We all sat there waiting, and I remember just how Harry looked, leaningforward with his arms folded on the steering wheel. It was so still thatI could hear Skinny breathing, asleep.
"Watch your step," Harry called; "how about it?"
Pee-wee was out of sight now; he answered, but we couldn't make out whathe said. Then Harry called.
"All right? Shall we come ahead?"
That time there wasn't any answer.
Grove said, "Did you hear a sound like a branch crackling?"
"It was the wind, I guess," I said.
"How about it, Kiddo?" Harry shouted good and loud.
But there wasn't any answer, and I felt kind of funny. While we waited,I could hear Skinny breathing in his sleep, all the while.
CHAPTER XIX--WE LEARN THE WORST
I guess Harry was good and scared. I know I was. He just said, "You kidswait here, I'll be back."
He got out and went along the road and we watched him in the glare ofthe lights and didn't say anything to each other. I remember how Harrylooked in the light--kind of as if he were covered with dust. We couldhear him calling Pee-wee, but we couldn't hear any answer. His voicesounded funny like, because we were so kind of excited, and it was sostill all about. Away far off I could hear a train whistle.
Grove said, "What do you think that sound like a branch breaking was?"
"How do _I_ know?" I said. "Shh!"
"Shall we wake up the kid?" he asked me; "it makes me feel kind--oh, Idon't know--to hear him breathing."
"Let the kid sleep," I said.
Harry was gone out of sight now, and neither one of us spoke, just satthere, waiting. It kind of hurt me to breathe. Pretty soon he came back,walking straight along and not calling to us at all.
"There's something the matter," Grove said.
When Harry got to the car he said, awful short and funny sort of, "Getthose tools out, Roy, quick. I'm afraid to take the car any farther thanthis in the dark. Get the storage battery out, Grove--come on, _quick_! Iwant to see if I can't throw a light down the cliff up yonder."
"Where's Pee-wee?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said; "he isn't up there. Quick!"
We loosened the connections as fast as we could and took the battery andone of the headlights and everything we needed, and followed Harry alongthe road. "Keep close behind me," he said, "and step just where I step.Got the pincers?"
I was breathing kind of hard on account of there being a kind of lump inmy throat, but I said, "Yop."
"And the extra wiring?"
"I've got it," Grove said.
He didn't say anything more, and we kind of didn't dare to speak to him.Pretty soon we came to a place where there was a part of the cliffbroken away outside the fence, and Harry sat down on a rock and startedconnecting up the light.
"I don't know if this blamed thing is going to work," he said.
"If--if he should be down there," Grove said; "could he be alive?"
Harry didn't answer at all, he was so busy and worried.
"I can climb down," I said, "if he's there. He--he did me many a goodturn, that's one thing."
"I can see him now, the way he was talking to Mrs. West," Grove said.
"Here, stand this battery out of the way," Harry said. "Look out youdon't trip over the wire. You boys keep back."
"I'm not going to keep back," I told him; "I want to see. If he's downthere, I'm going down. I know that. Who's--who's got a--a better right toknow than we have----"
Harry didn't say anything. It was only just that he was so worried andexcited himself that he didn't want us near the edge. He held theheadlight down over the edge of the cliff and we could see a jumble oftrees and rocks down there--away far down. Everything looked kind ofgray.
"Look between those two rocks," Harry said, awful quiet. His voicesounded funny and different. Grove just crept back and then stood up andI could hear him gulping there in the dark.
"It's--it's him," I said to Harry.
"I was afraid of it," Harry said. That was all he said. But I could seehow the light moved and I knew he wasn't holding it steady. Pee-wee waswedged in between two rocks away down far below us. There couldn't beany mistake about it, because we could see his khaki suit plain.
"I'm going down," I said; "maybe--maybe I jollied him a lot, but he was ascout--he was--I'm going down----" That's just what I said.
Harry shook his head and just said, "It's all over, Roy. This isterrible."
"I'm going down anyway," I said.
CHAPTER XX--I DESCEND THE CLIFF
It wasn't any use for Harry to say what I should do, and I guess he knewit. Mostly we did what he said and that was only right, I have to admitit.
But, anyway, nothing could have stopped me then.
"You can't go down here," Harry said.
"I'll go up the road a ways," I told him; "it isn't so steep upfarther."
Harry told Grove to go back and stay in the car with Skinny and not lethim get out. Grove went back, keeping to the inside edge of the road. Istarted along the road, looking for a place where I could climb down andHarry threw the light along ahead of me, but I had to go so far thatpretty soon I was out of its reach.
"The cliff lower up that way?" he called after me.
"It isn't so straight up," I shouted back; "throw the light down wherehe is, so it will guide me when I get to the bottom."
It wasn't so hard scrambling down at the place I chose. I guess it wasabout five hundred feet further along from where Harry was, and about asfar again from where the car was standing. The place wasn't so steep andit wasn't so high either, because the place where Harry was, was rightabout at the top of the hill. Only, one thing, it was mighty dark andblowing up windy, and while I was scrambling down I felt a drop of rain.
When I got to the bottom, I found it was all rough--rocky like--and it washard to walk down. But, one thing, I could see the light good and plain.It looked just like a search-light, all straight and dusty, slantingdown from the highest part of the cliff.
I called to Harry to ask him if it was pointed at the spot, but hedidn't answer me. I guess the wind was the other way, and besides, avoice carries up better than it carries down. Anyway, I knew he was upthere on account of the light.
I started stumbling over rocks to get to the place where that shaft oflight ended. It made one of those big rocks awful bright, but I couldn'tsee the other rock, because it was behind it. And I couldn't see thespace between; I was kind of glad I couldn't. But I knew I had to cometo it.
All the while, I could sort of hear Pee-wee, the way he talked to Mrs.West, and I remembered how we always laughed at him. I guessed we'd goright back and I wondered how we'd fix--I mean what we'd do withhim--anyway, we'd have to carry the body to a town and then telegraph. Isaid I wouldn't want to be Harry to have to do that.
By now it was raining and blowing pretty hard. Two or three times Icalled up, but only once I could hear an answer, and even then Icouldn't make out what he said. I had to climb over rocks and big trunksand roots of trees that must have fallen down from above some time orother. It was pretty hard. All of a sudden, that shaft of light that Iwas following was gone and I stood there in the rain and it was pitchdark all around.
I shouted up to Harry at the top of my voice, and there was some kind ofan answer, but I couldn't make it out.
"What's the matter?" I yelled. "Throw the light down. I can't see."
I heard a voice that seemed kind of as if it was far, far off somewhere,and I listened, trying to make it out. I wasn't sure whether it was avoice or just the wind.
I called out, "_What?_" Gee, my head just throbbed from shouting soloud.
"_K-i-i-l-ld, k-i-i-l-d._" That's just what the voice seemed to say.
All of a sudden I stumbled over a rock and fell down in the pitch darkand knocked my head. For a second it made me see a bright light, but Iknew it wasn't real. I could feel my forehead was bleeding. My leg washurt too, so I couldn't get up. And my head just throb
bed and throbbedand throbbed.
I called as loud as I could and it just made my head pound all the more.
I shouted, "Throw the light down here; I'm hurt!"
But the only answer I could hear was that voice saying "_K-i-i-ild,k-i-i-ild----_"
CHAPTER XXI--I'M LEFT IN DARKNESS
I didn't know why Harry should be calling to me that Pee-wee was killed,because we knew that. And it seemed awful spooky for him to be sayingthat one word; anyway, the word made it seem kind of ghostly-like.Especially, because it was against the wind and that makes a voice soundkind of not human.
As soon as I could, I got up, but I could hardly stand, I was so dizzy.I tied my scout scarf around my head, but the blood dripped down onlynot so bad. It made my head ache terrible to look up the cliff. Icouldn't see any light up there at all.
I guess if it hadn't been for Pee-wee, I would have just lain down andstayed that way, because I was so weak and dizzy. I couldn't shout forthe light, because that made me weaker and it made my head swim. I justwent stumbling over rocks and old roots and a couple of times I had tosit down. My hands were cold just like ice.
Pretty soon I didn't know where I was at all. It was so dark that Icouldn't even see the things near me. The rain was blowing in my face,too. Anyway, I knew one thing, and that was that if I lay down I wouldnever be able to get up again. I didn't care so much only I wanted tosee him first. Then if I was going to die, I would stay right there anddie. Anyway, I didn't care much, because the troop would never be thesame without Pee-wee. That was just the way it was, we were alwayskidding him, but when it came to doing something, he was the one to jumpout of that car. While I was sitting on a rock, I kind of thought how itwould be at Temple Camp without him; he was always getting into somescrape or other in the cooking shack. I never knew how much I caredabout Pee-wee, until that night.
One thing, I don't get rattled in the dark; and I don't get lost easilyeither. If that shaft of light had never been there and if I had starteddown there in the dark, I guess I could have found the place wherePee-wee's body was. But when the light disappeared, all of a sudden, Ididn't know where I was at. And when I fell and hurt myself, that madeit worse.
Besides, the wind and rain made it worse, too. I guess the rain musthave been pouring down off that cliff like a water-fall. Anyway, I couldhear the sound of water splashing.
I just groped about, pressing the scarf tight against my forehead tokeep the cut from bleeding. I didn't know which way I was going, Ibunked into rocks and trees, and sometimes I was up to my ankles inwater. If I had come to the place where Pee-wee was, it would just havebeen luck. I wondered why some one else didn't come down, but I guessedthey couldn't manage it, maybe because the rain was pouring over theedge.
Pretty soon I knew I couldn't go any more; I tried, but I just couldn't.I had to sit down on a rock, I was so dizzy. I held my head in my twohands. Pretty soon I lay down on the rock and all the while I could hearthe wind and the swishing of water and I wished they would stop. It wasdark so I couldn't see anything. I guess I didn't know anything either,after that.
CHAPTER XXII--WE MEET
Then something awful queer happened. Maybe it was a half an hourafterward, or maybe not so much--I don't know. But anyway, I saw a light.And I felt warm, sort of. And I guess I must have been asleep, because Ididn't know what it was on my forehead, and I pulled the end of it and Icould see it plain. It wasn't my scarf, because mine is gray, on accountof my patrol being the Silver Foxes. But it was black with stripesacross, and I knew it was the scarf of the Raven Patrol.
Then I saw there was a fire very near me--not so very near on account ofthe wind--but pretty near. And I thought Grove Bronson must be there,because he's a Raven. Then I guess I must have gone to sleep again,anyway, everything seemed kind of funny and I thought about how GroveBronson couldn't get a fire started in the rain, because that's hard andonly a few scouts can do that. Then I sort of could see my mother andshe was saying how I must stay home from school, only I knew I was outthere in the rain and that it was summer and there wasn't any school.
Then all of a sudden, I could see a face and it scared me. It was allwhite and the hair was streaky from the rain. It was Pee-wee's face.There didn't seem to be anybody to it, only just a face. Pretty soon, itmoved.
I said, "_Don't come near me! Stay away!_ I'm sick and I'm hurt. Youmake me scared; don't come near me! If you're dead----"
"I just want to put the dry coat over you," he said; "so I can dry theother one. Don't you know me--Roy?"
I JUST WANT TO PUT THE DRY COAT OVER YOU.]
"_Pee-wee!_" I just kind of gasped.
He said, "Lie still, don't sit up. They can see the fire; they're comingdown. It's holding up now."
Then I could see the rest of him as he got up from behind the fire. Andhe came over with another coat that was dry and warm and laid it overme, and took the other one.
"I had a dandy idea," he said, and oh, gee, then I knew it was Pee-wee;"I fixed a rock so it would get all warm underneath and the coats wouldkeep dry while I heated them. I invented it; it's dandy."
I guess I must have been going all to pieces, anyway, I didn't know whatI was doing, but I just put my arms around him and I said, "I don't careanything about the coats, Pee-wee, as long as you're alive--I don't.Honest, I don't. I don't care if I get wet----"
"You told me I couldn't start a fire in the rain," he said; "I've got aspecial way I do it----"
"Don't go away; stay right here," I told him. And I just held onto him.
"They're coming down, they can see the fire," he said. "Lie right still.Anyway, I'd like to tell you, because now we're alone here, and so I'dlike to tell you that I'm not really mad when you think----"
All I could say was just, "Don't, kid; don't talk like that." And I heldonto him tighter.
And all the while I could see the blaze and I could hear the wet wood onthe fire crackling, and the flame made the whole cliff plain. And Icould see how quick the rock was drying on account of the heat, and howfire is stronger than water after all, because if you can only start itright it just laughs at rain. And anyway, a scout like Pee-wee is betterthan both, that's one sure thing.
Then pretty soon I could hear voices, not up on the cliff, but comingalong down below and I could hear Skinny saying, "Will they be dead?"
And I could hear Harry say, "Yes, one of them, I'm afraid, Alf."
"That's where they all get left isn't it?" Pee-wee said. "I'm glad I'malive just so as to fool them."
That was Pee-wee all over.
CHAPTER XXIII--WE BEGIN OUR SEARCH
Harry and Grove and Skinny came plodding through the mud; they had comedown the same way I had come down. And oh, boy, you should have seen theway they stared when they saw Pee-wee.
"You alive?" Harry said.
"I can prove it," Pee-wee shouted.
Harry just stood looking at him and scowling and whistling to himself,as if he couldn't believe his senses.
"If you don't believe I'm alive ask Roy," the kid blurted out.
"Any injuries? Anything the matter?" Harry asked him, and began to feelof him all over.
"Only I'm hungry," the kid said.
Harry just whistled for about half a minute and then he said, "Well, Isuppose that a fall of two or three hundred feet is enough to give onean appetite--if nothing else. How about you, Roy?"
I told them the best that I could about my adventures, and I asked himwhat had happened to the light.
"I stumbled over the storage battery and spilled the chemicals," hesaid.
"Was it you calling _killed_?" I asked him.
"It was I calling _spitted_," he said.
"Good night!" Grove blurted out.
"It shows how much you all know," Pee-wee piped up. It was the same oldPee-wee. "I wasn't anywhere near those two rocks and I--I wouldn't knowthem if I met them in the street. I was sub-conscious in a tree--I meanunconscious. When I slipped up there, I went kerflop off theprecipice--just like in
the movies. There was a tree sticking out and Icaught it and I was kind of stunned. But anyway, I stuck there in thebranches, because I'm lucky. When I got all right again I managed tocrawl along a little ways and then I slipped down and landed behind arock or something, and below that it wasn't so steep. I went down,because I couldn't get up and I wandered around down there, until Iheard somebody groaning. That was Roy."
"Why didn't you answer when I called?" Harry asked him.
"I guess I must have been unconscious then," the kid said. "How could Ianswer you if I was unconscious? I guess you were never unconscious."
Harry said, "Well, if I've never been unconscious, at least I'mstupefied. Pee-wee, I think you have nine lives like a cat. I'll neverworry about you again. Go where thou wilt. You were born under a luckystar. But tell me this, do either one of you nightly wanderers know whoit is who lies wedged between those two rocks somewhere down here?"
"He's _surely_ dead," little Skinny piped up; "isn't he?"
Harry said, "Yes, Alf, I don't believe we'll have to disappoint youagain. He's _very_ dead."
"Let's go and find him," Pee-wee shouted.
"Do you think you're able to move about, Roy?" Harry asked me.
"I started to find those two rocks and I'm going to find them," I toldhim.
"I'll help you along," Grove said.
We made torches and lighted them at the fire. The way you do that is, toget a good stick and split it a little way and then split it crosswaysto that and keep on splitting it this way and that until the split partsare so thin that they just curl out and make a kind of a fuzzy topknoton the end of the stick. If you do it right, the stick will burn, forabout half an hour. When we each had one, we started out to find the tworocks we had seen from up on the cliff and the body that we had seenbetween them.