But in the end the guide announced that he believed they must now be about over the identical spot from which the fire signals had come. A dark void down below told where the great valley lay. The moon, about in the full now, was hanging there just above the opposite range, and lighting up their wild surroundings.
"Seems to me we ought to see him, if he's still there?" grumbled Giraffe, just as though he meant to hint that if the imperiled boy had lost his hold, and fallen, it would be partly because they had been so slow in getting there.
"Perhaps we may," replied Thad, as Toby crawled to the edge to peer over; "but it wouldn't surprise me if we found that the face of the precipice backed in, and that would keep us from sighting the ledge, or any one on it."
"Looky! there's Toby beckonin' to us. Come on, fellers!" and the eager Giraffe started to move toward the edge of the descent.
Knowing that Giraffe was inclined to be reckless in his haste, Thad kept close beside him, and whispered words of warning.
"Slow now, Giraffe," he said; "be careful, because we wouldn't like to have you take a plunge down there. You'd never know what hurt you, if you did."
Thus warned the other did slow up a little; but quickly they all reached a position where they could stretch their necks, and look over.
The moonlight fell on the face of the precipice. They could even see away down near the base, where the sharp rocks that had fallen during countless years in the past were piled up in ugly masses. Just as Thad had remarked, if any one did have the hard luck to fall over, he would never know what hurt him.
"It does slant in below, Thad!" said Giraffe, the first thing.
"Yes, and we've got to call out to learn whether he's there or not," returned the scoutmaster; then raising his voice a little he said: