ng his heels in the air.

All sorts of dire things had always been predicted as going to overtake
Davy sooner or later, unless he gave up these venturesome pranks; and
this time it actually looked as though they were about to be fulfilled.
For even as the seven other scouts were watching his antics, the earth
at the edge of the gully appeared to suddenly give way.

Davy vanished from their view, the last thing they saw of him being his
up tilted heels, waving what seemed to be a frantic farewell.

With cries of alarm the scouts rushed forward, fearful as to what they
would see.

CHAPTER VI.

MORE SIGNS OF TROUBLE AHEAD.

"OH! did you see him kick his heels at us as he went down?" gasped
Bumpus, as they hurried forward to the spot where the venturesome scout
had vanished so forlornly; "I'll never forget it, never! Just like the
poor old chap wanted to say 'good-bye boys!'"

Bumpus was too honest and warm hearted a fellow to say this with any
intention of being hilarious. He sincerely felt every word of it.

Of course the long-legged Giraffe had to be the first to arrive on the
scene of the late tragedy. Thad felt constrained to call out to him in
warning.

"Be careful there, Giraffe, or else there may be another of us down in
that pocket. Look out for your footing, I tell you!"

The other had dropped flat on his chest. He was seen to stretch his neck
in the endeavor to get the best results with a minimum of risk; and they
did say that when Giraffe really and truly did his prettiest in this
respect he could cover more territory than any one else ever seen.

"Oh! is he smashed flatter'n a pancake?" asked Step Hen, as he drew
near, with his melancholy face looking longer than usual; and the whites
of his eyes showing strongly, as they always did when he was frightened.

Giraffe twisted his head around with the utmost ease; indeed, from the
length of his neck it looked as though he might continue the turning
movement until he had actually made a complete revolution.

And when Thad caught sight of the grin on his face he felt immediately
relieved; for surely Giraffe loving fun as much as he did, would not
allow this smirk to decorate his angular countenance unless there seemed
little danger.

Another minute, and all of them were ranged there along the edge of the
gully, staring down at Davy Jones. It would seem that the other had been
agile enough to clutch hold of a small tree that jutted out from the