"Lucky we saved a little of the grub," said Whopper. "If we hadn't we'd go to bed supperless."
"I am going to roost in a tree to-night, to keep out of the reach of that lion," said Snap.
All agreed that this would be a good thing to do, and after dividing what remained of the food brought along, and getting a drink at a spring, they selected a tree that suited their purpose and mounted to the thickest of the limbs.
"Not a very comfortable bed," was Shep's comment. "But better than falling into that lion's clutches."
"Shall we go back to the pit in the morning?" asked Whopper.
"No; let us go to camp first, and see how Giant and Tommy are making out," said the doctor's son. "Most likely they'll be worrying about us."
To keep from falling, the three young hunters tied themselves fast in the tree. They tried to sleep, but this was almost impossible, and the most each got were fitful naps, with many dreams of the lion. All thoughts of other game were, for the time being, banished from their minds.
At daybreak they descended to the ground and started for camp without waiting to shoot something for breakfast. They calculated they could get back before noon, and then they would eat a big dinner at their leisure.
All thought they had the "lay of the land" well fixed in their minds, and so they did not advance with the caution they might otherwise have taken. As a consequence, they presently made a false turn, and this brought them to a part of the mountains that was exceedingly rocky and rough.
"Say, we can't get through here," declared Whopper at last. "Why, it's worse than the Rocky Road to Dublin!"