here Christie's Brook crossed the Pike. It
was clean water, and safe. He threw himself on his stomach and reached
down with his lips. His whole body cried out to him to drink, drink,
drink. But he was too wise a scout not to know the dangers of such a
course. He rinsed his mouth and throat, and swallowed a few drops,
mounted again and rode off.

Another twenty minutes, and he came slowly to the top of a ridge. Down
below dark forms moved along the road. He gripped the handle-bars hard
and coasted.

A few minutes later he had almost reached them. They heard the whir of
his chain and looked back. Then they stopped.

"It's only Don," Tim said carelessly.

Ritter shrank back as though he wanted to hide.

Up to this point Don had thought only of overtaking the hikers. Now he
was face to face with the problem of what he should say to them. He laid
his bicycle at the side of the road and advanced with fast-beating
heart.

"How many of you scouts told Mr. Wall you were going on this trip?" he
demanded.

"Wasn't necessary," Tim answered promptly. "Mr. Wall didn't say we
couldn't go."

"Mr. Wall didn't expect that any scout would go."

"How do you know what Mr. Wall expected? Did he tell you?"

It was a losing argument. Don could see the other scouts looking at Tim
and nodding their heads as though agreeing with his logic--all except
Ritter, who was looking at the ground.

Don's mind worked feverishly. They were scouts. They were breaking the
scout law that said that a scout was trustworthy. He tried to grasp words
that would make them feel what he felt, but the words would not come.

"We can't stay here all day," Tim hinted.

The sound of a locomotive came faintly. Perhaps it was the train bringing
Mr. Wall back from the city. All at once Don's mind, groping, searching,
caught the first vague outline of an idea.

"Wait a minute, fellows." His eyes were on fire. "If you thought Mr. Wall
would have no objection to a Danger Mountain hike, why did you wait until
you got him out of the village?"

"What do you mean by that?" Tim asked suspiciously.

"Why did you wait until he went away for the day and then sneak off on
this hike?"

Indignant cries broke from Tim and from the scouts. They had not known
that Mr. Wall had gone to the city. Ritter caught Don's arm.

"Is Mr. Wall away today, Don? Honest?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Tim asked.

"I went to his house at noon to tell him about this hike."

Silenc