He scrambled from under while from above there sounded a peal of merry
laughter.
"I don't care, so long as we have the rope," laughed the boy.
"Can you fasten the end of the rope to something up there?"
"No."
"Oh, pshaw! that's too bad," grumbled the boy. "But wait a minute."
Striking a match and shading his eyes with one hand, he peered up to
the hole in the rocks. He noted a long narrowing crevice extending
back from the main opening.
"I'll tell you what to do."
"Yes."
"Draw the rope into that crack as far as it will go, then tie a knot
in the rope so it cannot slip through. I'll climb up--"
"You couldn't get up here. The end of the crack is too far from the
place you see. Hold on, here's another crack just like it, right here
in the rocks by me. I'll fix it. You all promise not to tell on me?"
insisted the girl.
"Yes, yes, yes, we promise. We'll promise anything just now," laughed
Ned.
An interval of silence followed while the girl was adjusting the end
of the rope. Then she called down to them:
"All ready?" asked Tad.
"Yes, try it."
Tad grasped the rope, and swinging himself clear of the floor, jounced
up and down several times.
"I guess it will hold. I'll go up first to see that the rope is
secure; then the rest of you can follow me up."
"Why, I couldn't climb that rope to save my life," objected Mr.
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