They plugged ahead to the first lava spine, and rested a minute, looking back over the traverse. The sun was sinking, and its rays hit the slope almost level, making dark shadows of their steps, like a long row of dots out across the great field of white. These dots crossed the traverse, and then went straight up the shoulder, and in that light the shoulder looked as perpendicular as the side of a house.
“Did we go up there?” Spider exclaimed.
Dumplin’ took one look, and remarked, with such a heartfelt expression that everybody laughed, “Gosh, I don’t believe it!”
But there was no time for a long rest. Tired as they were, they had to keep on going, for they were still a long way from camp.
As they started across the first of the five smaller snow traverses, it seemed to Bennie as if his back and shoulders were one big ache every time he had to pull out his stock from the sticky snow. Yet Uncle Billy was moving ahead with a regular stride, and he had to get his stock in and then out with one firm motion, or else lose the step, fall behind, and make the rope yank his uncle. He gritted his teeth and told himself that he would not let that happen.
As they stepped up on the second lava spine, Bennie cried, “Hello, old lava!”
As they reached the third spine, Dumplin’ cried, “Hello, old lava!”
As they reached the fourth, Spider cried, “Hello, old lava!”
“You boys seem to be glad you’re getting down,” the doctor called back.
“We’re glad we’re getting where we don’t have to pull these stocks out of the snow in time to your steps,” Bennie replied.