Nora linked arms with Stacy and assisted him down the terraces to the ponies, Stacy limping all the way, which all knew was assumed for the sake of gaining sympathy from his companions, of which, however, the fat boy got little. A few moments later they were riding slowly down towards their camp at the base of the mountains. Reaching there, a brief explanation to Jim Badger brought a nod of understanding from the guide.
“They do fall in once in a while,” he observed dryly, which remark brought a laugh from the Overland Riders and a scowl from Stacy.
“This one always does,” answered Emma snappily.
The Overlanders, deciding that they had had their fill of exploration for that day, rested in camp, the girls doing some much-needed mending, and the men discussing Electric Peak, and the stories they had heard about that strange towering mountain. They learned from the guide that there was little information on the subject available, excepting that it was said that persons who had attempted to reach the peak had met with strange experiences.
“Are—are we going to try to make it?” questioned Nora apprehensively.
“Of course we are,” replied Grace.
“Stacy can’t go on account of his feet,” reminded Emma.
“You don’t think I’m going without them, do you?” retorted Stacy. “Those feet have been with me all my life, and I don’t propose to be separated from them now,” he added amid much merriment.
“Be quiet, little boy,” admonished Emma.
Electric Peak towered above them, white and ghostly in the moonlight that evening, and they pondered over the strange tales told of the mountain’s top. The ascent of that peak meant a difficult climb, but this did not disturb the Overlanders, who were accustomed to roughing it.