t lower limb trying to conjure up
some possible plan that would take him in safety to the ground, they
never knew. Will felt a little ashamed to be found in such a plight,
and kept putting off his call for assistance as long as he dared.

When, however, he found that night was only an hour or so off, and
realized that unless he pocketed his pride, he stood a chance of
spending many gloomy hours aloft with only the osprey family for
neighbors, he started to shout.

"If only I had that loop up here I could get down easily enough, I
think, Frank," he called out as the three boys lined up below him.

"Perhaps you could, and again there's some doubt whether you'd be able
to get inside the loop," Frank told him. "The easiest way to do is for
one of us to run back to the cabin and fetch our rope. With a few
trials I can toss the end into your hands or over the limb, then you
can lower yourself."

Both Jerry and Bluff agreed that this was a good plan. The former even
offered to act as messenger and get the article needed for the rescue
work. He was gone only a short time, during which Frank asked a few
questions, and learned that Will believed he had secured a number of
"cracking good" pictures of the osprey group that would make a fine
addition to his collection.

Frank made several casts upward before he was able to send the end of
the rope over the limb, and within reach of the straddling boy. It
proved to be just long enough, doubled, to reach within five feet of
the ground.

"First I want to make sure of my camera," Will told them, and as they
knew he would positively refuse to budge an inch unless his treasured
black box were taken care of, Jerry told him to lower away.

After that had been done Will prepared to trust himself on the doubled
rope.

"Have a care," said Frank, "and make sure of each grip as you go.
There, you're all right now, I guess, so come along down."

"Take it slow if you don't want to burn your hands, Will!" Bluff
cautioned him.

Without accident, Will managed to reach the ground. His first act was
to snatch up his camera and look it over, sighing with satisfaction
when he found it had received no injury.

"Get on your shoes and come along back home," Frank advised him, and
the exciting little incident was closed.

Later on Will told them how patiently he had sat there, perched in the
top of the tall tree next to the one containing the fish-hawks' nest,
and waiting for a good chance to