on. Inside the canvas flap which strapped over -this mattress were several warm blankets.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div> -<p>“Say, boy!” cried Bennie. “This beats sleeping -on old hemlock boughs, the way we have to at home, -eh, Spider? Remember the way the boughs used to -get all full of sticks about one <span class="sc">A. M.</span> last summer?”</p> -<p>“I’ll say so. We’re going to sleep so well on these -we’ll forget to wake up.”</p> -<p>“Oh, no you won’t! Not with me in camp,” the -doctor smiled.</p> -<p>After the running-boards were loaded, Uncle Billy -got out a wonderful camp stove, which collapsed into -three pieces, with the funnel also shutting up, and put -the whole thing into a canvas sack, which lay on the -floor of the car. Then he put in three folding camp -stools and a folding table. Finally he handed each -boy a stout khaki dunnage bag.</p> -<p>“Now,” said he, “get all your stuff into those two -bags! No suitcases allowed on this trip! Your two -bags and mine, and the canteens and our cameras and -the alpenstocks and the fried rope, and overcoats and -one of you boys and anything else we’ve forgotten -have all got to go on the rear seat.”</p> -<p>“Think I’ll sit in front with you,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Think I’ll ride with the Stones,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Not with Dumpling in the car, you won’t!” -Bennie laughed—“unless he travels in a trailer on behind.”</p> -<p>The doctor prescribed early bed that evening, because -they were to get an early start.</p> -<p>“What do you call early, seven o’clock?” asked -Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_56">56</div> -<p>Uncle Billy looked pained. “Seven o’clock!” he -sniffed. “My esteemed nephew, at seven o’clock on -this trip we will usually have traveled at least fifty -miles, and you’ll be asking about lunch. I’ll wake you -up at five.”</p> -<p>“And I thought I was going to have a nice summer!” -said Bennie, pretending to be very gloomy.</p> -<p>At five o’clock the next morning, he and Spider were -sleeping soundly when a voice boomed into their -dreams, “All aboard for Crater Lake! Last call!”</p> -<p>They were out of bed and rushing to get first into -the tub before they half knew what had happened.</p> -<p>But it was really long after seven before they got -started. The dunnage bags had to be packed with the -clothes they were going to need, breakfast eaten, everything -gone over again to make sure nothing was forgotten, -and then followed a wait of an hour before the -Stones’ car arrived, loaded down like theirs, with the -tripod of the movie camera in a case on top of the -luggage in the rear, and Dumpling and his father sitting -in front.</p> -<p>“All aboard!” shouted the doctor.</p> -<p>“Well, how do you get aboard?” said Bennie. -“You can’t open a single door.”</p> -<p>“If you can’t get into a car over the top of the door -you’ll never get up Mount Jefferson,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>Bennie was in the front seat with exactly two motions. -Spider dove into the rear, and found a hole to -sit in amid the luggage. The doctor and Mr. Stone -tooted their horns, the housekeeper waved from the -door—and they were off!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_57">57</div> -<h2 id="c6">CHAPTER VI -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie and Spider Have to Make After-dinner Speeches, and Bennie’s Knees Knock</span></h2> -<p>The day before had been cloudy and cold, though -the boys had been too busy with their packing to -notice it much. Now, however, that they were off at -last, and wanted to see every bit of country there was -to be seen, they were acutely conscious that it was a -heavy day, without a single glimpse of Mount Hood -through the vapor, and the threat of rain at any minute.</p> -<p>“Nice weather you’ve handed us for a start off,” -said Bennie to his uncle.</p> -<p>“Oh, this won’t last long,” Uncle Billy assured him. -“We have the finest climate in Oregon of anywhere in -the world. It’s never very cold in winter, and it’s -never very hot in summer, and our tent probably won’t -get wet on this entire trip.”</p> -<p>“Is that so?” said Bennie. “Some smart tent, I’ll -say. Look at your wind-shield.”</p> -<p>Indeed, as he spoke, the first drops of the rain began -to splash on the glass.</p> -<p>“You wait!” Uncle Billy smiled.</p> -<p>On the edge of Portland they stopped for gas, and -the Stones’ car pulled in behind them. A big, smiling -man, covered with axle grease, came out to fill them -up.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div> -<p>“Hello, Doc,” he said. “Off for a trip? Got a -fine day to start. As far as I can see, it rains for -twelve months of the year in Portland, and it ain’t -very pleasant the rest of the time.”</p> -<p>Bennie and Spider shouted with joy at this, and the -garage man looked a little surprised.</p> -<p>“Well, that went big!” he said.</p> -<p>“Uncle Bill didn’t tip you the wink in time,” Bennie -answered. “He’s just been telling us it never rains in -Oregon.”</p> -<p>“Sorry I crabbed your game, Doc,” the man -laughed. “Didn’t know these scouts weren’t native -web-feet.”</p> -<p>“They’ll not see any more rain till they get back to -Portland,” the doctor said, quite seriously.</p> -<p>The garage man winked solemnly at Bennie, who -grinned back.</p> -<p>“Well, Uncle Bill, we sure have got one on you -now,” Bennie laughed, as they drove on. “Eh, -Spider?”</p> -<p>“Kind of looks so,” Spider had to admit.</p> -<p>“The sun will be coming out at Salem, and this is -the last rain you’ll see, except maybe a thunder shower -or two,” Uncle Billy persisted. “And now, just for -that, I’ll tell you something else. We’ll get to Salem—that’s -the State capital—in time for lunch. The -Boy Scouts of Salem are going to give us the luncheon, -not on your account, but because you are with me. -You two boys will have to make speeches. Good, long -speeches, too, not just ‘Glad to be here.’ Got one on -me, have you? Take that!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div> -<p>“Aw, quit your kiddin’,” Bennie cried. “Not -really, Uncle Bill?”</p> -<p>“Gosh, I never made a speech in my life!” Spider -groaned from the rear seat. “I’d just go right down -through the floor.”</p> -<p>“Our floors are made of good old Douglas fir—not -a chance,” the doctor grinned. “You’ll have to stand -right up and show ’em how good Massachusetts is.”</p> -<p>“Poor old Massachusetts,” said Bennie. “She’s -got a bum chance to make a hit with us representing -her. Oh, golly, what’ll I do?”</p> -<p>“I guess you’d better be thinking of something to -say as we go along. I was going to stop so we could -pick some real Oregon cherries on the way, but maybe -I’d better not. You’ll need to keep your alleged minds -on your speeches.”</p> -<p>Bennie and Spider looked at each other and groaned.</p> -<p>“Honest, Uncle Billy, I think this is a real nice climate,” -said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Ha! nothing doing! You can’t get around me -that way. Besides, they are probably cooking the -luncheon already. The invitations are all out.”</p> -<p>“Has old Dumplin’ got to make a speech, too?”</p> -<p>“Oh, no,” said the doctor. “He’s a native, not a -distinguished visitor from the East.”</p> -<p>“We’ll be extinguished visitors by the time it’s -over,” Spider said.</p> -<p>“Hi, that’s good! Remember it, and put it in your -speech,” Bennie cried. “Wish I could think of something -funny. Gosh, you never can when you want -to.” He looked woebegone.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_60">60</div> -<p>“You get up with a face like that, and you’ll make -a hit like Charlie Chaplin,” Spider assured him.</p> -<p>The boys cheered up a bit, however, as the rain -ceased and the car sped on up a good road, through the -rich fields of the Willamette valley, mile after mile of -prune orchards and cherry orchards and hop plantations -and Loganberry fields where the canes, tied in -rows to wires, stretched for hundreds of yards on -either side of the road.</p> -<p>Presently they came to a “ranch” (as everybody -out there calls his farm or orchard), where the cherries -were being picked, and the doctor stopped the car. -The Stones, who were right behind, stopped too, and -everybody got out.</p> -<p>“Sell us some cherries?” asked the doctor.</p> -<p>“Got anything to pick ’em in?” asked the owner of -the orchard.</p> -<p>“Sure—the radiator pails.”</p> -<p>“All right, you can pick all you want in that first -tree, for fifty cents. Hold on, though. Not that cute -little feller there. I don’t want my tree busted down.”</p> -<p>“I’ll stand below and you can throw ’em into my -mouth,” Dumpling laughed.</p> -<p>They got the collapsible canvas pails which were carried -in the cars to fill the radiators with, and began to -pick. The cherries were huge things, of a deep, wonderful, -winey red, and almost melted in your mouth. -Bennie and Spider had never seen nor tasted such -cherries, and they ate two for every one they picked. -The pails were full in five minutes, at that, and still the -tree hardly seemed touched.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div> -<p>“What’s the name of these babies?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>“Bing,” said the doctor.</p> -<p>“No, I didn’t ask you to play soldier. I asked you -what’s the name of these cherries?”</p> -<p>“Bing, I tell you. Bing, B-i-n-g.”</p> -<p>“Well, it sounds like Bing,” Bennie laughed. -“That’s a silly name for a cherry, but, oh, boy, some -fruit!”</p> -<p>“You won’t be in any condition to eat that lunch -when we get to Salem,” the doctor laughed.</p> -<p>“Soon’s I get there, and think about that old speech -again, I won’t want any lunch, anyhow,” Bennie answered. -“Might ’s well fill up now.”</p> -<p>The two cars rolled into Salem at noon. Salem is a -small city, built around a large central park in which -the State Capitol building stands. This park was now -filled with roses, the bushes even growing in long rows -between the sidewalks and the street. The doctor ran -the car around this park, and then hunted up the camp -where they were to be entertained by the Salem Boy -Scouts. This was in a grove, just outside the town, -and about fifty scouts were already there, with three or -four fires going. As the two cars came up, the scout -master gave a sharp command, the troops fell into formation, -at attention, and there was a loud cheer of -welcome as Bennie and Spider tried to climb out over -the luggage gracefully. Poor Dumpling had a hard -time getting out of his car, but not one of the Salem -scouts laughed. In a few minutes, the scout master -had presented the guests all around, and preparations -for the luncheon began in earnest.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_62">62</div> -<p>It was a good lesson in scouting, all right. Different -boys had definite jobs, and they went at them -quickly and efficiently. Sawhorses and boards were -produced from a wagon, and made into rough tables. -More boards, on boxes, made the seats. Paper plates, -knives, forks, and spoons, and tin cups were put in -place. The scouts who could cook best were busy at -the fires. There was the smell of coffee, of broiling -steak, of frying potatoes, and of flapjacks. Three or -four of the scouts meanwhile were putting great dishes -of fruit—berries and cherries—on the tables. In spite -of all the cherries they had eaten, the smells made -Spider and Bennie hungry again. They tried, of -course, to help with the preparations, but the Salem -scouts wouldn’t let them.</p> -<p>“No, you’re guests,” the scout master said.</p> -<p>Finally the scout master clapped his hands, and -called in a loud voice, “Come and get it!” This was -the first time Spider and Bennie had heard the western -camp call to grub. But they didn’t need to be told -what it meant.</p> -<p>As soon as the food was eaten, the scout master rose -in his place, and announced that troop leader Tom -Robinson would welcome their guests to Oregon. -Tom Robinson, a tall, powerful boy of sixteen, got up -looking extremely scared, and everybody shouted and -applauded, whereupon he looked scareder still. But -he made a nice little speech, in spite of his nervousness, -telling Spider and Bennie how glad the Salem scouts -were that they had come so far to see Oregon, which, -he said, had the finest climate in the world, and hoping -they’d have a good time, and inviting them to come -and visit the Salem scouts in their camp up in the -mountains in August.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div> -<p>Everybody applauded again, and then looked at -Spider and Bennie, yelling, “Speech, speech!”</p> -<p>“You do it,” whispered Bennie to Spider.</p> -<p>“Go on—you got to do it,” Spider retorted.</p> -<p>“You’ve both got to do it,” the scout master -laughed.</p> -<p>So Bennie got up. He felt queer in his knees, which -didn’t seem to half hold him up, and his mouth felt -dry. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strange -to him, as if it belonged to somebody else.</p> -<p>“We’re awfully glad to be here,” he said, “and you -scouts are sure good to us to give us this grand feed. -I ate so many Bing cherries this morning I thought all -I could do would be to make a noise like a robin, but I -sure got away with my share of the grub. It’s pretty -fine to come 4,000 miles, all across the U. S. A., and -find a bunch of scouts out here just the same as at -home. Some organization, the Boy Scouts! ’Course, -we came to see the wilderness, and about all the wilderness -we’ve seen so far is a big city like Portland, and -Salem, and about ten million fruit trees, and sixteen -million automobiles. And we heard it was a good -climate out here, too, but my uncle’s garage man says -it rains twelve months in the year and isn’t very pleasant -the rest of the time. But we sure like Oregon, and -you fellows are a great bunch of scouts, and—and I -guess that’s all I got to say.”</p> -<p>Bennie sat down abruptly, amid much applause.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_64">64</div> -<p>“Some speech!” Spider whispered.</p> -<p>It was now Spider’s turn.</p> -<p>“Everything Bennie said goes for me,” he began, -“except this knock on the climate. It was raining -when we left Portland, but Dr. Warren told us it -would be clear when we got to Salem, and here’s the -old sun coming out now. I want to say the Salem climate’s -all right—like the Salem scouts. And Bennie -forgot something, too. He’s always forgetting things. -Once he forgot it was vacation, and tried to get into -the schoolhouse. Now he’s forgotten to say to you -fellows that when any of you come East, you just show -up in Southmead, where we live, and we’ll try to be -half as decent to you as you’ve been to us. And we -hope you’ll all come.”</p> -<p>Loud cheers greeted this speech, and Bennie applauded -harder than anybody.</p> -<p>“That last part goes, you bet,” he shouted. “I -didn’t really forget it, though. I just got rattled.”</p> -<p>The meeting broke up with a scout cheer, and the -boys heard the shouts and good-byes even after the -cars had started down the road.</p> -<p>“Some swell feed!” said Bennie. “Pretty nice of -’em, eh, Spider? I guess they must like you pretty -well, Uncle Bill, or they wouldn’t have done this for -us.”</p> -<p>“I ran into them in their camp last summer, and got -to know ’em,” the doctor answered. “Well, how do -you like being an after-dinner orator?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div> -<p>Bennie looked sober. “Tell you one thing,” he replied. -“Next year in school I’m going in for debating, -the way Spider does. I’m not going to feel such -a boob on my feet again. Gee, I was scared pink.”</p> -<p>“I won’t let you forget that, Bennie,” said Spider. -“We’ll make a Demosthenes of you yet.”</p> -<p>The cars were now racing southward up the Willamette -valley, and traveling on the fine Pacific Highway, -which stretches all the way from Portland to the California -boundary.</p> -<p>“I want to make Eugene tonight,” said Uncle Billy. -“That’s why I’m stepping on her. Eugene is the -town where the State University is—the college that -Harvard came west to play football with a few years -ago. We’ll find a good camp site just south of Eugene, -and spend the night there. Tomorrow we’ll -push on as far as we can toward Medford.”</p> -<p>“When do we get to Crater Lake?” the boys -asked.</p> -<p>“Well, I doubt if we make Medford tomorrow. -It’ll take another day. Then we’ll stock up with provisions, -and try to make the lake the next day, which -will be the Fourth of July. That’s the day the Park -is due to open.”</p> -<p>“Can we get some firecrackers in Medford?”</p> -<p>“Sure!” the doctor laughed.</p> -<p>The valley grew narrower as they ran on southward, -and the hills on either side seemed higher. But still -the boys saw no mountains, and none of the great forest -trees they’d heard about in Oregon. They reached -Eugene late in the day—a lively little town, with the -big, handsome buildings of the University dominating -it. Still they saw no mountains.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div> -<p>“Well, I suppose there <i>are</i> some, but you got to -show me,” Bennie declared.</p> -<p>Beyond the town, they ran the cars up a side road to -a patch of woods by a stream, and hurried to make -camp and get supper before it was dark.</p> -<p>“Let’s see how good scouts you really are,” Mr. -Stone said to the boys. “One of you set up the stove -and make a fire, and two of you get up the tents and -blow up the sleeping bags. Uncle Bill and I will get -the grub ready.”</p> -<p>Dumplin’ took the stove as his job, because he knew -how it worked. As soon as it was set up, he hustled -around for dead wood. Meanwhile Bennie and Spider -strung the ropes between trees for the tents, cut pegs, -and got the tents up. Then they tackled the sleeping -bags. It was warm that evening, and before they had -gone far they were hot.</p> -<p>“Say, how much air do these things hold?” Bennie -called. “I been pumping an hour.”</p> -<p>“Well, sleep on it flat if you’re tired. But I want -mine blown up,” his uncle answered.</p> -<p>At last they had all five bags blown up and laid in -the tents. By this time the fire was roaring in the -stove, and Dumplin’ had a neat little wood-pile beside -it, the two men had set up a folding table and chairs, -and food and coffee were cooking on the stove. Pretty -soon Mr. Stone called out, “Come and get it!” and -with a lantern hanging from a limb over the table, they -all sat down.</p> -<p>“Well, this sure beats a hotel!” said Uncle Bill.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div> -<p>“Beats a couple of hotels,” said Dumplin’, wiping -his perspiring forehead. “You don’t have to wear a -coat here.”</p> -<p>“Wait till you get to the lake, and you’ll be hollering -for a coat,” his father smiled.</p> -<p>After supper, the boys drew lots to see who would -wash the dishes. Bennie lost, and the rest built a little -camp fire between the two tents while he was clearing -up. They lay around the fire talking for an hour, and -then Uncle Billy ordered “Bed!”</p> -<p>“Early start tomorrow,” he said. “Everybody out -at five.”</p> -<p>The boys undressed and crawled into their sleeping -bags. Then they bounced up and down to feel how -comfortable they were.</p> -<p>“Mine’s too hard,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“So’s mine,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“You’ve got so much air in mine I’ll have a blowout,” -said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>“Gee, think of all that work for nothing!” Bennie -groaned.</p> -<p>If anybody had been outside the tent, he would have -heard three little hisses as they let some air out of their -beds. Then, three minutes later, he would have heard -three people breathing in sound slumber.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_68">68</div> -<h2 id="c7">CHAPTER VII -<br /><span class="sc">Held Up by the Snow, With the Thermometer at 86°</span></h2> -<p>The next day, sure enough Uncle Billy routed -everybody out at five o’clock. They had pancakes -and syrup, and bacon and coffee and toast for -breakfast, and then camp had to be struck and the cars -packed again. The sleeping bags had to be deflated -and rolled up by the three boys, and put in their canvas -cases. The tents had to be rolled up and also put in -cases. The dunnage bags had to be repacked, the -dishes washed and put into the boxes on Uncle Billy’s -car. It was long after seven before they got away.</p> -<p>On this day, at last, they began to get a taste of wild -Oregon—but just a taste, the doctor told them. They -finally came to the head of the Willamette valley, and -climbed up a long grade, beside a wild, tumbling -stream, amid huge old fir trees, and then down a long, -wooded cañon on the farther side. They rolled -through more valleys full of fruit orchards, and they -passed through several towns. In one of them, where -they stopped to get an ice cream soda—or rather ice -cream sodas, for both the scouts had two apiece and -Dumplin’ had three—a big banner was stretched across -the street, with the words on it in letters two feet high:</p> -<p class="center">IT’S THE CLIMATE.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_69">69</div> -<p>“Golly, you wouldn’t think they had any climate -anywhere else,” said Bennie. “Out here, you’ve only -got one kind. In little old Massachusetts we have -every kind.”</p> -<p>“Sure, and on the same day, too,” Uncle Billy -laughed.</p> -<p>All that afternoon they climbed up endless grades, -where the highway was cut out of the sides of the -cañons, and the great trees shadowed the road, and -down again, and up again.</p> -<p>“Are we in the Cascade Mountains now?” the boys -asked.</p> -<p>“No, these are just hills,” said the doctor. “You -won’t see any mountains till we get almost into Medford. -Cheer up, they’ll be there tomorrow.”</p> -<p>The grades were so numerous, and so long and hard, -that it was impossible to make as many miles in a day -here as it is in the East. As the sun began to sink, the -doctor began watching for camp sites, and presently he -pulled into a field beside the road where a brook came -down from a hill, and they camped for a second night -on the road.</p> -<p>An early start again was ordered, and now the -grades grew less severe again, and after a few hours -the cars ran out into a wide plain, and suddenly the -boys gave a yell.</p> -<p>“The mountains!” they cried.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_70">70</div> -<p>Sure enough, there they were. To the east lay the -blue rampart of the Cascade range, and right in the -centre, covered white with snow, shot up the peaked -pyramid of Mount McLaughlin. To the south and -west, shutting the valley in, rose more mountains, some -of them still showing snow on their summits. Across -the head of the valley ran a tumbling green stream, the -Rogue River.</p> -<p>“That river comes down from close to Crater -Lake,” said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>“Gee, I’d like to get into it right now,” Bennie remarked.</p> -<p>A dozen miles more, and they were in Medford, a -neat, clean little city (it would be called a town in the -East), surrounded by flourishing fruit orchards and -grain fields. The boys scouted around for some -crackers and fireworks, while the men restocked the -cars with provisions, got gas and oil, and inquired -about the road to the lake.</p> -<p>“Well,” said the doctor, as they met at the cars -again, “we don’t get to Crater Lake tomorrow.”</p> -<p>“Aw, gee, why not?” Bennie demanded.</p> -<p>“Road’s not open yet to the rim. Can’t get much -beyond Government Camp.”</p> -<p>“What’s the trouble—snow?” asked Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>The doctor nodded.</p> -<p>“Snow!” said Spider, wiping his hot forehead. -“Don’t sound possible.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>Everybody laughed, and Dumplin’ announced he -was going to get another ice cream soda while the -leaders decided what to do.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div> -<p>When he came back, the doctor and Mr. Stone had -decided to go back up the road and then up the Rogue -River for a few miles, on the way to Crater Lake, and -camp there over the Fourth and the day following. -By the third day it was probable, the doctor said, that -the government rangers would have the snow blasted -out of the road.</p> -<p>“<i>Blasted</i> out?” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Sure; they use TNT. It would take forever to -shovel those drifts.”</p> -<p>“Oh, let’s go up and watch ’em!” Bennie pleaded.</p> -<p>“And get the cars mired? No, thank you! We’ll -camp by the Rogue River and wait. You can swim -and Spider can study birds, and Dumplin’ can wish he -was nearer a soda fountain. Come on.”</p> -<p>They turned off the highway at the Rogue River -bridge, and the minute they were off the macadam the -dust began to fly. Spider looked back into the cloud.</p> -<p>“Glad I’m not in the Stones’ car,” he said. “What -makes it so dusty?”</p> -<p>“This soil is all volcanic ash or pumice,” said the -doctor, “and it hasn’t rained here, probably, for a -month, and won’t for five or six more.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” chuckled Bennie.</p> -<p>Two or three miles up this dusty road, and close to a -small, dilapidated looking house, made of boards and -huge, hand-hewn shingles or “shakes,” the doctor put -the car off the road and into a field which was baked as -hard as a brick, with the grass dried up and brown. -At the edge of this field was a grove of trees with -shiny copper-colored bark and glossy green leaves, -called laurel trees, and beyond them the bank plunged -sharp down for fifty feet to the rushing green river.</p> -<p>“Camp,” said Uncle Billy, stopping the car. -“Here’s where we live for two days at least.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_72">72</div> -<p>As soon as camp was made, and wood cut, the entire -party ran down the bank to a gravelly beach by the -river’s edge, stripped, and plunged into the water. -Five yells immediately rose in the stillness, and five -bodies came splashing back to shore.</p> -<p>“That water comes down from the snow-fields, all -right,” said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“That’s why it’s so green,” said the doctor.</p> -<p>“And why Dumplin’s so pink,” laughed Bennie, -pointing at Lester, who certainly looked like a very -plump boiled lobster.</p> -<p>That night they sang and joked around the camp -fire till nine o’clock, because there was no early start in -the morning. When Bennie woke up, however, he -saw that Spider’s bed was empty. Going down to the -river in his pyjamas, for a plunge, he found Spider, all -dressed, with a note-book in his hand, watching birds.</p> -<p>“Gee, this is a great place to see birds,” Spider -called. “I’ve got nine kinds already, most of ’em that -I never saw before. And you want to watch for the -funny little lizards on the ground.”</p> -<p>Bennie almost immediately heard a rustle in the dead -leaves beside him, and looking down saw a small lizard-like -creature scurry up on to a flat stone. He -reached down to pick it up—and the lizard wasn’t -there! He was on a stone two feet away.</p> -<p>“Say!” he called, “this is the quickest thing I ever -saw. Beats a weasel.”</p> -<p>“Mr. Stone says they call ’em swifts,” Spider answered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div> -<p>Among the new birds that Spider saw, and added to -his bird list, he later learned from Mr. Stone and the -doctor, were ravens, western tanagers (a beautiful, -bright yellow bird), valley quail, camp robbers, water -ousels, which live always by the water and build their -nests behind the waterfalls, the western catbird, which -is much like the eastern, only brownish, and blue jays -of a much darker color than in the East. These jays -fought and squawked around the camp all day long. -Then there were crows and other birds he already -knew.</p> -<p>“Well, never mind your old birds now,” Bennie said -after breakfast. “This is the Glorious Fourth. Let’s -fire off some crackers and do something to celebrate.”</p> -<p>“We might run down to Medford and see the parade,” -the doctor suggested.</p> -<p>This was hailed with delight, so they unpacked the -cars, and started off for the day. Medford was full of -people. There was a parade and a ball game and a -lively time generally.</p> -<p>“Well, this is what I call wild life in Oregon,” Bennie -laughed. “We came 4,000 miles to get into the -wilderness, and here we are with about ten thousand -other people watching a parade in a city. Some wilderness!”</p> -<p>“You wait,” his uncle cautioned. “In about a -week, you’ll have so much wilderness you’ll be crying -for home and mother.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div> -<p>That night, back in camp, they set off their own fireworks, -shooting the rockets from an improvised chute -out over the water, and the next day they spent in exploring -two or three old gold diggings they found by -the bank—shafts which some prospector had laboriously -dug far into the earth, but without getting much -gold, apparently, for the diggings had all been abandoned. -Bennie and Spider spent two or three hours -searching everywhere for nuggets, but they found -nothing. It was hot and sultry, too, and everybody -was getting impatient.</p> -<p>“I’m going to start tomorrow for the lake,” the -doctor said that night. “We’ll camp below the rim if -we can’t get up. It’s too hot here.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” said Bennie—and the doctor and -Dumplin’ fell upon him and rolled him on the hard -ground till he howled for mercy.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_75">75</div> -<h2 id="c8">CHAPTER VIII -<br /><span class="sc">Up to the Rim of Crater Lake at Last, Through the Snow-drifts</span></h2> -<p>Everybody was out at 4:30 the next morning. -The hot weather still held. In fact, it was hotter -than the day before. Bennie waited till he was on -the extreme edge of camp, with a clear field to run in, -and then remarked, “It’s the climate.”</p> -<p>But everybody was too busy packing to chase him.</p> -<p>At seven o’clock the cars were ready, and the start -was at last made on the last lap for Crater Lake.</p> -<p>“It’s only eighty miles—even a bit less from here, I -guess. But it’s up-hill all the way, and of course we -don’t know what kind of roads we’re going to get -into.”</p> -<p>For many miles they ran along past scattered -ranches where the irrigation ditches paralleled the road, -and the alfalfa scented the air. Then the country began -to get rougher, the road began to climb, the tumbling, -foaming green river dropped farther and farther -below them into a wild ravine, while they climbed -along the side.</p> -<p>“This is something like!” Bennie shouted. “Bring -on some more of your old wilderness!”</p> -<p>“You’ll get some more pretty soon now.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div> -<p>They passed a little settlement, where both cars -stopped for gas and to let the engines cool, and then -the road ran into a forest, and traveled straight as an -arrow, making a long aisle as far as the eye could -see.</p> -<p>“Government forest,” the doctor said. “This is a -government road. Well, boys, what do you think of -these trees?”</p> -<p>The boys looked on either side of the dusty white -road, into stands of Douglas fir that almost took their -breath away—great giants six and eight feet through, -and rising without any branches for a hundred feet or -more, straight as masts, and after the first branches -going on up another fifty or a hundred feet.</p> -<p>“Some shrubs,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“You’ll see a lot of bigger ones before we get back -to Portland,” said the doctor.</p> -<p>After running for ten miles or so through the forest, -while the car and their faces became covered with -the white pumice dust, they came suddenly on a beautiful, -cold little stream, and beside this stream an open -camp ground, maintained by the government for anybody -who wanted to use it. Here they stopped for -early lunch, under the cool shadows of the great trees.</p> -<p>There were at least a dozen other cars there, and -half as many tents were pitched in the woods. Fires -were going. Some campers had wash hung out to -dry. The camp was clean and well cared for.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div> -<p>“Well,” said Spider, looking around, “all I can say -is that Massachusetts has got something to learn from -Oregon. If you tried to camp anywhere at home, -you’d get chased off. And when the State does get -any land for a forest, it doesn’t make any provisions -for camping. They won’t let you build a fire. Can’t -camp without a fire.”</p> -<p>“Here’s something for you scouts to think about,” -Mr. Stone said. “Why don’t you talk up State forests -and camp sites when you go home? The Boy -Scouts could do a lot if they all got together.”</p> -<p>“You bet we’ll think about it,” Spider said. “Why, -there’s a State reservation right near Southmead, and -a nice park on it, and the State hasn’t even made a path -around the pond so you can get to the water.”</p> -<p>“People in the East haven’t learned how to camp -yet, anyway,” the doctor said. “They think they’ve -got to have a hotel every fifty miles.”</p> -<p>“Sure,” said Bennie. “Ma’s idea of roughing it is -to have hot and cold water and steam heat.”</p> -<p>After lunch they pushed on, and soon began to climb -again, up and up, while the radiators boiled in the heat, -till they came to the entrance of the Crater Lake National -Park, where they stopped to pay the tolls on the -cars, and have a tag pasted on the wind-shield. While -this was being done, the boys crossed the road and -looked down into a tremendous gorge cut by Castle -Creek into the lava rock. It was their first real taste -of what was ahead. Soon after this, as the road kept -on climbing, they began to get glimpses through the -trees of mountain tops, covered with snow, and before -long the road began to get muddy in places, as if the -snow had but recently melted from it.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_78">78</div> -<p>At last they reached Government Camp, where the -Park superintendent and the rangers live, at the foot -of the last slope to the rim. Here there were great -patches of snow all about in the woods, and trickles of -water beside the road.</p> -<p>“Can we get up to the rim?” the doctor called to -someone in a doorway.</p> -<p>“Half a dozen cars have gone up, and haven’t come -back,” a voice answered.</p> -<p>“Maybe they can’t get back,” the doctor laughed.</p> -<p>“Maybe,” said the other man. “But I reckon they -got through. Better put on your chains, though.”</p> -<p>After the chains were put on both cars, they started -out once more, on the last pull to the lake.</p> -<p>“Only three or four miles now,” said Uncle Billy, -“and a thousand feet to climb.”</p> -<p>The road was muddy, but well graded, as it wound -up the ravine, through heavy timber, with great drifts -of snow on either side. Before long they came to -places where the drifts had been shoveled out to let the -road through, and in these places the road was so soft -that everybody but the drivers got out and walked. -The boys made snowballs and pelted each other. Once -or twice the cars stuck, and they had to get boughs to -put under the wheels. But there was no serious delay -till they were almost at the top of the climb. Here -they found several cars stalled ahead of them. Going -forward, they found that one big drift was still in the -way. Part of it was cut through, but the last end was -still ten feet of solid snow. The rangers were even -now laying a train of TNT through it, and connecting -the fuses. The boys rushed back for their cameras.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div> -<p>When the dozen charges were ready, everybody ran -out of the way. A ranger connected the wires, and -went back behind a tree to the battery. A moment -later there was a terrific explosion, and a huge geyser -of black smoke and black water rose from the drift, -the blackened water settling down in a fine, dirty mist -on the snow to leeward.</p> -<p>“Gosh, I hope I snapped that at the right time!” -said Bennie. “Made me jump so, I couldn’t tell.”</p> -<p>Mr. Stone, who was working with a graflex, said he -thought he got a good one, anyway. Then they went -forward and found the twelve charges had blasted out -a deep ditch in the snow right through the drift. Men -sprang in with shovels, and in fifteen minutes the cars -could plough through. From there on the snow was -melted from the road, and flowers were already coming -up through the soft brown pumice soil.</p> -<p>Right ahead of them the boys saw the hotel, and in -front of the hotel the land seemed to disappear. It -didn’t look at all like a mountain here. The road was -now quite level, and there were woods all about. Only -to the right there was a mountain peak, close by, covered -with a great cap of snow. It looked more as if -they were coming to the edge of some cañon.</p> -<p>“Where’s the lake?” they demanded.</p> -<p>“Can you stand it for two minutes more?” the doctor -asked.</p> -<p>Now the car was close to the hotel. The boys -jumped out and ran ahead, up a little grade. And -then they stopped stone dead, and drew in a long -breath of astonishment.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_80">80</div> -<p>Right under their feet the land fell away at so sharp -an angle that it was practically a precipice, for more -than a thousand feet. This great precipice stretched -out to right and left, rising here and there into crags -and cliffs a thousand feet above them, and swung -around in a vast circle six miles in diameter, thus -making what looked like a gigantic hole in the earth. -At the bottom of this hole lay the lake; but it was not -an ordinary lake. It was not just water. In fact, it -didn’t look like water. It was a wonderful, a vivid, an -unbelievable blue. It was bluer than the sky.</p> -<p>“It’s the bluest thing I ever saw!” cried Bennie. -“Wow! how do you get down to it?”</p> -<p>“There’s just one trail down here,” his uncle answered, -“and one around on the east side. Those are -the only two ways down to the water.”</p> -<p>“And what’s that little peaked island out there?” -Spider asked, pointing to what looked like a pile of -cinders at one side of the lake, cinders covered with -green weeds.</p> -<p>“That’s Wizard Island. After this old volcano collapsed -into the crater, and before it filled with water, -she started up again to build a new volcano. That -island is the result. It’s a little volcano all by itself, -with a crater in the top. That island is 800 feet above -the water line, and the green you see on it is made by -big trees.”</p> -<p>“Gosh!” said Bennie. “It looks about eight feet -high, instead of 800. Can we get to it?”</p> -<p>“We’ll get to it, all right. But we’ve got to make -camp before we do anything.”</p> -<div class="img" id="pic2"> -<img src="images/p04.jpg" alt="Crater Lake—Wizard Island, and over it Llao Rock" width="935" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">Crater Lake—Wizard Island, and over it Llao Rock</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div> -<p>“Will you tell us after supper all about this lake, -how it got made and everything?” Spider asked. -“Gee, I wish I’d studied geology.”</p> -<p>“You’ve come to the right place to begin,” said the -doctor. “But now for a camp site. Come on with -me.”</p> -<p>Leaving the cars, they walked westward along the rim, -looking for a chance to get the cars through the drifts. -They could manage, they found, to run them a few -hundred feet west of the hotel, along what looked like -a road. There was a considerable open space between -the edge of the rim and the timber, however, and to get -back from the rim to the trees they had to get the -camp spades out of the cars and dig a ditch through -two feet of snow. At last the cars were through, and -a comparatively dry spot found under some big fir -trees. Here the tents were put up, with the stove between -them, the cars unpacked, the beds inflated, and -Dumplin’ and Bennie went after wood while Spider -took the pails and went back over the snow toward the -hotel for water. All the water has to be pumped up -to the hotel and the camp grounds from a spring back -down the road. When he returned, he reported that -already a dozen more cars had arrived, several tents -were going up, and there were a lot of people at the -hotel.</p> -<p>Meanwhile Bennie and Dumplin’ had discovered that -past campers had cleaned out so much of the dead -wood that it was hard to find enough for a fire, especially -as the woods were still full of snow and the -fallen branches buried or else soaking wet. However, -they rustled up enough for that night and breakfast, -and preparations for supper began.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div> -<p>As the sun got lower and lower, the water of the -lake seemed to turn a darker and darker blue, and the -snow cap on Garfield, the peak just to the east, turned -a lovely rose red—and Bennie put on his coat.</p> -<p>“What you putting that on for?” his uncle asked.</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” said Bennie, with a grin.</p> -<p>“Well, suppose you and Dump go drain the radiators -before we forget it,” the doctor laughed.</p> -<p>“What do you mean, drain the radiators? Are you -kidding?” the boys demanded.</p> -<p>“Kidding? Not on your life. Go do as I tell you.”</p> -<p>“But, gee whiz, they were <i>boiling</i> about three hours -ago,” Dumplin’ said.</p> -<p>“That was three hours ago, and 2,000 feet lower. -Go do as I tell you.”</p> -<p>“Some climate, I’ll say!” Bennie laughed. But he -was still skeptical, it was plain to see. He thought his -uncle was trying to play a joke on him. However, -he and Dumplin’ drained the cars.</p> -<p>A few minutes later they heard the welcome call -from the camp, “Come and get it!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div> -<h2 id="c9">CHAPTER IX -<br /><span class="sc">The Mountain That Fell Into Itself</span></h2> -<p>It was still twilight when dinner was over, and the -doctor said, “First class in geology will now be -held on Victory Rock. Do you scouts have merit -badges in geology, by the way?”</p> -<p>“No,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“That’s funny. Seems to me you ought to,” Mr. -Stone declared. “Scouts are hiking around the country -all the time, and it’s a mighty good chance to see -how the earth was made.”</p> -<p>Victory Rock, the boys found, is a kind of bowsprit -of lava thrust out from the rim, so that when you -stand on it you can see almost all the circle of the lake, -and the water appears to be directly under you.</p> -<p>“Now, take a good look,” Uncle Billy said, “and -then try to imagine what this place was like before the -big explosion. The rim here is 7,000 feet above sea -level. In other words, we’ve climbed up, to get here, -about half the height of the original mountain. We -are about at snow line.”</p> -<p>“About!” Bennie laughed. “About is good!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_84">84</div> -<p>“Now just imagine the line of ascent we took from -Government Camp carried right on up, all around the -lake. When the slopes met, over the middle, in the -peak of the original mountain, geologists reckon that -peak was from 14,000 to 15,000 feet high. This was -one of the highest mountains, if not the highest, in -the United States proper. It was an active volcano, -of course. If you’ll look over there to the northwest, -you’ll see a big, steep precipice with a rounded top. -That’s called Llao Rock. Do you see how the bottom -of it curves up at either end? Well, that curve shows -you where the bottom of a ravine was on the original -mountain. In some eruption, ages ago, a great stream -of lava flowed down that ravine, filled it up to overflowing, -and hardened into rock. If you travel around -the lake, you can pick out where each ravine was by -the laval cliffs.”</p> -<p>“How high is that Llao Rock?” asked Spider.</p> -<p>“About 2,000 feet from the water.”</p> -<p>“Gee, then that lava stream was more’n a thousand -feet deep!”</p> -<p>“It was,” said the doctor. “Much more.”</p> -<p>“And then what happened?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>“Well, I wasn’t here at the time,” said Uncle Billy, -“but as near as the scientists can figure it out, there -must have been a tremendous eruption, scattering -pumice all over Oregon and making a lot of our rich -soil, and then, at the level where we are now, probably -a lot of vent holes blew out, making the whole -top of the mountain, which was only a shell around -the great crater hole, so insecure that it just toppled -inward of its own weight. About seven or eight thousand -feet of the mountain just collapsed into the -crater.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div> -<p>“Say, I’d like to have been here with the old kodak!” -Bennie cried. “And then what happened?”</p> -<p>“Well, then the bottom of the crater evidently -started to spit again, and build up a new mountain. It -built up a perfect cone, just the shape of the old mountain, -almost to the level of the rim. That’s Wizard -Island out there. Wizard Island is a later kind of -lava and volcanic stuff than what you find in the rim -walls. But the old mountain got tired about then, and -decided to call it a day, and it’s been resting ever -since.”</p> -<p>“But how did the water get here?” Dumplin’ asked.</p> -<p>“Out of the sky. There are no springs, so far as -anybody knows, in the crater. That water has just -come from the snow and rain—mostly snow, which -has been falling into the hole for untold ages. Over -on the east side of the lake, it is 2,000 feet deep.”</p> -<p>“Say, you could almost dive there without hitting -your head on bottom, couldn’t you?” Bennie laughed. -“What makes it so blue?”</p> -<p>“Nobody seems to know that. Some people think -there must be some chemical or mineral gets into it. -Anyway, there’s no other lake in the world which has -its color.”</p> -<p>“I’ll bet there isn’t!” Spider declared. “My, it’s -a beautiful thing. When are we going down to it? -Are there boats on it? How do they get the boats -down there?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_86">86</div> -<p>“One at a time!” Mr. Stone laughed. “We’ll go -down as soon as the trail is opened. They get the -boats down the trail on wheels, by man power, and -keep ’em winters over on Wizard Island. You could -see the boat-house if it wasn’t so dark.”</p> -<p>“Let’s go over to the hotel and find out if the trail -is open yet!” the boys cried, and led the way without -waiting for an answer.</p> -<p>No, the trail wasn’t open, the hotel manager told -them. But the boatmen had been down and got some -rowboats out, and two men had gone down fishing -that afternoon.</p> -<p>“But it’s not a safe trip,” the manager added. “We -don’t advise anybody to try it. The government is -going to begin shoveling the snow out of the trail tomorrow -morning. You’d better wait a day or two.”</p> -<p>They thanked him, bought some souvenir post-cards -to send home, and went back to camp.</p> -<p>“Have we got to wait?” the boys demanded.</p> -<p>The two men only smiled.</p> -<p>“Better be up early,” they said. “We might have -a try at it. Can’t tell. Bennie seems to want a bit of -real wild stuff. Maybe we can give it to him.”</p> -<p>There was not wood enough in camp to make a -camp fire, and no chance to get any more till daylight. -Everybody had put on his sweater, and the air was -getting colder and colder.</p> -<p>“Nothing for it but to go to bed,” Mr. Stone declared. -“And be thankful you have those blankets -you didn’t need at Rogue River.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate!” said Bennie, as he shivered in -his pyjamas and wriggled hastily in between all the -blankets he could stuff into his sleeping bag. “Oh, -you blankets!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div> -<p>“And down in Medford, eighty miles away, they’re -probably kicking off the sheets,” laughed Uncle Billy. -“What do you think of Crater Lake now, eh?”</p> -<p>But Bennie only grunted. He was already half -asleep.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div> -<h2 id="c10">CHAPTER X -<br /><span class="sc">Down the Rim to the Lake—The Boys Ski on a Crater Snow-drift in July</span></h2> -<p>The two scouts were first awake the next morning. -They took no more time getting dressed -than the law allowed, for it was shivery cold, and -then went outside the tent to wash. The sun was just -coming up, and the night mists still hung around the -sides of the rim and over the water of the lake, which -was so still that it was exactly like a huge bright blue -mirror, six miles wide, in which everything hung upside -down. The water in the pails at the side of the tent -had a skim of ice over it!</p> -<p>Bennie broke the ice and poured some water in a -basin, dousing it on his face and spluttering with the -cold. They went over the snow-drifts to the tap to -get more water, and the snow was crusted and held -them up so that their hobnailed boots crunched and -squeaked on it.</p> -<p>“And this is July 7th!” said Spider. “Well, you -thought your uncle was joshing about the radiator last -night, didn’t you?”</p> -<p>“I sure did,” Bennie answered. “Didn’t realize -what a difference altitude makes.”</p> -<div class="img" id="pic3"> -<img src="images/p05.jpg" alt="Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in Foreground" width="924" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">Campers at the Rim of Crater Lake. Mid-July Snow in Foreground</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div> -<p>After they had brought the water, and made a fire -in the stove, the scouts went off after a wood supply, -while the rest were dressing. They wandered a long -way back down the slope, through the forest, and -tried to imagine, as they looked back, that instead of -being cut off at the rim the mountain went on up -another 8,000 feet.</p> -<p>“I guess if it did, we’d be on a glacier here, instead -of just snow,” said Spider. “Look, Bennie, at those -flowers coming up within a foot of this drift! I’m -going to collect a lot of flowers on this trip, and get -a merit badge in botany, too. Why don’t you get -after some merit badges?”</p> -<p>“Aw, gee, what good am I at botany and stuff like -that?”</p> -<p>“Well, you could go after one in forestry. We’ll -be seeing a lot of real forests. And there’s hiking, -and camping. Oh, lots of ’em.”</p> -<p>“Got your manual with you?”</p> -<p>“Sure.”</p> -<p>“Well, let’s look ’em up later, and see what chance -a dub like me has,” Bennie answered. “But this ain’t -getting us much fire wood.”</p> -<p>They were so far from the camp ground now that -dead wood was plentiful, and they returned to camp -over the drifts and the bare clearings where the wild -flowers were just sprouting—spring in July—dragging -dead limbs enough to last two or three days. The -smell of coffee and bacon greeted them as they came -up the last slope to the camp.</p> -<p>“By the way,” Spider asked at breakfast, “what -was the name of this mountain before it fell into itself?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_90">90</div> -<p>“Who was there to name it, you poor fish?” -laughed Bennie.</p> -<p>“I never thought of that!”</p> -<p>“It has a posthumous name, though,” said Mr. -Stone.</p> -<p>“Come again—come again!” Bennie said. “What -kind of a name?”</p> -<p>“Ho, I know what that means!” put in Dumplin’, -his mouth full of wheat cakes.</p> -<p>“What <i>what</i> means?” the rest demanded.</p> -<p>“P-p”—he swallowed hard, and then got it out—“posthumous.”</p> -<p>“Well, what does it mean?”</p> -<p>“It means something that comes after you’re dead. -If a man writes a book that ain’t printed till he’s dead, -it’s a posthumous book.”</p> -<p>“My son,” said Mr. Stone, “I am proud of -you.”</p> -<p>“Not to say surprised at him,” the doctor laughed.</p> -<p>Dumplin’ grinned triumphantly, and reached out for -more cakes.</p> -<p>“Well, what was its p-p-posthumous name?” Bennie -demanded.</p> -<p>“They call the mountain Mount Mazama. You see, -there’s a famous club of mountaineers in Portland, -who are called the Mazamas, and that’s why the name -was given to this vanished peak.”</p> -<p>“Mazama—sounds sort of Indian.”</p> -<p>“It is—it’s the Indian word for a mountain goat.”</p> -<p>“That’s us,” said Bennie. “When do we leap -lightly down the rim to the water?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_91">91</div> -<p>“As soon as you’ve washed the dishes,” said his -uncle.</p> -<p>The sun was well up when they started, and the -chill had gone from the air. You could hardly believe -water had frozen two hours before. Mr. Stone -carried his movie camera, which weighed fifty pounds, -on his back in a knapsack made for it, Dumplin’ carried -the tripod, also in a sack, Bennie and Spider carried -their canteens filled with spring water, their -cameras, and the lunch in knapsacks. The doctor had -two canteens and the coil of 125 feet of soft alpine -braided rope. Everybody had an alpenstock. As the -little procession passed the hotel, the people there -looked at them curiously.</p> -<p>“You evidently mean business,” somebody said.</p> -<p>“We’re going down to the lake,” said the doctor.</p> -<p>“I wouldn’t try it, if I were you,” the other man -replied. “Two chaps went down yesterday, and they -had a pretty bad time. They say it’s extremely dangerous.”</p> -<p>“We’ll take a chance,” said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>The trail starts down just east of the hotel. It is a -wide footpath cut in the soft lava and the powdery -pumice and conglomerate of the slope, switchbacking -down a sharp ravine. But this ravine was now almost -filled with snow, so that the path was buried, and -the descent had to be made over the bare snow slope, -at an angle of fifty degrees. If you once started slipping, -there was nothing to stop you for a thousand -feet. The park gang of a dozen men or more, with -shovels, were just attacking the snow at the top, shoveling -out the path and tossing the snow chunks on to the -slope, down which they slid and bounded like a bombardment.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_92">92</div> -<p>The doctor led the way past the shovelers, so they -would be out of the range of the falling lumps, uncoiled -the rope, tied one end around his waist, flung -the other end down the slope, drove his alpenstock -deep and firm, braced his feet, and said:</p> -<p>“Now, you all go down to the end, one at a time. -Keep a firm hold on the rope. Don’t ever let go with -more than one hand. When you get to the bottom, -brace your stocks, and Stone, you take up the slack -on me as I come down.”</p> -<p>One by one the boys and Mr. Stone faced half sideways -to the slope, kept hold of the rope with the right -hand, and went down the 125 feet step by step. As -Bennie started down, he saw that just above them on -the rim were a dozen people, come from the hotel to -watch.</p> -<p>“Gee, this is the life!” he shouted.</p> -<p>The boys watched Uncle Billy come down when -everybody else was at the rope’s end. He had no rope -to help him, of course, but he used his alpenstock with -one hand, and drove his boots firmly into the snow -with a sideways motion which made a little step for -him.</p> -<p>“Guess old Uncle Bill knows his way about,” -thought Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div> -<p>From this point, the operation was repeated, getting -them down 250 feet. But by now the shovelers -in the path above had worked ahead, and the snow -chunks were whizzing past uncomfortably close. -They saw that the ravine narrowed ahead of them into -a kind of bottle neck, and all the chunks worked into -that neck. They would have to pass right through it. -No use in yelling up to the shovelers to quit, either. -Their job was to get the trail opened as soon as possible. -Besides, they were laughing, and the little party -down in the ravine knew that meant they were just -waiting to get them into the narrow place and bombard -them.</p> -<p>“Keep half an eye up the slope this next drop,” the -doctor said, “and watch out for cannon balls. Those -fellows up there are going to wing us if they can. -The chunks won’t break any bones, but they’ll hurt. -Once we’re through the neck, we can get round behind -that rock, and be out of range.”</p> -<p>“Let her go!” said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>Nobody lost any time on that next drop. Mr. Stone -went first, and no sooner was he out into the narrow -groove of the ravine than a perfect avalanche of snow -chunks came whizzing down. Most of them got -broken up before they reached him, but every now -and then one hung together, as big as a shoveler could -lift out of the path, and went whizzing by a mile a -minute. One of them bounced up just before it -reached him, and landed <i>ker-blam</i> against his camera -sack, smashing into a thousand pieces, and nearly taking -him off his feet.</p> -<p>“The idiots!” Uncle Billy said. “I’d like to throw -’em all down here head first. Go ahead, Dump. Your -father’s round the bend now.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_94">94</div> -<p>“You’re an easy mark, Dumplin’!” yelled the boys, -as poor Lester slid down the rope into the path of the -whirling missiles. “Hi! look out—here comes a big -one!”</p> -<p>Lester ducked, and a block of snow bounded right -over his head. Bennie had no such luck when he -started, though. He dodged a couple, but a third -chunk caught him right in the head, smashed wetly -around his neck and ears, and he felt the water trickling -down inside his shirt as he hurried, half blinded, -around the rock to shelter. Spider and the doctor soon -joined them, Spider nursing a bump on the leg from -a snow chunk with a stone in it.</p> -<p>“Great idea of a joke, those guys have,” said Bennie. -“Funny thing, Dumplin’ never got hit at all, -and he’s the easiest mark. Where do we go from -here?”</p> -<p>The doctor looked around. Straight down below -them was a long slope of pumice and gravelly looking -stuff, at a very steep angle, with a few trees and lava -blocks breaking it up, and patches of snow.</p> -<p>“Here,” he said, and threw out the rope.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div> -<p>Bennie started first. His feet seemed to hold well -in this soft ground, and he let his hand just slide along -the rope, seeing how fast he could walk down. Suddenly -the ground just slipped away under him. He -sat down, and began to slide. His hand, held too -loosely on the rope, was yanked off. He grasped for -the rope again, but it was out of reach. For one -sickly, awful moment, he saw the lake and the rocks -hundreds of feet below him, and thought he was going -to land down there—or what was left of him. Down, -down he slid, six feet, eight feet, hit a patch of snow -and went faster, while he tried vainly to dig in with -hands and heels. Then, as suddenly as the first slip, -he realized that in ten feet more he’d hit a tree growing -on a tiny flat place by a piece of solid lava. A -second, and his feet struck the roots with a thump, -and he stopped abruptly.</p> -<p>When the rest got to him, he was still sitting there, -trembling a little, and trying to clean off his clothes. -His uncle’s face was white, but all he said was:</p> -<p>“I thought you knew how to climb, Bennie. I see -you’ve got to be taught to keep a hold on the rope.”</p> -<p>“It—it came so sudden.”</p> -<p>“It always does come sudden,” his uncle answered. -That was all he said. That was all he ever said about -it the whole trip. But it was all he needed to say. -Bennie felt deeply ashamed. He had failed on the -very first climb! He resolved then and there that the -next time he’d hang on to that rope with a death grip.</p> -<p>“Were you scared?” Spider whispered to him, as -they got down to the trail where the snow had -melted off, and could walk the last few feet of the -way. “Gee, I was scared blue when I saw you goin’, -till I spotted the tree, and knew you were goin’ to hit -it. Hadn’t been there, though, you’d been a goner. -Golly!”</p> -<p>“Sure I was scared,” said Bennie. “Didn’t have -time to think much about it, though, before I hit the -good old roots.”</p> -<p>Dumplin’ now dropped alongside.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_96">96</div> -<p>“If it had been me,” he said, “I’d have knocked the -tree down, and gone right on.”</p> -<p>“You’d ’a’ made an awful splash in the lake,” Bennie -laughed, though his voice still trembled a little.</p> -<p>There were only three boats at the landing, and -none of the boatmen had yet come down that day. -They were waiting for the trail to be opened. But -the hotel manager had told Uncle Billy how to find -the oars, and loading the cameras and lunch into a -couple of the skiffs, they pushed off, Bennie insisting -on rowing one boat, and Lester the other. The -lake was very still as they floated out over its blue -water.</p> -<p>“It don’t look more’n ten feet deep to me,” said -Bennie, glancing over the side. “There’s the old bottom.”</p> -<p>“Look up at the cliffs and take ten more strokes, -and then look down,” said Mr. Stone from the other -boat.</p> -<p>Bennie did so.</p> -<p>“Jiminy crickets and little jumping hoptoads!” he -exclaimed. “Why, there isn’t any bottom!”</p> -<p>Sure enough, the bottom had dropped completely -away. They were floating on what seemed like a bottomless -blue liquid.</p> -<p>“I feel as if we were sort of hanging in a piece of -the sky,” said Spider. “I never had such a funny -sensation.”</p> -<p>The doctor smiled. “You’ve got the Crater Lake -blues,” he said. “It scares some people.”</p> -<p>“I like it,” said Spider. “Gee, it’s wonderful!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div> -<p>Bennie glanced over his shoulder at Wizard Island, -which looked about a quarter of a mile away, headed -his bow for it, and started to pull again.</p> -<p>“We’ll be there in a jiffy,” he said.</p> -<p>“How far do you think it is?” his uncle asked.</p> -<p>“’Bout a quarter of a mile.”</p> -<p>“It’s almost two, in a straight line.”</p> -<p>“Gee!” said Bennie.</p> -<p>From the level of the water, Crater Lake was quite -a different place. Instead of looking down from the -rim, you looked up, and the cliffs that hemmed you in -seemed far higher and far steeper. They looked as -steep as they really are. The high points around the -rim—Garfield Peak, Dutton Cliffs, Llao Rock, -Glacier Peak, the Watchman, were all snow-capped, -and in many places the snow came down the rim ravines -in great white wedges like capital V’s, almost to -the blue water. The hotel looked like a little Noah’s -ark.</p> -<p>“Say, if a guy got caught down here and had to go -on shore where he couldn’t get to the trail, what would -he do? Could he climb out?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>“There’s a trail out over there on the east, at that -lowest place,” said the doctor. “The rim is only 500 -feet high there. Those two are the only trails. You -might be able to climb out at some other points. A -photographer once climbed up under Llao Rock and -worked along the base of the lava precipices till he -reached the top of the rim. But if I was caught down -here in most places, I’d sit tight till a boat came for -me.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_98">98</div> -<p>“You needn’t die of thirst, anyhow,” Spider -laughed.</p> -<p>Slowly Wizard Island drew nearer, and at last Bennie -pulled into a little cove, and they hauled the bow -up. Lester pulled his skiff in a moment later. Wizard -Island, all around the base, seemed to be composed entirely -of huge blocks of blackish-brown lava, out of -which evergreens mysteriously grew—big, fine trees, -too. They scrambled up over these blocks, and soon -found a trail winding up the steep slope through the -woods. The lava blocks ceased now, and the whole -little mountain was composed of a fine material much -like cinders from a locomotive. In fact, the baby -volcano now resembled nothing so much as a huge -cone of cinders, covered with trees. Up and up they -toiled, Mr. Stone panting under the weight of his -movie camera, and at last reached the summit. Before -anybody even looked about, the canteens were -unslung and half emptied. Then they looked.</p> -<p>The top of Wizard Island was a perfect circle, like -Crater Lake itself, only a tiny circle, two or three -hundred feet across. Inside was a crater, about a -hundred feet deep, and now filled on the south side, -where the sun didn’t hit it, with a huge snow-drift -pitching steeply down to the bottom.</p> -<p>“Ah! I thought so!” cried Mr. Stone. “Boys, -get busy. I’m going to take a movie of you sliding -down a crater on the snow. Try it once standing up, -and see if you can keep your feet.”</p> -<div class="img" id="pic4"> -<img src="images/p06.jpg" alt="The Boys Sliding down Wizard Island Crater. (Enlarged from a Movie)" width="922" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">The Boys Sliding down Wizard Island Crater. (Enlarged from a Movie)</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_99">99</div> -<p>The three boys ran out on the drift to the edge, and -stepped over. The snow was soft enough so that they -sank in a little and pushed enough snow ahead to bank -up after ten or a dozen feet. When it did this, it -would pitch you head foremost unless you were spry -and jumped over the bank in time. The first try all -three boys went headlong a quarter of the way down, -and made the rest of the trip on their stomachs. They -got up and struggled back up the steep incline.</p> -<p>By this time the camera was set up and focussed.</p> -<p>“Good!” said Mr. Stone. “Now get out of the -picture a way, and when I say ‘Shoot’ come walking -in to the edge. Stop there a moment and point, as if -you were daring each other to go down. Then all -slide. Keep your feet if you can. At the bottom, -get up quickly, and come scrambling back. Ready? -Get on your marks, shoot!”</p> -<p>The three boys came into the picture as the crank -ground and the camera clicked. They stopped at the -rim, and began to act.</p> -<p>“I dast you to slide down!” said Bennie, forgetting -this was a movie, and nobody would hear his voice.</p> -<p>“Ho!” said Dumplin’, “that’s nothin’.”</p> -<p>He tossed off his cap. Spider tossed off his. The -three of them stepped over the rim, and shot down. -Dumplin’ got a third of the way and spilled, head -foremost. A second later Spider followed him. Only -Bennie got to the bottom on his feet. He yelled and -waved his arms in triumph, and all three started -scrambling and slipping back up the drift, digging into -the snow with heels and hands. As they came up over -the rim again, the camera stopped clicking.</p> -<p>“Good,” said Mr. Stone. “That’s a dandy.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_100">100</div> -<p>“Some Douglas Fairbanks, eh?” cried Bennie. -“Gee, Dumplin’, you sure did a comic fall. Bet that -would get a laugh on the screen.”</p> -<p>“My hands are cold—and I’m sweating,” said Lester. -“That’s going some.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate!” came from three mouths at -once.</p> -<p>They now walked around the little rim, and on the -west side of the island saw, at the base of the cone, a -flat space of a few acres, with a tiny little pond in it.</p> -<p>“This is a volcano within a volcano, and that is a -lake inside of a lake,” the doctor pointed out. “You -don’t often find that. Now let’s eat some lunch, and -go down and see if we can catch a fish or two for -supper.”</p> -<p>They sat, hatless and coatless, in the shade of a -little tree beside a snow-drift, and ate their lunch, finishing -up the last of the water in the canteens, also. -Then they descended to the boats. Mr. Stone -mounted his camera in the bow of one boat, with Lester -to row, while Spider rowed the other, the doctor -sat as passenger, and Bennie got out the collapsible -rod his uncle had brought, jointed it, and adjusted the -tackle.</p> -<p>“Don’t seem fair to fish for trout with a spinner, -as if they were nothing but pickerel,” he declared. -“Wish we had some flies.”</p> -<p>“We want the fish to eat,” said the doctor, “and -Stone wants a picture. We’ll use the surest way to get -’em. Now, Spider, row very slowly and just as -steadily as you can, just offshore, around the rocks. -Keep an even pace—that’s the main thing. If the -spinner yanks, the fish get suspicious.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div> -<p>Their boat crept softly along, with the Stones’ boat -not far behind, Mr. Stone sitting by the camera as if -it were a machine gun pointed at them.</p> -<p>Suddenly the line, trailing behind, tightened, Bennie -gave a cry, there was a leap and a silver flash in -the water astern, and the fight was on!</p> -<p>“Play him, play him!” the doctor shouted. “Keep -on rowing, Spider. Give Stone a chance to shoot! -Bring him up slowly, Bennie, don’t lose him!”</p> -<p>“I won’t lose him,” Bennie answered grimly. -“Gee whiz, what a trout! He pulls like a whale!”</p> -<p>Slowly he reeled in, and then had to play out again, -as the fish made a dash past the boat. But the big -spinner hook was too much for him, and after three or -four minutes he was alongside, giving his last kicks -and splashes in the water.</p> -<p>“Swing around, swing around, so the camera can -get this!” called the doctor.</p> -<p>As the boat swung, Lester pulled nearer, the camera -kept on clicking, and Bennie, reaching over, grabbed -the line short and hauled the trout into the boat, holding -him up to show his size.</p> -<p>“Some baby!” he cried, breathless with excitement. -“He weighs about four pounds. What kind of a -trout is he?”</p> -<p>“They put eastern brook trout into this lake,” said -Uncle Billy. “There were no fish here till it was -stocked.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_102">102</div> -<p>“Eastern brook trout!” Bennie exclaimed. “Well, -that’s the funniest looking eastern brook trout <i>I</i> ever -saw. I guess something happened to ’em.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” Spider chuckled.</p> -<p>“I think it is myself, and no joke,” said the doctor. -“They are certainly a different fish, both to look at -and to eat, than the brook trout we used to catch back -home. You catch one now, Spider.”</p> -<p>Spider took the line, and caught a trout. Then the -doctor got one, and the line was passed to Lester, who -lost the spinner in a rock on the bottom, but, with a -new hook, caught still a fourth fish.</p> -<p>“That’s enough to last us; now for home,” came -the orders.</p> -<p>“I wonder if they’ve got the trail cleared yet? -Don’t much want to face that bombardment again,” -said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“They’ll be through digging for the day, anyhow, -before we get in,” said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>The long shadows from the western walls were out -across the water when they reached the landing and -tied up the boats. There was no sign of shovelers on -the trail, but no sign, either, that the gang had got to -the bottom. They had to make the first half of the -climb as best they could, scrambling up the treacherous -slopes with the aid of the alpenstocks and the rope -which the doctor dragged up ahead and fastened at -convenient points. Half-way up, however, they -reached the spot where the trail breakers had quit -work, and they were glad enough of the path and the -easy grade the rest of the way. Their packs were -getting heavier and heavier, and the doctor was taking -shifts on the camera, before they finally dragged themselves -over the rim, into the sunlight again.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_103">103</div> -<p>Bennie was carrying the four trout proudly when -they passed the hotel, and a crowd came out to see the -catch. At least a score more motors had arrived during -the day, and the hotel bus was arriving with a -load of people. At their camp, they found two new -tents pitched close to theirs, the cars bearing California -license plates.</p> -<p>“Well, our privacy is gone,” sighed Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“I don’t care, if they haven’t got a crying child -along, to keep us awake,” the doctor said.</p> -<p>“Nothing could keep me awake tonight,” said Bennie, -flopping down on the ground.</p> -<p>“And nothing could wake me tomorrow morning,” -puffed Lester, flopping down beside him.</p> -<p>“Well, don’t go to sleep till you’ve cleaned those -fish for us,” Uncle Billy laughed. “And, Dump, you -get water, and, Spider, you make the fire.”</p> -<p>The smell of boiling coffee and sizzling trout -brought new life to everybody. And how they ate! -The fish meat was reddish in color, more like salmon -than eastern brook trout, but it certainly tasted good, -and there was enough for everybody, with potatoes, -and bread, and coffee and stewed fruit.</p> -<p>When supper was over and cleared away, and they -were sitting around the little camp fire, in their sweaters -again, for the evening chill had descended with the -sun, a man strolled over from the near-by camp.</p> -<p>“Kind o’ cold up here,” he remarked.</p> -<p>“Drained your radiator?” Mr. Stone asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_104">104</div> -<p>“No. What you giving us?”</p> -<p>“Just as you like,” Mr. Stone replied. “If you -like a busted radiator, it’s up to you. I don’t care.”</p> -<p>“You mean to tell me it’ll freeze up? Why, it was -eighty-eight in the shade in Medford this morning.”</p> -<p>“It was probably hotter than that in Los Angeles,” -said Uncle Billy, with a wink at Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“No, sir!” the other man retorted. “No siree, -Bob. We have the finest climate in Southern California -there is in the world. Never too hot, and never -too cold.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” chuckled Bennie.</p> -<p>“You bet your life it’s the climate, kid,” said the -man.</p> -<p>“Funny, another man from California once told -me the same thing,” Mr. Stone smiled. “I’ll have to -go down there some day and try it.”</p> -<p>“You’d better. No place like it.”</p> -<p>“What are you doing in Oregon?” Uncle Billy -suggested.</p> -<p>“Oh, just taking a look around. Pretty nice little -lake here, but you ought to see the Yosemite.”</p> -<p>“I’ve been to Coney Island,” Bennie grinned, falling -into the game.</p> -<p>“I’ve seen a picture of Venice by moonlight,” said -Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“I’ve been up Bunker Hill Monument. It is 224 -feet high,” said Spider.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_105">105</div> -<p>The Californian began to get wise to the fact that -he was being guyed, and moved off. They watched -him. He went past their cars and glanced at the -ground under the hoods to see if they had really been -drained. Then he went over and drained his own.</p> -<p>Mr. Stone laughed. “Push any button on a Californian, -and you’ll start a record about the finest climate -in the world.”</p> -<p>“It’s the climate,” said Bennie, solemnly. “Let’s -see, where did I see that? Oh, yes, on a big banner -across the road in a city down in California.”</p> -<p>“A hit, son. I admit it,” Mr. Stone answered. -“We do a lot of bragging ourselves. At that, we’ve -got a pretty nice climate.”</p> -<p>“I move that the next man who says ‘climate’ has -to wash all the dishes for the next three days,” said -Dumplin’. “All in favor.”</p> -<p>A great shout of “Aye!” went up, and on that -they turned in.</p> -<p>“Praises be to the man who invented the air mattress,” -sighed Bennie, as he crawled wearily into his -sleeping bag. “Oh, you pneumatic kid!”</p> -<p>“Had enough hard work to satisfy you?” his uncle -asked.</p> -<p>“Till about eight <span class="sc">A. M.</span> tomorrow,” Bennie answered. -“Good night, friends. Please tell the bellhop -to bring me hot water at 7:30.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_106">106</div> -<h2 id="c11">CHAPTER XI -<br /><span class="sc">Dumplin’ Tests the Strength of a Snow Cornice on Garfield Peak</span></h2> -<p>Their friend the California camper and his party -were up bright and early. At least, they were -up early. As Bennie woke up at their noisy shouting, -and listened to their conversation, he didn’t think they -were particularly bright.</p> -<p>“Oh, well, Irvin Cobb couldn’t make me laugh at -half-past five in the morning,” Dumplin’ said at breakfast. -“I heard ’em, but I went to sleep again. I just -stayed awake long enough to hear whether they were -talking about their cli—ha! you didn’t catch me!—about -the atmospheric conditions of California.”</p> -<p>“Did they?” his father asked.</p> -<p>“Not’s I heard. One of ’em was pulling a merry -jest. His idea of a joke, I s’pose. He was throwing -cold water on the ones that weren’t up.”</p> -<p>“Gee, I’d have killed him!” the doctor said. -“Maybe they’ll be gone by night. Well, what shall -we do today? I don’t feel like going down to the lake -again till the trail is open. It will be done by tonight.”</p> -<p>“Let’s climb Garfield!”</p> -<p>“Good,” said Mr. Stone. “I’d like to get a movie -of you all up on that snow cap against the sky.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_107">107</div> -<p>“And I’m going to gather all the kinds of wild -flowers I can, and identify ’em from those mounted -specimens in the hotel,” said Spider. “Might’s well -do some work for a botany honor medal, too.”</p> -<p>Bennie was looking up in the tree as Spider spoke.</p> -<p>“Look,” he said, “who’s your friend?”</p> -<p>“Who are your friends, you mean,” added Uncle -Billy, also looking up.</p> -<p>Two large birds, fat and sleek, with gray and black -plumage were hopping nearer and nearer to the tents, -apparently much excited.</p> -<p>“Hello!” cried Spider. “They are new ones on -me. Say, aren’t they tame!”</p> -<p>Mr. Stone laughed. “Tame is the word. Everybody -look the other way, and pretend to pay no attention.”</p> -<p>They did so, and suddenly there was a flutter close -by, a little peep, a flap of wings, and one of the birds -was right down on the box by the stove that served -as a kitchen table, and up in the tree again with half -a slice of bread in his bill.</p> -<p>“Well, I’ll be switched!” Bennie exclaimed. “Can -you beat that! What are they?”</p> -<p>“Ever heard of camp robbers?”</p> -<p>“Are <i>those</i> camp robbers, eh? Canada jays is another -name, isn’t it? Well, I thought camp robbers -were ugly birds. Those are beautiful.”</p> -<p>“They are beautiful, but now they’ve discovered -the camps up here, we’ll have to keep everything covered. -They can’t take a hint worth a cent.”</p> -<p>“Let’s shoo ’em over to California’s camp,” -laughed Bennie.</p> -<p>Presently they started off for Garfield.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_108">108</div> -<p>“Hey, Uncle Bill, where’s the rope?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>“Don’t need it today.”</p> -<p>“Aw, can’t we take it along and find a place to use -it?”</p> -<p>“Nothing doing. We don’t carry any excess baggage -out here, son.”</p> -<p>The climb up Garfield proved to be an easy one. -The trail was clear of snow for half the distance, and -the rest of the short thousand feet was over drifts -that were neither difficult nor dangerous, till they -reached a little flat place a hundred feet short of the -summit. Here a sheer precipice confronted them, with -the summit snow cap hanging out over it like the cornice -of a gigantic house roof.</p> -<p>Mr. Stone set up his camera some distance out from -the cliff.</p> -<p>“Now, I want you all to go up there, around on the -side, where the trail goes, and come out into view on -the left end of the top. Then walk in single file, -slowly, along the cornice to the right, and then move -back out of sight again. When you get to the top, -don’t come into view till I yell, ‘Shoot!’”</p> -<p>“You mean you want us to walk out on that snow -that hangs over the precipice, Pa?” Lester demanded.</p> -<p>“Sure, why not?”</p> -<p>“Well, if it breaks off with our weight, where do -we go from there?”</p> -<p>“It won’t break. You don’t have to get right on -the edge of it, of course. But it would hold up a team -of horses.”</p> -<p>“Yes, but will it hold up Dumplin’?” said Bennie.</p> -<div class="img" id="pic5"> -<img src="images/p07.jpg" alt="The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak. (Enlarged from a Movie)" width="933" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">The Boys Walking on the Snow Cornice of Garfield Peak. (Enlarged from a Movie)</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_109">109</div> -<p>“Come on, boys, let’s get this Pearl White stuff -over,” the doctor laughed.</p> -<p>They scrambled up around the side to the very -peak, and waited till they heard the signal. Then one -by one they walked forward toward the edge. The -doctor led the way, and sounded with his alpenstock. -He stopped five feet short of the extreme edge, however, -turned and walked along that line, the rest following -him holding their breaths, and half expecting -to go pitching down any instant. But they didn’t. -The snow cornice was many feet thick, and would -probably have held up a far greater weight.</p> -<p>When they were out of the picture again, they -looked around. The view was tremendous, and the -first one they had got from a high summit. (Garfield -is a shade over 8,000 feet.) To the south they saw -the glistening white snow cone of Mount McLaughlin, -and then far, far away, 150 miles, floating almost like -a cloud on the horizon, the great white bulk of Mount -Shasta in California, more than 14,000 feet high. To -the eastward, they looked out over the desert country -of southeastern Oregon, stretching for endless miles. -North of them, they looked right down for 2,000 feet -into the blue caldera of Crater Lake. North of the -lake, beyond the farther rim, they could see Mount -Thielsen, which looked like a huge needle of lava -sticking straight up into the air, and beyond that the -white pyramid of Diamond Peak. Everywhere -near by, on the outer slopes of the crater, they looked -down into dark mysterious forests marching up the -ravines.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_110">110</div> -<p>“Well, Bennie, is this big enough and wild enough -for you?” the doctor demanded.</p> -<p>“I never saw so much land all at once in my life,” -said Bennie, “or such a big hole in it. And to think -I’ve seen old Shasta, way off in California! This -beats the old geography!”</p> -<p>“You loosed a larynxful then,” came from -Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Not very poetic, Dump, but true,” the doctor -smiled.</p> -<p>The boys found the steepest drift on the descent, -and tried to ski down it on their boot soles, but they -hit such a rate of speed that all three of them toppled -over, and landed at the bottom head over heels. After -they had reached the open trail once more, Spider cut -away from the path, and worked down the side slope, -through the pumice drifts and the tumbled piles of -broken lava, gathering specimens of wild flowers. -You would hardly have supposed anything would -grow in such unpromising looking soil, but volcanic -stuff rapidly breaks up into a soil rich in chemical -plant foods, especially potash, and soon his hands -were full. Bennie, who had followed him, began to -help, and rapidly got interested in the game of finding -new varieties. It was a big bunch they finally brought -into camp, half an hour after the rest had reached -home.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_111">111</div> -<p>That afternoon Spider took his flowers and a note-book -over to the hotel, where a large case of mounted -specimens is exhibited, and spent two hours identifying -them, and listing the names in his note-book, with -his specimens pressed between the leaves. Bennie -bought some candy, and a bunch of post-cards, and -scribbled messages to his mother and father and -friends. Finally he came over to Spider.</p> -<p>“Gee whiz, you’re a studious one,” he said. “Wish -I was. How do you get that way?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know. I just can’t help being interested -in birds and plants and things like that. You’ve just -got to find something you’re awfully interested in, I -guess.”</p> -<p>“Well, I’m interested in mountains, but that won’t -get me any merit badge. I’m gettin’ kind of interested -in supper about now, too. What say we beat it -over to camp?”</p> -<p>They walked back along the rim. The snow cap on -Garfield was growing pink behind them, and the lake -below, ruffled by a little wind, was like a wrinkled -carpet of vivid ultramarine blue. The trail, they -heard, was now dug out all the way to the landing. -Rested by the quiet afternoon, they felt keen for fresh -adventures.</p> -<p>“I feel’s if I could walk all the way around this -old rim,” Bennie declared. “You know, there’s a -motor road runs around it, only it’s full of snow now. -Has to cut down behind Dutton Cliffs and Garfield, -way down to the road we came up on. But the rest -of the way round it’s up on the rim. Uncle Bill says -it’s about thirty or thirty-five miles around, he thinks, -by the road. Bet you we could do it in a day, right -over the old snow. That ought to help toward a merit -badge for hiking.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_112">112</div> -<p>“I’d rather row around the lake at the base of the -cliffs,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Well, let’s do that tomorrow. Shall we?”</p> -<p>“I guess we’ll do what the rest do. Your uncle will -have something good on, sure.”</p> -<p>“Hope so, I need the exercise,” Bennie laughed, -plunging across the snow-drift toward the tents.</p> -<p>“Bennie’s feeling awful good,” Spider told the rest. -“Says he’s not getting exercise enough.”</p> -<p>“The wood-pile is rather low,” the doctor remarked -quietly.</p> -<p>Bennie saluted. “Yes, sir, thank you, sir!” he said, -and picked up his ax.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_113">113</div> -<h2 id="c12">CHAPTER XII -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie Climbs the Mast of the Phantom Ship and Knows He Has Done Something</span></h2> -<p>“Seeing that Bennie is such a glutton for exercise,” -said Uncle Billy at breakfast the next -morning, “what do you say we give him some, -Stone?”</p> -<p>“We want to keep him well and happy, surely,” -Mr. Stone answered, solemnly.</p> -<p>“Yes, we mustn’t let the little darling pine,” put in -Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Or his mighty muscles get flabby,” added Spider.</p> -<p>“You all think you’re having a great time, don’t -you?” Bennie retorted. “Well, I’m all ready. I -guess I’ll keep in the procession as long as the band -plays.”</p> -<p>“All right,” said his uncle. “Let’s get cleared up -here, and we’ll beat it down the trail and row out to -the Phantom Ship. Bennie can row us out and back, -and climb the mast between whiles, and then tote your -camera, Stone, up the trail again home. Maybe that -will restore his lost appetite.”</p> -<p>Bennie grinned amiably. “What’s the Phantom -Ship?” he demanded.</p> -<p>“You’ll see.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_114">114</div> -<p>The boys noted with delight that Uncle Billy was -taking his alpine rope. Lunches and cameras were -carried, too. The trail down from the rim was now -cleared of snow all the way, and the descent was quick -and easy. But, at the bottom, they found that so -many people had gone down ahead of them that all the -boats were out. They had to wait two hours while -some of the boatmen, who had gone across to the boat-house -on Wizard Island, got the launch in commission -over there, and towed back more boats.</p> -<p>“How did they ever get a launch down here?” -asked Bennie.</p> -<p>“Brought it down in pieces and assembled it, I suppose,” -Spider said. “Didn’t they?”</p> -<p>“Must have,” answered the doctor.</p> -<p>When the fresh supply of boats arrived, they pushed -off, rowing in the opposite direction from Wizard Island. -Now they passed directly under the jagged red -walls of Eagle Crags, which form the north wall of -Mount Garfield, and tower 2,000 feet above the water. -Rounding Eagle Point, they saw Chaski Bay, invisible -from the hotel, with a great snow-drift hanging over -it, and beyond that another 2,000-foot cliff headland, -with a long, steep talus slope of soft stuff leading up to -the precipitous lava.</p> -<p>“What do you see right at the base of that cliff, in -the water?” the doctor asked.</p> -<p>“Nothing,” said the boys. “Just some small rocks -at the water’s edge.”</p> -<p>“Some small rocks, eh? Well, row on a bit. Keep -in nearer shore, Bennie.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_115">115</div> -<p>Bennie rowed on another half mile, and again they -looked at the rocks at the water’s edge below Dutton -Cliff.</p> -<p>“Why,” Spider said, “those rocks are out in the -water. They’re an island.”</p> -<p>“That’s the Phantom Ship. They call it a phantom -because it looks like part of the cliff from a distance. -You’ll see pretty soon why they call it a ship.”</p> -<p>Sure enough, they did see, in a very few moments. -For, as the boats drew nearer, the detached rocks were -seen to be much larger than they had appeared from a -distance, where they had to be measured against the -whole 2,000 feet of Dutton Cliff; and not only were -they large, but they were really one solid mass of dark -brown lava, much more pointed at the end which faced -the lake, and with three sharp spires of lava, almost as -sharp as an obelisk, sticking up exactly like three -masts. To add still further to the illusion of a ship, -they saw, as they drew still nearer, that the patches of -green on the lava were really pine trees, which now -began to look like sails.</p> -<p>“It is just like a ship!” Spider exclaimed. “It’s a -ship made of lava, a three-master, sailing right out -from Dutton Cliff!”</p> -<p>“Is it one of those masts we are going to climb?” -Bennie suddenly demanded, a suspicion striking him.</p> -<p>“<i>You</i> are—for the exercise,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>“Yes, I am! Say, I’m pretty good, but I’m no human -fly. Gee, I don’t see even a finger-nail hold on -’em.”</p> -<p>“Don’t get impatient. Look down in the water a -minute. Row slowly. Now let her drift.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_116">116</div> -<p>The boys looked down as the boat floated in toward -the dark, straight sides of the Phantom Ship, down -into the deep blue water. No bottom was visible, -though the sunlight seemed to penetrate a long way -down.</p> -<p>Then, suddenly, there was bottom! The bottom -seemed to jump up at them, when the boat was about -a hundred feet away from the ship. They had floated -right on over the rim of a tremendous sunken precipice. -Even here the bottom was apparently fifty feet -below surface, yet they could see it clearly.</p> -<p>“Stop the boat a minute,” Spider said.</p> -<p>Bennie stopped it, and then took his oars out again. -Spider, meanwhile, had taken a nickel from his pocket, -and when the ripples had died down, he laid it carefully -overboard, flat on the water. They watched it -wabble and flutter rapidly down, but fast as it went, it -was a long time reaching bottom, showing the depth. -Yet they could see it plainly after it landed and lay -shining on the rocks fifty feet below. Then they -watched a big trout swim by, five or six feet under the -surface, and they could see every detail of his color, his -fins—all through water that was bluer than the sky!</p> -<p>“Now look up at the ship,” said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>It towered above them now like a real ship, a ship -200 feet long, with masts 175 feet tall. Here, on the -south side, the walls rose in an almost sheer precipice -for many feet, with little clumps of bright flowers -growing in the cracks and on the tiny ledges, which -Spider instantly coveted for his collection of specimens -that was going to help him get a merit badge in botany.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_117">117</div> -<p>There was one place, however, near the bowsprit, -where you could make a landing, and Mr. Stone was -already getting out there and setting up his camera. -As soon as it was up, he asked the two boats to row -around behind the island, and then come into sight -again, passing slowly under the side of the ship, so he -could show both the boats and the lava cliff. After -that he got Spider ashore, and took a movie of him -crawling, wherever he could get a finger or toe hold, -twenty feet up the ship’s side and picking a large clump -of pentstemon from a crevice.</p> -<p>“Don’t you want to take me and Dumplin’ diving -off into the water?” Bennie called.</p> -<p>“Sure, if you’ll do it,” Mr. Stone laughed. “Put -your arm down as far in as you can get it first.”</p> -<p>Bennie pushed up his sleeve and did so. He pulled -his arm out again quickly.</p> -<p>“Thanks, not today,” he said.</p> -<p>“The temperature when you get a ways below the -surface remains at 39° winter and summer, the scientists -have found,” the doctor smiled.</p> -<p>“It doesn’t feel more’n 29° on top,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>When the pictures were taken, they went around to -the north side of the island, where the sides were not so -steep, and taking the alpine rope, they all landed and -scrambled up into the high saddle between the rear and -the central mast—“the deck, this ought to be called,” -they said.</p> -<p>When they got up in here, they found it was possible -to climb still higher up the tallest mast (the rear mast), -till they reached a sharp, complete crack which separated -it into two parts. This crack had not been visible -from the water.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_118">118</div> -<p>“It’s a regular chimney,” Bennie exclaimed. “A -chimney open at both sides. Do we go up that?”</p> -<p>“I don’t,” Dumplin’ answered. “I couldn’t get -into it.”</p> -<p>“I don’t,” said his father. “I wouldn’t get into it.”</p> -<p>“It’s about forty feet from here to the top,” said -Uncle Billy. “I know a man who climbed it. It took -him an hour and fifteen minutes.”</p> -<p>Bennie wasn’t joking any more. He pulled himself -up from the little platform where they were resting till -he stood in the crack, and then he felt of the walls of -smooth lava, and looked up for hand and foot holds.</p> -<p>“But there aren’t any holds,” he said. “Hanged -if I see how <i>anybody</i> can climb up here.”</p> -<p>“Oh, you’ll find a few holds, if I remember right, -places where you can get a sort of apology for a rest,” -his uncle said, casually.</p> -<p>“Say, are you joshing me or not? Did somebody -really climb up here?”</p> -<p>For answer his uncle stepped into the chimney with -him.</p> -<p>“This is the way,” he said.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_119">119</div> -<p>He braced his back against one side of the crack by -pressing hard with his hands against the other side. -Then he raised both his feet free of the ground, while -he held himself wedged by sheer muscle, and set his feet -against the wall a little way up. Then he pressed so -hard with his legs that they wedged him in, and raised -his hands, hunching up his shoulders a few inches at -the same time. Again bracing with his arms and -shoulders, he got his feet up a few more inches. Then -his hands and shoulders again. Progressing in this -way, almost crawling, in fact, he was before long so -far up in the chimney that Bennie could walk under -him. Then, almost as slowly as he went up, he came -down.</p> -<p>“You see, it can be done,” he said. “I don’t say it -isn’t hard work. But you wanted exercise.”</p> -<p>“Give me the rope!” said Bennie, shortly.</p> -<p>“What’s the idea of the rope?” asked Lester.</p> -<p>“So the rest of you can get up,” Bennie answered.</p> -<p>He tied the rope under his arms, while his uncle held -the coil, to play it out. Then he tried his shoes on the -wall to see if the nails held, and found they would hold -in the lava, where they slipped on granite or other -hard rock, and began to work his way up. He worked -in silence. Spider and Lester shouted joshing advice -at him, advising him to use his teeth, to sit down a -while where he was and take a rest, and anything else -they could think of, but he was wasting no breath on -replies. In fact, he needed all the breath, all the -strength and all the attention he had to keep on -going. A dozen times he thought he would have -to give it up. Once he thought his strength was going -to fail him and he would fall. That was when -he was about twenty feet from the bottom. But each -time he grit his teeth and either seemed to get a kind -of second wind, or else found just the faintest hint of -a foothold, or a handhold, so he could relieve for a -moment the awful tension on his arms and back.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_120">120</div> -<p>Toward the top, he was literally moving inch by -inch, his strength was so far gone. He was just able -to get his hands over the rim at last, take a good grip, -and hold himself there while his strength came back -enough to enable him to pull himself up over the top, -and get his weight on to his stomach, where he hung -for a full minute, with his legs dangling back into the -crack.</p> -<p>Finally he pulled them up, too, and found himself on -a tiny little space, hardly large enough to sit on, with -the rocks and the lake 175 feet below him. It was like -sitting on top of a church spire. Trembling with muscular -exhaustion as he was, he didn’t care to sit there -long. In fact, he took one good look down, had a feeling -as if his stomach turned a flipflop, drew up half of -the rope and turned it around the top of the spire, and -then grasping both strands of the doubled rope, came -sliding down the chimney.</p> -<p>His uncle gave him a pat on the shoulder.</p> -<p>“Good work,” was all he said, but Bennie knew then -that he had really done something.</p> -<p>“Why didn’t you wait for us?” Spider demanded.</p> -<p>“Isn’t room on top for more’n one at a time,” Bennie -replied. “Go on up and see what it’s like. Keep -hold of both strands of the rope, though. How long -did it take me?”</p> -<p>“About an hour and twenty minutes,” said Mr. -Stone.</p> -<p>“Is that all?” said Bennie. “I felt as if it was -day after tomorrow before I got there.”</p> -<p>And he sat down wearily.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_121">121</div> -<p>Meanwhile Spider was hauling himself up on the -doubled rope. He didn’t stay up much longer than -Bennie, though.</p> -<p>“Kind o’ ticklish up here,” he called back. “Glad -the wind doesn’t blow.”</p> -<p>Then he slid down. Nobody else wanted to go up, -so the rope was pulled down, and the party descended -to the boats again, to eat luncheon, which had been -long delayed. Afterwards, they fished for an hour, -and got enough trout for a meal.</p> -<p>“Want to row us home, Bennie?” his uncle asked.</p> -<p>“Spider hasn’t had a chance to row all day,” Bennie -answered.</p> -<p>The mile of zigzag trail up from the lake to the rim -seemed endless to Bennie that evening, and when the -rest went over to the hotel after dinner to hear the -music and watch the dancing, he felt like refusing. -But he didn’t. He went, too, rubbing his eyes to keep -them open.</p> -<p>“I guess you’ll sleep tonight, eh?” Uncle Billy said, -when they finally got back to camp.</p> -<p>“I’m going to sleep so hard I’ll puncture the mattress,” -Bennie answered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_122">122</div> -<h2 id="c13">CHAPTER XIII -<br /><span class="sc">The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have To Climb Llao Rock—and They Learn a Lesson</span></h2> -<p>The next morning the doctor and Spider woke up -before Bennie did, and they let him sleep till -breakfast was almost ready. When he did get up, he -stretched himself and discovered that his muscles were -a bit stiff, but otherwise he felt, he said, “like a fighting -cock.”</p> -<p>“Well, don’t feel so good you eat up all the pancakes -before I get one!” Dumplin’ laughed, snatching -for the plate.</p> -<p>“I guess what I need to take the kinks out of my -back is exercise,” Bennie remarked, with a grin.</p> -<p>“We’d better get hold of Jack Dempsey, and let -Bennie box with him every day,” Mr. Stone put in.</p> -<p>“Aw, I wouldn’t want to hurt him,” Bennie answered. -“What we going to do today, Uncle Bill?”</p> -<p>“We’ll have to think it over,” his uncle replied.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_123">123</div> -<p>But before anything was decided, a bell-boy came -from the hotel with the news that someone had been -taken sick there, and asking the doctor to come right -over. It turned out that a man who had arrived the -night before had eaten something on the road that -poisoned him, and he was so sick that the doctor didn’t -dare go far from camp that day. Mr. Stone wanted -to stay near camp also, to make motion pictures of -parties climbing up and down the rim, and he needed -Lester to help him. So Bennie and Spider asked if -they might go down to the water, get a boat, and row -across the lake, taking their lunch with them.</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” the doctor said, frowning. “You -can both swim, and you know how to row, but that -lake can get pretty rough, and if you’re forced to land, -there’s no way of getting back till somebody can come -after you.”</p> -<p>“Oh, but look at the old lake! It’s calm as a mirror,” -Bennie pleaded, “and there’s not a cloud in the -sky.”</p> -<p>“We want to see what Llao Rock looks like when -you’re right under it,” Spider added. “We’ll be awful -careful.”</p> -<p>“Will you promise to keep fairly near shore, and if -the water gets rough to beat it for home?” the doctor -asked.</p> -<p>“Sure we will.”</p> -<p>“Well, I oughtn’t to let you go. I’m responsible to -your parents for you chaps. But, after all, you’re big -enough to take care of yourselves. All right, but be -back at the landing before the sun gets off the middle -of the lake. Promise me that?”</p> -<p>The boys promised, and set off down the trail in -high spirits, some sandwiches, hastily made, and some -sweet chocolate in their pockets for lunch. There -were a dozen or more other parties starting down the -trail, too, or getting ready to start, so the scouts made -the descent in record time, in order to be sure of getting -a boat.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_124">124</div> -<p>Once out on the water, they decided it would be too -much of a pull to try to circle the entire lake, under the -cliffs—a matter of about twenty miles or more. But -they could pull straight for the grotto on the east side -of the lake, beyond the Phantom Ship, a matter of five -miles, then cut across to Llao Rock, about four and a -half miles, and then four miles home.</p> -<p>“Sure we can row that,” said Bennie. “That’s -only thirteen and a half miles. Call it thirteen, ’cause -we won’t land, probably, at Llao.”</p> -<p>“Sure,” answered Spider. “Easy.”</p> -<p>Well, it was easy to the grotto, which they finally -found by rowing along the edge of the cliffs. The -grotto is simply a shallow cave, only a few feet up -from the water, but once you are in it you look out on -the blue lake, through the opening, as if you were looking -through a big window. The boys ate their lunch -in here, and then started directly across for Llao Rock.</p> -<p>But the very first thing that they noticed was that -the wind had come up, blowing directly against them, -and with the wind a chop of water, which went slap, -slap, slap under their bow. They pulled hard, and -made slow progress.</p> -<p>About half-way across, Bennie, who was rowing, -said, “You pull a while, Spider. I’m through for a -bit.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_125">125</div> -<p>Spider took the oars and tugged. The wind and -waves were certainly rising. They were slapping the -how hard now, and swinging around so that the rower -was half the time tugging at one oar or the other to -keep his course.</p> -<p>“You know what your uncle said,” Spider panted. -“Strikes me we’re a long way from shore, and this old -lake is kicking up a sea. I think we better turn with -the wind, and beat it back to the other shore, and then -make for home.”</p> -<p>“We got to make for home, all right,” Bennie answered, -his face getting white as he looked first at the -waves and then up at what were unmistakably gathering -clouds over the rim. “But if we go back to that -east shore we get the full force of the sea, ’cause the -wind is west. If we get in under the west side, we’ll -be out of the wind, in shelter. Then we can run for -home that way.”</p> -<p>“There’s something in that,” Spider assented. “If -we can get there.”</p> -<p>“We <i>got</i> to get there,” Bennie cried. “Look at -that old black cloud up there.”</p> -<p>Spider took one look, and began to pull for all he -was worth.</p> -<p>It was dangerous business changing places in that -sea, but finally he had to give up to Bennie again.</p> -<p>“Look out for those oars!” Bennie shouted. -“We’d be goners if we lost one of them. We got to -make shore, and wait till this is over. Oh gee!”</p> -<p>This last exclamation was caused by a wave that hit -the boat almost broadside, drenching both boys to the -knees and putting an inch of water on the bottom.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_126">126</div> -<p>Bennie got hold of the oars, headed the boat into the -sea again, and Spider began to bail with his cap. -Wave after wave now hit their bow, and came spraying -over, soaking them. There were whitecaps all -around. The sun had disappeared behind the dark -cloud, and the wind seemed rising steadily. Bennie -pulled with every ounce of strength he had, and Spider -bailed madly. Slowly, very slowly, almost as if they -were standing still, Llao Rock drew near. They had -to make the dangerous change once more, when Bennie’s -strength gave out, and once more the boat swung -broadside, and shipped a dangerous quantity of water.</p> -<p>“If she’ll only stay afloat till we make the shore!” -Bennie cried. “Gee, it don’t seem to be a bit calmer -over here.”</p> -<p>“If it is, I’m glad we ain’t out there,” Spider panted -as he tugged at the oars.</p> -<p>In spite of all he could do, with only his cap to -bail with, the boat was perilously full of water before -the great lava precipices of Llao Rock finally towered -right above them, and they saw and heard the waves -on the stony shore.</p> -<p>“How are we going to land without smashing the -boat?” Spider puffed.</p> -<p>“Hang the boat! How are we going to land without -smashing our heads?” Bennie answered. “Hold -her right inshore, and when I see a place pull for all -you’ve got left!”</p> -<p>“Pull!” he yelled a moment later.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_127">127</div> -<p>Spider drove the boat in. A wave caught it and -threw it forward, but the bow drove between two lava -fragments which rested half in water, half on shore, -and while Bennie grabbed one oar and pushed at the -stern, Spider jumped from the bow with the painter in -his hand. He landed on a stone at the water’s edge, -slipped back above his waist, scrambled out dripping -wet, hauled on the painter, and got the bow in close. -Bennie got out, and between them they hauled the boat -up where the waves couldn’t knock it free, and tipped -her over to let the water run out.</p> -<p>Then they both sat down and panted.</p> -<p>“Well, I’d rather be here than out there,” Bennie -finally said.</p> -<p>“I don’t mind saying I didn’t know whether we’d -ever get here,” Spider answered. “I guess that was a -close call, all right. Gee, but my arms ache!”</p> -<p>“Mine don’t—they haven’t any feeling left in ’em,” -said Bennie. “Well, what are we going to do now? -We can’t stay here all night and freeze to death.”</p> -<p>“I sure am wet and cold,” Spider answered. “And -you can’t make a fire out of lava and pumice. Funny -thing, not a drop of rain has fallen. Look, there’s the -sun again over on the top of Scott.”</p> -<p>“No more sun here, though,” Bennie said, looking -up the 800 foot sharp slope of pumice above them, that -ended at the 1,200 foot absolutely precipitous and terrifying -leap of Llao Rock. “We’re under the shadow -of that old rock.”</p> -<p>“Well, we’ll just have to hop round and keep as -warm as we can, till the old lake quiets down and we -can row home.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_128">128</div> -<p>“She don’t show any signs of quieting down,” said -Bennie. “Hear the old wind. ’Sides, it’ll take a long -while for those waves to quit. And I don’t want to go -out on that water again! Gee, I couldn’t row a hundred -feet.”</p> -<p>“We could if we had to,” said Spider, bravely. -“Anyhow, probably your uncle will send the launch -out after us.”</p> -<p>“They don’t know where we are, and we can’t make -a fire to signal.”</p> -<p>“They’ll have field-glasses,” Spider suggested. -“We can wave our handkerchiefs.”</p> -<p>“’Sides,” Bennie went on, “maybe the launch is out, -too, and it’ll be dark before they can get here, and -maybe they won’t come across in this sea. I’ll be -frozen stiff by that time. I move we climb up to the -rim road and walk home. It’s only eight miles from -Llao Rock to camp, according to the map.”</p> -<p>“Climb up!” exclaimed Spider, looking aloft at the -terrific precipice. “This has gone to your head, Bennie.”</p> -<p>“You poor fish, we wouldn’t climb the rock itself,” -Bennie answered. “Don’t you remember, Uncle Billy -said somebody worked up to the base, and then along -on top of the pumice slope to the rim? If somebody -else did it, we can do it. If we see the launch coming -after we get up a ways we can come down. Anyhow, -it’s better’n freezing to death here. It’ll keep us -warm.”</p> -<p>“Looks to me like an awful job,” Spider objected.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_129">129</div> -<p>“Well, you can stay here then, <i>I’m</i> going,” Bennie -declared. His voice was shrill, and Spider realized -that he wasn’t quite himself. Besides, he was shivering -with cold. Spider was shivering, too, here in the -gloomy shadow of Llao Rock, with the wind beating -upon them.</p> -<p>“All right,” he decided, “if you go, I go. Come on. -We got to hit the rim road before dark. But take it -easy, Bennie, for Pete’s sake. We got to save our -strength, and this old stuff’s awful treacherous, too. -Test your footing.”</p> -<p>“I’ll test my footing, all right,” Bennie answered, -starting up the long, steep incline of powdered pumice -and loose conglomerate, out of which here and there -thrust up jagged lumps and spikes and little cliffs of -harder lava.</p> -<p>It was hard work, all the harder because they were -so wet and tired. And they soon found it was dangerous -work. Drive your foot down into the soft stuff -too hard to get a brace, and you start a little landslide -right under your own feet. That releases a lot of -stuff above you, which starts down, too, and it is only -too easy to get carried down with the rush. The boys -found this out, fortunately, before they had climbed -very far, so that they didn’t slide far enough to hurt -them. After that, they climbed side by side, ten feet -apart, instead of one behind the other, and zigzagged -across the slopes, instead of going directly up.</p> -<p>It seemed ages before they reached the top of the -loose stuff, at the very base of the mighty precipice. -From here they could see the whole lake, and scanned -the water for any sign of the launch, but no launch was -to be seen. So they kept on.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_130">130</div> -<p>Their troubles, which they thought would be over -when they reached the base of the cliff, were not over. -They still had a long, soft slope to climb at the foot of -the lava, which was impeded by huge broken fragments -fallen from the cliff above. Often they couldn’t -go around these, because if they did they got too near -the edge of the slope, and were in danger of starting -down on a landslide. They had to work over them. -However, they toiled on, getting warm, at least, with -the exertion, until they reached the long and almost -level stretch that led rapidly to the rim.</p> -<p>Here, for the first time in ten minutes, Bennie spoke. -“We’re going to make it!” he cried.</p> -<p>“And we’re going to make it before dark!” Spider -answered.</p> -<p>They hurried on now, with renewed courage, and -gained the rim at last, coming up out of the cold shadows -into the sharp mountain gale and the last low rays -of sunset.</p> -<p>Both boys flopped for a minute on the dry pumice -back from the rim, and lay there getting back some of -their strength.</p> -<p>Spider was the first up. “Come,” he said, “we got -to find the rim road before it’s dark.”</p> -<p>“Eight miles!” Bennie sighed. “Oh, you automobile!”</p> -<p>“Come on—no use crying for automobiles. We -got to find that road and hoof it. We can’t stay -out all night in these wet clothes, without any blankets.”</p> -<p>Bennie got up wearily. “All right. The old road’ll -be pretty close. All we got to do is walk down the -back slope, away from the rim.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_131">131</div> -<p>“But it’s all snow,” said Spider. “How’ll we know -the road when we see it?”</p> -<p>“If we can’t tell a road when we come to it, snow or -no snow, we’re bum scouts and deserve to stay here -and freeze to death,” Bennie retorted.</p> -<p>As a matter of fact, in spite of the snow, they did -find the road, by catching at a distance a cut through -trees, and then by picking up a long open space bare of -snow, which the road crossed, showing plainly. Once -on it, the chance of missing it again was not great unless -the night got very dark. With bright starlight, -even without a moon, the tired scouts, as they plodded -along, now for brief welcome stretches on the bare -ground, but mostly on the soft drifts where every step -was an effort, reckoned they could keep the trail.</p> -<p>“Besides,” Bennie said, “if we lost it, we could always -sort of follow the rim.”</p> -<p>“Yes, and have to climb up over the top of the -Watchman and Glacier Peak. No, thanks. I’ve -climbed enough today. It’ll be in woods a lot of the -way, and we can always feel the opening. You know -how we can follow a wood road at home in the -dark.”</p> -<p>“Oh, you home!” sighed Bennie. “Think of -bacon, and coffee, and baked potatoes! Oh, boy, I’m -going to cry in a minute, I’m so empty.”</p> -<p>“Take up a hole in your belt, like the Indians,” -Spider suggested.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_132">132</div> -<p>It was getting dark now rapidly, and they were -plodding wearily across a long opening on the heavy -snow, which was like walking on a pile of rock salt, -and wondering where the road was on the other side, -when suddenly Spider stopped.</p> -<p>“Look!” he cried.</p> -<p>“What is it? I don’t see anything.”</p> -<p>“Look, in the trees. I saw a light!”</p> -<p>“How do you get that way?” Bennie demanded. -“Light! We’re about six miles from nowhere here. -Haven’t any campers been around the rim road. Can’t -get around. Buck up, Spider. Don’t cave now!”</p> -<p>“Oh, quit,” said Spider crossly. “There! There -it is again!”</p> -<p>This time Bennie saw it. There <i>was</i> a light in the -woods ahead of them. Moreover, it wasn’t a camp -fire. It was moving.</p> -<p>“Somebody with a lantern!” Bennie exclaimed. -He stuck two fingers into his mouth and blew a long, -shrill blast.</p> -<p>The answer was a “Hoo-oo!” in Uncle Billy’s -voice!</p> -<p>“How’d they know we were here?” said Bennie, as -they both shouted back, and stumbled on more rapidly -toward the light.</p> -<p>A moment later they were beside Uncle Billy and -Mr. Stone, and out of his pack Uncle Billy was taking -a thermos bottle of hot tea, and the boys were drinking -it. Around his shoulder, they saw, the doctor had his -alpine rope.</p> -<p>“I guess that doesn’t go to the spot!” Bennie exclaimed.</p> -<p>“Never knew tea was so good,” said Spider.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_133">133</div> -<p>And now followed rapid questions and answers, as -the tramp to camp was resumed. No trouble about -finding the road now! They had a lantern, and the -back tracks of Uncle Billy and Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“How’d you know where we were?” the boys demanded.</p> -<p>“Watched you with a glass,” said the doctor. “I -saw the lake getting rough, after you started across, -and I saw that cloud coming. Stone went down the -trail to send the launch for you, but the launch was out -with a party. Finally it got in under the lee of Wizard -Island, and everybody tried to signal it to come -across, but it didn’t come, and finally somebody rowed -over from it and reported the engine had gone dead -and they couldn’t start it. They’re bringing the passengers -back now, when the lake’s got quieter.</p> -<p>“By that time, we’d seen you land at Llao Rock, so -we planned to row over and get you just as soon as we -could, if they didn’t get the launch started up. But -then you began to climb.”</p> -<p>The doctor paused.</p> -<p>“Well,” he finally went on, “I had a bad five minutes -then, I can tell you. But there was nothing to do -about it, so we watched to make sure you were really -going to try to make the rim, and then we beat it over -here. You made better time up than I thought you -could. We expected to get to the rock before you got -up. I brought the rope to—to help you.”</p> -<p>“Why did you keep on into the wind?” Mr. Stone -asked. “Why didn’t you turn back and run with it to -the east shore where you came from?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_134">134</div> -<p>The boys explained how they thought they were -going to get out of the wind under the protection of -Llao Rock.</p> -<p>“There’s no protection on that lake in a storm,” the -doctor said. “Fortunately, there aren’t many storms. -I told you to keep near shore, though, and you crossed -right over. Well, never mind that now. Guess you’ve -had your lesson.”</p> -<p>“Guess we have,” said Bennie, as he stumbled -wearily along, hardly able to drag one foot after the -other. “But we thought we were pretty near the -north shore when we crossed. Only to get there, we’d -have to go broadside, and besides, it was taking us -away from camp.”</p> -<p>“Still,” said his uncle, quietly, “you didn’t quite -live up to your promise, did you?”</p> -<p>“No, sir,” Bennie admitted. “It won’t happen -again, Uncle Billy.”</p> -<p>The six miles back to camp turned out to be seven. -It seemed to the boys that they would never get there. -But at last they did. Dumplin’ had a roaring fire going, -both in the stove and the camp fire ring of stones. -Coffee was ready to boil, and bacon to fry. He had -eggs, too, bought from the hotel.</p> -<p>The scouts fell into their tent and ripped off their -clothes, getting a rub-down before putting on dry ones. -By the time they were ready, their dinner was cooked, -and they came out to the table, dragging their feet -wearily, and slumped down on the camp chairs.</p> -<p>“Good old Dumplin’!” said Bennie, as he waded -into the food, “I never loved you so much as I do at -this minute.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_135">135</div> -<p>“P’r’aps you’d like to kiss him,” Spider suggested, -also cheering up as he felt the warmth of the -food.</p> -<p>“No, I’m not strong enough yet to do that,” Bennie -laughed.</p> -<p>“You never will be!” Dumplin’ retorted, filling his -plate again.</p> -<p>After their supper the boys hung their wet clothes -by the camp fire, and huddled by it themselves for a -while, but Uncle Billy soon ordered them to bed, and -they didn’t need to be told twice.</p> -<p>The doctor came into the tent after they had crawled -into the grateful, warm blankets on the comfortable air -cushions of their sleeping bags.</p> -<p>“All right?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Uncle Bill,” said Bennie, “it was my fault we -crossed the lake. Spider didn’t have a thing to do -with planning the trip.”</p> -<p>“No, we were both to blame,” put in Spider. “We -knew we couldn’t row all around the lake, and we -wanted to see the grotto and Llao Rock both, so we cut -across. I—I guess we didn’t really think.”</p> -<p>“We won’t say anything more about it,” the doctor -answered. “It’s come out all right. But maybe next -time you’ll believe that I know more about this country -than you do, and when I ask for a promise, it isn’t just -an old maid’s fancy.”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir,” they both answered.</p> -<p>When he had gone out, Spider whispered across the -tent, “He’s a peach, your uncle. Gee, he didn’t bawl -us out a bit.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_136">136</div> -<p>“Made me more ashamed than if he had,” Bennie -replied.</p> -<p>“Me, too.”</p> -<p>“I guess we gave him a bad time of it, worrying -about us. I guess we deserved to get ours.”</p> -<p>“Well, we got it, all right.”</p> -<p>“Kid, you’ve enunciated a history full!” Bennie -answered. “We’re bum scouts. Never again.”</p> -<p>“Never again,” echoed Spider.</p> -<p>They were sound asleep when Uncle Billy returned -from a last call on his patient at the hotel and went to -bed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_137">137</div> -<h2 id="c14">CHAPTER XIV -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie Takes a Day Off to Do a Good Turn—He Washes All the Dirty Clothes</span></h2> -<p>The next day neither of the scouts felt much like -strenuous exertion. Their arms ached from -pulling the boat, and they both had blisters on their -hands, and the excitement had left them rather tired.</p> -<p>Mr. Stone looked at them while they were eating -breakfast.</p> -<p>“Well, Bennie,” he said, “what are you and Spider -going to do today? I can’t seem to think of anything -left around here that will give you as much exercise as -you want. Of course, you haven’t yet run all the way -down the trail and run all the way back again. You -might try that. Or you might row to Llao Rock and -tow your other boat home, before the launch has to go -for it.”</p> -<p>“Naw, that’s too easy,” Bennie grinned. “I kind -of thought we might hike around the rim road. How -far is it—forty miles? We’d be back in time for -dinner.”</p> -<p>“A good idea!” Uncle Billy exclaimed.</p> -<p>“What’s a good idea?” asked Bennie, beginning to -be sorry he’d made the joke.</p> -<p>“A hike,” said the doctor.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_138">138</div> -<p>Spider and Bennie groaned.</p> -<p>“Not today!” the doctor laughed. “Tomorrow, -maybe. We haven’t had a real hike yet, and I heard -you talking the other day, didn’t I, Bennie, about wanting -to work for a merit badge in hiking?”</p> -<p>“Where’ll we hike to—how far?” put in Dumplin’. -“Look at those two lovely automobiles, just doing -nothing. Don’t seem right to me to let ’em loaf so.”</p> -<p>“Well, you can stay back in camp, and have the -wood all cut and the dinner cooked for us when we get -back,” said his father.</p> -<p>“Yes, I will!” Dumplin’ retorted. “I may be -fat——”</p> -<p>“It’s just possible,” put in Bennie.</p> -<p>“I may be fat, but I can keep goin’ as long as any -of you, I guess!”</p> -<p>“You may not be so fat when we get back,” Uncle -Billy went on. “I think it would be a great idea to -give Bennie some regular exercise, about tomorrow, -also the day after, and the day after that. We’ll hike -over to the base of Mount Scott, because that’s the -highest point around here, packing our blankets and -grub. Then the second day we’ll climb Scott, and the -third day we’ll hike back again.”</p> -<p>“Ho, that’s no hike at all, if you take three days for -it!” Bennie said. “I been looking on the map. It’s -less ’n ten miles from here to the top of the mountain, -and the top is only 8,938 feet high, so it’s only a 2,000-foot -climb.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_139">139</div> -<p>“How much better you know this country than I -do,” said his uncle, quietly, “and how skilfully you can -read the contour intervals on a map. Well, you may -go over and back the same day, if you want to. The -rest of us will take three, however.”</p> -<p>Bennie turned red. “I—I guess I’m a dumb-bell,” -he stammered.</p> -<p>“It’s just possible,” Dumplin’ put in, while the rest -shouted with mirth at the hit.</p> -<p>Spider, meanwhile, had gone to his pack and got out -the government topographical survey map of Crater -Lake Park.</p> -<p>“Do we go along the rim?” he asked.</p> -<p>“More or less. We’ll have to climb part way up -Garfield, and then find a way down on the other side, -and work along back of Dutton Cliff to Kerr Valley.”</p> -<p>Spider was studying the contour interval lines of the -map closely now.</p> -<p>“Let’s see, we go up at least 500 feet for a start, and -then we go along a mile or two, and then we—holy -mackerel!—then we drop right down ’most a thousand! -And then——”</p> -<p>“Yes?” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“And then we go up again ’most a thousand, and -then we walk a mile, and then—jumping bullfrogs and -little fish hooks!—then we just fall down, let’s see, -about a thousand feet into Kerr Valley. That’s less -than 6,500 feet above the sea. Scott is almost 9,000. -We’ve still got a climb of 2,500 feet ahead of us.”</p> -<p>“Aw, go on, you’re making that up,” Bennie insisted. -“You can’t tell all that from the map. Let -me look.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_140">140</div> -<p>“Maybe <i>you</i> can’t tell,” Spider retorted. “I always -told you you didn’t half read a map. Go on—look -for yourself.”</p> -<p>And he passed the map over.</p> -<p>Bennie studied it carefully. “I guess maybe you’re -right,” he finally confessed. “Well, exercise is just -what I need! How’s the path, Uncle Bill?”</p> -<p>“Path!” the doctor laughed. “You’ll cross the rim -road at the bottom of Kerr Valley, where it comes -down from the rim to get around the cliffs back to the -hotel here. But that’s the only path you’ll see. This -is going to be a hike, not a Sunday School picnic or a -young ladies’ seminary out for a walk.”</p> -<p>“Suits me fine.”</p> -<p>“Good!” said his uncle. “I advise you to rest up -for it today, though.”</p> -<p>“I know what I’m going to do today, all right. -Anybody got any dirty clothes?”</p> -<p>“I haven’t got much else,” said Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Fine. Bring ’em out, all of you. Mrs. Murphy’s -on the job this morning. I’m going to wash things -up.”</p> -<p>“Want me to help?” Dumplin’ asked.</p> -<p>“No, you go off with Spider and collect pretty little -flowers. Don’t let ’em bite you, though. They’re wild -flowers, remember.”</p> -<p>Everybody groaned at this pun.</p> -<p>“Mrs. Noah threw a belaying pin at her husband -for making that one on the ark,” said Uncle -Billy.</p> -<p>“What’s the difference,” Bennie began, “between -Noah’s ark and Joan of Arc?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_141">141</div> -<p>But everybody dove, with another groan, into the -tents, to get their dirty clothes.</p> -<p>When everybody but Bennie had gone from camp, -he heated a big pail of water, got out a cake of soap, -and washed all the dirty clothes, hanging them on a -tent rope in the sun to dry. Then he picked up camp -as neat as he could, aired all the bedding and remade -the sleeping bags, and finally went off and hunted up -dead branches for fuel, dragging them back to camp. -After lunch, while the rest were loafing, he took the -fishing rod and sneaked away unseen, went rapidly -down the trail, and working around on the rocks by -the shore, managed to hook three trout. He was just -coming up over the rim with them when Spider and -Lester, wondering at his long absence, had started out -to look for him.</p> -<p>“I sure hate a man who pins roses on himself,” Bennie -remarked, as he was cleaning the fish for dinner, -“but I just can’t help admitting that I’ve been -mamma’s little white-haired boy today. I’ve washed -all your dirty shirts and socks, and I’ve got wood, and -I’ve cleaned up camp, and now I’ve dragged my poor -old aching bones down a thousand feet and back again -to catch you three sweet little fishie-wishies for supper. -Won’t somebody please say ‘Thank you, Bennie, -you are a good boy’?”</p> -<p>“Bennie doesn’t like himself a bit, does he?” remarked -Dumplin’, addressing a camp robber in a tree -overhead.</p> -<p>“Can’t you prescribe something for his poor old -aching bones, Doc?” asked Mr. Stone.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_142">142</div> -<p>“Try rubbing ’em with a little fish oil, Bennie,” -Spider put in.</p> -<p>“I think I shall prescribe exercise,” Uncle Billy -laughed.</p> -<p>“Well, of all the ungrateful bunches, you sure get -the loving cup!” Bennie exclaimed. “I hope you all -choke on a fish bone.”</p> -<p>“The Bible says virtue is its own reward, Bennie,” -remarked Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“Pretty skinny pickings for some of you guys, -then,” Bennie grinned.</p> -<p>But after supper Uncle Billy strolled out with Bennie -to the point of Victory Rock, to see the lake like a -great blue mirror in the twilight, and he said, quietly:</p> -<p>“We were all much obliged to you for what you did -today. Never mind the joshing.”</p> -<p>Bennie laughed. “Ho! I didn’t mind. Can’t get -my goat so easy as that! Besides, the old Bible is -right, I guess. You don’t do a good turn because -you’re going to be thanked for it. You do it ’cause it -makes you feel better inside.”</p> -<p>“That’s the idea, exactly,” Uncle Billy answered. -“Bennie, you’re a good scout. Your heart is just -where it ought to be every time. The only trouble -with you is that you haven’t quite got your head working -yet. If you are going to amount to anything as a -mountaineer or explorer—anywhere in the wilderness—you’ve -got to learn to use your head, and never bite -off more than you can chew. Will you try to remember -that?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_143">143</div> -<p>“I sure will, Uncle Bill,” Bennie answered. “I’m -awful fresh, I guess, and I talk a lot, but I’m learning -right now, every day. You just sit on me hard when -I need it.”</p> -<p>“You needn’t worry about my doing <i>that</i>,” the -doctor grinned.</p> -<p>“No, you’re some sitter,” said Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_144">144</div> -<h2 id="c15">CHAPTER XV -<br /><span class="sc">The Long Hike—The Scouts Find Packing Grub and Blanket Rolls Up and Down Cliffs is Hard Work</span></h2> -<p>Bright and early the next morning preparations -for the hike began. This was to be no ordinary -jaunt. They were going out for three days and two -nights into a wilderness, where they would have to -make long, severe climbs up and down treacherous -lava ledges; where they would have to sleep out in the -open, tentless, in a climate where water freezes at -night; where they couldn’t get a mouthful of food except -what they could carry with them.</p> -<p>“You see, boys,” said the doctor, “it’s going to be -quite a problem how to take along enough stuff to keep -us warm, and keep us fed, and yet be able to travel -with it on our backs.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_145">145</div> -<p>Each member of the party put in his shoulder pack -his own food ration, consisting of tea (because it is -lighter than coffee), some bacon, powdered egg, a little -dehydrated vegetables, a small bag of flour, a small -bag of sugar, a package of bouillon cubes, a can of -preserved fruit, a small can of condensed milk, two -pounds of raisins, two boiled potatoes, and several -cakes of sweet chocolate. In addition, each person -put in two extra pairs of wool socks, and a set of underclothes. -Then, out of their sleeping bags, they -each took a double blanket, and made a blanket roll, -fastening the ends with straps from the motors. Bennie -and Spider each had a boy scout individual cook-kit, -in a khaki case with a shoulder strap. These two -kits, with a tin cup and plate and spoon for the others, -and one, larger frying-pan and kettle carried by Uncle -Billy, was all the cooking outfit they carried. However, -the doctor made everybody carry a canteen, and -Bennie, Spider and Mr. Stone each carried a camera. -Everybody had a sweater, also, and two belt axes were -taken. The doctor had his rope.</p> -<p>When the shoulder packs were on, and the blanket -rolls, and the canteens, and the cameras and camp kits, -everybody was glad enough of the alpenstocks which -the doctor handed around.</p> -<p>“Say, I need this stock to help me stand up,” said -Dumplin’. “I feel like a walking department store.”</p> -<p>“I’ll bet we aren’t toting any more than a soldier -has to carry on a march, at that,” said Spider. “Are -we, doctor?”</p> -<p>“No, I don’t believe we’re packing so much,” Uncle -Billy answered. “A gun’s heavier than a stock, too. -But it’s enough. Going to be hot today.”</p> -<p>As the little procession filed past the hotel (which -by now was full of tourists), a crowd came out to -watch them go past.</p> -<p>“Going on a hike, boys?” somebody called out.</p> -<p>“No,” Bennie answered, “we’re going over to -Wizard Island to play tennis.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_146">146</div> -<p>“Wonder what makes people ask foolish questions?” -Dumplin’ mused.</p> -<p>“It’s the——” Bennie began. Then he caught himself. -“Ha! thought you had me, didn’t you?—it’s the -altitude!”</p> -<p>“You chaps won’t talk so much at three o’clock,” -remarked Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>For the first half mile, they had a trail, the trail -they had already taken up Garfield Peak. But half-way -up, they left the trail, and struck right out, without -any path at all, around the tumbled crags of -broken lava, and over the snow-fields and patches of -soft pumice soil that crown this part of the rim on the -southeastern side of the lake. The going was very -slow and difficult, up hill and down, in and out among -the rises and dips, with the sun beating down upon -them till their packs and hot blankets seemed almost -unbearable. At first, they could see the blue lake almost -2,000 feet below them, while they worked along -the crest of Eagle Crags, but after a while they had -to drop down behind the rim to avoid a climb up Dyar -Rock, and lost all sight of it.</p> -<p>After about two miles, they came out on the crest -of a slope that led down to Sun Creek, and saw the -Sun meadows below them. They would have rejoiced -at this sight if they hadn’t also seen the wall of the -deep ravine rising up on the other side, steeper and -higher than under their feet.</p> -<p>“Oh, for the wings of a dove!” sighed Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Lot o’ good a dove’s wings would do <i>you</i>,” said -Bennie. “Take a dirigible to lift you.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_147">147</div> -<p>“A bridge across would do me,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Meanwhile, we’ll get a little exercise crossing on -our own feet,” Uncle Billy smiled. “Come on, now, -and watch your step. Sound your footing with your -alpenstocks, and keep out of line, so if anybody starts -a slide, it won’t spill all the rest.”</p> -<p>They made the descent slowly and painfully over the -first steep pitches, and then more rapidly till they sank -at last on the ground by the water of Sun Creek, which -came down from a snow-bank up on the rim at the -head of the ravine, threw off packs and blankets, and -plunged their mouths in.</p> -<p>“Do we lunch here? I’m hungry——” from -Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“We do,” the doctor answered. “And it’s a brief -lunch, too. Everybody take one handful of raisins, -and half a cake of chocolate.”</p> -<p>“Oh, gee, is <i>that</i> all?” cried Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“That’s all. John Muir used to climb for two or -three days in the high Sierras on a pocketful of raisins, -and didn’t even carry a blanket. Come on, get busy.”</p> -<p>Everybody obeyed, and the doctor saw to it that -they didn’t take too many of their raisin supply, -either.</p> -<p>“I consider this a Lucullan feast,” remarked Mr. -Stone.</p> -<p>“Whatever that is,” said Bennie. “If you mean -some banquet, I’m right along with you. Always did -like these seven-course dinners.”</p> -<p>“Anyhow, it won’t take long to wash the dishes,” -Spider reflected.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_148">148</div> -<p>As soon as the raisins and chocolate were eaten, and -the canteens refilled, they picked up their packs and -blankets again and put them on.</p> -<p>“Gosh! mine weighs more’n it did,” said Bennie. -“Somebody’s put something into it.”</p> -<p>“Mine, too.”</p> -<p>“Mine, too.”</p> -<p>“Mine, too.”</p> -<p>“Wait till they get really heavy before you kick,” -said Uncle Billy. “Forward, march!”</p> -<p>The thousand-foot wall of the Sun Creek ravine -which faced them was just about the height from the -lake to the rim at the hotel, but it was not so steep, -except for a little distance at the start. On the other -hand, there was no trail at all, no sign that any other -human being had ever been up it, and when the going -was not amid treacherous lava fragments which broke -if you put your weight on them, it was over soft pumice -into which your feet sank deep, and then began to -slide backwards. Finally Bennie took his uncle’s rope -and scrambled up ahead with it, till he could find anchorage, -so the rest could have its help. When he was -fagged, somebody else took a turn. It took them more -than an hour to make the half mile up the wall, and -at the top they pitched off their packs and blankets, -their shoulders and backs dripping wet with perspiration, -and everybody set his mouth to his canteen and -drank.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_149">149</div> -<p>After a rest, they crossed Dutton ridge, a mile of -broken going, and then began to descend into the next -ravine, called Kerr Valley, which is the deepest ravine -on the slopes of old Mount Mazama, and lies right at -the foot of Scott Peak. The descent was not dangerously -steep till the last three hundred feet, and -there they used the rope again to help them.</p> -<p>As they came out at last into the mile wide ravine -of Kerr Valley, out of which the snow had pretty -well melted except under the trees, and in which the -wild flowers were springing up, they saw where the -rim road came down from the rim and descended the -valley to get around the mass of ledges and ravines -they had been crossing. It was now three o’clock, -and, as Mr. Stone had predicted, nobody was saying -much.</p> -<p>They could see the round, dome-like pile of Scott’s -Peak, directly across the valley, and Bennie did ask -how far it was from there to the top.</p> -<p>“Thinking of keeping on up today?” his uncle -asked.</p> -<p>“Aw, don’t rub it in,” said Bennie. “I couldn’t -climb an ant-hill now.”</p> -<p>“Well, a mile more will take us across the valley to -water,” his uncle laughed. “Guess we can all stick -that out.”</p> -<p>On the other side of the valley, across the still deserted -and useless rim road, they found a stream, -called Sand Creek, which came down, the doctor said, -from a spring on the cliffs of Scott, just above -them.</p> -<p>Here they dumped their packs again, stripped off -their clothes, and the three boys were only restrained -by main force from falling in.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_150">150</div> -<p>“You’re too hot to go in that ice water,” the doctor -said, grabbing Bennie. “Wash your feet all you want -to, and splash yourselves.”</p> -<p>After the wash, they put on their dry underclothes, -and spread the other set in the sun (which was fast -dropping down the west), and then set about making -camp.</p> -<p>“I say we find a straight-faced rock to build the -fire against,” Bennie suggested, “so it will throw the -heat all one way, and we can sleep around it in a half -circle, out of the wind.”</p> -<p>“I move we find a place where the ground is dry -and a snow-drift hasn’t just melted off it,” added Spider.</p> -<p>“And where it’s nice and soft,” added Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“And where it’s near wood,” added Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“Maybe you’d like a room with a bath, and have -your breakfast brought up to you,” Uncle Billy -laughed. “Well, go to it. Find your rock, Bennie. -Whoever’s got the axes, cut wood, and lots of -it.”</p> -<p>A smooth place was finally found in the lee of a -block of lava, some little way from the stream, but -near a patch of firs and hemlocks, where there was -plenty of dead wood. Dumplin’ started stoning up -a big fireplace, while the two scouts chopped wood and -Mr. Stone brought water in the big kettle and two -little kettles of the camp kits and in the canteens, and -the doctor mixed a pancake batter, and made the bacon -and egg powder ready to cook, and peeled one of the -two potatoes in each pack.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_151">151</div> -<p>As the sun dropped down behind the high ridge to -the west, a chill almost immediately came into the air. -In less than an hour everybody, who had been so hot -all day, was thinking about putting on his sweater. -But the fire burned brightly, the potatoes smelled delicious -in the frying-pan, and as soon as they were -done, the smell of bacon and eggs rose from the same -pan. Water for bouillon tablets and tea boiled in the -kettles. The food disappeared down hungry mouths, -and every plate was scraped clean, ready for the pancakes -to follow. They had no syrup to eat on the -cakes, but nobody seemed to mind that. After the -cakes, they drew lots to see whose can of fruit should -be opened, because the lucky one would have so much -less to carry in his pack. Dumplin’ won, to his delight. -His can was peaches, and how good they -tasted—after the can was finally pried open, with the -aid of a scout ax, a stone and a broken jack-knife -blade!</p> -<p>Then the dishes were washed, more wood heaped -on the fire, sweaters donned, and in the gathering -darkness, and the utter silence of the wilderness, the -five hikers sat in a close ring before the fire, and relaxed -their weary muscles.</p> -<p>“Well, I’m glad I lugged that grub,” said Bennie. -“’Bout three o’clock, though, I would have dumped -the whole pack over the rim for two cents.”</p> -<p>“Me, too,” said Dumplin’. “Gosh, this hiking is -hard work! Don’t see much adventure in it. Here -we’ve come about eight or nine miles, and took us all -day, and nothin’ happened.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_152">152</div> -<p>“What did you expect to happen?” his father -asked. “Expect to meet an elephant, or have the -mountain erupt?”</p> -<p>“Gee, <i>I</i> think it’s a wonderful adventure!” Spider -exclaimed. “It’s been a kind of <i>battle</i>. I—I can’t -say what I mean, but it was just the same when Bennie -and I were getting up Llao Rock. We were sort -of <i>fighting</i> up. Only instead of fighting another man, -who tries to hit you back, you are fighting just—just—well, -just the wilderness.”</p> -<p>“And it’s against you all the time,” said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>Bennie had grown very thoughtful. “No, it’s <i>not</i> -against you all the time,” he said. “Excuse me for -contradicting, Mr. Stone. I don’t mean to be fresh. -But the way I feel is that it’s against you if you don’t -know how to meet it, but if you do know, it is always -kind of putting out things to help you.”</p> -<p>“Such as——?” asked his uncle.</p> -<p>“Well, such as dead wood for a fire, and a chimney -to crawl up in, if you know how, when you strike a -precipice, and maybe food to eat. I bet we could find -food in the roots of some of these wild flowers, if we -had to.”</p> -<p>“Give me bacon,” said Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Gee, Dump, you go to church behind your belt -buckle,” said Bennie scornfully. “But I’m with Spider, -though, that a hike like this is a regular adventure, -’cause it’s a sort of fight all the way, and it’s all -up to you whether you get through or not. Gee, I -wish I was an explorer!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_153">153</div> -<p>Uncle Billy smiled. “We may get a little exploring -yet, before we get back to Portland. You never can -tell. Well, who’s going to sleep tonight?”</p> -<p>“I guess we all are.”</p> -<p>“Till the cold wakes us up,” said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“And a rock grows up through our shoulder -blades,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Whenever that happens, put some more wood on -the fire,” said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>Then everybody rolled up in his blanket, feet to -the fire, with his pack for a pillow, and in spite of the -bare ground, in place of a nice air mattress, was soon -asleep.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_154">154</div> -<h2 id="c16">CHAPTER XVI -<br /><span class="sc">The Climb Up Scott Peak—Bennie Begins Work for a Merit Badge for Hiking</span></h2> -<p>But the night wasn’t very old before everybody -had discovered that there is a big difference between -sleeping on an air mattress, inside four or five -blankets in a sleeping bag, under a tent, and sleeping -on the bare ground, in one blanket. Bennie and Spider -had slept on the bare ground, to be sure, many a time -on their scout hikes at home, but that was always in -summer, when it was warm. To be sure, it was summer -now, but they were more than 6,000 feet up, on -the crest of the Cascades, with snow all around them.</p> -<p>It seemed to Bennie as if he had been asleep only -fifteen minutes, when he was waked up by cold. He -didn’t fully wake up at first, but only just enough to -feel the wind getting down around his neck, and to -feel his whole body stiff and uncomfortable. He -yanked the blanket tighter around him, and tried to -go to sleep again. But, instead, he woke up still more.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_155">155</div> -<p>At last he was awake enough to prop himself up on -one elbow, and look at the fire. It had burned down -to a few glowing embers in the stone pit against the -lava block. Overhead the stars were extremely -bright, but the night itself seemed dark. There wasn’t -a sound in the world. Yes! Hark! Bennie’s ears -grew alert in the darkness. Far off he heard a roar, -starting low, then growing louder, then dying away. -At first he couldn’t understand it; then he realized it -was a landslide somewhere on a steep slope, perhaps -over on the rim of the lake a mile and a half away. -He listened again, but there was no further sound—only -a whisper of wind in the fir trees close by, and -the gentle run of the water in the creek. Suddenly -Bennie realized that he was in the very heart of the -wilderness, that except for his four companions asleep -beside him, there wasn’t a human being within a day’s -hike. He also realized that if he didn’t put some wood -on the fire pretty quick, it would be out entirely.</p> -<p>So he crawled out of his blanket as gently as he -could, and tried to make no noise as he put on more -fuel. He blew on the coals till the new wood caught, -and then turned his cold back to the flames. As he -did so, he saw Spider’s eyes open in the sudden light. -Spider blinked a second, and then sat up.</p> -<p>“Hello,” he whispered. “You cold?”</p> -<p>“Gosh, I was most frozen,” Bennie whispered back.</p> -<p>“Me, too. Been sleeping on a rock, right in the -middle of my hip. Ow, it’s sore!”</p> -<p>Spider now got up also, and came close to the fire.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_156">156</div> -<p>When they were warmed up again, they lay down -once more, and managed to doze off. But long before -morning, Bennie woke to see first Mr. Stone and then -his uncle putting more wood on the fire. It wasn’t -yet dawn—just the first hint of lightness in the sky—when -Bennie finally woke up so cold and so stiff and -uncomfortable from the hard ground, that further -sleep seemed impossible. He was just rousing himself -to put on more wood when he heard Spider stir, and -then sit up.</p> -<p>“I’m going to stay up,” he whispered. “Let’s take -a trot around to get warm.”</p> -<p>Spider rose, and after building up the fire and huddling -over it a few minutes, they walked away from -camp.</p> -<p>“Let’s go up the valley to the rim,” Spider said. -“We can go on the rim road, and have easy walking. -Gee, I’d like to run all the way, and get up some circulation.”</p> -<p>They set out rapidly, and reached the rim in fifteen -minutes. It was lighter now, and they could see -plainly. The lake at this point was only 500 feet below -them, for they had come out on the lowest point -on the entire rim. But, even so, they seemed to be -looking down into the clouds. They looked up into -clouds, too, whole masses of clouds around the peak -of Scott, of Dutton Cliff, of Garfield. Then the daylight -increased rapidly, the clouds began mysteriously -to disappear, holes came in them showing the blue -water—and suddenly Spider grabbed Bennie’s arm -and pointed half-way down the side.</p> -<p>Bennie looked, and saw a small deer—a mule deer, -as it is called—coming rapidly up the steep incline, directly -toward them! He could not get their scent from -so far below, and he quite evidently hadn’t seen them. -On he came, bounding easily up the incline, where a -man would have toiled breathlessly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_157">157</div> -<p>“Wow! I’d like to be able to go up a mountain -like that!” Bennie exclaimed.</p> -<p>Almost at his first word, they saw the deer’s big -ears prick up. He landed stock still and rigid, and -raised his eyes. Then he saw the two boys above him, -and with a single bound, so quick the scouts couldn’t -detect how he made the turn, he was off at right -angles, along the slope. Working upward as he leapt -along, he reached the rim three hundred yards away -from them, and disappeared like smoke into a stand -of fir.</p> -<p>“What a shot!” breathed Bennie.</p> -<p>“Aw, you couldn’t have hit him in a year,” Spider -laughed.</p> -<p>“Why couldn’t I?”</p> -<p>“First place, you can’t shoot well enough, and second -place I’d have knocked up your gun,” said Spider. -“I wouldn’t shoot a deer as long as I had anything -else to eat.”</p> -<p>“He was kind o’ pretty,” Bennie agreed.</p> -<p>“’Tisn’t that so much. But he’s <i>wild</i>. He’s part -of the wilderness. He belongs to it. Killing a deer is -just as bad as knocking off the top of a mountain, or -spoiling all the forest trees.”</p> -<p>“Maybe you’re right,” Bennie admitted. “But -how about going back and getting grub?”</p> -<p>The sun was up when they reached camp again, and -so were the other three campers.</p> -<p>“’Smatter, boys?” asked Mr. Stone. “Getting an -appetite before breakfast?”</p> -<p>“So cold we couldn’t sleep,” they answered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_158">158</div> -<p>“I was none too warm myself.”</p> -<p>“And I was none too comfortable,” the doctor -added.</p> -<p>“Ho!” cried Dumplin’, who was starting the breakfast -over the fire, “I never woke up once. Just as -warm as anything, and never felt a stone in me all -night.”</p> -<p>“Well, who wouldn’t be warm if he was covered -with a blubber bed-spread!” Bennie retorted.</p> -<p>“And who wouldn’t sleep soft if he carried his own -upholstery?” said Spider.</p> -<p>“All right, kid,” Dumplin’ grinned. “But there are -times when it pays.”</p> -<p>The sun was not far up when they finished breakfast, -cached the grub and blankets and the packs, and -armed only with the alpenstocks, a pocketful of raisins -and chocolate, the canteens and cameras, set out -for the summit of Scott’s Peak, which rose directly -above them, and seemed to be reached, after the first -pull up the steep side of the ravine, by a fairly easy -incline. The map showed, too, that the distance was -less than three miles.</p> -<p>“Three miles—three hours,” said Bennie. “A mile -an hour is what the Appalachian Club allows. We’ll -be there at half-past nine.”</p> -<p>“Getting sure again, are you?” said his uncle. -“This isn’t Mount Washington, where the Appalachian -Club climbs. This is Scott’s Peak. It isn’t made -of granite, but it’s a spur volcano spit up out of the -side of old Mazama, and it’s about 2,500 feet of nice, -soft pumice dust from here on.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_159">159</div> -<p>It was.</p> -<p>Once over the first scramble up the side of the -ravine, they settled down to a steady plod in the soft, -volcanic stuff. Their feet sank deep into it. The -pitch was greater than it looked, too, and every time -they threw their weight on to the forward foot, it -sank back a way. Sometimes there were patches of -snow they could get on, for partial relief. But mostly -this side of the mountain had melted off, and it was -just a long, weary, back-breaking grind up the pumice. -Did you ever climb a steep pile of sand? Anyhow, you -have walked in the deep, dry, soft sand above the tide -mark on a beach. You know what hard work it is. -The climb up Scott was just like that, only more so. -One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours, and -part of five, with many a rest, and the sun getting -hotter and hotter, before they reached the summit.</p> -<p>“Well, boys, this is the highest you’ve been yet,” -said Mr. Stone. “Eight thousand nine hundred and -thirty-two feet.”</p> -<p>“Wish there was a tree we could shin to make it -an even 9,000,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>Dumplin’ wiped the sweat from his face, and collapsed -on the ground, panting. “I wouldn’t climb a -barber’s pole,” he announced.</p> -<p>“Well, you can see most of eastern Oregon without -sitting up,” his father laughed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_160">160</div> -<p>This was certainly true. From the top of Scott, -they could look eastward for a hundred miles, over a -great plain almost as flat and bare as the sea, a sage -brush desert. North and south they could look mile -after mile in either direction along the tumbled, snowy -world of the Cascade range. And just below them, to -the west, they looked down 3,000 feet into the blue -hole of Crater Lake.</p> -<p>“There’s most room enough for a feller to breathe, -out here,” Bennie remarked. Then he started to drink -from his canteen, and discovered it was empty.</p> -<p>“Fill it with snow,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>Dumplin’ had drunk up all his supply, too, so both -of them hunted out a snow-bank, dug down to clean -snow, and began to stuff it into their canteens. “Gosh! -where does it all go to!” Dumplin’ remarked, after -three or four minutes.</p> -<p>“Takes a lot of snow to make a little water,” Bennie -answered. “Mine’s full—full o’ snow. Now let -her melt!”</p> -<p>Presently, after he had eaten his raisins, he took a -pull at the canteen, and got about one good swig of -water.</p> -<p>“Let’s be going down,” said he.</p> -<p>“Just so you can get a drink?” asked Spider.</p> -<p>“Marvelous, Watson, marvelous,” Bennie laughed. -“Why haven’t they given you a job on the detective -force?”</p> -<p>But the rest, by now, had emptied their canteens, -too, and everybody was thirsty, so down they started. -It was easy going down. When the slope was smooth, -they set in their stocks as far ahead as they could -reach, and then took a long vault, down past -them, pulled them out, and repeated. In one hour -they had covered the ground it took them five on the -ascent.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_161">161</div> -<p>It was only a shade after two o’clock when they -reached their cache, so they shouldered their luggage -and hiked on down the valley, away from the lake, for -nearly five miles, till they reached a region of grass and -flowers and heavy timber, where the Sand Creek had -cut down a deep cañon in the volcanic soil and lava, -but the strangest cañon you ever saw, because some -of the lava was harder than the rest, and the water -hadn’t cut this, but left it sticking up all through the -gorge, in great, round, water-worn pinnacles. Imagine -hundreds of Bunker Hill monuments, round instead -of square-cornered, erected helter-skelter at the bottom -of a wild cañon, and you have a picture of the pinnacles. -Here, near the brink, in sheltered woods, they -made their second night’s bivouac.</p> -<p>And this time Bennie woke up only once in the night, -and had to be shaken awake in the morning.</p> -<p>“I must be getting fat, like Dump,” he said. “I -wasn’t very cold, and I’m not very sore.”</p> -<p>“You’re getting harder,” said his uncle. “If we -did this a couple of weeks, we could all sleep out like -tops.”</p> -<p>The third day they hiked back to their camp on -the rim, using the rim road to get around the cliffs -and ridges—a long grind with the heavy packs, but -quite uneventful.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_162">162</div> -<p>And when they got to camp, the doctor announced, -“We leave to-morrow, at six o’clock. Everybody out -at four-thirty. Won’t need any grub except for tomorrow’s -breakfast and lunch, so we can clean up the -larder for dinner. Bennie, go over and smile sweetly -at the hotel cook, and see if you can coax him to sell -you a big beefsteak, and a loaf of bread, and a head -of lettuce.”</p> -<p>“Get a lemon meringue pie if he’s got one,” Dumplin’ -added.</p> -<p>“The cook’s an awful grouch,” the doctor laughed, -when Bennie had gone. “He’ll throw him out of the -kitchen.”</p> -<p>Everybody was busy about camp, getting dinner -ready, when Bennie returned with a large package. -He opened it with a grin. It contained two steaks, -a head of lettuce, a loaf of bread—and a lemon -pie!</p> -<p>“The cook’s an awful old grouch,” Mr. Stone remarked -to Uncle Billy, winking at the boys.</p> -<p>“<i>How</i> did you do it?” demanded the astonished -doctor.</p> -<p>“It’s my fatal beauty,” said Bennie airily. And -that’s all he would tell.</p> -<p>But to Spider, later, he said, “Remember that fat -old guy that used to cook at the White Doe Inn, back -home? The one that used to come to all our ball -games? Well, he’s the cook at the hotel here now. -I knew Uncle Bill was trying to put one over on me, -and I didn’t have a notion how I was going to beat -him, till I saw who the cook was. He came at me -mad as anything, ’cause campers are always trying to -buy stuff off him. Looked as if he was going to -throw me out. And then I said, ‘Hello, Mr. Leary, -coming down to the field to see us play Lenox tomorrow?’—and -he recognized me—and, say! I was -so glad I gave him all the change from Uncle Billy’s -bill.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_163">163</div> -<p>“Some luck!” Spider laughed.</p> -<p>“Don’t you tell, now.”</p> -<p>“Not a word. But, boy, I’m going to eat my share -of that steak!”</p> -<p>It was a glorious meal, and Dumplin’ kissed the pie -plate when it was all over.</p> -<p>After Bennie had carried the pie plate back to the -cook, while the rest washed up the dishes, Uncle Billy -asked for the Scout Manual, and read what a scout -has to do to get a merit badge for hiking.</p> -<blockquote> -<p>“To obtain a merit badge for hiking, a scout must:</p> -<p>1. Show a thorough knowledge of the care of the -feet on a hike.</p> -<p>2. Walk five miles per day, six days in the week, -for a period of three months. This may include walking -to and from school or work. He shall keep a -record of his hikes daily, preferably in his diary, a -transcript to be made an exhibit before the court of -honor.</p> -<p>3. Walk ten miles on each of two days in each -month for a period of three months; in other words, -six walks of ten miles each during the three months.</p> -<p>4. Walk twenty miles in one day.</p> -<p>5. Locate and describe interesting trails, and walk -to some place marked by some patriotic or historical -event.</p> -<p>6. Write his experiences in these several walking -trips with reference to fatigue or distress experienced, -and indicate what he had learned in the way of caring -for himself as regards equipment such as camping -and cooking outfit, food, footwear, clothing and hygiene.</p> -<p>7. Review his ability to read a road map (preferably -a Government topographical map), to use a -compass, and shall be required to make a written plan -for a hike from the map.”</p> -</blockquote> -<div class="pb" id="Page_164">164</div> -<p>“Number one,” Uncle Billy said. “What have you -learned about the care of the feet, Bennie?”</p> -<p>“Wash ’em in cold water when you can, and -dry ’em thoroughly. Wear wool socks, and carry two -extra pairs. At home we carry adhesive tape, to put -over a place that may start chafing, so’s to stop a -blister.”</p> -<p>“That’s all right. The best care of the feet, -though, is to have stout, easy boots, that <i>fit</i>. Well, -number two—we haven’t walked five miles a day for -six weeks, have we? You’ll have to do that at home. -Number three—‘Walk ten miles on each of two days, -in each month for a period of three months.’ You can -count this hike as ten miles, or its equivalent, on each -of three days, for July, all right. We hardly made -ten miles the first day, but it was equal to fifteen or -twenty of ordinary walking. You did two miles and -a half before breakfast the second day, then six up -and down the mountain, and six more before camp at -night. That’s fourteen and a half, with three of ’em -up Scott’s Peak in the pumice.”</p> -<p>“That ought to count for twenty, I’ll say,” Bennie -declared. “And how much the last day?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_165">165</div> -<p>“Well, with our getting wood for breakfast, and -taking a last look at the pinnacles, and your two trips -to the hotel, I guess we can call today twenty miles.”</p> -<p>“I’ll take a trot around now, if I need to,” Bennie -laughed.</p> -<p>“No, you can sit still. Well, that qualifies you on -number four, anyhow, and gives you a good start on -number three. Number five you’ll have to do at home. -Number six you can attend to some day in camp, and -let me see what you’ve written about these three days. -Number seven—h’m—you’ve got a lot to learn yet -about using maps, I suspect. Go get your map of -Crater Lake, and let me see you lay out, with a pencil, -what looks like the best way to hike from here to -Crater Peak, five miles south of us.”</p> -<p>Bennie worked over this for some time, and then -showed the line he had drawn.</p> -<p>“Good!” said his uncle. “I’m glad to see you -haven’t drawn an air-line path that plunges you down -any 500-foot precipices, or takes you up any 600-foot -walls.”</p> -<p>“I learned something on this trip,” said Bennie. “I -learned that when they put contour lines close together -on a map, it means steep, and if there are a lot -of ’em, and they are very close, it means, ‘Detour to -the right.’”</p> -<p>“That’s the idea. Well, boy, are you going to -stick? Will you write out for me an account of this -trip, and the next one we take, too, and try to work -for this merit badge?”</p> -<p>“You bet I will!”</p> -<p>“May I, too?” asked Spider.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_166">166</div> -<p>“Gee, he’s got so many badges now he looks like -Marshal Foch,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“The more the better,” laughed the doctor. “Now, -boys, bed! Big Ben is set for 4:30.”</p> -<p>“It’ll take a Big Bertha to wake <i>me</i> at 4:30,” said -Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Oh, you air mattress!” sighed Bennie, as he -crawled into his sleeping bag.</p> -<p>Spider answered never a word. He was fast asleep.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_167">167</div> -<h2 id="c17">CHAPTER XVII -<br /><span class="sc">Good-bye to Crater Lake, and a Motor Trip to Bend</span></h2> -<p>Uncle Billy was as good as his word the next -morning. At half-past four he shook Bennie -and Spider, and he had to shake them hard, too. Then -all three of them went into the other tent, and rolled -Mr. Stone and Dumplin’ upside down in their sleeping -bags. It was still cold, and the sun was not yet up -over the snowy crags of Garfield. In the still, crystal-clear -air, the water of the lake was without a ripple, -and every rock and tree on the rim was perfectly reflected -in the blue mirror.</p> -<p>“Take a good long look, boys,” said the doctor. -“It’s good-bye to Crater Lake as soon as we can load -the cars.”</p> -<p>“I hate to leave it,” Spider said. “I don’t believe -I’ll ever see anything so grand again, or have such a -good time.”</p> -<p>“I hate to leave it, too,” said Bennie. “But I bet -we’ll have a lot more good times. I guess old Oregon -is full of ’em.”</p> -<p>“I am satisfied with Oregon,” Dumplin’ began to -sing, in a high falsetto voice to the tune of “Glory, -glory, hallelujah.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_168">168</div> -<p>“Shut up, do you want to wake everybody else -on the rim, just because you’re up?” his father cautioned.</p> -<p>“Time they got up,” Dumplin’ laughed. “Early to -bed and early to rise, makes a man dopy with sleep in -his eyes.”</p> -<p>“Gosh, if he can’t sing, he makes up poetry,” Bennie -groaned. “Give him a flapjack, quick.”</p> -<p>As soon as breakfast was over, Mr. Stone and the -doctor tinkered the cars for the trip, while the boys -struck the tents, deflated and rolled up the sleeping -bags, packed their dunnage sacks, and then began to -stow the luggage in the cars. It was after seven when -everything was at last packed aboard, and Uncle Billy -gave the order to start. The engines turned over, reluctant -to start after their long idleness, but at last -the explosions came, the exhausts spit smoke, and the -cars moved out over dry ground, where a week ago -had been a snow-drift, headed toward the road.</p> -<p>“Good-bye, old lake!” cried Bennie.</p> -<p>“Au revoir, for me. <i>I’m</i> coming back some day,” -said Spider.</p> -<p>“And now where, Uncle Billy?” Bennie added.</p> -<p>“Bend,” said his uncle. “I wish we could go back -home on the Sky Line Trail that some day Oregon is -going to build into a highway right up along the spine -of the Cascades. But at present it is only a ranger’s -trail, and it takes weeks to travel it, with an expensive -pack train. So we are going by motor up the east -side of the range to the town of Bend, and we’ll get a -pack train there and go in and sample a bit of the -Sky Line Trail, to say we’ve ridden it, and maybe -climb a snow mountain.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_169">169</div> -<p>“Are we going in on horseback?” Bennie demanded.</p> -<p>“We are, if we go at all,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>“Hooray! I never rode horseback!”</p> -<p>“You’ll have plenty of chance to learn, then,” Uncle -Billy smiled. “About the first night, you’ll wish you -hadn’t tried to learn, too.”</p> -<p>“Bet I won’t!” Bennie retorted. “How far is it -to Bend?”</p> -<p>“Oh, a hundred miles, I guess. Maybe more.”</p> -<p>“Seven-thirty now—twenty-five miles an hour, that -means we get there at noon.”</p> -<p>“You are my idea of an optimist, Bennie,” said the -doctor. “This is an eastern Oregon road we are going -to travel on. If we should travel twenty-five miles -an hour, we wouldn’t get there at all.”</p> -<p>For many miles, the road out of the park took them -in a southerly direction, down the Anna Creek valley, -through a noble forest of yellow pines, a tree the boys -had never seen before, which has great flat scales of -bark which looks almost like copper, and past the deep -cañon the creek has cut in the lava, with sides fantastically -carved into giant columns. Finally, they -reached the gate of the park, were checked up by the -gateman, and went on, swinging eastward now.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_170">170</div> -<p>Bennie, as soon as they were off the government -road, very soon realized why they wouldn’t make Bend -at noon. In eastern Oregon, a country “dirt” road, -which in the East is usually quite decent in summer -isn’t a dirt road at all, really, because there isn’t any -dirt. All the soil is powdered volcanic ash and pumice, -no doubt deposited there by Mount Mazama ages ago. -This volcanic soil looks almost gray-white in color, -and a road made on it, without any macadam, is very -quickly pounded, in dry weather, into a layer of dust -inches thick, which rises like a smoke screen behind -the car, and gets kicked out of holes in the road by -the passing tires till the holes deepen more and more, -making the road one endless series of bumps.</p> -<p>Instead of traveling at twenty-five miles an hour, the -doctor held the car down to fifteen, and very often -had to go slower than that.</p> -<p>And it was hot down here below the range, hot and -close. The yellow pines, and then endless acres of -ugly lodge-pole pines, lined the road on both sides, shutting -out wind and view. Only now and then did they -catch a glimpse of Scott’s Peak, and later of Thielsen. -They were in the dry country, too, for almost no rain -ever falls on the east side of the Cascades. So they -passed no brooks, after leaving Anna Creek. Choked -with dust, the boys sampled the canteens frequently, -and rejoiced that they weren’t in the second car, which -was following far behind, to keep out of the dust as -much as possible.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_171">171</div> -<p>It was almost noon when they reached a stream at -last, coming down from the snow-fields—and they were -only half-way on their journey! Here they stopped -for lunch. The doctor had insisted on saving out two -cans of peaches for this occasion, and now they understood -why. It was a job to worry the dry bread -and the bacon down their parched throats, but how -those cool peaches, and the juice they were canned in, -did go to the spot!</p> -<p>The trip was resumed, and they went on and on -northward, through endless forests of yellow pines, -one of the few trees that will flourish in this dry -region, till at last they came into the tiny little town -of Crescent.</p> -<p>It was Bennie who spied a sign, “Soda” over the -one store. He gave a yell, and hoisted his feet over -the car door, ready to jump.</p> -<p>The soda turned out to be the bottled variety, and -it hadn’t been kept on ice. In fact, there was no ice -in the place. But even that didn’t prevent the five -tourists from leaving behind ten empty bottles when -they departed again.</p> -<p>The road through the endless yellow pine forest began -to get better now. It had been straightened out -and rock ballasted in places, and Uncle Billy stepped -on the gas. He was traveling along at twenty-five -miles or more, leaving a cloud of dust behind, when -Bennie suddenly cried, “Say, I believe we just went -through a town. Golly, I wonder if there was a soda -there. Let’s go back.”</p> -<p>“This car doesn’t know how to turn around,” said -Uncle Billy. “That was the town of La Pine. I -know the man who used to own most of it.”</p> -<p>“What happened? Did he lose it out of his -pocket?” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“I guess it crawled under a pine needle and hid -from him,” said Spider.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_172">172</div> -<p>It wasn’t long now before the car rolled out of the -yellow pine forests into a great clearing, where every -tree had been cut down as far as the eye could see, -and a fire had followed, burning up all young stuff -and making the ground dry, naked ashes.</p> -<p>“That’s what the lumbermen do to us!” Uncle -Billy cried. “It’s worse than what they do to you in -the East, because the fire does so much more damage -in this dry country. I wonder how long it will be before -we wake up and make them lumber properly? I -hope you Boy Scouts will always work for conservation -and proper forest laws.”</p> -<p>“If they’d left one old tree to the acre for cone -bearers, and kept the fire out, I should think the forest -would almost start itself again,” said Spider. “But -they haven’t left a single tree.”</p> -<p>“They are hogs,” Uncle Billy exclaimed, angrily. -“It makes my blood boil every time I go through -country like this, and think that the voters of the State -let ’em do it.”</p> -<p>The road was hard now, the car went faster, and in -a short time they began to see the houses of a town. -They swung under a railroad, rolled on to asphalt pavement, -and found themselves in the middle of Bend, a -brisk, clean little city of 5,000 people.</p> -<p>“Well, what do you know about this!” Bennie -laughed. “It just pops right up here in the desert, -like a toadstool. And, oh, boy, there’s a soda fountain—and -a movie theatre!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_173">173</div> -<p>Spider and Uncle Billy laughed. “He’s a great -wilderness scout, he is,” said the doctor. “He’s gladder -to see a movie theatre than he was to see Crater -Lake.”</p> -<p>Bennie grinned a little sheepishly. “No, it isn’t -that,” he said, “but as long as we got to be in a town, -might as well have something to do.”</p> -<p>“The first thing I’ll do is to get a bath,” the doctor -laughed, as he drove right past the drug store, and -stopped in front of the hotel.</p> -<p>The other car rolled up behind them, Mr. Stone’s -and Dumplin’s clothes and faces covered thick with -dust, and the car looking gray-white all over. The -boys got out the dunnage bags and carried them into -the lobby, while the cars were taken to a garage. As -soon as the doctor and Mr. Stone came back, they -got three rooms, one for Bennie and Spider, one for -Dumplin’ and his father, and one for the doctor. Off -came their clothes, and from three bathtubs came the -sounds of splashing.</p> -<p>They were a much cleaner and more civilized looking -outfit when they came down to dinner.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_174">174</div> -<h2 id="c18">CHAPTER XVIII -<br /><span class="sc">The Boys Encounter “Pep,” Who Promises Them a Bear Hunt</span></h2> -<p>They were just coming out of the dining-room -when a tall, very thin man came hurrying in from -the street, saw them, and with a loud, “Hello, Doc!” -rushed over to shake Uncle Billy’s hand.</p> -<p>“Just heard you were in,” he cried.</p> -<p>The doctor introduced him as the “biggest booster -in Bend.” His name, the boys gathered, was Peters, -though the doctor called him “Pep,” which was evidently -his popular title.</p> -<p>“Well, boys, what do you think of Oregon?” he -demanded as soon as he knew they were from the -East. “Some State, eh? I’ll say it is. Wait till you -see the Jefferson country. Say, want to go on a bear -hunt?”</p> -<p>Of course, he had started by asking them what they -thought of Oregon, and the boys were all set to make -a polite answer, but he never gave them a chance to -reply, and ended up instead by asking if they wanted -to go on a bear hunt!</p> -<p>“Sure we do!” the boys chorused.</p> -<p>(“He’s a queer one,” Bennie whispered to Spider. -“Answers his own questions half the time.”)</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_175">175</div> -<p>“Pep” was now talking again. “I can fix it up, -Doc. Maybe your friend would like to get a movie of -a bear. There’s a crowd in camp over at Elk Lake -now who want a bear hunt. Some of ’em do, anyhow. -We can go over there and pick ’em up, and run -over to Newberry Crater and pick up a bear all right. -You know old Vreeland, who lives on the big ranch -south of La Pine? He’s got a pack of hounds, and -plenty of horses, and he’d rather go on a bear hunt -than go to Heaven. What do you say?”</p> -<p>“Well, boys, what do <i>you</i> say?” the doctor asked, -turning to the scouts and Dumplin’.</p> -<p>Bennie sighed with comical exaggeration. “Oh, of -course, I’ll go if you want to,” he answered. “I strive -to please.”</p> -<p>Everybody laughed except Spider. “Are you going -to kill the bear?” he questioned.</p> -<p>“No, indeed,” said Pep. “We catch ’em by the -tail out here in Oregon, and then tie a blue ribbon -round their necks, so they’ll look prettier as they gambol -through the woods.”</p> -<p>Spider bit his lip as if he was angry, and was trying -not to make a rude reply.</p> -<p>“That’s all right, too,” he finally said, “but some -folks like to kill wild animals and some folks don’t. -I’m one of the ones who doesn’t. Bears don’t do any -harm. I’d like to see one, and see Mr. Stone get a -picture of it. Hunting with a camera is harder, and -better sport, I think.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_176">176</div> -<p>“I’ll say it’ll be hard, all right,” said Pep. “Wait -till you see the stuff you’ll have to carry your camera -through! As for the shooting, Newberry Crater is a -State bird and game refuge, and you have to get permission -to hunt bears on it; but I’ve got that O. K., -because they want the bears killed off. All they ask -is that you report the stomach contents.”</p> -<p>“I’ve just got something new I’ve not shown any of -you yet,” Mr. Stone now put in. “It was waiting for -me here, in my mail. It’s a movie camera no bigger -than a kodak, which works with a spring instead of a -crank, and takes twenty-five feet at a time. I can -carry it in the pocket of a hunting coat. It’s for just -such a time as this, when the big camera couldn’t be -taken along. I’d like to try it—that is, if you can -guarantee the bear.”</p> -<p>“What’ll happen to me if I don’t produce the -bear?” Pep demanded.</p> -<p>“We’ll take your horse, and make you walk home,” -the doctor said.</p> -<p>“Easy! It’s only thirty miles! Shall we start tomorrow -morning?”</p> -<p>“Sure. I guess we can stow you into our cars -somewhere.”</p> -<p>“Stow me nothing! I got a car of my own. It’s a -dandy, too—a genuine antique, built in 1909. They -made regular cars in those days. Well, you be ready -at eight o’clock. I’ll be around for you, and lead the -way.”</p> -<p>“But we haven’t any guns,” said Bennie, suddenly.</p> -<p>“Don’t matter. Vreeland has plenty. Don’t need -more’n one, anyhow, to kill a bear. So long.”</p> -<p>Pep departed, striding with his long legs out of the -lobby.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_177">177</div> -<p>“He’s a queer one,” said Mr. Stone. “What does -he do for a living?”</p> -<p>“Real estate, I guess,” the doctor answered. “He’s -a great booster for Bend, and spends half his time fixing -up parties for visitors who come here. He’s a -great card. Well, boys, I suppose you’re going to the -movies now?”</p> -<p>“I can see the movies without coming 4,000 miles,” -Bennie answered. “Me for a look around this burg.”</p> -<p>“Me, too,” said Spider. “Doug Fairbanks won’t -seem such a wonder after we’ve climbed old Llao -Rock.”</p> -<p>“Boys,” cried Uncle Billy, “you have not come to -Oregon in vain!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_178">178</div> -<h2 id="c19">CHAPTER XIX -<br /><span class="sc">The Bear Hunt—In Which the Boys Discover that the Bear Doesn’t Do All the Hard Work</span></h2> -<p>Right after breakfast the next morning they got -the cars out and left behind at the hotel all the -luggage they wouldn’t need on the bear-hunting trip. -Mr. Stone was exhibiting his new camera, an astonishing -invention which he held in his hand like a kodak, -while it took twenty-five feet of film (he could carry -as much as two hundred feet of extra reels in one side -pocket, too), when Pep appeared in his “antique.” -They heard him before they saw him, in fact. The -car was a runabout. The paint apparently had vanished -about 1918. The muffler was broken so that she -roared and spit like a motorcycle. One mud-guard was -so cracked that it half hung from the car and flapped -and rattled. The other three were bent and dented. -The wind-shield was cracked, and the radiator was covered -with iron rust where the water had boiled over -and run down the sides. When Pep put his foot on -the brake to stop, she shrieked and wailed like a sick -cat.</p> -<p>Bennie walked over to this car and stared intently.</p> -<p>“Some boat!” he said. “Some boat! Say, Spider, -a scout is always respectful and kind to the aged and -infirm. Remember that. What’s its name, Mr. -Peters?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_179">179</div> -<p>“Its mother never named it,” said Pep. “I’ve -called it a lot of things, but they aren’t very polite.”</p> -<p>Dumplin’ laughed. “I know what its name is, all -right.”</p> -<p>“Yes?”</p> -<p>“Its name is Methuselah.”</p> -<p>“I thought Methuselah died when he was only nine -hundred,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Say, if you boys make fun of my car, I won’t let -you ride in it,” Pep threatened.</p> -<p>“Would it hold up two passengers?” asked Bennie.</p> -<p>“All aboard!” called the doctor. “Stop insulting -Pep’s chariot, and climb into your own. Lead the -way, Pep.”</p> -<p>Pep spun his crank around, Methuselah grunted, -spit, coughed, and then roared, the doctor and Mr. -Stone stepped on their starters, and the procession -moved down the main street of Bend, Methuselah leading, -and swung south on the same road they had come -up the day before. Once out in the open, Pep began -to travel. Through the cloud of dust he kicked up, -those behind could see the rear wheels of the old runabout -go bobbing up and down, and from side to side. -The doctor’s speedometer crept up to thirty, to thirty-five, -to forty miles, as he followed.</p> -<p>“Gosh, he doesn’t care what happens to him!” -Bennie said. “Think of hitting forty on this road in -Methuselah!”</p> -<p>“Think of hitting forty on <i>any</i> road in Methuselah,” -Uncle Billy laughed. “He’ll stop pretty soon, to -cool her off—and tell us it was for something else.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_180">180</div> -<p>Before long he did stop. When the other cars drew -up, Pep was standing beside Methuselah, at a place -where a side road led off to the west, toward the white-capped -mountains.</p> -<p>“Thought you might miss the turn if I didn’t wait,” -he explained.</p> -<p>The doctor winked at the boys, and Bennie got out -and started to put his hand on Methuselah’s radiator. -But he speedily removed it.</p> -<p>“Will you have your eggs three minutes or four this -morning, gents?” he asked. Then he listened with -his ear near the hood. “Uncle Billy, I think you -ought to come here,” he added. “I’m afraid poor old -Methuselah has got blood pressure.”</p> -<p>Even Pep laughed at this. “Maybe I give him too -much meat,” he said.</p> -<p>The cars now turned up the side road, which was -little more than a couple of wheel ruts through the -endless yellow pine forest, and began to wind their -way southwestward. Even Methuselah didn’t hurry -through here. The road was too rough and too winding.</p> -<p>“Say, I expect to meet myself coming back on this -road,” Bennie declared. “The feller who laid it out -must have had the blind staggers.”</p> -<p>“If it was straightened it wouldn’t be more than -half as long,” said the practical Spider.</p> -<p>Presently, coming around a sharp turn, they found -Methuselah silent and stalled, with Pep, the hood -lifted, poking into the engine.</p> -<p>Everybody climbed out, and went over to him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_181">181</div> -<p>“What’s wrong?” they asked.</p> -<p>“I just stopped to tell you about a man who was -drawing a load of hay over this road once,” said he. -“He never got it out, because the horses ate it all up -behind his back from the tail of the wagon.”</p> -<p>“That’s a good story. Now let’s go on,” winked -the doctor.</p> -<p>“Wait just a minute,” Pep said. “Methuselah’s -foot slipped, and he sprained his carburetor. I think -it’s his carburetor. Maybe he pulled a tendon in his -ignition.”</p> -<p>“Quick, doctor, the arnica!” called Bennie.</p> -<p>But Spider, who knew something about cars, was -poking into the engine.</p> -<p>“I don’t think it’s the carburetor,” he said. -“You’ve flooded that trying to start her. Let me -have a screw-driver, and you turn her over slowly.”</p> -<p>He traced the ignition around till he found a spot -where there was no spark, and behind that found a -loose connection, into which had settled an insulating -film of dust and grit. When this was cleaned and -tightened, Methuselah coughed and spit and roared -again, and once more they started on their way.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_182">182</div> -<p>Methuselah had no more mishaps, though they expected -to find him stalled around every bend, and after -a couple of hours they came out of the yellow pine forest -into open country, right under the big mountains, -and presently before them lay Elk Lake, with the -white reflection of South Sister, 10,000 feet high and -snow covered, mirrored in the dark water. The road -ran along beside the lake to the upper end, and there, -in a grove of pines and fir trees, was a big camp, and -men and women just sitting down to luncheon at long -board tables. Methuselah had been parked beside the -road, and Pep was bobbing about talking and laughing -with the crowd.</p> -<p>“What’s the big idea?” Bennie asked. “Gee whiz, -a whole bunch of strange people, and no chance for a -swim!”</p> -<p>“I guess they don’t own the whole lake,” the doctor -laughed. “Anyhow, they’ll give us some grub.”</p> -<p>The crowd, they found, was a convention of Oregon -editors, with their wives. They were having a fine -time, no doubt, but the newcomers didn’t seem exactly -to fit.</p> -<p>“Spider was one of the editors of our high school -paper last winter,” said Bennie, “but all I did was get -an advertisement for it from Dad. I thought we were -going to hunt bears, not editors.”</p> -<p>As soon as lunch was over somebody got up and began -to make a speech. The crowd sat back and got -ready to listen. Whereupon Uncle Billy beckoned to -the boys and Mr. Stone, and they silently sneaked -away from the tables.</p> -<p>“I didn’t go on a vacation to listen to speeches,” -the doctor said. “It will be too late to get into camp -at Newberry Crater tonight if we hang around here -till that bunch gets through telling each other what’s -wrong with the newspaper business. You wait here -while I have a heart-to-heart talk with Pep.”</p> -<p>After ten minutes the doctor came back with the -long, lank Peters.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_183">183</div> -<p>“Sorry, boys,” Pep said. “I thought there were a -couple of good sports in this outfit who really wanted -a bear hunt. But when I told ’em they’d have to sleep -out, and get up at three <span class="sc">A. M.</span>, they decided they’d -rather listen to the speeches. Some folks would do -anything rather than get up in the morning. Well, -come on, we’ll get our bear even if there isn’t anybody -to write it for the papers.”</p> -<p>“Oh, ho!” cried Uncle Billy, “so that was it! -Well, I am a dumb-bell, as Bennie would so elegantly -put it. I didn’t realize before why you were so set on -having some editors along. You want to be boosting -Bend all the while, don’t you? Maybe Spider will -write it up for his school paper. That’s something. -Cheer up, Pep, and see if Methuselah is still -alive.”</p> -<p>Pep spun the crank till the drops of sweat fell from -his forehead before she coughed and started.</p> -<p>“I get a fine lot of exercise with this car,” he -panted, wiping his face before he climbed aboard.</p> -<p>They cut south from the winding road after a little -way, and presently arrived in the hamlet of La Pine, -the town which Bennie said one of Uncle Billy’s -friends once lost out of his pocket. Not far from this -town, in an extraordinarily green meadow beside the -Deschutes River, a long meadow like a rich oasis in -the dry desert soil, they came to the Vreeland ranch, -where the house sat beneath great poplar trees, and the -barns were full of fresh-cut alfalfa and the cattle were -browsing as they do in the East, along the river -bank.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_184">184</div> -<p>“Give this soil some water,” said Spider, “and instead -of a desert, it’s like our richest farms at -home.”</p> -<p>“Yes, sir. Irrigation is all we need in Oregon to -grow anything,” said Uncle Billy, as the three cars -pulled up in the yard.</p> -<p>Pep found Mr. Vreeland out in a field, and brought -him in. He was a big, bronzed man, who looked hard -and wiry for all his gray hair and beard, and at the -suggestion of a bear hunt his eyes lit up and he smiled. -A long, low whistle brought an answering joyous yelp -from a near-by barn, and four hounds, with thin bodies -and long ears and sad faces, came jumping and wriggling -up to him.</p> -<p>“Them pups’ll get you a bear, if there is a bear,” -said their master proudly. “I guess we can rustle up -the horses. Let’s see, we’ll need six for you, and one -for me, and one for the rustler, and a pack animal—that’s -nine. We’ll start in an hour. Hi—Tom!” he -shouted to a man out in the paddock.</p> -<p>“He doesn’t lose any time,” whispered Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“Not when he smells a bear,” Pep replied. “He -can see a bear track in the dark. And he’s got some -regular dogs.”</p> -<p>While the horses were being saddled the boys made -up six blanket rolls for their party, and one for Pep, -and packed up enough provisions for a couple of days. -The provisions, a few “eating irons” and cooking -utensils, and the blankets were put on the pack horse. -Mr. Vreeland brought out two rifles, one for himself -and one for somebody else.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_185">185</div> -<p>“Who gets it?” he asked.</p> -<p>“Not I,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Nor I,” said Mr. Stone. “Here’s my gun.” He -patted the case of his tiny movie camera, which was -slung from his shoulder.</p> -<p>“I’ll take it,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Know how to use it?” the man asked.</p> -<p>“N-not very well,” Bennie admitted.</p> -<p>“Well, it isn’t loaded,” Mr. Vreeland laughed. -“Suppose you carry it today, and learn how much it -weighs. Are we all set?”</p> -<p>Tom, the horse rustler, brought the saddled horses -into the yard, and each rider was assigned a mount.</p> -<p>“Pick out a good strong one for that half starved -little chap there,” said Mr. Vreeland, pointing to -Dumplin’. “All you boys are good riders, I suppose?”</p> -<p>“Oh, sure,” said Bennie. “We gallop all the time -over the wide prairies of Massachusetts. Got a nice -mantelpiece for me to eat off of tonight?”</p> -<p>“It’s tomorrow night you’ll need that,” the man -laughed. “All aboard!”</p> -<p>In spite of his weight and his gray hair, Mr. Vreeland -swung into his saddle with the ease and grace of -a cowboy. The doctor and Mr. Stone and Pep were -not quite so easy, but they knew how to ride. Dumplin’, -however, was as green as the two eastern scouts, -and the three of them made a mess of mounting, and -after they were mounted and their horses had started -on a slow trot out of the yard, they bobbed around and -jounced up and down like three apples in a dump-cart.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_186">186</div> -<p>“Say, how do you manage this stunt?” Bennie -called to his uncle. “If I keep on this way, I’ll all fall -apart.”</p> -<p>“Stand in your stirrups as naturally and easily as -you can, and then lean forward a little from your -waist,” the doctor called back. “Don’t try to do anything -but just relax from your waist up, and stand on -your stirrups.”</p> -<p>The boys tried this, and gradually, very gradually, -they began to get on to the trick, so that their bodies -rode a little better with the motions of the horses’ -backs. It was hard work, though, and they were glad -enough when they had crossed the highway, headed -east up a road through the yellow pines, and finally -dropped down to a walk as the road began to climb. -When the horses stopped trotting, the three boys sat -back in their saddles and took the weight off their tired -legs. Of course, they bounced a bit, but that didn’t -matter when the horse wasn’t trotting.</p> -<p>They were on the lower slopes of Newberry Crater -now, which is an 8,000-foot mountain standing fifty -miles or more east of the Cascade range, all alone in -the desert pines, and was once a volcano. On the top, -Uncle Billy told them, is a big crater, almost as large -as Crater Lake, but only a few hundred feet deep, and -instead of being filled with water, it contains two ponds -and a lot of summer camps. The whole mountain is -a State game reserve, for the slopes are covered with -pine woods, and the water attracts both birds and -animals.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_187">187</div> -<p>The party climbed slowly up the dusty road for two -hours, while the boys wriggled and shifted in their -saddles to find easy positions (which they couldn’t -find), and the rifle Bennie was carrying either banged -his back or had to be held across his saddle, growing -heavier and heavier.</p> -<p>At last, as the sun was setting in the west, they came -out of the yellow pines into a big open meadow, -through which Paulina Creek flowed on its way down -the mountain, making the grass rich and green. Here -Mr. Vreeland turned in. The horses were watered at -the stream and then hobbled (hobbles are just leather -bands like handcuffs put around their forelegs, so they -can move around to feed, but cannot wander far -away). On the edge of the meadow, near the brook -but under the pines, camp was made, by the simple -process of building a fire and spreading the blankets on -level spots of dry ground. While Mr. Vreeland and -Tom, the horse rustler, were cooking supper, the rest -went to the creek for a bath. The water was icy cold, -but, as Bennie said, it was softer to sit on than a -saddle.</p> -<p>After supper they gathered around the fire for a -while, in the cold mountain air of night, while Mr. -Vreeland told bear stories. The four dogs lay sleeping -close to them, one of them, old Ben, Mr. Vreeland’s -pet, with a muzzle snuggled against his side.</p> -<p>But before long he ordered them to bed.</p> -<p>“I’ll get you up before the sun,” he said. “That’s -the only time to start after bears. Their tracks are -fresh then, and the dogs can follow ’em.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_188">188</div> -<p>In spite of their saddle soreness, and the bare ground -they were sleeping on, the boys rolled up in their -blankets, without undressing, and were soon fast -asleep. There is nothing like riding a horse in the -mountains to make you slumber!</p> -<p>“Golly, doesn’t seem as if I’d more’n dropped off,” -said Bennie, sitting up and rubbing his eyes when he -was awakened by the voice of Mr. Vreeland.</p> -<p>“I don’t care what becomes of ol’ bear. I’m goin’ -sleep some more,” mumbled Dumplin’, drawing his -blankets tighter about his neck and rolling over on the -other side.</p> -<p>“Yes, you are!” yelled Spider and Bennie, grabbing -the blankets and rolling him suddenly out of them.</p> -<p>It was still dark in the woods, with a dim, gray light -over the open meadow. They could scarcely see the -horses, which they heard feeding and thumping about -on hobbled feet. Tom had the fire going, and soon -there was the welcome smell of coffee. After the coffee, -everybody felt more awake, the light increased, the -trunks of the trees began to emerge from the gloom, -and Tom and Mr. Vreeland rounded up the horses and -began to saddle.</p> -<p>“Well, son,” said Mr. Vreeland to Bennie, “how -about that gun today? You’re going to ride some -pretty rough country, and she’ll get heavy.”</p> -<p>“I don’t think he’d better carry a gun through this -going,” the doctor said. “Especially as it is somebody -else’s gun, and he’s somebody else’s boy, whom -I’m responsible for.”</p> -<p>“Well, of course, I don’t want to worry my uncle,” -Bennie assented, with surprising cheerfulness.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_189">189</div> -<p>“You mean you need both hands to hang on to your -horse,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Marvelous, Sherlock, simply marvelous!” Bennie -laughed. “When we get to the old bear, I’ll take the -gun from my bearer, and put a well-directed bullet -through his brain.”</p> -<p>Now, in the fast increasing daylight, they were off, -Mr. Vreeland leading the way and sitting his horse as -straight as a ramrod. The boys were stiff and sore, -but once on the saddle they felt easier than the day -before.</p> -<p>The leader crossed the meadow to the upper side, -and put his horse up on a long sloping ridge covered -with an open stand of yellow pine. As they climbed -this ridge, the boys could see a long distance between -the trees, and discovered that the side of the mountain -was composed of a series of long ridges, like this one, -with deep erosion gullies between them. The sides of -these gullies were very steep, and at the bottom grew -thick stands of lodge-pole pines. After climbing a way -on the first ridge, and evidently seeing nothing which -appealed to him, Mr. Vreeland suddenly turned his -horse right down the side, into the gully. As the boys -followed they found their horses’ heads almost underneath -them, and they had to lean far back in the saddles -to keep their balance. At the bottom, Mr. Vreeland -simply rode right into the dense stand of little -lodge-pole pines and disappeared. The doctor, Mr. -Stone and Tom and Pep followed. And after them -went the three horses that carried the three boys. -There was nothing to do about it. The horses were -trained to follow in file, and it was their job to go -through where the others went. But the boys made -an interesting, not to say painful discovery.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_190">190</div> -<p>They discovered that when a horse goes through a -thicket of lodge-pole pines, he picks out a place that is -wide enough for him to squeeze through, and high -enough so his head doesn’t hit a limb. But he doesn’t -pay any attention to the fact that his rider’s feet and -legs stick out on either side and his rider’s head is considerably -higher than his own. He’s looking out only -for himself, and it’s up to the rider to take the consequences -for getting on his back.</p> -<p>When they emerged on the farther side of the gully, -Bennie didn’t have any cap, Dumplin’ had a hole torn -in the right knee of his trousers, and Spider had a rent -in the left shoulder of his shirt and a long scratch on -his face.</p> -<p>But there was no stopping for repairs. Already the -other horses were up on the next ridge, and with a -heave and snort the boys’ horses suddenly stood on -their hind legs and scrambled up also, the boys leaning -far forward and hanging on to the horns of their -saddles to keep aboard.</p> -<p>“Some sport!” panted Bennie. “Gee, that was a -good cap, too.”</p> -<p>“My face feels as if the cat had sharpened her -claws on me,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“My knee’s bleeding,” puffed Dumplin’.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_191">191</div> -<p>Mr. Vreeland kept on up through the open woods of -the ridge, and suddenly pulled his horse to a sharp -halt, in a little patch of light made by the rising sun. -Here he spoke softly to the dogs, who had been padding -along at his horse’s heels with a bored air, as if a -bear were the very last thing they were thinking about. -As the dogs trotted sharply forward under the horse’s -nose and began to sniff where he pointed, Mr. Stone -got his camera out of the case and made ready. Suddenly -all four dogs began to utter little moaning -sounds, like barks just beginning in their throats, and -with a loud bay the two younger ones started off down -the mountain, while Mr. Stone’s camera whirred. -Ben, however, didn’t go. He kept on moaning and -sniffing around.</p> -<p>“They are back tracking. You watch Ben and Cap, -the wise old boys!” Mr. Vreeland cried, his eyes dancing -with excitement.</p> -<p>Then Ben and Cap, too, suddenly uttered deep, silvery, -triumphant bays, and sprang down the farther -side of the ridge into a second ravine. An instant -later the other two dogs came crying back and followed -them, just in time to get into the last foot of the -film. Then Mr. Vreeland put his horse down after -them at a gallop, and vanished into the pines, followed -by Tom and the doctor and Pep. Mr. Stone had a -hard time holding his horse while he got his camera -back into the case. Then he, too, went down the side -of the ravine and into the lodge-poles.</p> -<p>“Now, darling, <i>please</i> take it easy! Whoa! -Whoa!” yelled Bennie at his horse, as that animal -cascaded down the soft soil of the bank and made for -the wall of tearing little trees.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_192">192</div> -<p>Holding their legs as close to the horses’ sides as -they could, ducking to protect their faces, wriggling -and squirming in their saddles to avoid having their -legs torn and bruised by trees between which the -horses squeezed, the boys got through, and followed -the hunt. They could hear the dogs baying in the -next ravine, and over the ridge they went, in time to -see the tail of Mr. Stone’s horse vanishing into another -thicket of scrub.</p> -<p>This kept on for an hour or more—it seemed ages -to the three boys. In their efforts to get through the -ravines without any more injury to their clothes or -their persons than was necessary, they had to slow -their horses down, and the hunt, which was working -steadily up the mountain, got farther and farther -ahead of them. They had long since lost all sight -even of Mr. Stone, and the deep, bell-like baying of the -hounds grew fainter and fainter. At last it ceased -altogether.</p> -<p>When that happened Bennie pulled up his horse and -waited for Spider and Dumplin’ to catch up.</p> -<p>“Say, fellers,” he asked, “what are we going to do? -We’ve lost the hunt, all right. I can’t hear a sound -now, and we’ve been off the tracks for twenty minutes, -I guess. Those last two ravines we came through -hadn’t been broken before, and I haven’t seen a hoof-print -for a long while.”</p> -<p>“We’re a swell lot of bear hunters, we are,” Dumplin’ -panted. “Gee, Spider, look at your face!”</p> -<p>“Well, if it looks anything the way it feels, I’m -some beauty, I can tell you that. Look at your own -face—and your pants, too.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_193">193</div> -<p>“I don’t feel as if I had any pants left,” said Bennie. -“Gee, I’m sore all over, and my hands are all -torn. What are we going to do?”</p> -<p>“I guess it’s up to us to go back to camp,” Spider -suggested.</p> -<p>“How are we ever going to find camp?” Dumplin’ -demanded. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re lost.”</p> -<p>“‘Lost on Newberry Crater, or The Young Bear -Hunters from Bend’—sounds like a dime novel,” Bennie -grinned. “Maybe we could follow our trail back -by the blood on the ground. But I got a better idea -than that. Let’s go on up this ridge a ways till we -come to an open place, and then sit there and wait. -We can always follow the ridge down westward till -we come to the road. Guess we can’t starve. Maybe -the old bear will trot around past us. They don’t -travel in a straight line, I guess. Anyhow, it’s a -chance, and I guess it’s our only chance to get back in -the game.”</p> -<p>“That’s a swell idea!” said Dumplin’, scornfully. -“What you going to do if he does come around? You -wouldn’t carry the old gun. Use your pocket-knife?”</p> -<p>“No, I’ll look at him between my legs,” Bennie answered. -“The old bear won’t trouble us. All he’s -thinking about is getting away from the hounds. -Anyhow, I don’t see any use in trying to follow any -longer, ’cause we’ve sure lost the hunt, and I hate to -go back this early in the day. We may find a place -where we can look out and see something.”</p> -<p>“Sounds good to me. You’re the captain. Lead -on,” said Spider.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_194">194</div> -<p>So Bennie led the way up the open woods of the -spine, which were growing lower now, and presently -they found themselves in a little clearing on a sort of -peak of lava. From here they could look out on one -side for miles and miles, over the wilderness of the -mountain side, to the white summits of the Cascades. -But not a sight nor a sound of the hunt did they -have.</p> -<p>They dismounted stiffly, aching in every joint, and -tied the horses in the shade. Dumplin’ flopped to the -ground with a groan. “My knee’s all stiff,” he complained, -“and the blood’s all clotted on my leg. Gee, -I’ve got six tears in my pants!”</p> -<p>The boys looked themselves over. Their clothes -were torn, their hands and faces scratched and covered -with blood, and their thighs and knees sore with -the bruising trees. They were, in fact, a woe-begone -looking lot.</p> -<p>“And I could drink a barrel of water, and eat a ton -of food,” sighed Bennie.</p> -<p>“If you talk about water, I shall cry!” Dumplin’ -exclaimed. “My mouth’s full of cotton.”</p> -<p>“Go to sleep, and forget it,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“If the bear comes, wake me up,” Dumplin’ answered, -closing his eyes at once.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_195">195</div> -<p>While Dumplin’ was slumbering Bennie and Spider -debated what they should do. It seemed pretty stupid -to sit there all the morning doing nothing, when they -had come 3,000 miles to Oregon for a taste of the real -wilderness. But, as Spider pointed out, if they tried -to follow the hunt again they would only get more -hopelessly lost. Finally they decided the only thing to -do was to wait till they heard some sound of it again -and then make toward the sound. Unless the bear -went clear around the mountain, sooner or later he -ought to come within sound of them again, they reasoned. -He would try to get back to his familiar hunting -ground. They waited one hour, two hours, getting -more and more thirsty, when Spider suddenly cried -“Hark!”</p> -<p>Far off, somewhere, he and Bennie couldn’t yet tell -where, they heard the deep, silvery bugle of one dog, -apparently old Ben, who had the deepest voice. The -hunt was coming their way again! Quickly they -roused Dumplin’, and all three listened. Yes, there -was no mistake! It was the bay of a hound, and it -was coming nearer!</p> -<p>“There’s only one dog, though,” said Bennie. -“What’s the matter with the others?”</p> -<p>“Probably old Ben has got ahead of the others, or -they’ve got off on another track,” said Spider. “Let’s -wait and see if it stops in one place. That’ll mean -Ben’s treed the bear, I guess. Then we can go there -and not get lost again.”</p> -<p>“Maybe <i>you</i> can,” said Dumplin’. “I couldn’t go -anywhere now, ’cept on a stretcher.”</p> -<p>“We’ll leave you here then—the air’s fine,” said -Bennie.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_196">196</div> -<p>The baying didn’t stop in one place, however, for ten -or fifteen minutes. It seemed to be moving up and -down the mountain. Finally, however, it came from a -single direction, seemingly only a quarter of a mile to -the right, and down the mountain a bit, and the boys -thought they detected a change in the sound. They -also could now hear a second dog.</p> -<p>“I bet old Ben has treed him!” Bennie cried, “and -one of the other pups has caught up! Come on, let’s -go see!”</p> -<p>“Just us, a couple of dogs, and no gun, against a -bear? No, thank you!” exclaimed Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Well, I don’t live in Oregon,” Bennie replied, “but -I know that when a bear is treed by a dog, he stays up -the tree. Anyhow, I’m going to take a chance. You -can stay here alone, if you want to. I’m going to see -that old bear. That’s what we came here for.”</p> -<p>He got up and untethered his horse, climbing stiffly -and with a groan into the saddle. Spider followed -him.</p> -<p>“Oh, well, if you go, I’m going—if I can ever get -aboard that beast,” said Dumplin’. “Gee, he’s about a -thousand feet high!”</p> -<p>Bennie led the way toward the sound of the barking, -which was still in one place, but not so loud now, and -very hoarse. They had three ravines to cross, but in -their excitement they didn’t think about the fresh tears -and scratches. In fifteen minutes they came very near -the sound of the barking. A moment later they broke -up out of a lodge-pole thicket to find old Ben running -’round and ’round the trunk of a huge yellow pine, his -bark almost gone, like the voice of a man who has been -making too many speeches, nothing much left but a -hoarse whisper, while Cap was standing with his front -paws up the trunk as high as he could reach.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_197">197</div> -<p>The boys looked up the tree and gave a wild yell, -while old Ben, seeing them there, sprang at the tree -with renewed life, as if he were trying to climb it, too, -to show them he really wasn’t winded after all. Far -up, sixty or seventy-five feet from the ground, in the -crotch of the first big limb, lay a black bear. His forepaws -were hugging the limb, his head was poked over, -his tongue kept hanging out, and they could see his little -eyes looking at them. Since they had no gun, he -was perfectly safe as long as he cared to sit there, and -he appeared to know it.</p> -<p>“There’s nothing for us to do but wait for the rest,” -said Bennie. “Golly, he’s a big bear! I wonder what -he weighs?”</p> -<p>“I hope he stays where he is,” Dumplin’ put in.</p> -<p>“Come on, let’s tie our horses and sit down and -wait. Oh, boy, we beat the others to the bear!”</p> -<p>“No, sir, I sit here. My horse can go faster’n I -can. Two dogs aren’t big enough, all alone, to tackle -that bear if he starts coming down.”</p> -<p>“Maybe you’re right at that,” Bennie admitted. -“But, say, we’ve sure got one on the rest when they -show up! We’ll tell ’em we kept right on old Ben’s -heels, and beat ’em to it!”</p> -<p>“We’ll tell ’em so,” Spider grinned. “But if you -think you can put it over on Mr. Vreeland you’ve got -another guess coming.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_198">198</div> -<p>So they attempted to sit on their horses near the -tree, but the horses had something to say about that. -Some downward current of air brought a sudden bear -scent to them, and they began to rear and back and -wheel, so that all three boys jumped off as quickly as -they could, and led the twitching animals a long way -down the slope and tied them. They hadn’t realized -before how much a horse fears the smell of bear.</p> -<p>“I nearly got spilled before I could get my foot out -of the stirrup,” Bennie said. “Thought I was a goner -for a minute.”</p> -<p>“Me too,” said Dumplin’. “This isn’t so much fun -as it’s cracked up to be. Gee, I wish I knew how to -ride the way Mr. Vreeland does! He’d just have -<i>made</i> his horse stand still.”</p> -<p>As they were walking back they heard at last the -bay of the other two dogs, and then the far-off sound -of a horse crashing through lodge-poles. In two minutes -the other dogs joined Ben in a dance below the -big tree, and in two minutes more Mr. Vreeland and -Tom rode up. Behind them, down the mountain, -could be heard Pep’s and Mr. Stone’s and the doctor’s -horses.</p> -<p>Mr. Vreeland didn’t see the boys at first, because -they hid behind some bushes.</p> -<p>“Are the doctor and the camera man behind?” they -heard him ask Tom. “Too bad the kids had to drop -out. We’ll have to go hunting for them after Mr. -Bear’s disposed of. They’re wandering around lost, I -suppose.”</p> -<p>“Is that so?” cried the boys, jumping up from behind -the bush.</p> -<p>“Well, I’m darned!” Mr. Vreeland exclaimed. -“How did you get here? Where’s your horses?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_199">199</div> -<p>“Down the slope—tied,” said Bennie. “We kept -right on old Ben’s heels. How’d you lose the trail? -Get off on a false scent? Too bad!”</p> -<p>Mr. Vreeland fixed Bennie with a cool look, which -had a twinkle behind it.</p> -<p>“Were you huntin’ the bear, or was he huntin’ -you?” said he. “I used to know a nigger down -South, where I was once, who always went out behind -a fox hunt, and sat down after a bit, and waited for -the fox to come trottin’ back. He’d get the fox, and -the rest would get the exercise. They had to do somethin’ -kind o’ drastic to that nigger.”</p> -<p>(“I told you so!” Spider laughed at Bennie. -“Can’t fool him.”)</p> -<p>“You look as if the bear caught you, too,” Mr. -Vreeland went on. “Did he make those scratches -with his claws? He’s got nice claws.” (This last as -he cast a contemplative glance up into the tree.)</p> -<p>“Just the same, we beat you to the old bear, however -we did it,” Bennie grinned. “Who’s going to -shoot him?”</p> -<p>“Well, if you got here first, you can take a crack,” -Mr. Vreeland said. “Wait till the camera man comes. -I hear ’em now.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_200">200</div> -<p>A minute later the doctor and then Mr. Stone and -Pep came into the clearing. They were not torn and -scratched so much as the boys, but much more than -Mr. Vreeland and Tom. And they were even more -surprised to find the boys there. However, there was -no time for talk. The horses were dancing with nervousness, -the dogs were jumping against the tree, and -the hear was moving on the limb as if he contemplated -climbing higher. Mr. Stone unlimbered his camera, -Spider walked off into the woods because, he declared, -he refused to see a fine animal shot in cold blood, and -Bennie, armed with a rifle, was told to fire, aiming at -the base of the brain.</p> -<p>He sighted and pulled the trigger, trembling with -nervousness for fear he wouldn’t make a good shot. -The kick of the gun staggered him for an instant, but -as soon as he caught himself he stared into the tree, to -see the bear snarling with pain and rage, but still -crouched, alive, on the limb.</p> -<p>Bennie handed the rifle hastily to his uncle. “You -do it!” he cried. “Gosh, all I’ve done is hurt him. -I don’t want to mess the poor thing up any more.”</p> -<p>“Well, of all the——” Mr. Vreeland began.</p> -<p>“Shoot him, Vreeland,” said the doctor, sharply. -“I’m no hunter.”</p> -<p>The old man raised his rifle, sighted it so quickly -that it seemed part of the same motion, and there was -a sharp crack. The bear seemed to spring right off -the limb and fell, a black ball of fur, seventy feet to -the ground.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_201">201</div> -<p>The dogs were on it in a second, as its paws gave -one or two feeble and undirected swipes. Then it lay -dead. The dogs were called off, and promptly lay -down, panting and exhausted. Bennie wanted to go -away somewhere and lie down, too. He felt sick. -He had thought it would be wonderful sport to kill a -big bear, but now that he had pumped a bullet into it, -and then seen the creature, helpless and defenseless, -come crashing down dead out of the tree, the fun was -gone. If the bear had been attacking him, or even -attacking anybody, it would be different. But just to -shoot it in cold blood, for the sake of killing something, -suddenly struck Bennie as a low down, cruel trick. -He felt the way Spider always felt. He’d never been -able to understand Spider’s point of view before, but -now that he had pumped a bullet into the bear, he understood. -He thought of their talk about the deer -that morning by the rim of Crater Lake.</p> -<p>But Mr. Stone was calling. He’d got a fresh roll of -film into his camera, and wanted to take the whole -party around the dead bear. Tom and Mr. Vreeland -propped the big brownish-black body up into a sitting -posture, Bennie stood beside it, with a gun in his hand, -and Dumplin’, with a grin on his face, walked up, -grasped the bear by the paw, and shook hands with a -great show of friendliness.</p> -<p>“You weren’t planning to do that about twenty -minutes ago,” came the voice of Spider, returning to -the scene.</p> -<p>“Neither was the bear,” Dumplin’ answered.</p> -<p>Tom, Mr. Vreeland and the doctor now set about -skinning the carcase, which weighed, the hunter estimated, -about three hundred pounds. After that the -doctor opened the stomach.</p> -<p>Bennie watched this operation for a moment, and -then turned quickly away.</p> -<p>“What’s the matter?” his uncle asked.</p> -<p>“It—it isn’t what you’d call real sweet and pretty,” -said Bennie.</p> -<p>“You’ll never make a doctor, then,” said his uncle.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_202">202</div> -<p>“Not a bear doctor, anyhow,” Bennie laughed.</p> -<p>But Spider stood right by. He was intensely interested -to see what the doctor found.</p> -<p>“Any evidences of a predatory diet?” he demanded.</p> -<p>“Of a <i>what</i>?” said Dumplin’ and Bennie. “Say, -Mr. Peters, did you bring a dictionary?”</p> -<p>The doctor was looking carefully into the opened -stomach.</p> -<p>“As far as I can see,” he answered, “this bear was -living on vegetable food, for the past day or two. No -trace of bones, feathers or meat. I should say he’d -been feeding on berries.”</p> -<p>“Why does the government want ’em killed, then?” -cried Spider.</p> -<p>“Why not? What good do they do?” Mr. Vreeland -cut in. “Seems to me you boys are about the -most tender-hearted people I ever stacked up against. -What do you want to do, spoil all sport?”</p> -<p>“It’s just as much sport hunting with a camera,” -Spider replied, “and a lot more dangerous, if you -aren’t armed, and takes a heap more patience and -skill.”</p> -<p>“Yes, and what do you get?”</p> -<p>“You get a picture—if you’re lucky—and you leave -the animal alive for the next man to see.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_203">203</div> -<p>Mr. Vreeland grunted in disgust, scraped all the fat -he could off the big, heavy skin, folded it up, put it -over his saddle, and called his dogs. The boys got -their horses, and the tired, hungry party rode down -the mountain, following an open ridge to the meadows, -and then trotted, lame and sore, to their camp. After -a hasty meal, they rode back to the ranch. The doctor -paid Mr. Vreeland for the trip, and insisted on giving -him something for the bearskin beside, because it was -his shot which brought down the bear. Then they all -stood by while Pep struggled to get Methuselah -started, and presently were out on the road again, -headed for Bend.</p> -<p>Bennie sank back into the deep cushions of the -motor with a huge sigh.</p> -<p>“Oh, boy!” he said, “p’r’aps these cushions don’t -feel good! The last five miles, my saddle was made -of cast iron. I’m dead to the world.”</p> -<p>“How far did that bear travel before he was -treed?” asked Spider.</p> -<p>“I’d say he probably ran fifteen miles,” said the -doctor. “It was enough, and lucky for you boys he -doubled around, or you wouldn’t have seen him. I’m -pretty sore and tired myself.”</p> -<p>“What I don’t get,” said Bennie, “is how Mr. -Vreeland and Tom rode right through those pine -thickets without getting torn to pieces. Gee, I’ve got -to buy a new cap and a pair of trousers and a shirt in -Bend before I can gladden the public eye.”</p> -<p>“They know how,” the doctor laughed. “After a -while, you learn to estimate how much room there is, -as well as the horse does, and protect yourself in advance.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_204">204</div> -<p>“It was an awful lot of fun,” Spider continued—“all -but shooting the bear. I think it is wicked to kill -off all the wild animals, when they are harmless. -Pretty soon we won’t have any wild life left. The -bears <i>must</i> be harmless, because they don’t shoot ’em -in the national parks, and nobody gets hurt, and the -other game is thick. Mr. Vreeland thinks I’m chicken-hearted, -I could see that. But I can’t help it. It’s not -because I’m chicken-hearted. It’s because I love the -woods and the wild animals in ’em, and hunting with a -gun strikes me as kind of silly and wicked.”</p> -<p>The doctor drove in silence for a minute. Then he -said, “I feel more or less as you do. But you must -remember this: Vreeland is an old man who was -brought up on the frontier. When he was a boy he -had to hunt to get fresh meat. Game was as thick as -huckleberries then. There were even grizzlies here in -Oregon. It seems perfectly natural to him, and he -can’t understand why eastern people, or any people, -shouldn’t want to hunt. He can’t understand the -word <i>conservation</i> at all. But you young fellows, -who are born later, into a world where most of the -game has been killed off, and most of the forest cut -down, don’t want to see less wild animals and less -woods—you want to see more. Your point of view is -just the opposite of his. Conservation has got to be -preached and practised by the young chaps. The old -fellows don’t understand it. They think a man is -afraid, or chicken-hearted, if he won’t shoot a wild -animal. That’s why I want to see the Boy Scouts -learn all about conservation, and help in the good -work.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_205">205</div> -<p>“You bet!” said Bennie. “When that old bear -kind of looked at me and groaned, when I hit him, -something turned over in the pit of my tummie. I -guess he had as good a right to live as I have. But -I’ll sure need his old skin to cover me, if the stores are -closed when we get to Bend. I got to have some new -pants.”</p> -<p>“It’s Saturday. They’ll be open all the evening,” -Uncle Billy laughed.</p> -<p>All three of the boys had to buy new khaki breeches -when they reached Bend, and new flannel shirts, and -Bennie had to get a cap. The doctor gave them some -salve and plaster for their cuts and scratches, and after -a bath they were ready to eat everything the waitress -brought to the table.</p> -<p>“And now,” said Mr. Stone, after dinner, “shall we -all go to the movies?”</p> -<p>Dumplin’ gave his father one look of scorn.</p> -<p>“Bed!” he groaned.</p> -<p>“Bed!” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Bed!” said Spider.</p> -<p>But Pep, who had stayed to dinner with them, said, -“I’ve got to hunt up the editor of the <i>Star</i>, and tell -him about this hunt—good story—more advertising -for Bend.”</p> -<p>“Don’t forget to tell him how the three brave boys, -alone and unarmed, got to the bear long before the -skilled hunters,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“I’ll tell him <i>exactly</i> how they did it,” Pep laughed, -as he said good night.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_206">206</div> -<h2 id="c20">CHAPTER XX -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie Achieves a Dog, and the Party Puts Out a Forest Fire</span></h2> -<p>The next day, Sunday, they stayed in Bend, and, -to tell the truth, the boys were just as well -pleased. They were all three sore and stiff. Dumplin’ -had a cut on his knee, Spider’s shoulder ached -where a dead pine limb had torn both his shirt and his -skin, and Bennie had three big black and blue bruises -on his legs. The two scouts spent most of the day -writing letters home, and also writing up the account -of their long hike at Crater Lake, to Mount Scott, as -part of the examination for a merit badge in hiking. -Spider also studied his government pamphlet on Oregon -trees, which he had bought at the Crater Lake Inn. -Uncle Billy said that when they got into the heart of -the Cascades they would encounter a great number of -different kinds of trees, and Spider was determined to -identify them.</p> -<p>While they were busy with this, Uncle Billy was -busy at the telephone, arranging with a man who lived -at Sisters, a little town nearer the mountains, to meet -them Monday morning with a pack train, and take -them in to Mount Jefferson.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_207">207</div> -<p>“I don’t know whether we are going to get to -Mount Jefferson or not,” the doctor said at luncheon. -“Norman tells me the snow up here was even heavier -last winter than it was at Crater Lake. He says he -tried to get over the Divide to Jefferson yesterday, by -the short way, and the snow blocked him. We’ll have -to go in past Marion Lake. That’ll take three days, -and maybe we won’t get there that way. I certainly -never knew so much snow at this time of year.”</p> -<p>He was wiping the perspiration off his forehead as -he spoke, which made everybody laugh. But they -could look out of the big plate glass window at the -west end of the dining-room and see, fifty miles away, -the white-clad summits of the Three Sisters, three big -mountains side by side, shining in the sun.</p> -<p>“Are we going to be on horseback all this trip to -Jefferson?” Dumplin’ asked plaintively.</p> -<p>“You can walk if you want to,” his father smiled.</p> -<p>“I feel now as if I’d have to,” Dumplin’ sighed. -“Wish they made pneumatic saddles.”</p> -<p>That afternoon, between trips to the garage to pack -the cars, and trips to the drug store to buy Spider a -note-book for his tree observations, and to get ice -cream sodas, Bennie acquired a dog. Maybe it would -be more truthful to say that the dog acquired Bennie. -He was a young dog, hardly more than a puppy, one of -those very small collies which the western sheep men -use in herding their flocks. Dumplin’ called him a -half portion dog. The poor little chap had evidently -lost his master, or else he had wandered away from -home. He didn’t seem to worry much, however. -What he was plainly looking for was somebody, anybody, -who would be kind to him. He trotted up and -down the street, following different people and trying -to attract their attention.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_208">208</div> -<p>The second time Bennie saw him, he said, “I don’t -believe that dog’s got a master. He’s looking for a -kind home. Come here, Towser.”</p> -<p>He whistled to the pup, and the dog came bounding -up to him, tail wagging madly, and crouched puppy -fashion at his feet. When Bennie stooped to pat him, -he sprang up, put his forepaws on the scout’s chest, -and tried to lick his face.</p> -<p>“Gosh, you nice little mutt!” Bennie exclaimed. -“I sure like dogs, and you’re a regular dog.”</p> -<p>To this the dog replied with a whine of joy, and -from that moment he clung to Bennie like a brother.</p> -<p>“Now you got him, what you going to do with -him?” Spider asked, as the pup bounded along beside -them, fairly shaking with delight, as his tail switched -back and forth.</p> -<p>“Dunno. Get him some grub first, I guess. He -looks awful thin.”</p> -<p>Bennie went around to the hotel kitchen and begged -some meat scraps, which the pup devoured greedily. -After that, he tried to follow Bennie into the hotel. -No dogs were allowed inside, however.</p> -<p>“I guess he’ll go away now,” Bennie said, shutting -the door in the poor dog’s face.</p> -<p>But when they came out from dinner the dog was -still lying in front of the door, and as Bennie went out -to the sidewalk he leaped upon him, trying to lick his -face. He settled down on the door-mat when the boys -went in for the night, and the last thing they saw was -his face looking in at them through the screen, his eyes -reproachful and sad at being left out.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_209">209</div> -<p>And when they came down at six in the morning, he -was still there! At sight of Bennie, he emitted a glad -yelp and began scratching at the door.</p> -<p>“Say, that pup is certainly fond of me,” Bennie -said, going out and petting it. “Can’t I take him -along, Uncle Billy?”</p> -<p>“Not a chance,” the doctor answered. “We’ve got -troubles enough. Besides, he probably belongs to -somebody here in Bend. He’ll go home when we’ve -gone.”</p> -<p>When they were putting the last of the baggage into -the cars in front of the hotel the dog leaped into the -doctor’s car and sat on the driver’s seat, wagging his -tail furiously, as much as to say, “Well, well, I’m all -ready to start; hurry up!”</p> -<p>He had to be put out three times before the cars -were ready. When the order came to start, Bennie -hugged him hard, while the pup licked at his face.</p> -<p>“Good-bye, you little mutt, you,” said he. “If my -uncle wasn’t a flinty-hearted old thing, we’d take you -along.”</p> -<p>Then Bennie climbed over into the car, and they -were off for Mount Jefferson. They ran north out of -Bend, and then turned west, toward the distant mountains. -In the early morning light, clear as a bell, they -could see the snow-clad peaks rising against the sky, -all the way from the Three Sisters in front of them to -Mount Hood, a hundred miles to the north. More -than fifty miles away, northwestward, rose the sharp, -glittering white pyramid of Mount Jefferson, their objective. -It was their first sight of it, and the doctor -slowed down the car so they could have a good look.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_210">210</div> -<p>And as he did so, they heard a little yip beside the -car—and there was the pup, his tongue hanging out, -his chest heaving, but his eyes fixed on Bennie in triumph!</p> -<p>“Oh, Uncle Billy, the poor little mutt!” Bennie -cried. “Some speed, I’ll say. He’s going to follow -us till he runs his head off. Can’t I take him in?”</p> -<p>The words were hardly out of his mouth, and the -doctor had no time to reply, before the pup, with one -spring, landed in Bennie’s lap.</p> -<p>“Looks as if you <i>had</i> taken him in,” the doctor -grinned. “Well, let him stay now. But you’ll have -to feed him out of your own rations. We can’t pack -food for a dog.”</p> -<p>The dog, with wiggles of his tail and body that expressed -his joy as plainly as any words could, snuggled -down in Bennie’s lap and tried to lick him.</p> -<p>“What are you going to name him?” Dumplin’ -called out from the other car.</p> -<p>“I guess his name is Mutt,” Bennie laughed.</p> -<p>“Seeing’s how we are going to Jefferson, better call -him Jeff,” Dumplin’ retorted.</p> -<p>“Jeff it is,” Bennie answered, grinning at the joke. -“Good old Jeff! I bet he’s a good dog. I bet he can -round up a flock of sheep. I’m going to take him -home when we go.”</p> -<p>“How pleased your mother will be,” said his uncle.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_211">211</div> -<p>The cars started up again now, and they rode for -almost fifty miles northwestward, getting presently -into the yellow pine forests and then the foot-hills, so -that Jefferson disappeared entirely from view. At -last the doctor turned his car down a side road, and -stopped in front of a small house, all by itself in a forest -clearing beside a lovely little river. Opposite this -house was a barn, and in the barnyard was a herd of -horses.</p> -<p>“Allingham Ranger Station! All out! Far as we -go!” cried the doctor. “Hello, Norman!”</p> -<p>This last he shouted to a stocky young man, in khaki -riding breeches and leather leggings, who was standing -by the barn.</p> -<p>Norman was to be their guide. The horses were -his. With him he had two more men, one to take care -of the horses and one to cook. That made eight saddle -horses needed for the party. There were eight -more pack horses to carry the luggage. Although it -was only 9:30 o’clock, it took them till almost one -to get the cars unloaded, and the tents, dunnage bags, -sleeping bags, provisions, cameras, alpenstocks, and -so on, packed on the eight horses. Bennie and Spider -were of little use in this packing process, because they -knew nothing about it. They brought the stuff to be -packed to Norman and his two helpers, and watched -them stow it across the pack saddles, stretch a canvas -over, and then throw a long rope over the heap and -under the horse’s belly, back and forth several times, -till, when it was finally hauled taut and tied, it made -a large diamond-shaped design of the load, and held it -firmly on.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_212">212</div> -<p>“Say, that’s a complicated process,” said Spider. -“I can tie most knots after I’ve seen somebody do it, -but I couldn’t do that.”</p> -<p>“It takes some practice to throw a diamond hitch,” -Norman laughed. “Well, let’s saddle our old cayuses -now.”</p> -<p>The eight riding horses were saddled, the boys each -attending to his own nag. But Norman inspected the -saddles before they mounted, and tightened the girths.</p> -<p>“Now, adjust your stirrups,” he said. “Don’t -have them too short. Two fingers between you and -the saddle when you stand up is enough. We’re not -going to ride in Central Park this afternoon.”</p> -<p>“Where are we going to ride, by the way?” the -doctor asked. “Any chance of getting into Jefferson -Park?”</p> -<p>“Not a chance,” said Norman. “We can’t even -get in to Hunt’s Cove direct, as I ’phoned you. We’ve -got to detour around by Marion Lake. Too much -snow.”</p> -<p>“Hope he knows where all those places are,” whispered -Bennie.</p> -<p>“But can we climb Jefferson from Hunt’s Cove?” -the doctor asked. “Has anybody ever done it?”</p> -<p>“Never heard of anybody. But we can have a -look.”</p> -<p>“Why can’t you climb it from Hunt’s Cove—wherever -that is?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>“Maybe you can,” Norman replied. “But it’s no -picnic. Wait till you see.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_213">213</div> -<p>“Well, I’ve been hearing about all this snow,” Bennie -grinned, wiping the sweat from his forehead, “for -two days. I’d like to see some right now.”</p> -<p>“Give us time,” Norman smiled. “And now we’re -off. We’ve got fifteen miles to make before dark.”</p> -<p>“But how about lunch?” Dumplin’ suddenly demanded.</p> -<p>“Marion Lake before dark!” Norman answered. -“No lunch.”</p> -<p>Dumplin’ groaned.</p> -<p>“It’ll help you reduce, Dump,” Bennie taunted. -“Gidup, Dobbin! Oh, gee, where’s poor little Jeff?” -And he began to whistle.</p> -<p>Jeff appeared with a loud yelp from the side of the -stream, where he had evidently been cooling himself. -Shaking off the water, he dashed ahead of the procession -of sixteen horses, barking madly, and the march -for Jefferson began.</p> -<p>The trail lay through a thick yellow pine forest. -This was a United States government forest, so that -the fire had been kept out and the little pines were -everywhere coming up under the old ones, much to -Spider’s delight. But the trail itself was dry and -dusty, and their noses soon smarted, their throats were -dry. With the loaded pack horses, they could not -trot, but plodded on in single file, the dust rising in -clouds behind them.</p> -<p>They had been traveling perhaps an hour when Norman, -riding ahead, suddenly pulled up his horse, and -Bennie, just behind him, saw him sniff.</p> -<p>“What’s the matter?” the scout asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_214">214</div> -<p>“I smell smoke,” Norman answered. Then he -looked at the dust cloud behind to see which way it -was moving.</p> -<p>“We are going into the wind. Must be ahead,” he -said. “You come on with me. Let your uncle lead -the train.”</p> -<p>He kicked his horse and dashed up the trail. Bennie -kicked his horse, and dashed after him, not at all -sure that he could keep his saddle. Strangely enough, -though, he found it easier to gallop than to trot, and -found himself falling into the motion of the horse.</p> -<p>A quarter of a mile up the trail the smell of smoke -was plain. Over a knoll they dashed, and they saw -smoke in the forest ahead. A moment later they heard -the crackle, and then they were on the fire. It was a -small one as yet, evidently just under way, but it was -licking savagely into the small trees and the dead stuff, -all dry as tinder or else full of inflammable pitch. -And the flames were moving toward them!</p> -<p>Norman wheeled. “Go back!” he yelled. “Stop -the train where it is, and tell Joe to stay with the -horses while the rest bring up all the axes, and that -camp spade in my pack. Then you go back as fast as -you can to the Ranger Station and tell the ranger. If -he isn’t there, find him!”</p> -<p>Bennie wheeled his horse, and dashed back. He -gave the message to the rest, and kept on. Both he -and his horse were panting, drenched with sweat and -thick with dust, when he reached the Ranger Station -again. The ranger was there, as good luck would -have it. While Bennie watered his horse, he telephoned -for help; then he saddled and galloped up the -trail, with Bennie behind him, but some way behind, -for Bennie’s horse was getting weary.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_215">215</div> -<p>When Bennie reached the pack train, Joe, the cook, -had all the horses lined up facing back toward the -station, ready to retreat if the fire came nearer. Everybody -else had gone to fight the flames. So Bennie left -his horse, too, and with stiff, aching legs, ran up the -trail. As he drew near the scene, he could see, between -him and the flames that were still confined to -the smaller trees and the stuff on the forest floor, five -men and two boys working like mad. Norman was -digging a little ditch, while the rest, with axes and -scout hatchets, were chopping down the small trees to -make an open lane several feet wide. They had this -lane and ditch cut across the direct path of the fire, and -were swinging it around on each end, as if they were -going to enclose the flames in a big ring. Bennie -grabbed a hatchet, and went madly to work with the -rest.</p> -<p>Nobody was wasting any breath talking. The fire -was coming nearer all the time, and the nearer it came -the hotter they grew. But when, in the centre, it -reached the lane and ditch—and stopped, they gave a -loud cheer, and worked all the harder to get around the -two sides before it could spread out.</p> -<p>“If only the wind won’t change!” the ranger did -say, breathlessly, and then stooped to his work.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_216">216</div> -<p>It is doubtful if they could have outflanked the fire, -however, with only eight pairs of hands, if help had -not arrived. Half a dozen men came galloping up, -their horses rearing and snorting at sight of the flames, -and leaped off with spades and axes. With this new, -fresh help, the fire was outflanked on the two sides, -and as it moved more slowly back against the slight -wind, they were able to get it under control.</p> -<p>When the danger was over, they paused, wiped their -hot, dripping, dirty faces, and looked at the burned -area.</p> -<p>It was hardly more than an acre in extent, but an -acre, as Bennie said, is quite enough to dig a ditch -around in a hurry, without proper tools.</p> -<p>“Thank the Lord it’s no more,” the ranger declared. -“If you hadn’t spotted it when you did, it would have -worked down into those thicker pines over the knoll, -and then we’d have been in for a real overhead fire, -and no mistake. Once in there it would jump up into -the big fellows.”</p> -<p>“What I want to know is, what started it?” said -Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“Party went in ahead of you this morning, to fish -at Marion Lake,” said the ranger. “Cigarette, probably. -Idiots! Snoop around there, Norman, and see -what you can discover tonight. I’ll be over in the -morning myself. I want to stick by here tonight and -make sure this doesn’t blow up again. Well, boys, -Uncle Sam is grateful to you, all right!”</p> -<p>They went back to the pack train, and then resumed -their journey, crossing the black, smoking patch of the -fire, and waving good-bye to the ranger and his -helpers.</p> -<p>“Well, there are two precious hours gone,” Norman -growled. “We’ll have to make camp in the dark.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_217">217</div> -<p>“But we stopped a bad fire,” said Bennie. “Aren’t -you glad?”</p> -<p>“Sure, I’m glad. But I hate to camp in the dark. -Get up!”</p> -<p>He kicked his horse, and all the train behind picked -up to a faster pace. They didn’t hold it long, though, -for the trail began to go up-hill presently, and the -character of the forest to change. Instead of the big -yellow pines, the path rose into a forest of smaller -trees of many kinds, and shrubs, too. Spider did his -best to pull off specimens of the foliage or needles as -he rode past, so he could identify them. The guide -would not let them stop.</p> -<p>Even at the top of the pass they were still in the forest, -and could get no outlook. But as the trail grew -level again, on the pass, they ran into snow-drifts and -pools of water just melted. It was the first sign of -anything cool that day. Over the pass the trail began -to descend into a wild forest of big evergreens, and for -the next few weary miles Bennie, for one, had little -idea of where they went. He was dizzy from lack of -food and his exertions in the heat, and he was so saddle -sore that he had to keep shifting his weight to try -to ease the stiffness. His bones and his head both -ached. It was getting dark in the forest, too, whenever -they had to go down into the bottom of a ravine. -Nobody was saying a word, except, the horse rustler, -who kept yelling at the pack horses to make them -hurry.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_218">218</div> -<p>At last, when it seemed as if he couldn’t stand his -saddle another minute, and when it was so dark in the -deep, damp woods that Norman was almost invisible -at the head of the train, they heard him call, “Turn -left,” and followed him down a side trail, so dim they -would never have detected it in the dark.</p> -<p>A moment later there was light ahead, and they -were on the shore of Marion Lake! The woods went -right down to the water. There was no beach. The -lake itself was a good-sized pond, perhaps a mile long, -and across it rose up the snow-draped, needle-pointed -spires of Three Fingered Jack, nearly 8,000 feet high. -Nobody looked at the view, however; there was no -time. The boys got out the tents and sleeping bags, -the cook set up the stove and prepared food by lantern -light. The doctor and Mr. Stone rustled wood. Norman -and the helper took the horses off in the darkness -to find a bit of open pasturage if they could. For half -an hour, weary as they were, everybody worked like -mad. And then, dirty as they were, they all rushed -to the stove at the cry of “Come and get it!”</p> -<p>“I was never so hungry in my life,” Bennie said.</p> -<p>“I ain’t hungry any more,” Dumplin’ replied. “I -was three hours ago, but now I’m past caring. I’m -just a vacuum.”</p> -<p>“Stomach or head?” his father asked.</p> -<p>The food had been cooked in a hurry, but nobody -cared. Eating by lantern light and the glow from the -stove door, they gobbled the bacon and swallowed the -coffee in eager gulps.</p> -<p>“Glad Ma can’t see my table manners now!” Spider -remarked, his mouth full.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_219">219</div> -<p>When the meal was over Norman went off again -through the trees to see if he could find the camp of -the fishermen who possibly set the fire, and the rest lay -on their backs by the water, discussing the exciting -day. Norman came back to report that three men -were camping around a headland, and he suspected one -of them must have thrown away a cigarette, though -they denied it.</p> -<p>“And to think,” said the doctor, “that if we hadn’t -come along, the fire might have got a headway and -burned thousands of acres, just because one man didn’t -have sense enough not to throw a cigarette butt into -the brush! Some folks ought not to be allowed in the -woods.”</p> -<p>“Well, me for a bath and bed,” said Mr. Stone. “I -don’t know which I need more.”</p> -<p>The full moon was rising behind Three Fingered -Jack when they all jumped into the lake, which was -surprisingly shallow near shore, and had a good bath. -Then they climbed wearily into their tents, and in two -minutes they were in bed. But no sooner had they got -snuggled down in the dark than there came a yell from -the doctor.</p> -<p>“Here, get up, Bennie, and take that pup out of -here! He’s licking my face!”</p> -<p>“Oh, gee, he’s all wet, and he’s shaking himself on -me,” from Spider.</p> -<p>“Aw, let him sleep at my feet, Uncle Billy,” from -Bennie.</p> -<p>“No, sir; he’ll hunt fleas in the night. I want a -good sleep. You get up and take him outside!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_220">220</div> -<p>So poor Bennie got stiffly up again, and led Jeff out -of the tent, making him a little bed out of a canvas -pack cover by the flap. Jeff curled up contentedly, -with a good-night lick and whimper, and Bennie went -back.</p> -<p>Already he could hear Spider breathing hard, and in -one minute he, too, had dropped off like a soldier after -a battle.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_221">221</div> -<h2 id="c21">CHAPTER XXI -<br /><span class="sc">The Pack Train Has to Toboggan Into Hunt’s Cove, and Bennie Puts “Action” Into It</span></h2> -<p>The next morning Bennie expected to be sore and -stiff, but somehow he wasn’t. He felt fine. The -day began at sun-up with a plunge in the lake, and then -an early start, because the horses hadn’t had enough to -eat, and Norman wanted to get to pasturage. It was -a wonderful day for Spider. They were now on the -western side of the Cascade Divide, the side on which -the rain and snow falls all winter, so that the woods, -instead of being dry, were as rich and dark and damp -as an Adirondack forest. The yellow pines had vanished, -but in their place were great cedars, and stands -of Douglas fir trees bigger even than those on the way -to Crater Lake. About the middle of the morning they -picked their way down a steep, broken, rocky trail into -a cañon, and at the bottom they rode for a long way -through a forest of fir trees so big that when anybody -rode around one, both horse and rider vanished from -sight! These trees rose 150 feet without a limb, -straight as masts, and they were over 200 feet tall.</p> -<p>“Some shrubs!” cried Bennie. “My neck’s nearly -broken trying to see the tops of ’em.”</p> -<p>“How’d you like to shin up one, Bennie?” Mr. -Stone called.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_222">222</div> -<p>“I’d rather shin up it than saw it into wood for the -stove,” Bennie answered.</p> -<p>“Who owns these trees?” asked Spider.</p> -<p>“Your Uncle Sam,” Norman called back.</p> -<p>“I’m glad of that. I hope they’re never cut down. -I wish everybody in America could see them, and -know what trees are!”</p> -<p>“A lot of people in America would think they were -dead before they could get here,” Uncle Billy laughed. -“We are some ways from civilization, Spider.”</p> -<p>At noon they came to a natural meadow, and pastured -the horses for two hours, while they themselves -ate lunch. Then they pushed on. Late in the afternoon, -when the boys were getting saddle sore and -weary again, and everybody was hot and sweaty, Norman -suddenly turned up the side of the cañon, by a -dim trail through the bushes (there were few trees on -this slope, due to an old fire). The trail was very -steep, the horses sweated and panted, the pack horses -had to be tugged and driven. For an hour they -climbed, with frequent rests for breath, until the forests -lay below them and the tumbled cañons, and they -came into an open pasture near sunset time, a pasture -full of glorious red and blue wild flowers and rich -grass. They crossed this toward the east, still climbing, -and suddenly came up over a crest into a second -pasture, which was even fuller of flowers, and was the -top of the mountain they had been climbing. But that -wasn’t what made them pull up their horses and shout.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_223">223</div> -<p>What made them do that was what they saw apparently -only two or three miles eastward—the great -white pyramid of Mount Jefferson, covered with cold, -glittering snow, rising up and up against the sky, its -summit needle flushed pink with sunset! It was a -beautiful sight, but it was a tremendous sight, too. -The mountain looked immense, terrific.</p> -<p>Bennie sobered after his first shout.</p> -<p>“Do you mean to say we are going to climb <i>that</i>?” -he demanded.</p> -<p>“Surely,” his uncle smiled.</p> -<p>Bennie, for once, made no reply whatever.</p> -<p>They went into camp immediately, above a big, fine -spring on a slope of the meadow, which is called Minto -Pasture. The horses were unsaddled and unloaded, -hobbled, and sent out to graze their fill. Tents were -strung between some trees on the edge of the big -natural clearing. Dry wood was gathered, and supper -got under way. They were more than 5,000 feet up -here, and the minute the sun set it grew very cold, with -a strong, bitter wind blowing down from the snow-draped -mountain. There were snow-drifts in the -woods beyond the spring. Everybody got into sweaters, -and huddled around the boiling coffee-pot. Even -Jeff snuggled up close to Bennie—but that might have -been because he was hungry and was looking for food.</p> -<p>He got the scrapings from all the dishes, and the last -batch of pancakes, which nobody else had room for, -and then went bounding off again, barking and wheeling -amid the grass and flowers.</p> -<p>“Great dog, that!” Bennie declared.</p> -<p>“Well, here come some cattle. Let’s see how good -a dog he is,” Norman grinned, pointing up the pasture.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_224">224</div> -<p>Sure enough, a herd of cattle, turned out to range -wild during the summer, was breaking out of the -woods.</p> -<p>“They’ll be around all night, and walk all over -camp, and get into the spring, if we don’t chase ’em -off,” Norman went on. “Sic your sheep dog on ’em, -Bennie.”</p> -<p>Bennie whistled to Jeff, and then pointed to the -cattle.</p> -<p>“Sic ’em, Jeff! Drive ’em away!” he said.</p> -<p>Jeff gave a yelp, jumped madly around in a circle—and -then ran barking loudly directly toward a bird sitting -in a low tree, singing its evening song!</p> -<p>“Yes, that’s a great dog,” remarked Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>“He certainly knows how to herd up cattle,” Norman -added.</p> -<p>“Maybe he’s a bird dog, Bennie,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“I know what he is,” Dumplin’ grinned. “He’s a -Chickadee hound!”</p> -<p>“Aw, you make me sick,” Bennie retorted. “Just -’cause he’s a pup, and hasn’t been trained yet. Come -here, Jeff. Bite ’em!”</p> -<p>Jeff came back, as proudly as if he had herded the -cattle instead of scaring one small bird, and once more -he had to be put out of the tent, after everybody had -got nicely to sleep.</p> -<p>The next morning the thermometer, which the -doctor carried in a case with his aneroid barometer, -registered only 38° at five o’clock. Everybody was -glad to pile out and hustle around striking camp, to -get warmed up for breakfast.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_225">225</div> -<p>“Now, gentlemen, we’ve got our work cut out for -us,” said Norman, when they were ready to start. -“Everything has been a picnic so far, but now we are -going to run into the snow. I don’t know whether -we can make Hunt’s Cove or not. It will depend on -how good sports you are.”</p> -<p>“If the last two days have been a picnic, I don’t -know whether I want to see your idea of working,” -said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Afraid?”</p> -<p>“Afraid, your grandmother. But I sure am sorry -for poor old Dobbin,” Bennie retorted.</p> -<p>Old Jefferson, which looked so near, wasn’t so near -as it looked, of course. Mountains never are. They -descended gradually from Minto Pasture, through a -“ghost forest” for two or three miles. A ghost forest -is a forest which has been burned, without consuming -the standing trunks. There the trees stood, -thousands of them, but ghostly gray and dead—not a -live branch, not a needle. Beyond this forest, they -came out on a great plateau three miles wide, which -was bare of everything except low bushes, wild flowers, -a few snow-drifts and lava heaps, and a tiny brown -tarn of water. The fire had done its work thoroughly -here.</p> -<p>“Grizzly Flats, they call this,” Norman said. “But -I guess it’s been a long time since any grizzlies were -seen here.”</p> -<p>“What a fire this must have been!” Spider was -saying, when Bennie suddenly cried, “Sh!”</p> -<p>“What is it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_226">226</div> -<p>“Somebody’s following us over the trail on a -motorcycle,” he answered. “Don’t you hear?”</p> -<p>It certainly sounded that way. Far off they heard -the roaring buzz of an unmuffled engine.</p> -<p>“An aeroplane!” Spider exclaimed.</p> -<p>They halted, listening and watching. A moment -later, flying fairly low, the plane came over Minto -Mountain behind them, and swept toward Grizzly -Flats. As if he saw them, and wanted to tell them so, -the aviator swooped a bit over their heads, then rose -again, banked against the white wall of Jefferson, and -swung off to the north.</p> -<p>“<i>What</i> is he doing here?” the boys exclaimed.</p> -<p>“It’s one of the new aeroplane forest patrol,” Norman -said. “They go out every day now, in the dry -season, to spot fires. We haven’t had a bad fire—not -one of the old-fashioned big blazes, since they started -in. They can get up and see into all the cañons, -everywhere, every day, and get back with the tip in -no time.”</p> -<p>“But what would they do if they had to land?” -asked Spider.</p> -<p>“I guess it’s up to them not to have to land,” Norman -answered. “I don’t want the job—but it’s a -great work, just the same.”</p> -<p>“Well, I’ll say war isn’t the only risky thing,” put -in Bennie. “That guy ought to have a medal for flying -over this country every day.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_227">227</div> -<p>The plane had disappeared. They pushed on, and -soon found themselves at the edge of Grizzly Flats. -Right below them the land dropped at an angle of -fifty or sixty degrees for a thousand feet, into a deep -hole. Directly across this hole it went up again, and -up and up and up, for the other side was Mount Jefferson. -They were only a mile from the wall of the mountain, -but for all they could see, they might as well have -been a hundred miles. It looked quite impossible to -take horses down that slope. To the right and left -were dense woods which the fire hadn’t burned, and -these woods were full of snow. The hole below them, -called Hunt’s Cove, was carpeted with snow. The -great pyramid of Jefferson opposite them was blinding -white with snow.</p> -<p>“You wait here,” said Norman, “while I prospect.”</p> -<p>He went off to the south, into the woods, and -they saw his horse climbing up over the drifts. Uncle -Billy got out his field-glasses, lay on his stomach with -his elbows firmly on the ground at the rim of the -precipice, and began a long, careful study of the slopes -of Mount Jefferson. He was very grave about it, and -didn’t say a word, except now and then in a low voice -to Dumplin’s father. The three boys wandered along -the rim, wondering how Norman was going to find a -way down. They couldn’t see any trace of a trail. -Wherever the slope was enough off the perpendicular -to hold a trail, it was covered with snow.</p> -<p>Norman didn’t return for nearly an hour. When -he finally came back, he said, “Well, I think I’ve found -a way, if you care to risk it. I’ll risk the horses.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_228">228</div> -<p>“As bad as that, eh?” the doctor replied. “Well, -if you’ll try it, we will. I think I’ve found a way up -the mountain, too, though I don’t like the looks of certain -rock slides down that big west snow-field.”</p> -<p>“But why do we go on the big west snow-field?” -the boys asked. “Looks as if we could just go right -up the southwest shoulder.”</p> -<p>“Look sharp at the summit pinnacle, Bennie,” the -doctor said, handing him the glasses.</p> -<p>Bennie looked. All he said was “Wow!” and -passed them to Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Do we climb <i>that</i>?” Dumplin’ demanded.</p> -<p>“We do, if we get to the top of Jefferson,” the -doctor answered. “You see, that top peak, or pinnacle, -is absolutely straight up and down. It’s just a -slab of lava set up on edge and covered with snow and -ice. The only place it can possibly be climbed is on -the northern end, so we’ve got to get around to the -northern end. My plan is to go up from Hunt’s Cove -by the southwest spur to the 7,000-foot level, where -the permanent snow begins, then traverse the big west -snow-field and get up on that first northwest shoulder, -which apparently leads us right up to the north end -of the pinnacle. It looks possible. Well, Norman, -we’re ready.”</p> -<p>Norman led the way southward into the woods at -the rim of the Cove. As soon as they were in the -deep shadows of the evergreens, they were on snow, -and deep snow. Some drifts were still as much as -ten feet deep, and so hard that the horses barely sank -over their hoofs.</p> -<p>“The trail is somewhere underneath us,” Norman -called back.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_229">229</div> -<p>He traveled for almost a mile above the rim, and -then led the way over. By zigzagging through the -woods, on the steeply pitched snow, they were able to -ride about half the way down. Then he called for -them all to dismount.</p> -<p>“Want to get a good motion picture, Mr. Stone?” -he asked.</p> -<p>“Sure.”</p> -<p>The big camera was unpacked, and Norman and Mr. -Stone disappeared with it, down the steep pitch ahead. -Ten minutes later Norman came back.</p> -<p>“Now,” said he, “each man lead his horse. Keep -as far away from him as you can, and jump fast, or -he’ll step on you. Go in single file, and Joe and Bill -you go last and drive the pack horses ahead of you. -Come on—follow me.”</p> -<p>They pitched down a few feet through the evergreens, -and came to the top of a long, straight, open -chute, like a ski run cut in the woods, covered deep -with snow, and descending 500 feet to the very bottom -of Hunt’s Cove. It was evidently the path of an -old landslide. Part way down, at one side, Mr. Stone -had set up his camera, and was ready to shoot them -as they went past him.</p> -<p>“Ready? Go!” cried Norman, and over the edge -he went, dragging his horse.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_230">230</div> -<p>Bennie followed, and Spider and Dumplin’ and the -doctor, and the pack horses, and the rest, in single -file. Two jumps, and you were speeding up. Three -jumps, and the horses were going ten feet at a plunge, -snorting and slipping and sometimes going through the -snow to their bellies, and the boys, ahead of them, -were leaping from side to side madly to keep out of -the way of their iron-shod, plunging hoofs.</p> -<p>As he passed the camera, Bennie heard the crank -grinding, and the laughing voice of Mr. Stone crying, -“More action, Bennie!”</p> -<p>Bennie was about to make some reply, when his foot -slipped, and he turned a superb somersault, and only -was stopped from rolling the rest of the way to the -bottom because he kept hold of his horse’s bridle.</p> -<p>It was all over in two minutes, but it was certainly -lively while it lasted. Then all the horses, their legs -wet, shivering and trembling with nervousness, stood -huddled at the foot of the chute, and Mr. Stone was -seen descending with his camera. Bennie sprang back -up the slope to get the tripod.</p> -<p>“Say, that beats skiing!” he cried, “and I sure got -some more action for you, Mr. Stone.”</p> -<p>“You did,” the man laughed. “You did! That -was the best action picture I ever took.”</p> -<p>They found at the bottom of Hunt’s Cove a small -open meadow, boggy now with melted snow and full -of white cowslips and running brooks, but full, also, -of fresh grass for the horses, and all around the -meadow deep forests of fir trees and deep drifts. -Among the trees, beside a rushing stream of ice cold -water, and in a dry place between drifts, they pitched -their tents.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_231">231</div> -<p>There was no danger of a fire spreading here, with -the snow all around, so they built a roaring camp fire -between the tents, and while the dinner was being -cooked the doctor got from his pack a box of spikes, -and they began to fix their shoes for the climb.</p> -<p>Uncle Billy fixed his first, to show them how. As -the heavy soles of his boots were already studded thick -with sharp hobs, he didn’t have to put in any short -spikes. But into each sole, with the help of a key -wrench, he screwed eight sharp steel spikes more than -an inch long, and four more into each heel.</p> -<p>“I’d hate to be catching when you tried to slide for -home,” Bennie said. “Those are wicked looking -hoofs!”</p> -<p>“Now make yours just as wicked. And be sure -you get the spikes in straight and firm,” his uncle -answered. “Everything on this trip so far has been -a mere picnic to what we are going to get tomorrow. -It’s not only going to be the hardest work you ever -did in your life, but the most dangerous. We can’t -have anything wrong with our equipment.”</p> -<p>Everybody who didn’t already have plenty of sharp -hobs in his boots also screwed in a large number of -short steel spikes, in addition to the long ones. Then -all the shoes were freshly oiled, to make them as nearly -water-proof as possible, and Uncle Billy got out the -amber goggles, to see if they were unbroken. He also -produced a stick of grease paint.</p> -<p>“What’s that for? Are we going to act in a play?” -Dumplin’ asked.</p> -<p>“No, but we are going to paint our faces, just the -same. You’ll be glad enough of this stick before the -sun sets tomorrow.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_232">232</div> -<p>After supper the cook made ready six small packages -of lunch, for Norman was going to make the -climb, too, and the doctor wound up his alarm clock.</p> -<p>“Bed, boys!” he ordered.</p> -<p>“Oh, no, not yet!”</p> -<p>“Who’s captain here? Bed, I said! We get up -at three o’clock sharp tomorrow morning.”</p> -<p>“Say, it’s worse than a bear hunt,” Dumplin’ -groaned.</p> -<p>“You’ll think it is, by the time we get back to camp -tomorrow night,” the doctor smiled. “I have a -hunch that even Bennie is going to get enough exercise, -for once.”</p> -<p>“Ho,” said Bennie, “Uncle Billy’s trying to scare -us! Can I take Jeff along, Uncle, up his own mountain?”</p> -<p>“It might be a good way to get rid of him,” the -doctor answered. “But if you <i>don’t</i> want to get rid -of him, I advise you to tie him up in camp.”</p> -<p>“I wonder if Uncle Billy is trying to scare us?” -Bennie whispered to Spider as they got ready for bed. -“Don’t seem as if the old mountain was so bad as all -that.”</p> -<p>Spider was very sober. “I had a good look at it -through the glasses yesterday,” he replied. “I don’t -mind saying right now that it’s got me scared. Remember -those pictures in the book at home?”</p> -<p>“You mean the old Spitzes, and things? Sure!”</p> -<p>“Well, we’re going to get some of that stuff ourselves -tomorrow.”</p> -<p>“Hooray!” said Bennie. “The real thing beats a -book.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_233">233</div> -<p>But he began to think of the pictures as he was going -to sleep, pictures of men clinging to precipices -with awful depths below them, and in his dreams he -was falling, falling, falling——</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_234">234</div> -<h2 id="c22">CHAPTER XXII -<br /><span class="sc">The First Attempt at Jefferson—Dumplin’ Almost Falls to Death—the Hardest Work the Boys Ever Did</span></h2> -<p>He was falling into a terrible black cañon where -there was a loud noise of whirling water—and -he woke to hear the alarm clock buzzing. The grip -of the bad dream was still on him, and he was shivering -a little, as Uncle Billy got up and lit the lantern in -the tent. It was pitch dark in the woods outside, and -still as death. But as they dressed, the three could -hear Mr. Stone and Dumplin’ dressing in their tent, -and then the sound of the cook starting the breakfast -fire. Those who were to make the climb put on light -shoes, for they were going to use the horses as far as -timber line. They came out of the tents wearing their -heavy sweaters, for it was bitterly cold, and washing -by the brook was a very sketchy job. Nobody even -suggested a bath.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_235">235</div> -<p>While breakfast was cooking, they huddled around -the stove. Meanwhile the horse rustler had gone up -into the open meadow to round up six saddle horses. -He was bringing them back as they ate their bacon and -drank their coffee by lantern light, still huddled around -the stove. As soon as the horses were saddled, each -member of the party put his lunch into his pack, slung -a canteen over his shoulder, tied his climbing boots -over the saddle horn, took his alpenstock in his hand, -like a lance, made sure he also had his colored goggles, -and mounted.</p> -<p>“I feel like Sir Launcelot,” cried Dumplin’, tipping -his alpenstock forward, like a knight about to tilt.</p> -<p>“I’d hate to tell you what you <i>look</i> like,” Bennie -laughed. “Did Sir Launcelot carry his boots on his -saddle?”</p> -<p>Bennie was the last one into the saddle, because he -had to catch Jeff and tie him up. “Don’t let him -loose till we’ve been gone a couple of hours,” he called -back to the cook. “Don’t want him to follow us and -break his neck.”</p> -<p>The sleepy cook grunted, and Jeff whined and -moaned and tugged at his improvised rope collar, as -Bennie patted him good-bye and climbed into the saddle.</p> -<p>It was still dark in the woods as they moved out of -camp, but out in the open meadow of the cove there -was a kind of gray daylight. Norman and the doctor -led the way, putting the horses across the creek, and -heading them for the steep side wall opposite the chute -they had descended the day before.</p> -<p>This wall, when they came to it, was not so steep, -however, as the chute. It had once been burned over, -too, so that there was no timber except some dead, -fallen stuff, and no snow. They zigzagged up it -quickly, and at the top, looking over a two-mile gentler -slope of low forest, they saw again the snow-white -cone of the mountain rising up against the sky—or, -rather, they half saw it, for the white clouds were -swirling around it.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_236">236</div> -<p>“They’ll lift with the sun,” said Norman. “Don’t -worry.”</p> -<p>For the next hour, the horses plodded upward, over -deep, hard snow, packed in huge drifts under the evergreen -trees, which got smaller and smaller as they approached -timber line. What had looked like an easy -slope from below turned out to be full of short but -steep pitches, over lava ledges, and if it had not been -for the snow they could hardly have taken the horses -up without endless zigzagging.</p> -<p>It was bright morning when they reached timber -line, on the southwestern shoulder of the mountain, -but as yet the sun had not reached them, of course, -being cut off by the great bulk of the cone. They tied -the horses to the last little trees, where the poor creatures -would have to stay, without food or water, till -night. Then they put on their heavy, spiked boots, -shouldered their packs, canteens and cameras, the doctor -with his coil of alpine rope, and set out for the -summit above them, around which the clouds were -scudding at a tremendous pace, driven by a strong -west wind.</p> -<p>“How high up are we now?” Spider asked.</p> -<p>“About 7,000 feet, I should guess,” the doctor answered.</p> -<p>“Then we’ve got about 3,500 feet to climb,” Spider -reckoned. “That’s not as much as Mount Washington -from Bretton Woods or the Crawford House. -You climb 4,200 there.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_237">237</div> -<p>“It’s 700 feet less,” said Bennie. “Gee, I’m good -at arithmetic.”</p> -<p>“The only difference being that this is the second -hardest snow climb in the United States (excluding -Alaska, of course), and we are tackling it by a route -which, so far as I know, nobody has ever tried before,” -the doctor smiled.</p> -<p>“What’s the hardest?” Bennie asked.</p> -<p>“The north side of Mount Baker in Washington, -up the Roosevelt Glacier,” his uncle answered.</p> -<p>“You been up there?”</p> -<p>“Yes.”</p> -<p>“Gee, I’d like to!”</p> -<p>“Suppose you do this one first,” said his uncle, -“and suppose you follow me, instead of racing ahead.”</p> -<p>Bennie fell back into line.</p> -<p>They had reached a long, upward-stretching snow-field -now, which the doctor said was the foot of permanent -snow. It never melted entirely away. It was -frozen now so hard that it held them up, and the long -spikes were needed, or they would have slipped. They -had to jam their alpenstocks hard down to set them -into it. It led upward for a quarter of a mile or so, -to a spine of broken, naked lava. As they climbed -this slope, they could look back into the hole of Hunt’s -Cove—or they could look where the cove was. They -could only see it by flashes, as it were, because whole -seas of billowing white clouds were driving in over -Minto Mountain, crossing above the cove, and hitting -Jefferson just below them. As these clouds hit, they -seemed to get thinner, slid right up the snow slope -past the climbers, like white snow, and blew off into -blue space over the peak.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_238">238</div> -<p>Spider, who was watching them slide up the snow-fields, -suddenly cried, “Look! Look at the summit!”</p> -<p>Everybody looked upward. The sun had evidently -risen now, and as the clouds reached the top of the -mountain they ran into its rays. The angle was just -right to refract the rays down to the climbers, and the -result was that the summit peak of the mountain was -haloed with a beautiful rainbow. This rainbow lasted -for ten minutes or more, and then the sun got too -high, and it disappeared.</p> -<p>By the time they reached the lava spine, the clouds -were thinner, and the wind had died down. They -were warmed up with climbing, too, and took off their -sweaters. The doctor got out the rope, and proceeded -to make six loops in it, tied with knots which couldn’t -slip. The loops were about fifteen or twenty feet -apart. He put the first loop under his own arms; -then came Bennie, then Dumplin’, then Mr. Stone, then -Spider, and last of all, Norman. Everybody then -covered his face with grease paint, putting it especially -thick on noses and lips, and donned colored goggles.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_239">239</div> -<p>Then the doctor spoke. “Now, boys,” he said, -“from this point on you must obey orders quickly and -without question. You must do exactly what I tell -you to, and nothing else. There are two things to -remember, above everything. Number one is this,—every -second man on the rope must have his stock -driven in deep and firm, with a good grip on it, when -the man in front takes his stock out to make a step, -and he mustn’t pull his stock out of the snow till the -man ahead has made the step and driven <i>his</i> stock in -again. If you do that, you see, fifty per cent of us -will always be anchored, if anybody slips. If I find -you cannot or will not obey this rule, I’ll stop the climb -at once. The second thing is:—never let the rope get -taut between you and the next man, so it can yank -either of you, and never let it get slack enough to trip -anybody. Keep it sagging, but not dragging. Now, -all set!”</p> -<p>Uncle Billy spoke sternly. The boys knew he meant -what he said, and that it was serious business ahead. -They followed him carefully down the north side of -the lava spine, and found themselves on a steep slope -of pumice and fine conglomerate, like a mixture of -gravel and wood ashes, hung at such a sharp angle -that it just did stay there, and that was all. It hung at -what is called the angle of repose. As Uncle Billy -started out across it, to get to the snow slope beyond, -Bennie noticed that every time he put his foot down, -the stuff below him started slipping a little. Bennie -looked down the mountain to see what would happen -if they started a slide and all slipped. A hundred feet -below the snow began again, and ran down for a -thousand feet or more, smooth as glass, and ended at -the top of a precipice! Below that, all he could see -was a hole! Something went flipflop in the pit of his -stomach at the sight, and he looked quickly away, -just in time to see that if he didn’t step out, the rope -between his uncle and himself would be pulled taut. -So he had to walk ahead, on to the treacherous slope. -It was exactly like running tiddly-benders on thin ice, -only instead of the danger of going through into water -was the danger of starting a landslide and going down -with it. You could feel with every step the sickening -start of the slide.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_240">240</div> -<p>However, everybody got across to the snow.</p> -<p>“Well, I’m glad <i>that’s</i> over!” exclaimed Mr. Stone. -“That conglomerate is hung exactly at the angle of -repose. One degree more tilt, and she’d slide off into -the cañon. Where do we go from here?”</p> -<p>The doctor pointed to the great west snow-field that -lay between them and a high shoulder, which extended -toward the northwest.</p> -<p>“We have to traverse that snow-field,” he said.</p> -<p>Everybody looked at it. Between them and it were -four or five little snow slopes, each about a hundred -yards wide, and separated by ridges of broken lava -fragments. The great west snow-field itself looked -to be a quarter of a mile wide, or even more. It was -practically unbroken, except for one island of lava near -the middle, looked smooth as glass, was tilted at an -angle of more than forty-five degrees, and stretched -right up to the precipice of the summit pinnacle, and -right down to the top of the precipice which dropped -to the cañon. If you slipped when you were out on it, -and started down, it was certain death. Bennie didn’t -need to be told a second time why fifty per cent of the -climbers must have their alpenstocks driven in at every -step!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_241">241</div> -<p>The doctor now took his scout ax out of the sheath -at his belt, and stepped out on the first snow-field. -Being on the western side of the mountain the sun -had not yet touched it, of course, and even when he -drove his boot down hard, he could not make enough -of an impression for a good footing. So, holding his -stock in his right hand and driving it deep into the -snow at each stride, he leaned down and with the ax -in his left hand cut out a chunk of snow—one blow -inward against the slope, and a second downward. -This took out the chunk in such a way that a very -small but level step was made. He reached as far -ahead as he could, and the steps were three feet -apart.</p> -<p>Bennie watched him carefully, glad not to look -either up or down the terrifying slope. While his -uncle was cutting, with his stock driven in, Bennie -took a step behind him and drove his stock deep. -Then he waited, clinging to it, while the doctor pulled -his stock out and moved one step ahead. As the doctor -cut and moved, cut and moved, Bennie discovered -that there was a regular rhythm to it, and the only -way to keep this rhythm unbroken was to pull your -stock up at the right instant—that is, when you saw -the man ahead drive his in. If you delayed doing it, -you broke the rhythm. But to pull your stock up at -the right instant wasn’t so easy as it sounds. Once -driven two feet deep into the packed snow, the sharp -point wedged there almost like a nail in wood. You -had to pull it out with one hand, and pull it out -quickly, without stopping your stride and above all -without upsetting your balance on the tiny, icy steps. -It took muscle. It took a lot of muscle, and it strained -your back and shoulder.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_242">242</div> -<p>When they all were across the first snow slope, and -were resting a moment on the lava spine, Uncle Billy -said, “Well, Bennie, how do you like it so far? Getting -any exercise yet?”</p> -<p>“I always thought you climbed mountains with -your legs,” Bennie answered. “But I feel as if I was -climbing with my back and shoulder. Gosh, it’s hard -work pulling that old alpenstock out!”</p> -<p>“They say a good mountain climber is a combination -of a weak head and a strong back,” his uncle -laughed.</p> -<p>“Too bad, Bennie, your back isn’t very strong,” said -Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Well, if your back is strong, you’ll be able to scale -Mount Everest,” Bennie retorted.</p> -<p>They moved out now across the second small snow-field, -and then the third and fourth. They were working -upward a little, as well as across, and the summit -precipices grew nearer. Bennie looked up once at those -cliffs towering almost over his head, absolutely precipitous -and hung with ice—and looked quickly down -again. Jefferson hadn’t seemed very hard to climb -from a distance, but now that summit looked absolutely -impossible, and sure death if you tried it. He -preferred to keep his eyes on his uncle, who was methodically -cutting steps across the frozen snow.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_243">243</div> -<p>They rested a moment, and took a drink from the -canteens, on the last lava spine before they tackled the -big snow-field. Uncle Billy looked out across it with -troubled eyes.</p> -<p>“I don’t like those two chutes down the centre,” he -said, pointing to a couple of deep scars, like ditches, -which started far up at the base of the pinnacle cliffs, -swept down the middle of the field, and only ended at -the top of the cañon wall far below.</p> -<p>“Nothing coming down ’em now,” Norman said. -“I don’t believe there will be till the sun gets around -this side. It’s coming down tonight that we’ll be in -danger.”</p> -<p>“What has made them?” Spider asked. “They -look like toboggan slides.”</p> -<p>“That’s about what they are. They are made by -big hunks of lava and ice breaking off the pinnacle and -sliding down, digging a chute as they go.”</p> -<p>“How fast do the hunks travel?” asked Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Fast enough!” Norman laughed.</p> -<p>But Dumplin’ didn’t laugh. He looked up that terrific -incline to the ice-capped summit precipices, and -said, “Do we have to cross those chutes?”</p> -<p>“We do if we want to climb Jefferson,” the doctor -answered.</p> -<p>“Tell Mama I was a good boy,” Dumplin’ -groaned.</p> -<p>“Shut up!” said his father, sharply. “Uncle Billy -knows what he’s about.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_244">244</div> -<p>Without further words, the doctor started out on -to the big snow-field, cutting steps as he went. Bennie -followed, his arm and shoulder aching now, his heart -thumping a little in his chest as he thought of those -chutes ahead. When they reached the first one, it -turned out to be about six feet deep and eight feet -wide. The sides were almost straight, and the snow -on the bottom was packed hard and smooth.</p> -<p>His uncle beckoned Bennie up to him.</p> -<p>“Drive in your stock,” he said, “and play me out -on the rope. If we hear anything coming, take up the -slack, and haul me back to you.”</p> -<p>He started cutting steps down the side, across the -bottom, and up the farther side. Nothing happened, -and once across, he cut a good firm step to brace his -foot on, faced back toward the chute, told Dumplin’ -to come up to Bennie, and then he took up the slack -of rope between himself and Bennie, while Dumplin’ -played out the rope behind. In this way, everybody -got across.</p> -<p>“Well, that’s that,” said the doctor, with a sigh of -relief. “Now for the next one.”</p> -<p>The next chute turned out to be just about the -same size, and they crossed it slowly and cautiously, -by the same method. Again nothing happened, and -soon they were at the lava island, which turned out to -be much nearer the northwest shoulder than it had -looked. Here they sank down on some firm rock to -rest, and while they rested, the sun peeped over the -shoulder of the mountain south of them, and almost -instantly the snow all around leaped into a blinding -dazzle. The boys, who had taken their colored glasses -off, put them hurriedly on again.</p> -<p>The doctor laughed. “Not much dust up here—the -snow stays clean and reflects the light,” he said.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_245">245</div> -<p>“Pretty soon you’ll be yelling for more grease paint, -too.”</p> -<p>When they started on again, it was boiling hot. In -spite of the glasses, their eyes began to smart, for the -dazzle got in around the edges, and their faces and -necks to burn.</p> -<p>“And now the real business is beginning,” the doctor -said, heading directly from the lava island to the -base of the northwest shoulder.</p> -<p>Bennie took one look at that shoulder, and cried, -“Do we climb that?”</p> -<p>“Sure thing.”</p> -<p>“Well, if you say so, I suppose we do. But I’m no -human fly.”</p> -<p>Ahead of them was an unbroken wall of snow, the -side of a vast drift which had blown over the shoulder. -It was about three hundred feet high, and the angle -couldn’t have been less than sixty-five degrees. If you -will tip a board or a ruler up to an angle of sixty-five -degrees, and then imagine that slope to be hard, icy -snow crust, with a drop of two or three thousand feet -to the bottom of a cañon below you, you’ve got some -idea of what the climbers were up against.</p> -<p>But the doctor went right ahead, cutting steps. He -was chopping almost opposite his face, the slope was -so steep. Bennie, watching him, had to tip his head -way back, as you would to watch a man ahead of you -on a ladder. He kept his head tipped back, too. He -tried one look downward—and no more. All he saw -was the top of Dumplin’s cap—and then the white snow -slope sliding away to the hole of the cañon. He swallowed -hard and bit his lips, which had already begun -to swell and crack.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_246">246</div> -<p>“I will <i>not</i> get scared,” he whispered to himself. -“I will <i>not</i> get scared!”</p> -<p>The dazzle of the snow was now right in their faces, -because the slope was so steep, and they could actually -feel the reflected rays blister their noses. Their eyes -smarted, their lips were cracking. But nobody had any -time or chance to do anything about it. There was -enough to do without that. Every second man had to -be absolutely sure his stock was driven deep when the -man above him took an upward step, and he had to -pull out his own stock and drive it in firmly on a level -with his face (no small muscular task) when it was -his turn to take an upward step. The doctor was -cutting good, high steps, too, a couple of feet to a -rise. Bennie ached in every joint, and felt as if he -were balancing on the edge of eternity—as, indeed, he -was! But he climbed grimly, steadily, keeping the -alternate rhythm with the doctor.</p> -<p>There was no chance to rest here. For half an hour -they crawled up. Mr. Stone said he’d like a movie of -it, but there didn’t seem to be any way to take a movie -of it. It wasn’t safe for anybody to get off the rope; -in fact, it would have been sheer recklessness. Bennie -was never so glad of anything in his life as he was of -his uncle’s call, “The top!” He scrambled up over -the edge of a great drift, and found himself on a narrow -spine of snow and lava blocks, a spine leading -straight up to the northern end of the summit pinnacle.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_247">247</div> -<p>When the rest were over the rim, they took off the -rope, and sat down to rest on a lava platform. The -wind had died down. It was calm and cloudless now, -and there wasn’t a sound in the world—not a whisper -of wind, not a bird song—nothing but the stillness of -the everlasting snows, and their own voices, which -sounded strange up here, almost startling.</p> -<p>The doctor took out his instrument for measuring -altitude, called an aneroid barometer. It showed that -they were over 9,000 feet. Their watches told them -it was one o’clock.</p> -<p>“Wow, we’ve been climbing more’n nine hours since -breakfast!” said Bennie. “I wouldn’t have guessed -it.”</p> -<p>“Funny, I don’t feel very hungry,” said Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“That is funny,” his father laughed.</p> -<p>“It’s the funniest thing he ever said,” Bennie added. -“Didn’t hear you making many jokes coming up that -old drift just now, Dump.”</p> -<p>“You won’t hear me making <i>any</i> jokes till we get -down this mountain again,” Dump replied. “Gee, my -lips are all cracked, and my nose feels as big as a house, -and my back aches, and my eyes smart, and I haven’t -got any wind and—and——”</p> -<p>He paused for breath.</p> -<p>“But except for that you’re feeling fine, eh?” -Uncle Billy smiled. “Well, out with the lunches, -everybody. We’ve got to eat and be on our way. We -ought to have got here by eleven o’clock. But maybe -we can go faster now. The snow is getting soft, and -I won’t have to cut steps, and the shoulder won’t be -very steep.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_248">248</div> -<p>They ate their lunches, huddled on the shady side -of the lava block, to keep out of the sun glare, put -more grease paint on their lips, noses, cheeks and -necks, and set out again up the shoulder. The sun -had been shining up here for several hours, and the -snow was softened. Their feet sank ankle deep into -it, in fact, and in a short distance it had soaked through -their boots so that their feet were wet and cold, while -their faces were burning. The pitch of the shoulder, -too, turned out to be much steeper than they had reckoned. -Even the doctor and Norman were fooled, old -hands that they were at mountain climbing. It was -so steep that the doctor kept them roped, and it grew -steeper as they toiled slowly upward, like tiny black -ants on the vast white expanse of the mountain. It -was almost three o’clock when they reached a big -jagged pyramid of lava which stuck up above the snow, -just below the summit pinnacle, and found a level spot -in its lee. Here the doctor gathered them together -into a group, and pointed to the pinnacle, without at -first saying a word.</p> -<p>Bennie looked up a forty-five degree slope of dazzling -snow, frozen into little wind ripples like desert -sand, for two or three hundred feet, and saw that -slope end at the base of the pinnacle itself. The pinnacle, -as he could see only too plainly now, was a sheer -precipice at every place except the edge just above -them. That edge—the north end, which the shoulder -they were climbing on led to, was just enough off the -perpendicular to make it a daring and desperate hazard. -Even it, in some places, looked perfectly straight -up. And those places were not snow covered, as Bennie -could now see. They were just green, glistening -ice! The pinnacle rose thus for a full 300 feet, into -the naked blue sky.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_249">249</div> -<p>Dumplin’ groaned. “I can’t do it,” he said. -“Honest, Dad, I can’t do it! I didn’t say anything, -but I got dizzy back on the shoulder, and my head’s -aching now. Gosh, I don’t want to look at it!”</p> -<p>He turned quickly away. Bennie started to laugh, -but stopped himself when he saw his uncle’s face.</p> -<p>“Sit down, Dumplin’,” the doctor said kindly. -“You won’t have to climb it. Rest a bit, and don’t -think about it. None of us is going to climb it.”</p> -<p>“Oh, why not?” Bennie exclaimed. “It doesn’t -look to me as if anybody <i>could</i> climb it, but if they -have, I guess we can, with you to lead us. Gee, think -of getting this far, and stopping!”</p> -<p>“How long do you think it would take us to go -from here to the top?” his uncle asked.</p> -<p>“Half an hour.”</p> -<p>“An hour,” Spider amended.</p> -<p>Norman laughed, and said nothing.</p> -<p>“It would take nearly two hours up, from this point, -and two hours down,” said the doctor. “If you boys -were all skilled climbers, and one of you could cut -the steps, we might do it in an hour and a half each -way. But I wouldn’t let even Norman cut the steps -on that pinnacle—he’s not done enough ice climbing. -And I’m pretty well fagged already. Besides, it’s -three o’clock. If we didn’t get back to this spot till -seven, where do you think we’d spend the night? -Want to spend it up on these snow-fields, with soaked -shoes, and no food, no fire and no blankets?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_250">250</div> -<p>“No, and I don’t particularly want to go down that -shoulder wall and cross those chutes after dark, -either,” Norman said. “It’ll be dark before we get to -the horses if we start back now.”</p> -<p>“Give me one shot at the pinnacle, and I’m with -you,” Mr. Stone said, pointing his camera.</p> -<p>Bennie and Spider turned reluctantly away. It -seemed tough to get up 10,000 feet, almost to the very -base of the summit pinnacle, and then have to turn -back.</p> -<p>“It’s like being licked, when you still have a punch -left,” Bennie said.</p> -<p>“We were licked by daylight, not by the mountain,” -his uncle answered.</p> -<p>The descent of the shoulder to the lava block where -they had eaten lunch, which Bennie and Spider had -expected to make in rapid time, was just as slow as -the ascent. The pitch was so steep that they did not -dare to come down facing forward. They had to face -up the slope, and sink their feet into their old tracks, -as you come down a ladder.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_251">251</div> -<p>At the lava block, Mr. Stone shifted to number one -on the rope, so he could be the first down the wall of -the drift, and get a movie of the rest. Bennie stayed -at number two, Dumplin’ at three, Uncle Billy took -number four place, then Spider, and finally Norman. -The doctor told them, before they started down, how -to make the descent, using the steps cut that morning. -You faced sideways to the wall of snow, drove in -your stock firmly, and then sank your left foot to the -lower step, got a good footing, sank your right foot -also, and then pulled out your stock and drove it home -again lower down. Everybody was cautioned to keep -the rhythm, and not to pull out his stock till the man -above had made his step and anchored again.</p> -<p>When they were ready, Mr. Stone slipped over the -edge, and Bennie had a sickening feeling as he saw -him disappear. When the rope was played nearly out, -Bennie started. That first step took his nerve more -than anything all day. With his stock driven into the -snow at the very edge, he had to look down to see -where to place his foot, and in doing so, he had to see -past the step, fifteen feet down to the top of Mr. -Stone’s hat, and then 300 feet to the bottom of the -drift, and then the long, white shoot of the snow-field -to the cañon hole! For one instant, Bennie’s knees -shook. Then he got a brace on himself, and began -slowly, cautiously, to creep down, testing each footing -before he pulled out his stock.</p> -<p>As soon as Dumplin’ appeared above him, he kept -an eye upward, to make sure that his stock was always -driven in when Dumplin’ changed position. And -he soon found, too, that Dumplin’ was coming very -slowly.</p> -<p>“Poor old Dump,” Bennie thought, “I bet he’s too -fat for this kind of work. I must be careful not to -go fast, and yank the rope. Might pull him off.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_252">252</div> -<p>They were about half-way down, and Bennie had -just driven his stock hard in, waiting for Dumplin’ to -shift, when he saw the snow under Dump’s foot beginning -to cave. The step had melted since morning, and -grown weak, and the boy, besides, had got his weight -too much on the very edge. Dumplin’ felt it give, too, -and with a little cry tried to get his alpenstock driven -in again.</p> -<p>“Dumplin’s slipping! Hold him, Uncle Billy!” -Bennie called.</p> -<p>Even as he spoke, the step gave way, and Dumplin’s -alpenstock, which he hadn’t been braced to drive deep -enough, gave way also. Dumplin’ began to drop! -Bennie saw him coming directly down. If he kept on, -he would hit him, and both of them would go! It was -a sickening instant, while Bennie leaned in against the -snow, braced both feet, and clung with both hands to -his stock.</p> -<p>But Dumplin’ dropped only four or five feet, and -hung there, against the slope, while Uncle Billy’s voice -came down, cool and steady, “Don’t drop your stock! -Get your foot back on a step, Dumplin’. Keep your -head!”</p> -<p>It was all over so quickly that Bennie could hardly -realize for a second just what had happened. Of -course, Uncle Billy had been anchored, and when -Dump slipped, he could only go the length of the slack -between him and the doctor! Bennie really knew that -when he called up to his uncle. But he had forgotten -everything but his instinct to cling to his stock when -Dumplin’ had actually begun to fall. He felt suddenly -sick and faint.</p> -<p>Then he said to himself, “This is no place to be -sick on! Get on to your job!”</p> -<div class="img" id="pic6"> -<img src="images/p08.jpg" alt="Looking Across Hunt’s Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line Shows Route of Climb. Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin’ Slipped." width="924" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">Looking Across Hunt’s Cove to Jefferson. Dotted Line Shows Route of Climb. Arrow Points to Place Where Dumplin’ Slipped.</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_253">253</div> -<p>He heard the doctor above and Mr. Stone below -encouraging Dumplin’, too, and he knew it was up to -him.</p> -<p>“Some old rope, Dumplin’, if it can hold you that -way,” he shouted. “Come on, now, steady. I’ll kick -the steps out bigger so’s they won’t break again.”</p> -<p>He kicked and packed them vigorously as he descended, -and soon Mr. Stone was at the bottom, and -he was within fifteen feet of it. Mr. Stone asked them -to stop for a minute while he got out of the rope and -went fifty feet out on the traverse, and took a movie -of the final stages of the descent.</p> -<p>When he got back, Dumplin’ was sitting on the -snow, very pale, but grinning as cheerfully as he -could.</p> -<p>“Rope kind of yanked me under the arms,” he said. -“But I’m all right. I won’t be so dizzy now we’re -down. I couldn’t see very well, and I guess I didn’t -get my foot far enough in on the step. It was looking -down got my goat.”</p> -<p>The doctor and his father patted his back, and once -more shifted positions on the rope.</p> -<p>“Once we get across those chutes, and it’s plain -sailing,” Uncle Billy said, as he prepared to start out -across the big snow-field, on the little path of steps he -had cut that morning. Bennie noticed that there was -a red ring around his left hand, and realized that he -had seized the rope with a lightning twist when -Dumplin’ slipped, and caught the weight that way, before -the yank came on his body, and before Dumplin’ -could get up speed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_254">254</div> -<p>“He’s some quick thinker,” Bennie reflected. “Gee, -I guess you have to be, in this game.”</p> -<p>They were now out on the big traverse. Their -morning steps were melted out deeper and larger, and -they made fairly rapid progress toward the first chute. -Nothing had come down it while they were approaching, -and nothing came as the doctor crossed. But, -once on the other side, he took his large jack-knife -from his pocket, opened it, and held it ready to cut the -rope as the others crossed, for if something should -come down large enough to stick up above the sides -while the rope was stretched across the chute, it might -pull them all down with it. Nothing at all happened, -however, either here or in the second big chute. Once -across the latter, Uncle Billy gave a sigh of relief.</p> -<p>“Well, <i>that’s</i> over!” he said. “Now we have plain -sailing.”</p> -<p>Hardly were the words out of his mouth when they -heard a crackle and roar far up on the pinnacle precipice. -Looking quickly upward, they saw snow powder, -like white smoke, rising from the base of the -cliff, and something descending toward them, not in -the chute at all, but on top of the smooth snow!</p> -<p>“Run for it!” Bennie instinctively cried, taking a -step forward that nearly yanked Dumplin’ off his feet -again.</p> -<p>“Stop!” the doctor cried, in a sharp command. -“Don’t you dare give orders again! Don’t try to run! -You’ll have us all down. Watch it, till we see just -where it is coming, and how big it is. Let it come -between us if we have to, and if it’s too big to pass -under the rope, I’ll cut. Stand ready to hold the rope -up, or move as I tell you to!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_255">255</div> -<p>The thing was coming toward them, piling up snow -in front of it. This piling up of the snow impeded its -progress and diminished its speed. It had to push its -way. Instead of coming a mile a minute, as the boys -expected it would, it came slowly enough to give them -time to estimate where it would pass.</p> -<p>“Move ahead!” the doctor snapped. “Easy, now—don’t -try to run. Don’t forget your stocks—don’t -pull on the rope. Steady!”</p> -<p>They moved forward several steps, and just as Norman, -the last one on the rope, took a long, quick stride -of two steps instead of one, the great hunk of lava, as -big as a molasses hogshead, went slowly but inexorably -downward, over the very spot where, a few seconds -before, they had stood! Slowly as it moved, -pushing the snow ahead, and piling it out on the sides, -nothing could have stood in its path. They watched -it go on down, leaving a track two feet deep behind it.</p> -<p>“There’s chute number three just started,” Norman -said.</p> -<p>They heard another crack and roar on the pinnacle -as he spoke, and looking up again saw something starting -down one of the big chutes behind them.</p> -<p>“Say, let’s get out of here!” Dumplin’ cried. “I -don’t like this.”</p> -<p>“I’m not stuck on it myself,” Uncle Billy answered. -“Forward, march!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_256">256</div> -<p>They plugged ahead to the first lava spine, and -rested a minute, looking back over the traverse. The -sun was sinking, and its rays hit the slope almost level, -making dark shadows of their steps, like a long row -of dots out across the great field of white. These dots -crossed the traverse, and then went straight up the -shoulder, and in that light the shoulder looked as perpendicular -as the side of a house.</p> -<p>“Did we go up there?” Spider exclaimed.</p> -<p>Dumplin’ took one look, and remarked, with such a -heartfelt expression that everybody laughed, “Gosh, -I don’t believe it!”</p> -<p>But there was no time for a long rest. Tired as -they were, they had to keep on going, for they were -still a long way from camp.</p> -<p>As they started across the first of the five smaller -snow traverses, it seemed to Bennie as if his back and -shoulders were one big ache every time he had to pull -out his stock from the sticky snow. Yet Uncle Billy -was moving ahead with a regular stride, and he <i>had</i> -to get his stock in and then out with one firm motion, -or else lose the step, fall behind, and make the rope -yank his uncle. He gritted his teeth and told himself -that he <i>would not</i> let that happen.</p> -<p>As they stepped up on the second lava spine, Bennie -cried, “Hello, old lava!”</p> -<p>As they reached the third spine, Dumplin’ cried, -“Hello, old lava!”</p> -<p>As they reached the fourth, Spider cried, “Hello, -old lava!”</p> -<p>“You boys seem to be glad you’re getting down,” -the doctor called back.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_257">257</div> -<p>“We’re glad we’re getting where we don’t have to -pull these stocks out of the snow in time to your -steps,” Bennie replied.</p> -<p>“Sorry to go so fast—but we must get to the horses -before dark,” his uncle answered.</p> -<p>At last they were creeping over the treacherous -slope of pumice, they were up the southwest shoulder—they -were on the lower snow-field which sloped more -gradually to timber line and the horses!</p> -<p>“Rope off!” the doctor called.</p> -<p>He coiled it up and hung it over his shoulder.</p> -<p>“Now, each man for himself,” said he, starting -down with huge strides, his boots sinking into the soft -snow, which had been frozen crust that morning, and -keeping him from sliding. The rest followed. It was -such a relief to be free of the rope and the danger -that they took a new lease of life, and almost ran -down the quarter mile to timber.</p> -<p>When they reached the poor hungry, thirsty, impatient -horses, however, the sun had sunk behind the -western mountains, and the hole of Hunt’s Cove was -already dusky.</p> -<p>“Don’t change your boots. We can’t ride down as -quickly as we can lead the horses,” the doctor commanded. -“Saddle them quickly, and come on.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_258">258</div> -<p>In the timber, too, the snow had softened, and the -horses sank knee deep. Bennie soon discovered that -a horse, which scrambles rapidly up a steep slope, goes -very slowly down it, especially when the footing is -soft snow and he doesn’t know whether he is going -to break through a long way or not. The doctor and -Norman, more used to the ways of horses, and knowing -how to manage them, were soon far ahead. Mr. -Stone was somewhere in between. The three boys -were before long so far in the rear that the leaders -had vanished. Bennie and Spider could have gone a -little faster than they did, but Dumplin’ was about all -in with weariness, and they stuck with him. By the -time they reached bare ground at the head wall of -Hunt’s Cove, it was so dusky they could just make out -the tracks. Below them, somewhere on the slope, they -could hear the leaders crashing down through the fire -scar.</p> -<p>“Come on,” Bennie urged. “We got to hurry. -Can’t see the track at all on the bare ground. It’s -dark down in the cove already.”</p> -<p>“I could hurry, but I can’t make this darn horse go -any faster. Nearly pulled my arm out dragging him,” -Spider answered.</p> -<p>The three of them started over the rim, tugging at -the reluctant horses, who wanted to pick their way -gingerly over the dead, fallen timber. The long spikes -in their boots, which had been so necessary up on the -snow, were a hindrance now. They kept catching in -the dead sticks, and half turning the boys’ ankles when -they stepped on a hard piece of lava in the dark. Several -times they tripped and fell, scratching themselves. -Once Spider’s horse slipped, knocking Spider over and -bruising his leg. At the bottom, now, they heard the -doctor calling to them.</p> -<p>“Coming as fast as we can!” Bennie yelled.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_259">259</div> -<p>It was pitch black night at the bottom of the cove, in -the heavy woods. They could just see the doctor -waiting for them. The minute they were down, he -led the way, after Norman and Mr. Stone, who had -kept on to camp. In the dark they couldn’t see the -swampy places, or the little brooks, and soon their -boots, soaked all the afternoon by snow, were full -of water, and they were wet almost to their waists. -They came to the main stream at last, and mounted -the horses, spikes or no spikes. The horses reared -and balked, and had to be kicked and driven into the -dark water, and nearly spilled their riders as they -scrambled snorting out on the farther bank.</p> -<p>Nobody had said a word for ten minutes, but now, -through the black forest ahead, they saw suddenly the -red glow of a big fire, and Bennie emitted a whoop.</p> -<p>“Hello, fire!” he yelled.</p> -<p>“Hello, food!” yelled Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“Dumplin’ has recovered,” said the doctor.</p> -<p>The boys dropped off their horses at camp—literally -dropped off. The rustler, who had stayed in -camp, took the horses back to pasture, and the doctor -and the three boys joined Norman and Mr. Stone in -front of a huge camp fire, flopped wearily on the -ground, and began to peel off their boots and stockings. -They took off their trousers, also, and got dry -clothes from their dunnage bags. Then, without even -attempting to wash the grease paint off their faces, -they flopped on the ground again beside the roaring -fire, and let the cook bring them food.</p> -<p>“If anybody speaks to me before I’ve had a cup of -coffee, I’ll bite him,” said Bennie. “I was never so -tired and cross in my life.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_260">260</div> -<p>“Nobody wants to speak to you,” Dumplin’ retorted. -“Don’t worry.”</p> -<p>“And yet,” said Uncle Billy, “if we’d really got to -the top, we’d be so set up now that we wouldn’t mind -the weariness. It’s like a crew race. You’ll notice it’s -always the losing crew which collapses at the finish -line.”</p> -<p>“I’d like to try it again, from a base camp at timber -line,” Norman said. “That would give us two hours -more of daylight at each end. We could do it easily -with that.”</p> -<p>“If anybody talks about climbing Jefferson again, -he’s in danger of his life,” Bennie retorted.</p> -<p>“Well, well, Bennie has had enough exercise for -once!” Mr. Stone smiled. “He must have had—he -hasn’t even spoken to poor Jeff.”</p> -<p>“Oh, gee, I was so tired I forgot him!” Bennie -cried, jumping up with sudden energy. “Where is -he, cook? What you done with him?”</p> -<p>“Whined so I tied him up down the creek a bit,” the -cook answered. He, too, was cross, because he had to -get supper so late.</p> -<p>Bennie grabbed a lantern, and went off into the -woods, calling, “Jeff, Jeff!” Those in camp heard a -far-off yelp of greeting, and a few minutes later Bennie -returned, with Jeff at his heels, and lay down by -the fire again with the dog’s head snuggled up to him.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_261">261</div> -<p>It was after ten o’clock when supper was finished. -The six climbers took enough water from the stove to -wash the worst of the grease paint from their faces, -and without any further preparation for bed pulled -off their clothes, got into their pyjamas, crawled, stiff -and lame and aching in every joint, with cracked and -bleeding lips, and red, smarting eyes, into their sleeping -bags, and almost before their heads touched the -little air pillows were fast asleep.</p> -<p>Bennie had started to remark to Spider, as he got -into bed, that real mountain climbing was the hardest -work there was, but he forgot what he was going to -say before he could open his mouth. And, if he had -said it, nobody would have been awake enough to -listen.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_262">262</div> -<h2 id="c23">CHAPTER XXIII -<br /><span class="sc">The Summit is Conquered</span>!</h2> -<p>The doctor and Mr. Stone let the boys sleep late -the next morning. The sun was high when they -finally arose, and tumbled out into the ice-cold water -of the creek for a good scrub with soap. After the -bath, and a hot breakfast, they all felt cheerful and -fairly fit again. The aches of the night before had -somehow vanished, though their lips were still cracked -and their noses were peeling.</p> -<p>“By Jiminy,” said Bennie, as he scraped the breakfast -plates to feed Jeff, “I believe I’d like to climb the -old mountain again, after all. I sure do hate to go -away from here and admit it beat us.”</p> -<p>“Me, too,” said Spider.</p> -<p>“Well, I know when I’m licked,” Dumplin’ put in. -“I guess if you’d been dizzy and if you’d slipped the -way I did, you wouldn’t be so keen to go back.”</p> -<p>“You’ve got more weight to cart up than we have,” -Spider laughed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_263">263</div> -<p>“That’s no joke, either,” said the doctor. “Dumplin’ -needs a lot of training down before he tackles a -climb like Jefferson. It isn’t his fault he was dizzy, or -that he got so tired. Some people are always dizzy at -high altitudes, anyhow. I wouldn’t let him try it again -in his present shape. But if you other boys are game, -and Stone is game, I’d like to tackle the mountain -from a base camp where we tethered the horses. That -will keep us here two days longer, so we won’t have -time to get in to see Mount Hood close to. You’ll have -to decide whether you’d rather reach the top of Jefferson, -or see Hood. Those in favor say ‘Aye.’”</p> -<p>“Aye!”</p> -<p>“Aye!”</p> -<p>“Aye!”</p> -<p>“Aye!”</p> -<p>“The ‘ayes’ have it,” the doctor laughed. “Well, -Norman, we’ll take up a tent and bedding right after -lunch. We’ll sleep at timber line tonight, and again -tomorrow night. Have two horses sent up day after -tomorrow morning, at daybreak, to get the stuff, and -have the rest of the train packed and waiting at the -head of the cove. We’ll make our getaway over the -head wall by seven or eight o’clock. I’m going to try -to get out by the short trail, day after tomorrow, snow -or no snow.”</p> -<p>Everybody lay around all that morning, in the shade -of the woods, resting. After lunch, the largest tent, -some grub, the sleeping bags, and a few cooking utensils -were packed on two horses, while the climbers -toted their climbing boots (now dried and oiled again), -and a change of clothes in their packs. Nothing else -was taken except the necessary climbing equipment—not -even cameras. Dumplin’ went along to spend the -night with them, and have supper ready for them -when they got down the next evening. He was pretty -blue at the idea of being left behind, and kept saying, -“I bet I could do it this time, and not get dizzy.” But -his father and the doctor wouldn’t say he could go.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_264">264</div> -<p>They got the tent pitched as near timber line as they -could find a level, dry spot, and spent the latter part -of the afternoon gathering fuel and melting snow for -water. The two horses, of course, had been taken -back down the slope by the guide. The six of them -were alone, in the chill silence at the edge of the eternal -snows, with the mountain rising right above them, -white and naked, to the glittering pinnacle. While -supper was cooking, Bennie and Spider walked up a -few hundred feet on the lower snow-field, glanced back -at the tumbled wilderness of forest and mountain and -cañon, stretching south to the white pyramids of the -Three Sisters, and then looked long upward at the -pinnacle, pink with sunset.</p> -<p>“Gosh!” Bennie exclaimed, “what a lot of wild -country! Do you realize, Spider, that we haven’t met -a human being since we left Marion Lake?”</p> -<p>“You forget the chap in the aeroplane,” Spider -laughed. “Well, we came out here to see the wilderness, -didn’t we?”</p> -<p>“You bet we did! And tomorrow we’re going to -tackle old Jefferson again. You know, I feel just as -if it was a kind of fight. I bet other mountaineers -feel that way, too. That’s why it’s such fun.”</p> -<p>“<i>Other</i> mountaineers is good,” Spider replied. -“You talk as if you were a Swiss Guide.”</p> -<p>“Well, I feel as if I could be one, when we get -through with this old ant-hill,” Bennie laughed. “I -bet that pinnacle is going to be a sockdologer!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_265">265</div> -<p>Spider’s face was sober. “I’m kind of scared of it, -I don’t mind admitting. I don’t blame poor old Dump -a bit for getting dizzy. I don’t get dizzy, but when I -think how easy it would be to slip, I kind of get hollow -in the pit of my stomach.”</p> -<p>Bennie was about to answer, when he heard a bark -down the slope, and looking back saw Jeff bounding -up the snow! The pup had broken loose back at the -camp (or the cook had let him loose), and he had followed -the tracks up here. He fell upon Bennie with -yelps of joy.</p> -<p>“Well, that pup loves you, if nobody else does,” -Spider laughed. “Dumplin’ will have to sit on him -all day tomorrow.”</p> -<p>With the setting of the sun, it grew very cold up -here under the snow-fields. They all huddled around -the fire to eat, and soon after supper took off nothing -but their boots and crawled into bed with even their -sweaters on. The six sleeping bags had been packed -into the one tent, so there was no free floor space at -all. The first man in couldn’t get out without stepping -on all the rest. Poor Jeff, driven outside, snuggled -down against the tent on the lee side, out of the wind, -and so the night was passed, none too comfortably by -anybody.</p> -<p>They were up with the first daylight, built the fire, -and cooked breakfast. Then Jeff was tied with a -piece of the tent guy ropes, and Dumplin’ came with -them as far as the southwest shoulder, where they -roped.</p> -<p>“Don’t let Jeff get away and follow us!” was Bennie’s -parting word.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_266">266</div> -<p>“He might use my alpenstock, and make it all -right,” said Dumplin’, trying to seem cheerful as he -saw the rest leaving him. “I’ll watch for you, and -have hot supper ready,” he added, waving his -hand.</p> -<p>“Good old Dump!” Bennie said, as they moved out -on the pumice. “Too bad he can’t come along.”</p> -<p>“He’ll be all right in a year or two, after we get the -fat off him, and get him hardened up. He’s grown too -fast,” said Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>Whether it was because they were now more used -to the trick, or because Dumplin’ was not on the rope -to hold them back, or because the steps had not entirely -melted away since the day before yesterday, making -the doctor’s work easier, or because of all three reasons, -they made faster time than before, and didn’t -need to rest so long or so often. But they had four -rock chutes to cross instead of two. The one which -had been started by the big lava chunk which nearly -hit them was now four feet deep, and a fourth one -had been ploughed, also. But nothing was coming -down them yet, for they reached the traverse long before -the sun’s rays got in on that side. They were up -on the northwest shoulder at 10:30, and at the base of -the pinnacle at noon.</p> -<p>Once at the foot of that terrific incline, both the -scouts felt suddenly weak in the knees.</p> -<p>“Like the looks of it?” the doctor asked.</p> -<p>“I do not!” Bennie answered. “I’d about as soon -try to climb the outside of the Washington Monument. -But if you say people have done it, I guess we can. -It’s a fight, and I ain’t licked yet!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_267">267</div> -<p>The doctor let them rest before they tackled the -pinnacle, and gave his orders. “I’ll go ahead and cut -the steps. You, Bennie, will anchor, and play me out -the rope, and don’t you come on a step till I tell you. -Then Stone will play you out till you get to the platform -I’ve made for you. Then Spider plays him out, -then Norman plays Spider out. We won’t have more -than one of the five of us moving at any one time, in -other words.”</p> -<p>The doctor rose, and began to hack steps into the -snow, in front of his face, on the precipitous incline. -He had to cut them deep, to get a firm footing, and it -was slow work. Before he was quite played out on -his twenty feet of rope, he cut an extra large step, -like a little platform, and then moved up a couple of -steps, and told Bennie to climb to the platform. Bennie -did so, while Mr. Stone played him out. Then -Bennie anchored firmly on the platform, and let his -uncle cut his way up fifteen or twenty feet farther. -Bennie then stepped up two steps, and let Mr. Stone -climb to the first platform. Once on it, Mr. Stone -played Bennie up, till he was on a second little platform, -just behind the doctor. Then the doctor moved -ahead twenty feet higher, Bennie moved, Mr. Stone -climbed to platform number two, and they all anchored -hard, and waited till Spider reached platform number -one. In this way, only one man ever climbing at a -time, with the rest anchored, they crept slowly up the -wall of icy snow. In two places, it was, in fact, not -snow but actual ice, and the doctor had to hack out the -steps and could not use his stock as he climbed. He -had to depend on the spikes in his boots entirely, because -he carried no ice ax. Bennie, below him, watched -with terror in his heart, and clung to his alpenstock -with a rigid grip. If his uncle slipped, nothing would -save him but that stock! If Bennie’s grip gave way, -they would both go, and maybe pull down all the rest! -Here was a battle indeed, here was a fight with the -mountain where every single step you took had to be -just right, or you were gone! Bennie didn’t dare look -down. He kept his eyes fixed on his uncle’s boot soles -above him, and refused even to look off to right and -left. He didn’t dare.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_268">268</div> -<p>They climbed steadily, and in silence, except for the -orders to each man when he was to advance. Their -faces were set and grim. Bennie felt the strain. He -was getting tired rapidly, not from the physical effort, -which wasn’t really great except for the doctor, but -from the mental effort, the incessant concentration on -every step he took. At last, after an hour and a half, -the doctor went over the top, and shouted back a loud -“Hurrah!” Bennie followed him over, and one by -one the rest came on, to fall at once down on the snow.</p> -<p>After a long moment, Bennie sat up and looked -around him. At first he felt as if he were riding in -an airship in the sky. The summit cap of snow was -small, and on every side ended in a sharp edge—the -edge of a precipice!</p> -<p>“Look at old Hood up there!” his uncle cried, -pointing north. “Seems near enough to touch today, -and it’s fifty miles off.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_269">269</div> -<p>“I don’t want to look at it,” Bennie answered. “I -don’t want to look at anything. Gosh, I don’t like -this place!”</p> -<p>“I don’t care for it much myself,” Mr. Stone confessed. -“You could roll over twice here, and commit -suicide with the greatest ease.”</p> -<p>“But we got here!” Spider exclaimed. “I’m glad -we got here! We’ve beat the old mountain!”</p> -<p>“Now you’re talking,” said Uncle Billy. “You’ll -all like it better when we are down again. Well, come -on, let’s start then, if you don’t care for my view.”</p> -<p>They now reversed positions on the rope, Norman -going first, and facing in against the cliff almost as -you descend a ladder, crawled down as slowly as they -had crawled up. But it was even more trying to Bennie, -because he had to look down for each step, and -he had to watch the man descending below him, when -he was anchored, in order to brace extra firmly in case -of a slip. He didn’t get dizzy, but at every step he -had to fight a kind of nausea, as if he was going to -be sick, especially when he was obliged to lower himself -over the two ice walls, with only his spikes to hold -him, and the rope, played out by the man above. -When they were all at the bottom again, he felt faint, -and sat down on the snow a moment, to get back the -strength in his legs.</p> -<p>“Well, boys,” he heard his uncle say, “you’ve done -what mighty few people do any one season. But -we’re not through yet. We’ve got to get home, you -know.”</p> -<p>Bennie got up quickly. “I’m all right,” he said. -“Lead the way!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_270">270</div> -<p>At half-past four o’clock they were back again at -the point on the shoulder where they lunched two days -before, and here they rested fifteen minutes, and ate -the small portions of food they had brought. Nobody -was really hungry, however, and soon they were -starting down the drift where Dumplin’ slipped. Out -across the traverse they went, got over the chutes without -accident, though twice they were barely over when -great toboggans of ice came whizzing down, and at -seven o’clock reached the southwest shoulder. Far -below, at timber line, they saw Dumplin’ building up -the fire, and they saw, too, his tracks up here in the -snow.</p> -<p>“He was up here watching us crossing the traverse,” -Bennie said. “He beat it down to cook supper. -Good old Dump—wish he could have been with -us.”</p> -<p>Off came the rope now, and with wet boots and -cracked faces and aching backs and smarting eyes, -they half ran, half tumbled, down the last snow-field -to the camp, and walked into the odor of boiling -coffee and sizzling bacon, while Jeff, released from his -tether, came yelping to meet them.</p> -<p>“I saw you on top!” Dumplin’ said. “I spent half -the day up on the shoulder. I couldn’t see you climb -the pinnacle, but I saw you on top. You didn’t stay -there long.”</p> -<p>“Bennie didn’t like it,” his uncle laughed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_271">271</div> -<p>“I’ll say I didn’t!” Bennie cried. “Gee, Dump, -I’m not fat like you, and I guess I’m in pretty good -condition, but I kept feeling all the way up and down -that old pinnacle as if I was going to be dizzy the -next minute.”</p> -<p>“That’s not a matter of condition with you—it’s a -matter of nerves,” said his uncle.</p> -<p>“I felt so, too,” Spider put in. “Whenever I -looked down, and couldn’t help thinking what would -happen if I fell, then I got kind of sick inside. But -when I was just thinking about my next step, I was -all right.”</p> -<p>“And nothing happened,” the doctor added. -“Climbing is safe enough if you know how to climb, -if you are in good physical condition, and if you can -control your nerves. But you can no more tackle a -climb like this safely without a guide who knows the -technique than you can fly an aeroplane without practice. -The accidents happen either to people who try to -climb without knowing the tricks, or to people who -aren’t in good shape for the hard work, or to people -who can’t keep their nerves under control and take -each step slowly, carefully and firmly.”</p> -<p>“What made me so tired at the top?” Bennie asked. -“I was twice as tired then as I am now. Was it the -altitude?”</p> -<p>“No,” said his uncle. “Ten thousand five hundred -feet wouldn’t bother you a bit. It was because you -are still a green climber and you were fighting your -nerves all the way up the pinnacle. Nothing is such -hard work as fighting your own nerves.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_272">272</div> -<p>“Well, I’ll tell the world my old nerves put up a -good scrap, then!” Bennie laughed. “Anyhow, Spider -and I aren’t so green as we were three days ago. -I wish the Boy Scouts gave merit badges for mountain -climbing. I bet we could get one.”</p> -<p>“Why don’t they give badges for that, I wonder?” -Mr. Stone said.</p> -<p>The doctor shook his head. “Too dangerous,” was -his comment. “How many scout masters could you -find who are really skilled mountain climbers? Think -what would probably happen if a green climber tried -to take a bunch of scouts up Jefferson. They’d all -land down in the cañon. And rock climbing is just as -dangerous.”</p> -<p>“How would you get up the pinnacle if it was all -ice, the way it was in a couple of places?” Spider -asked. “I mean, so hard, you couldn’t drive your -stock in, and the man below you couldn’t either?”</p> -<p>“You’d have to use ice axes,” the doctor replied. -“An ice ax has a long handle, and on the back of the -blade is a long, sharp, slightly curved point, like a -railroad spike. You cut your steps with the blade, and -then you use this point, driven in above you, to anchor -with. That’s what they use in the Alps, where so -much of the climbing is on glacier ice.”</p> -<p>“Well, Spider, we’ll have to go to Switzerland next, -and climb some old glaciers,” Bennie grinned.</p> -<p>“And a few spitzes,” Spider answered.</p> -<p>It was bitter cold again that night, and soon after -supper they all crawled into their sleeping bags. They -were so weary, however, that even the cold could not -keep them awake.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_273">273</div> -<h2 id="c24">CHAPTER XXIV -<br /><span class="sc">Back Over the Divide—A Horse Turns Three Somersaults Down the Snow Slope</span></h2> -<p>The doctor, as usual, was first up. He rose at -dawn, got the fire and the breakfast started, and -then routed out the rest. The peak of Jefferson above -them was hidden in mist, and Hunt’s Cove below was -filled with white cloud, also. In fact, they looked out -over a billowing sea of white, with the sharp lava -spires of Three Fingered Jack to the south, rising up -like an island.</p> -<p>“Looks like a phantom ship,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>They were scarcely through breakfast, when they -heard horses coming up through the timber, and soon -the guide appeared, leading a couple of pack animals -to take the luggage down. An hour later they were -once more in Hunt’s Cove. The luggage was repacked, -the boys unscrewed the spikes from their boots and -mounted into the saddle again, and Norman led the -way almost due south, following a trail up the head -wall, instead of trying to get back as they had entered -across Grizzly Flats.</p> -<p>“We can get back to the cars this afternoon this -way—if we can cross at all,” he said. “But I won’t -promise we can cross, doctor. A week ago you -couldn’t get up on the other side.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_274">274</div> -<p>“Just the same, we’ll try it,” the doctor replied. -“Bennie needs some exercise.”</p> -<p>For the next few miles they traveled through woods -and across open upland meadows, riding on deep snow. -In the hot glare of the sun, they had to put on their -glasses again, and repaint their faces. Their lips once -more cracked open, and their noses were burnt a still -brighter brick red. Then they came to the crest of the -Divide, below the long south shoulder of Jefferson, -and started down. They realized at once why Norman -said it was impossible a week ago to climb up -here. There was a drop of a couple of hundred feet -where the trail was completely buried in a huge drift, -which, Norman said, a week before had an overhang -at the top, completely preventing any horse getting -over. But this cornice had now melted and collapsed. -They dismounted, grasped their horses by the bridles, -and started down, taking the slope at an angle to -lessen the pitch. The saddle horses got down well -enough, but the pack horses, with the top-heavy loads -on their backs, could not keep their footing so well, -and half-way down one of them fell. He turned three -complete somersaults as he pitched headlong. At first -the load held, but at the second somersault the hitch -slipped, and out burst the load, scattering and tobogganing -in all directions—two rolled-up sleeping bags, -a tent, alpenstocks, a dunnage bag, a coffee-pot, and -what canned goods were still left in their provision -supply.</p> -<div class="img" id="pic7"> -<img src="images/p09.jpg" alt="Crossing the Divide near Mount Jefferson on July 25th. Three Fingered Jack in the Distance." width="929" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">Crossing the Divide near Mount Jefferson on July 25th. Three Fingered Jack in the Distance.</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_275">275</div> -<p>The terrified animal landed in a small fir tree at the -bottom, scrambled to his feet apparently unhurt—and -made a dash right back up the slope! His fall, his -snorts, his sudden dash, threw a scare into the other -horses. The saddle horses, of course, were being led, -and couldn’t get away, but the pack horses dashed -after him.</p> -<p>“Quick!” shouted Norman, “give all the saddle -horses’ bridles to one man, and then head ’em off!”</p> -<p>Everybody led his horse quickly to the cook, who -tied the bridles to a tree, and then the men and boys -ran up the slope as fast as they could, some going to -the right, some to the left, in order to surround and -get ahead of the runaways, and drive them back.</p> -<p>It was hard work. The snow was deep and soft -and wet, the slope very steep, and a frightened horse, -with four legs, can climb faster than a man with two. -Jeff didn’t help any. He merely dashed wildly around, -barking loudly, without sense to head the horses -back.</p> -<p>“Call off that chickadee hound!” panted the doctor -to Bennie.</p> -<p>The first horse, minus his load, actually got back to -the top, and scrambled over, before he could be headed. -Norman and Bennie followed him, sneaking on either -side through the trees, for a quarter of a mile before -he stopped abruptly at a spot where the snow was -melted, and began to eat grass. Then they crept up on -him, got hold of his rope bridle, and led him back.</p> -<p>By the time the train was rounded up again, everybody -was reeking wet with perspiration from their -knees up, and soaking wet with snow water from their -knees down.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_276">276</div> -<p>“My head is burning, and my feet freezing, and oh, -boy, for a drink!” Bennie exclaimed.</p> -<p>The scattered luggage was collected, the horse repacked, -and they moved on. In less than a mile of -rapidly dropping trail the snow ceased entirely. The -trail grew dry and dusty. The yellow pines began to -appear again, and they came to a little lake at the head -of a cañon—and everybody, horses and men and boys, -drank and drank and drank.</p> -<p>After that there was no more snow, and before long -the trail was in a forest of yellow pines, and wide as a -country road, and all except the rustler and the cook, -who had to look after the pack horses, broke into a -trot.</p> -<p>In a couple of hours they reached a fine, clear, racing -brook, and a Forest Service camp ground. Across -the brook was a real road. The doctor and Mr. Stone -trotted on three or four miles to get the cars, while -the rest waited for the pack horses, and when they -arrived got the packs off and sorted.</p> -<p>When the cars came back, the baggage was transferred -to them, the boys said good-bye to Norman, -Bennie made the cook shake hands with Jeff, and sinking -back into the cushions of the motor cars, the boys -sighed with the sudden sense of luxury.</p> -<p>“Beats the saddle of an old cayuse, when you’re -tired,” Dumplin’ called from his father’s car.</p> -<p>“Just the same, I’m awful sorry it’s all over,” said -Bennie. “I never have worked so hard in all my -life—and I never had such a wonderful time.”</p> -<p>“Me, too,” said Spider.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_277">277</div> -<p>“You’ve got a good time coming, and in about one -hour, or less,” said Uncle Billy. “I don’t know -whether you’ve noticed that lunch was pretty sketchy -today.”</p> -<p>“Sketchy is the word,” Bennie answered. “Gee, -it’s three o’clock, and we haven’t had a thing since -five <span class="sc">A. M.</span>”</p> -<p>“You wait,” laughed the doctor. “I’ve got a surprise -for you.”</p> -<p>In a short time he stopped the car at a ranch house -beside the great springs of the Metolius River, which -gush right up out of the open ground of a green -meadow in the heart of the forest, irrigating the whole -meadow and making a rich oasis of grass and crops -in the arid soil.</p> -<p>“Dinner ready?” he called to a woman on the -porch.</p> -<p>“All ready,” she answered.</p> -<p>“How did you order dinner here?” demanded Bennie.</p> -<p>“Radio,” the doctor grinned.</p> -<p>“He telephoned from the Ranger Station when he -went for the car, you poor fish,” Spider said.</p> -<p>The two men and three boys washed up and went -into the dining-room. There, on a table with a real -cloth, was a huge dinner—steak, fried potatoes, green -vegetables, hot biscuit, berries. They ate and ate, and -when the food was gone the woman of the house reappeared -bearing a huge lemon pie, with browned -meringue three-quarters of an inch thick, all covered -with little golden drops like honey.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_278">278</div> -<p>“Wow!” yelled Dumplin’. “Lemon pie!”</p> -<p>“Oh,” sighed Bennie, “why did I eat so much -steak!”</p> -<p>“I’ll take Bennie’s piece, then,” said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“I’d like to see you try!” Bennie answered.</p> -<p>When the pie was gone, everybody sat back and -sighed with content.</p> -<p>“That pie was almost as wonderful as Mount Jefferson,” -Bennie declared.</p> -<p>“And it didn’t make me dizzy,” said Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“It’s the kind Mother made,” said Mr. Stone.</p> -<p>“Gosh, I wish <i>my</i> mother could!” Spider exclaimed.</p> -<p>“It was a good pie,” said the doctor, “but don’t -forget you’ve lived on camp fare for a week. It would -have seemed pretty good if it hadn’t been as good as -it was.”</p> -<p>“Don’t try to run that pie down, Billy,” Mr. Stone -declared. “I will defend that pie with my last breath.”</p> -<p>“All I can say is this——” Bennie began impressively.</p> -<p>“Yes?” the rest prompted.</p> -<p>“I am satisfied with Oregon,” he finished.</p> -<p>“It’s the lemon pie!” laughed Dumplin’.</p> -<p>They rolled into Bend at nine that evening, Jeff was -left to sleep in the car at the garage, and for the next -hour there was a grand splashing in bathtubs, a washing -of clothes, a shaving by the two men, who hadn’t -shaved for a week, a patching of burnt noses and -cracked lips with salve, and a general clean-up and -overhauling.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_279">279</div> -<p>“Oh, dear!” sighed Bennie, “it’s almost over! I -wish we hadn’t been able to get over the Divide today, -so’s we’d been forced to go back over Grizzly -Flats. That would have kept us out three days more. -I don’t want to sleep in an old bed, with sheets!”</p> -<p>“I guess it won’t keep you awake,” laughed Spider. -“If it does, I’ll set up the sodas tomorrow.”</p> -<p>But he didn’t have to.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_280">280</div> -<h2 id="c25">CHAPTER XXV -<br /><span class="sc">Bennie Loses Jeff, but Brings Home Something Else to Last Him Many Years</span></h2> -<p>The doctor routed everybody out at five the next -morning.</p> -<p>“It’s the last time, boys,” he said. “But we’ve got -to get an early start today. I must make The Dalles -tonight, and Portland tomorrow night. My vacation -is over then.”</p> -<p>“Don’t go back on <i>my</i> account,” said Bennie. “I’ll -stick around the mountains another week or two with -you, if you really want me to.”</p> -<p>“Yes, and I’ll stick, too,” Spider laughed.</p> -<p>“I wish we could,” Uncle Billy answered. “But -while we’re getting hard and healthy, a lot of folks up -in Portland are getting sick, so you see I have to be -back. Hustle along, boys. No time to lose!”</p> -<p>It was so early that they had to get breakfast at an -all-night lunch room, where Bennie bought some meat -scraps for Jeff, who was still on the job. He had -slept in the car that night.</p> -<p>“Good gracious, are you really going to take that -mutt back with you?” his uncle demanded. “All the -way East?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_281">281</div> -<p>“You’ve said it. Why, I bet he’d follow the train, -if I didn’t take him. He appreciates me at my true -value, this blooded collie does, don’t you, Jeff, old -thing?”</p> -<p>Jeff responded by leaping up and licking his face.</p> -<p>They were off at six, and rode all day northward -through the “desert” country, sometimes down in -the bottom of bare, desolate looking cañons, sometimes -up on the plateau where nothing but endless miles of -sage brush lay between them and the Cascades. In -the morning Jefferson was the nearest mountain, and -they could see the whole eastern face, snow-white and -precipitous, with the summit pinnacle looking from -this distance like a tiny little white button on top. -Later they had to descend by a long, winding road cut -out of the bank, without any guard rails, into the -Deschutes Cañon, across the river on a bridge, and -climb out on the other side. As afternoon came on, -Jefferson dropped behind them, and Mount Hood grew -nearer, 11,225 feet of snow, shaped like an almost perfect -pyramid.</p> -<p>Again they descended into a cañon, and climbed out -of it for six miles by a road so steep that they had to -keep in low speed all the way, so narrow Bennie prayed -they wouldn’t meet anybody, and without any sign -of a guard rail, or fence, or wall, to keep a car from -skidding off into the hole below.</p> -<p>“Say, if I drove a car out here much, I’d have -nervous prostration,” Spider said, as Uncle Billy -crawled past a descending Ford, with his right wheels -about eight inches from the rim of the cañon.</p> -<p>“And if I had to drive down Fifth Avenue, I’d -probably have it,” the doctor laughed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_282">282</div> -<p>The sun was setting as they finally came into a -region of orchards and endless grain fields, hit a good -road, and whizzed rapidly down hill, steeper and -steeper, into the gorge of the Columbia River, and ran -right into a thriving, lively town called The Dalles.</p> -<p>While the cars were being looked after in a garage, -Bennie went to a butcher’s shop to get some more food -for Jeff, fed him, and put him up in the car again, for -the night. Then they all went to the hotel, registered, -got the dust off their faces and clothes, and went in -to dinner.</p> -<p>The next morning Jeff was not in the car. The -garage man said he stayed there a while the night before, -and then, when nobody was looking, evidently -jumped out and ran away.</p> -<p>“Oh, gee, he was looking for me!” Bennie cried. -“I ought to have tied him. Poor old Jeff, he’s just -hunting for me, all over this town!”</p> -<p>“Too bad,” said Uncle Billy. “But he’ll find a -home somewhere—he seems to make friends easily, -and your mother’ll be awful glad.”</p> -<p>“Well, I got to find him. Please drive around -town while I look for him!”</p> -<p>“But I have to be back in Portland, Bennie. I’ve -got to be at the hospital tomorrow morning.”</p> -<p>“Aw, just ten minutes! Please!”</p> -<p>“Well, we’ll take a look. Get in.”</p> -<p>They started slowly down a residential street, Bennie -hanging out of the car and whistling. One block, -two blocks, three blocks they went, turned a corner, -and began on another street.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_283">283</div> -<p>Suddenly Spider gave a yell. “Hi, Bennie, there’s -your pup!”</p> -<p>The doctor stopped. Sure enough, in a yard beside -a small house, playing with a boy of ten, was Jeff!</p> -<p>Bennie jumped out, ran to the gate, and whistled.</p> -<p>Jeff cocked his ears, looked toward Bennie, wagged -his tail, took three jumps toward the fence—and then -turned around and went back to the small boy!</p> -<p>“Sure, Bennie, that dog would follow your train -all the way to Chicago,” laughed Spider.</p> -<p>“He appreciates you at your true worth,” called -Uncle Billy.</p> -<p>“Just the same, he’s my dog, and I’m going to have -him!” Bennie said, angrily, laying his hand on the -gate.</p> -<p>“Hold on,” said his uncle. “Is he your dog? -Where did you get him? Seems to me <i>he</i> has most to -say about whose dog he is. He chose you, so’s he -could get a trip to the mountains, and now you’ve quit -camping, he’s chosen this kid.”</p> -<p>“Well, he chose me first.”</p> -<p>“Come here, son,” the doctor called to the small -boy, who came to the gate, Jeff at his heels. “Where -did you get this dog?”</p> -<p>“He followed me home from the store last night,” -said the boy. “He’s a fine dog. Is he yours?”</p> -<p>“He’s mine,” said Bennie, sternly. “Come here, -Jeff!”</p> -<p>At the sound of his angry voice, Jeff got behind the -small boy’s legs.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_284">284</div> -<p>“I didn’t do nothin’ to make him follow me,” the -little fellow said. “Honest, I didn’t. He just came. -Ma said I could keep him. I—I never had a dog.”</p> -<p>He was almost in tears, both because he thought he -was being accused of stealing Jeff, and because he -feared they were going to take his new pet away.</p> -<p>“Have a heart, Bennie,” Spider said. “He wants -the pup worse than you do.”</p> -<p>Bennie hesitated, but his fondness for Jeff was too -much. “No, sir, he’s my dog,” he declared.</p> -<p>“Let Jeff decide it,” said Uncle Billy. “He doesn’t -really belong to either one of you. That’s fair, isn’t -it?”</p> -<p>“Yes, I guess so,” Bennie confessed.</p> -<p>“Now, you go ten feet up the sidewalk. Son, you -walk down as far as that tree. Spider, hold Jeff till -they are set. Now, both of you, call him!”</p> -<p>“Here, Jeff! Here, Jeff!” called Bennie.</p> -<p>“Come here, Buster, Buster!” called the little boy.</p> -<p>Spider released Jeff as they called—and the pup -jumped up and licked Spider’s face!</p> -<p>“Gee whiz, he’s <i>my</i> dog!” Spider shouted, while -the doctor sat in the car and roared with laughter.</p> -<p>“Try again,” he said, after a second.</p> -<p>The two boys called once more, and Jeff, without -hesitating longer, sprang to the little fellow, nearly -knocking him down.</p> -<p>“All right, you keep him,” Bennie declared. “He’s -a fool pup. I won’t guarantee he’ll not run away from -you tomorrow.”</p> -<p>“I bet he <i>won’t</i>!” the little chap declared, throwing -his arms around Jeff’s neck.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_285">285</div> -<p>Bennie didn’t look back.</p> -<p>“Yes,” Uncle Billy mused, “Jeff certainly regarded -you at your true worth, Bennie. He was certainly -a one-man dog, too, true to his master till -death.”</p> -<p>“Aw, quit it,” Bennie pleaded. “I always really -knew he was a mutt, but I—I was kind o’ fond of him, -just the same.”</p> -<p>“Never mind,” said Spider, “you’ve done your -good turn for today. You’ve given him to that -kid.”</p> -<p>“Yes, I have!” said the honest Bennie. “He did -the good turn, I’ll say. He gave <i>himself</i> to the kid. -A lot I had to do with it!”</p> -<p>They picked up the Stone car at the garage again, -and set off at last for Portland, down the Columbia -Highway, which is one of the finest motor roads in the -world. It is laid out beside the great green river, -sometimes down on the bank, beside the railroad, -sometimes climbing up a thousand feet to the top of -the cliffs, sometimes cut out of the sides of the cliffs, -sometimes having to go right through a headland of -lava by a tunnel. All the way through the Columbia -gorge, from The Dalles nearly to Portland, the car -rolled along the wide macadam highway, with the -green river on one side, and the towering cliffs and -waterfalls on the other, or else climbed up and down -these cliffs by cleverly engineered grades.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_286">286</div> -<p>The highest waterfall they passed was Multnomah, -which dropped hundreds and hundreds of feet over the -cliff, almost on the very road. And near it were several -superb basaltic lava pinnacles, towering 2,000 feet -above the car.</p> -<p>“Oh, Uncle Billy, haven’t we time to stop and have -a try at that one?” Bennie cried, pointing to a great -dome-like pinnacle which jutted out from the cliff like -the tower at the front of a church.</p> -<p>“That’s St. Peter’s Dome,” his uncle said. “We -wouldn’t have time to climb that if we had a year. -Nobody has ever succeeded in getting up it.”</p> -<p>“Why not?”</p> -<p>“Because a couple of hundred feet or so below the -top, it is not only perpendicular all around, but the -wall overhangs a shade. Nobody can climb an overhung -precipice. I suppose we could carry up a coast -guard mortar, and shoot a rope over the top, and then -hoist you up in a breeches buoy, maybe. But I’m -afraid there won’t be time to do that today.”</p> -<p>“You folks out here have it pretty soft, I’ll say,” -Bennie commented.</p> -<p>“How’s that?”</p> -<p>“Why, all you have to do is get in a car and drive -out a few miles on a macadam road, and there you are -right at the foot of rock climbs so hard nobody has -ever climbed ’em! Out East, we either have to sail to -Europe and tackle the—the Spitzes, or else ride 3,000 -miles across the U. S. A. when we want a climb. -I’m going to get a job in Oregon when I get through -school.”</p> -<p>“So you’re satisfied with Oregon?” his uncle -laughed.</p> -<p>“I’ll tell the world I am!” Bennie answered.</p> -<div class="img" id="pic8"> -<img src="images/p10.jpg" alt="Saint Peter’s Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far Distance." width="926" height="600" /> -<p class="caption">Saint Peter’s Dome and Columbia River. Mount Adams in Far Distance.</p> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_287">287</div> -<p>They rolled into Portland in time for dinner, which -they all ate at Dumplin’s house. The next day the -scouts spent in packing their trunks, and seeing the -city with Dumplin’ for a guide. They took the evening -limited for home. The doctor took them to the -depot, and Mr. Stone and Dumplin’ came down to see -them off. The depot was full of men and women, in -khaki clothes, with packs and alpenstocks. They were -members of the Mazamas, going to take another train -to get them to Diamond Peak, for a week’s climbing.</p> -<p>“If one of them spoke a kind word to me, I’d swap -my ticket East in three and four-fifths seconds, and -go with ’em,” Bennie declared. “I don’t want to go -home, Uncle Billy.”</p> -<p>“Don’t you want to see your father and mother?” -the doctor asked.</p> -<p>“And get your little old Algebra out and nicely -dusted?” added Dumplin’.</p> -<p>“’Course I want to see the folks, but I don’t want -to leave these old mountains,” Bennie answered. “I -guess Spider and I will never forget old Jefferson. -And say, Mr. Stone, don’t you forget you’re going -to send us the movie films when they’re printed. -We’ll have ’em at the Town Hall, for the benefit of -the Boy Scouts.”</p> -<p>“I won’t forget. And don’t you forget you’re coming -back some day.”</p> -<p>“A swell chance of forgetting that!” laughed Bennie. -“And don’t forget, Dump, that you’re coming -East to college, with Spider and me.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_288">288</div> -<p>The train was made up now. The boys shook hands -and shouted a dozen more messages of farewell as -they went through the gates and climbed aboard.</p> -<p>It was dark when the train got up into the Columbia -gorge. They saw no more of the Cascade Mountains. -The next ones they saw were the Rockies. There was -little snow left now, in mid-August, on the Rockies.</p> -<p>“Give me the old Cascades,” said Bennie.</p> -<p>“Just the same, I’d like to stop off a few days and -climb the Rockies, and see Glacier Park, and Yellowstone -Park, and the Grand Canyon, and——”</p> -<p>“Did you say a few days?” Bennie laughed. “Spider, -you and I have got to get busy the next few years, -and make a bunch of money, so’s we can really see -America.”</p> -<p>“We’ve done pretty well for one summer, at that,” -Spider answered. “And I’ll tell you one thing, it’s -up to us to do something to pay for it. I’ve got a -scheme, too.”</p> -<p>As they traveled homeward, Spider developed his -scheme. It was to raise some money for the scouts -by showing Mr. Stone’s movies, and with the money -have a lot of signs made, to mark trails with. Then -Spider and Bennie and the scout master, maybe, would -lead the scouts in opening up footpaths for trampers -over the highest hills and cliffs around Southmead. -Some of these trails used to exist, but they had long -since grown over, and the summer boarders were always -getting lost trying to find them. But many of -the wildest places, the spots where there were the best -views, had no trails at all.</p> -<p>“We’ll make trails,” Spider declared.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_289">289</div> -<p>“Yes, and we’ll build some shelter lean-tos where -we can go and spend the night,” Bennie offered.</p> -<p>“Sure, and we’ll make some easy trails, and some -hard ones, with cliff climbs in ’em.”</p> -<p>“Sure, and put warning signs on the bad ones—‘Dangerous—only -for experienced climbers.’”</p> -<p>“Like us,” Spider laughed. “Seriously, though, I -bet we can do a lot to help the scouts and the town, -and everybody, and have a lot of fun, and you and I -can survey and map out the trails first, and get our -merit badges in hiking that way, at the same time!”</p> -<p>“Great!” cried Bennie.</p> -<p>They continued to lay their plans all the way home, -but they forgot them for a day or two in the excitement -of greetings, and seeing their parents, and the -old town, and all their fellow scouts. Bennie spent -half his time for the next few days trying to cut up -wood and weed the drive, while half a dozen boys stood -around, making him tell them about Crater Lake, and -the climb up Llao Rock, and how Dumplin’ fell on -Jefferson.</p> -<p>But after the first week was over, and they had -settled back into the life of Southmead, Spider and -Bennie got together with Mr. Rogers, the scout master, -and outlined their trail plans. He was enthusiastic -about them, and they set to work at once, with the -help of his suggestions. They went out every afternoon -till school opened, hiking through the woods and -up the small 2,000-foot mountains around Southmead, -surveying practical routes for paths, and making -sketch maps. After school opened, they had to abandon -the daily trips, but got in long ones on Saturdays. -By October they had enough work planned out to -keep the scout troop busy for months, and the task of -opening the trails with scout axes, brush hooks, and -pruning shears began.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_290">290</div> -<p>The first trail opened was an old, steep path, long -since overgrown by laurel and other bushes and small -trees, up the mountain to the top of the cliffs the boys -had climbed the previous winter. It took them five -Saturdays, working with a gang of ten scouts, to get -this trail, two miles long, cleaned out. By that time, -Mr. Stone’s pictures had come, and the scouts made -twenty-five dollars by exhibiting them at the Town -Hall, so that everybody could see what the Oregon -mountains were like. Mr. Rogers kept the money, -and the first use made of it was to have three or four -white signs made, to mark the newly-cut trail. Every -sign carried, in black letters, the name of the trail—“Cliff -Path to Monument Mountain,” and, below, the -name of the organization erecting it—“Southmead -Boy Scouts.”</p> -<p>As soon as these signs were ready, the troop took -them out and put them at the proper places—at each -end, and at the points where old wood roads crossed, -to make confusion.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_291">291</div> -<p>During the winter, Spider and Bennie hiked on -snowshoes many miles, over all the surrounding hills, -trail planning, and visited the scouts in the next town, -planning with them a foot-trail over the long, rocky -ridge of wooded hills between the two villages. When -spring came, this work, too, was started, the two troops -working from their respective ends. They finally met -at the town boundary, erected a shelter there, and had -a big camp fire and celebration.</p> -<p>By the end of the summer, Bennie and Spider saw -real results—not so many as they had planned, but -yet enough to cause the local Board of Trade to get -out a little trail map for summer visitors, which Spider -was asked to draw, and to cause the summer visitors -to hike in larger numbers than ever before. And -wherever they hiked, on the new trails, they saw the -neat signs to guide them, posted by the Boy Scouts.</p> -<p>“It’s fine work, boys,” said Mr. Rogers, after the -two scouts had passed their examinations for merit -badges in hiking. “We’ve got a long trail to the next -town, we’ve got one up Monument, we’ve cleaned the -old path to Eagle Rock, and we’ve built one to the -Cave. If we keep these cleared out, and add one new -one a year, we’ll soon have Southmead the best town -for tramping in the United States!”</p> -<p>“Just the same,” said Bennie, a little wistfully, “I -wish I was going to climb old Jefferson tomorrow, -where there isn’t any trail at all!”</p> -<p>“If you hadn’t climbed him, though, you wouldn’t -have been so keen for this work we’ve been doing,” -Spider said. “It’s because we got into the real wilderness -that made us want to help folks around here to -get out and hike.”</p> -<p>“Right—as usual,” Bennie laughed. “I’m not -kicking. It’s great stuff, making trails. I like it. But -some day!—Oh, you Crater Lake, I’m going back to -you!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_292">292</div> -<p>“We might get in shape for it by taking a crack -at the Monument cliffs tomorrow,” Spider laughed. -“We haven’t climbed them since spring.”</p> -<p>“You’re on,” said Bennie. “Let’s carry packs and -blanket rolls, and hike on down the other side, and -spend the night at Wilson Pond.”</p> -<p>“That’s only fourteen miles—I’m your man,” cried -Spider.</p> -<p>“’Course, it isn’t much, but it’ll keep us in condition,” -Bennie declared, with great pretended airiness of -manner. “We’ll hike back home in time for breakfast.”</p> -<p>Mrs. Rogers, who overheard this conversation, -came out on the porch when the boys had gone.</p> -<p>“Bennie’s a great joker,” she laughed.</p> -<p>“He is—and he isn’t,” the scout master answered. -“As a matter of fact, it <i>is</i> fourteen miles to Wilson -Pond, over the mountain, and as a matter of fact, -those two boys <i>will</i> get up tomorrow at four, have a -swim, and be home for breakfast at half-past seven or -eight.”</p> -<p>“Now you’re the joker,” his wife laughed.</p> -<p>“You take a climb with them once, and see how -much of a joke it is,” said he.</p> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="small">THE END</span></p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_293">293</div> -<h3 id="c26"><i>Every boy will want</i> -<br />FRANK H. CHELEY’S -<br /><span class="large">The Boys’ Book of Camp Fires</span></h3> -<p>This is the most complete book of -boys’ camp activities ever written. -It contains suggestions for camp -cooking and for stunts of all kinds, -handicraft work, camp songs and -stories which help toward the fullest -enjoyment of out-of-door life. The -author stands among the highest -authorities on camp life.</p> -<h3 id="c27"><i>By the same author</i></h3> -<dl class="undent"><dt>Camp Fire Yarns</dt> -<dt>The Mystery of Chimney Rock</dt> -<dt>The Job of Being a Dad</dt></dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_294">294</div> -<h3 id="c28"><span class="large">The Boys’ Bookshelf</span></h3> -<p class="center"><i>Which have you read?</i></p> -<dl class="undent"><dt><b>By Walter P. Eaton</b></dt> -<dt class="center"><b><i>Scouting</i></b></dt> -<dd>The Boy Scouts of Berkshire</dd> -<dd>The Boy Scouts in the Dismal Swamp</dd> -<dd>Boy Scouts in the White Mountains</dd> -<dd>Boy Scouts of the Wildcat Patrol</dd> -<dd>Peanut—Cub Reporter</dd> -<dd>Boy Scouts in Glacier Park</dd> -<dd>Boy Scouts at Crater Lake</dd> -<dd>Boy Scouts on Katahdin</dd></dl> -<dl class="undent"><dt><b>By Lewis E. Theiss</b></dt> -<dt class="center"><b><i>Radio Series</i></b></dt> -<dd>The Wireless Patrol at Camp Brady</dd> -<dd>The Secret Wireless</dd> -<dd>The Hidden Aerial</dd> -<dd>The Young Wireless Operator Afloat</dd> -<dd>The Young Wireless Operator—as a Fire Patrol</dd> -<dd>The Young Wireless Operator with the Oyster Fleet</dd> -<dd>The Young Wireless Operator with the U. S. Secret Service</dd> -<dd>The Young Wireless Operator with the U. S. Coast Guard</dd></dl> -<p class="center">“<i>The finest radio stories ever written—interesting and informational</i>”</p> -<dl class="undent"><dd>The Flume in the Mountains</dd> -<dd>Aloft in the Shenandoah II</dd></dl> -<p class="center">“<i>Every red-blooded boy will devour such splendid books</i>”</p> -<dl class="undent"><dt><b>By Capt. Edward L. Beach, U. S. N.</b></dt> -<dt class="center"><b><i>Stories of the American Navy</i></b></dt> -<dd>Ralph Osborn—Midshipman at Annapolis</dd> -<dd>Midshipman Ralph Osborn at Sea</dd> -<dd>Ensign Ralph Osborn</dd> -<dd>Lieutenant Ralph Osborn Aboard a Torpedo Boat Destroyer</dd></dl> -<p class="center">“<i>The best set of American Naval Stories ever written for boys</i>”</p> -<dl class="undent"><dt><b>By Frank H. Cheley</b></dt> -<dd>The Job of Being a Dad</dd> -<dd>Camp Fire Yarns</dd> -<dd>The Mystery of Chimney Rock</dd> -<dd>The Boys’ Book of Camp Fires</dd></dl> -<p class="center">“<i>Boys and fathers, too, will revel in these</i>”</p> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="large">W. A. WILDE COMPANY</span> -<br /><span class="large">BOSTON</span> <span class="hst"><span class="large">CHICAGO</span></span></p> -<h2>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> -<ul> -<li>Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.</li> -<li>Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.</li> -<li>In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)</li> -</ul> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Boy Scouts at Crater Lake, by Walter Prichard Eaton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT CRATER LAKE *** - -***** This file should be named 54536-h.htm or 54536-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/3/54536/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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