“May Joe and I go with you?” he asked.
There were loud protests from the youths’ fathers, who thought it almost madness to attempt to climb the steep slope. But Dr. Kirshner held up a hand for silence.
“Wait till we finish this meal and I’ll show you a place where it will be more or less easy to get to the top,” he said.
“If it’s there, I’d like to see it,” came from Mr. Holton.
When the noon meal was over, the archæologist led them to a point perhaps a quarter of a mile from the camp. He pointed up and smiled.
“Doesn’t that look like an easy climb?” he asked. “Plenty of safe footholds and cracks to grasp. I’m going up.”
Bob and Joe put in a request to their fathers to accompany the scientist and were finally given permission.
“But be careful,” warned Mr. Lewis. “And don’t wander too far away.”
Dr. Kirshner led the way up the side of the cliff, followed by Joe and Bob. The climb was in some places difficult and a little dangerous, but they plodded surely up.
At last, panting and perspiring, they came to the last foothold and pulled themselves up to the top. Then they turned to take in the view below.