“Look there! There’s Nell Thornton waving to us.”
“She wants to speak to us,” said Rattleton, looking in the direction indicated by Colson’s pointing finger.
Bruce straightened up and forgot to grumble, when he saw the slim form of the girl descending the rocks.
She was letting herself down a precipitous bluff, clinging to the vines and bushes.
“She can get over places I shouldn’t care to try,” declared Bruce, with an admiration that was akin to enthusiasm. “I wonder what she wants?”
“We shall find out very soon now,” said Merriwell. “It won’t take her long to reach us.”
Dropping to the level ground, Nell came shyly toward the party, with evident embarrassment.
“Do you uns want ter beat them thar other fellows bad?” she asked.
“The worst kind,” declared Rattleton.
“Thar’s a way it kin be done,” she said, with kindling glance, “ef so be ez you uns air good climbers. Thar’s a path which the mounting men foller when they air in a hurry, sech o’ them ez knows ’bout it. I kin show it ter ye, though ef dad knowed I done it he’d jes’ nacherly kill me!”