nda. Linda was climbing so swiftly and so absorbedly
that she reached the top before she heard a sound behind her. Then she
turned with a white face, and her mouth dropped open as she saw Katy
three fourths of the way up the cliff. For one second she was again
stiff with terror, then, feeling she could do nothing, she stepped back
out of sight and waited a second until Katy's red head and redder face
appeared over the edge. Realizing that her authority was of no avail,
that Katy would follow her no matter where she went or what she did, and
with no time to argue, Linda simply called to her encouragingly: "Follow
where I go; take your time; hang tight, old dear, it's dangerous!"

She started around the side of the mountain, heading almost straight
upward, traveling as swiftly and as noiselessly as possible. Over big
boulders, on precarious footing, clinging to bushes, they made their way
until they reached a place that seemed to be sheer above them; certainly
it was for hundreds of feet below On a point of rock screened by
overhanging bushes Linda paused until Katy overtook her.

"We are about stalled," she panted. "Find a good footing and stay where
you are. I'm going to climb out on these bushes and see if I can get a
view of the mountain side."

Advancing a few yards, Linda braced herself, drew around her glasses,
and began searching the side of the mountain opposite her and below as
far as she could range with the glasses. At last she gave up.

"Must have gone the other way," she said to Katy. "I'll crawl back to
you. We'll go after help and get Donald out. There will be time enough
to examine the cliff afterward; but I am just as sure now as I will be
when it is examined that that stone was purposely loosened to a degree
where a slight push would drop it. As Donald says, there's no reason
why it should hang there for centuries and fall on him today. Shut your
eyes, old dear, and back up. We must go to Donald. I rather think it's
on one of his feet from what he said. Let me take one more good look."

At that minute from high on the mountain above them a shower of sand and
pebbles came rattling down. Linda gave Katy one terrified look.

"My God!" she panted. "He's coming down right above us!"

Just how Linda recrossed the bushes and reached Katy she did not know.
She motioned for her to make her way back as they had come. Katy planted
her feet squarely upon the rock. Her lower jaw shot out; her eyes were
aflame.