, riding
a mule is as easy as riding a horse. All mules don't love to kick."

"Roger shall have the honor of riding him home," said Messmer. "Think of
what a reward Mike Marcy will give you," he added, with a grin.

"Catch Marcy giving a reward," said Dave, laughing. "Why, he wouldn't
fork over so much as a sour apple."

"He'd want to charge Roger for the ride."

"We can take the mule to the Hall and let Marcy come and get him,"
suggested Messmer.

In a spirit of mischief Shadow had taken his stick and rubbed it over
the mule's hind legs. There was a sudden snort and up came the beast's
feet. Bang! crack! bang! they sounded on the wall of the dilapidated
cabin, and Shadow leaped for his life.

"Look out, he's in action!"

"Clear the deck for his muleship!"

"He'll have the cabin down next!" called out Dave. "Take care!"

The mule continued to kick, and, standing at his head, Dave and Roger
tried in vain to quiet him. Then of a sudden came a crack of another
kind and the wall of the rotted cabin fell outward and the roof began to
sag.

"Out of this, all hands!" yelled Dave, and let go the mule. Roger did
the same, and both ran out through the open doorway. Shadow was already
outside, and Messmer and Henshaw started to follow. Then the mule
turned, knocking Messmer down, and made a dash for liberty.

The cabin swayed and groaned and began to settle rapidly. Henshaw leaped
out in the nick of time, one heavy log scraping his shoulder. Messmer
was half dazed by the sudden turn of affairs, and before he could arise
some of the roof beams began to settle across his back.

"Help! help!" he wailed. "The roof is coming down on me!"

His cry of assistance struck terror to the hearts of some of his
friends, and for the moment they did not know what to do. Dave was the
only one of the party who remained cool, and he rushed in and caught
hold of one of the falling timbers.

"Prop them up!" he called. "Put your sticks under them--anything! If we
don't, Messmer may be crushed to death!"

Roger came forward first and the others quickly followed, the mule
being, for the time, forgotten. They took their heavy sticks and set
them up under the falling timbers, and Henshaw rolled in a stone that
chanced to be handy. These things kept the roof from coming down
further, but poor Messmer was held as if in a vise and could not be
extricated.

"We've got to pry the logs up a little," said Dave. "Here is a log to
work with," a