oping that we'd get
there soon so we could start a fire. Then my mother could see that from
the porch and she'd know we were all right. Because we'd come back
around by the road and that would be easy. We could take the jitney on
the state road right up there on the ridge and go straight to Bridgeboro
station. I don't know if you know where the Bridgeboro station is, but
it's right near Bennett's.

Now I'll tell you about the country from Little Valley to west ridge.
First it's easy, across fields. Then you come to Westcott's Hill. Gee
whiz, I don't know what he ever wanted to own a hill like that for. The
side nearest Little Valley isn't very steep but going down the other
side it's pretty steep. On that side the hill is sort of broken off
like. We weren't worrying because we knew there'd be some way down. We
should worry about hills. At the foot of that hill is a deep cut where
the railroad goes through. On the other side of the railroad tracks the
ridge begins. Before you get to the ridge there's a pond--a pretty big
one. Up the side of the ridge are woods.

Now most all the way from Little Valley to the ridge we could see the
tree. There were only two places where we couldn't see it. One was just
before we got to the hill. But after we got part way up the hill we
could see it again. The other place was west of the hill, in the hollow.
We knew how it would be there but we didn't care because we had our
compass. We intended to go up through the woods on the ridge with our
compass.

It was pretty easy going till we got up to the top of the hill but then
we saw that it was going to be pretty hard getting down it, it was so
steep. It went down a little way, maybe ten feet, almost straight. Then
there was a kind of a little slanting shelf with all grass and bushes.
We didn't know how it was below that slanting shelf because we couldn't
see. Maybe it was so that we could climb down. If it wasn't it would
have to be pretty steep.

So we stood on the top of the hill thinking what we would do.

Warde Hollister said, "The only thing to do is for one of us to climb
down on that ledge and look over and see how steep it is below. Then
we'll know whether we can make it or not. There's no use turning back
till we know we have to."

"_Turning back?_" I said.

"Well, what else are we going to do if we can't get down this hill?" he
wanted to know.

"All our day's hike for nothing?" Westy said.

"I didn't say I'm for turnin