Startled by her voice, Eckenrod turned and looked down. At that instant, when he was off guard, the hunchback struck him. Reeling backwards, the artist tried to recover balance and could not. With a shriek of fright and rage, he fell into the chasm.
Penny attempted to break the man’s fall with her body. She was not quick enough, and he rolled to the very bottom, ending up on a pile of broken skis. There he lay groaning.
If Penny had expected that Winkey would be aghast at his brutal act, she was to learn otherwise.
“That’ll teach you!” he shouted in glee. “Don’t never accuse me of stealing!”
“Help us out!” Penny called.
She knew Winkey heard her, for he stopped short and peered down into the crevasse to see who had appealed for help. Giving no sign he had seen her, he then disappeared.
“Maybe he’s going for a rope!” Penny thought. “But I’d quicker think he’s deserting us!”
Now thoroughly alarmed, the girl crept over the slippery ice to Vernon Eckenrod’s side. He was conscious but stunned. Blood gushed from a cut on the back of his head and one leg remained crumpled beneath him.
With a handkerchief, Penny attempted to stop the flow of blood. She was relieved to note that the wound was a superficial one.
“Try to sit up,” the girl urged. “If you lie on the ice your clothes will soon freeze fast.”