“Yes, you get down there once and you’d think it was a dandy place!” laughed Frank. “You’d never get out in a hundred years.”
“I’d like to see if there are fish there, anyway,” suggested Harry. “I’ve heard so much about the firm flesh of fish caught in mountain streams that I’d like to investigate.”
“Investigate nothing!” laughed Jack. “You’d starve to death there.”
“Oh, that doesn’t look so worse!” exclaimed Harry.
The boy leaned far over as he spoke. The stone upon which his breast pressed dropped away with a crash. The boy’s heels flew into the air, and the next moment he was sliding down the awful declivity.
Jack and Frank heard the cry of terror as the boy disappeared and closed their eyes to shut out the horrible sight which they believed to be due the next instant.
CHAPTER XII
TREACHERY FEARED
“I would suggest,” Gilroy remarked, as the boys stood in front of the barrier looking anxiously out in every direction, “that you prepare a bit of luncheon. I must confess that this mountain air gives me an appetite, and I had a light breakfast, you know.”
“All right,” Jimmie replied. “I’ll build a fire, put on the big kettle and make a bear stew that will put an inch of fat on your ribs.”
“A bear stew?” repeated Gilroy, holding up his white hands in horror.