“Kind o’ ticklish up here,” he called back. “Glad the wind doesn’t blow.”
Then he slid down. Nobody else wanted to go up, so the rope was pulled down, and the party descended to the boats again, to eat luncheon, which had been long delayed. Afterwards, they fished for an hour, and got enough trout for a meal.
“Want to row us home, Bennie?” his uncle asked.
“Spider hasn’t had a chance to row all day,” Bennie answered.
The mile of zigzag trail up from the lake to the rim seemed endless to Bennie that evening, and when the rest went over to the hotel after dinner to hear the music and watch the dancing, he felt like refusing. But he didn’t. He went, too, rubbing his eyes to keep them open.
“I guess you’ll sleep tonight, eh?” Uncle Billy said, when they finally got back to camp.
“I’m going to sleep so hard I’ll puncture the mattress,” Bennie answered.
CHAPTER XIII
The Scouts Are Driven Ashore by a Storm and Have To Climb Llao Rock—and They Learn a Lesson
The next morning the doctor and Spider woke up before Bennie did, and they let him sleep till breakfast was almost ready. When he did get up, he stretched himself and discovered that his muscles were a bit stiff, but otherwise he felt, he said, “like a fighting cock.”
“Well, don’t feel so good you eat up all the pancakes before I get one!” Dumplin’ laughed, snatching for the plate.