oon as we had finished we selected from our supply
of fire-wood four straight poles, each about ten feet long, and with
these, a number of short pieces of six-inch plank, a hammer, a saw and a
bag of nails, we drove back to the scene of action.

Even a ten-foot pole, we found, was an awkward thing to get down to the
bottom of the fissure, but after a good deal of coaxing we succeeded in
lowering them all, when we at once set to work building our ladders.

The first one, standing on the floor of the crevice, reached as high as
the ledge Joe had mentioned, while the second, planted upon the ledge
itself, leaned across the chasm, its upper end resting against the rock
just below the bulge, so that, with the rope to hold on by, it ought to
be easy enough to get up and down. It is true that the second ladder
being almost perpendicular, looked a little precarious, but we had taken
great care to set it up solidly and were certain it could not slip. As
to the strength of the ladders, there was nothing to fear on that score,
for the smallest of the poles was five inches in diameter at the little
end.

This work took us so long, for we were very careful to make things
strong and firm, that it was within half an hour of sunset ere we had
finished, and as it was then too late to begin hauling rocks, we drove
down to the ranch again at once.

As we came within sight of the house, we had the pleasure of seeing the
buggy with my father and mother in it draw up at the door. Observing us
coming, they waited for us, when, the moment we jumped out of the wagon,
before we could say a word ourselves, my father exclaimed:

"Hallo, boys! What are you wearing your rubber boots for?"

My mother, however, looking at our faces instead of at our feet, with
that quickness of vision most mothers of boys seem to possess, saw at
once that something unusual had occurred.

"What's happened, Phil?" she asked.

"We've made a discovery," I replied, "and we want father to come and see
it."

"Can't I come, too?" she inquired, smiling at my eagerness.

"I'm afraid not," I answered. "I wish you could, but I'm afraid your
petticoats would get in the way."

To this, perceiving easily enough that we had some surprise in store for
my father, and not wishing to spoil the fun, my mother merely replied:

"Oh, would they? Well, I'm afraid I couldn't come anyhow: I must go in
and prepare supper. So, be off with you at once, and don't be late. You
can tell