Fes and Frank were by this time fifty or sixty feet from the floor, and the light of their lantern still revealed no sign of a ceiling, or a converging of the walls overhead. This was rather astonishing, and Hal was moved with a desire to take part in the upward exploration.
“I’m going up, too,” he announced to Byron and Walter. “It doesn’t look steep and it’s rough enough to give a good foothold.”
“Let’s climb up with ’em, Pick,” suggested Byron.’
“All right,” answered Pickles, suiting the action to the word. In a moment all three were following the two leaders up the almost stair-like ascent. They climbed rapidly, for the success of Fes and Frank had given them confidence. Up, up, they went, Hal leading and Byron and Walter following in respective order.
Suddenly they were startled by a succession of cries from above. They stopped and looked upward apprehensively, and were surprised to see Fes and Frank standing on a ledge and looking down upon them.
“Come on, come on, kids,” yelled Frank. “We’re clear through the roof. It’s all open up here.”
Thrilled by this announcement, Hal quickened his steps and those behind him did likewise. In a few moments they had climbed up to where the leaders were waiting for them. Frank had spoken truly. They were standing on a level spot several yards in diameter; on one side arose a perpendicular wall of the mountain and on the other, far below, they looked down into the deep shadows of Mummy Cañon.
“My! isn’t this great!” Hal exclaimed enthusiastically. “We’re real discoverers. Maybe nobody’s ever been up here before.”
“Nobody ever tried to climb Flathead, they say,” Byron observed. “I bet nobody ever got as high as this.”
“I wonder if we couldn’t climb higher from here,” said Fes, scanning the perpendicular wall.