“Now!” he exclaimed, when that was done to his satisfaction and to Alec’s relief, “I’m going to get you out of here. Just drape yourself across my right shoulder, will you, and let your legs hang down in front so that I——”
“But, Hugh, you’ll never be able to haul me up out of this! I weigh as much as you do, though I’m not quite so tall!”
“You’ll see. Please do just as I tell you, and let’s not waste any more time about it.” To his own surprise, Alec obeyed. Hugh knelt on the ground while Alec slid forward over his shoulder, throwing his right arm back over Hugh’s left shoulder. Then Hugh passed his right arm between Alec’s legs, seizing Alec’s right hand; then, shifting his burden a little, he rose slowly. In this manner he staggered up the sloping sides of the ravine, and reached level ground and the path.
“Pretty tough on you!” he ejaculated, breathing hard, as he placed Alec gently on the ground. “How much farther do you think you can stand it.”
“Look here, Hugh,” cried Alec, “what are you thinking of? You can’t carry me any farther. I won’t have it! I’ll be ever so much obliged to you if you’ll break off that branch of ash over there,—the one with a long knob at one end of it,—so that I can use it for a crutch,—and then please make tracks toward Pioneer Camp as fast as you can.”
“And leave you here alone? Not much! What do you think I am?”
“There’s no danger, Hugh. Besides, the sooner you get to camp and send Joe and a search-party out after me, the sooner I’ll get there, too.”
Hugh shook his head decisively.
“Sorry, but I won’t do that. But, speaking of search-parties, why can’t we signal to the National Guard camp and ask them to send one? Where are the flags?”
“They dropped out of my hand and fell over the cliff,” replied Alec.