"Oh,—o—o!" Max drawled, as if he doubted the number.
"Well, look!" cried Gwen, holding her little arms red with scratches.
"Too bad," Max said, and Gwen, surprised, and pleased, followed him, as he made his way just ahead of her, holding back the bushes.
"Oh, Max, you're good," she said, and Max blushed at her praise. He thought himself exceedingly good, but he was delighted that Gwen thought so.
"This hill didn't look so very high, when we stood on the beach and looked back at it," said Gwen.
"N-no," admitted Max, "but all the same I'm glad we started early, and we'll reach the top 'fore long. Then we'll see what's on the other side, and when we climb down, we can just run around on the level ground, and tell the folks where we've been, and what a climb we had!"
"Oh, yes," agreed Gwen, and once more they pushed forward, and up toward the summit, that seemed, no matter how long they climbed, to be not the least bit nearer.
For a time they climbed in silence, when, all at once, Gwen tripped over a loose root, and promptly sat down.
"I'll have to rest a few minutes," she said.
"I'll sit down because you do," Max said. He would not say that he, too, was tired.