sides. The girls began struggling
to free themselves from their blankets. To do this some of them rolled
toward the guide, others from him, according to the way they had rolled
themselves in their blankets before going to sleep. Harriet was the
first to free herself from the folds of the gray blanket that enveloped
her. She leaped to her feet, crying out, "What is the matter now?"

A strange sight met her gaze. Janus was sliding over the shelf, half
rolling, half slipping, in a mysterious fashion. At the same time the
others of the party were performing strangely, getting up, falling
down, as, entangled in their blankets, they staggered dangerously near
the edge of the rocky shelf, apparently unmindful of their peril.

"Catch me! Jump on the rope!" yelled the guide.

Harriet's quick eyes, now wide open, caught the significance of the
scene. Without an instant's hesitation she sprang toward Janus, fairly
hurling herself upon him. One hand grabbed a taut rope that was
straining with some heavy weight pulling on it at the other end.

Janus sat up as the girl threw her own weight on the line to assist in
holding it until the guide should have recovered himself.

"Oh, what has happened?" cried the guardian.

"Some one is over the edge," answered Harriet almost breathlessly.
"Quick! Find out who it is."

"It's Tommy!" screamed Margery Brown.

Miss Elting sprang toward the edge of the shelf.

"Stop!" thundered the guide. "Careful! Don't rush. Take it easy.
All the rest of you stay back. You go cautiously to the edge, Miss
Elting, and find out just what shape she's in."

Grubb gave his commands in a quick, business-like tone; at the same
time he removed his belt and unfastened the girls' ropes.

Margery began to scream again. Jane grasped and shook her.

"Stop that! Tommy's doing enough howling for the whole party," she
exclaimed.

Tommy's cries were all-sufficient--heart-rending, in fact. Harriet
motioned to Jane to come and assist in holding the rope. Jane
responded promptly.

"May I go and help?" questioned Harriet eagerly.

"Yes. It's a good idea. Keep her quiet if you can," urged Miss
Elting. "She is likely to saw the rope in two at the rate she is
floundering about. I hope her belt is strong enough to hold."

"Oh my stars, what a mess!" groaned Jane McCarthy.

"It's worse than that," answered Janus, but he did not explain just
what danger threatened the screaming little girl.

H