esponsibility
on to broader shoulders, more capable of bearing it. He was only a boy,
and it seemed to him that since he had been placed in charge of this
expedition, with all its attendant cares and trials, his spirit had been
almost crushed.

But the camp was broken, and with much laughter the scouts began to
climb the side of mysterious old Rattlesnake Mountain, of course Paul
managed to forget most of his troubles, and his merriment rang out as
loud as that of any other.

So, boosting and pulling at old Dobbin, they made the ascent by slow
degrees, and by noon had reached a point that afforded them a grand view
of the country away off toward the south, the east and the west; but it
was toward the first named region that many a wishful look was given,
for did not Stanhope lie yonder--and home?

CHAPTER XIX

INDIAN PICTURE WRITING

"We'll never get that old horse any higher up than this, Paul," said Jud
Elderkin.

The scouts were sitting there with that fine panorama spread out before
them, and eating a sort of pick-up lunch. At breakfast time enough food
had been prepared to carry them along for another meal. After that Paul
had promised that they would very likely be in a permanent camp, and
might expect to have decent fare right along.

"Fact of the matter is, Jud," replied the leader of the expedition, "we
don't need to, fortunately."

"What's that, Paul; not going to camp right here, I hope?" questioned
the scout leader of the second patrol.

Jud shot a swift look across the country down below, and Paul smiled
when he saw the direction of the glance.

"I understand what you mean," he remarked, immediately. "You imagine
that if we stayed here any length of time some of the tenderfeet would
be running away."

"Oh! well," Jud went on to say, "what would be the use of tantalizing
the poor chaps? Hear 'em disputing right now whether that shining thing
they see far away in the distance is the brass hand on the top of the
church steeple in Stanhope, or the wind vane on the court house cupola?
Anyhow, it stands for Stanhope; and if they were where they could stare
out yonder by the hour some of 'em would skip before another night, I'm
afraid."

"And you're just right, old fellow," Paul remarked. "I'm glad you
noticed that sign, for we'd hate to have any desertions, now that we've
made such a great start. But your other guess was away off. I haven't
the slightest idea of holding over here."

"