"Well, we've gotten as far along as you have," rejoined Tom.
"Excipt for a quater av a mile or so," commented Tim.
"That's right," replied Dick. "The honors are even, I guess."
The boys startled Fritz out of his sleep by their return to camp, and the scene that had occurred when Dick met the others was reenacted. Even Tim and Fritz were glad to see each other and buried their rivalry in the joy of being reunited.
"When did you leave the British troop?" asked Dick, finally.
"I better give an account of our trip right from the start, to get things straight," said Tom.
"It'll be an all night job if ye'll be tellin' all the advintures av us," protested Tim.
"Well, I'll just tell how we left the service of King George then," said Tom, laughing. He told then briefly of their experiences while with the English troops and how, just as they were supposed to prove their loyalty by hanging the Indian, all three of them had plunged over the edge of the cliff.
"It was a desperate chance, but by good luck we all landed on a ledge a little way down," said Tom.
"It's a wonder you were not all killed," said Dick.