Besides, now that the halo of mystery had been removed, so that they knew the white object they had seen was only a poor crazy fellow and not a ghost from the other world, the boys experienced far less timidity about approaching the house.
"We'll stay down here, Toby," said Ty, as he took up a position that was directly underneath the tower.
Ted had carried a burden along with him also. This he now threw upon the ground, and it proved to be one of the stout camping blankets. Toby only chuckled when he saw that.
"Please yourselves, fellows," he assured his comrades, "but you won't need anything like that. I'm going to float like a thistledown. It'll be the triumph of the age, and don't you forget it. Watch what I do, now, everybody!"
With that Toby boldly entered the house, and started to make his way up to the tower. Apparently he must have noticed how one could reach that elevated region, though as yet none of them had thought to go there. Inside of five minutes the boys below saw him looking down at them from far above.
"Wait till I get my parachute ready, fellows!" he called; "and there's Elmer and the rest hurrying up, waving their hands like they wanted me to hold on till they got here. Mebbe I will; the more the merrier! Stretchin' out your old blanket, are you? Well, take my word for it you won't need to grab me any. I'm staking a heap on this thing to hold me up easy. Wow! what's this? Let go, there, you don't get that precious thing away from me! Hey! fellows, here's that crazy man tackled me! He's wantin' to grab everything! Quit pushin' or you'll have us both tumblin' over the edge! Whoop! somebody come up here and help, or he'll get me!"
The two boys below heard all this shouted at the top of Toby's voice; although of course they had but slight glimpses of the struggling figures above. A desperate wrestling for the possession of the parachute was evidently going on, for they could hear the sound of scuffling feet; and besides, Elmer and the others who were fast coming on the run, seemed to be shouting at the top of their voices, as though under the impression that by the noise of their yells they might alarm the man who was out of his mind and had attacked the scout, believing him an enemy.