"
"You don't think we are going to be discovered here until perhaps it is
too late, do you, Mr. Nance?"
"We always have hopes. There being nothing we can do, the only thing
for us is to sit down and hope."
"And starve? No, thank you. Not for mine!"
"Nor mine. It's time we men did something," declared Stacy pompously.
"As I have had occasion to remark before, children should be seen and
not heard," asserted Ned Rector.
"Kindly be quiet. We are listening to Master Tad," rebuked the
Professor. "Go ahead, Tad."
"There isn't much to say, except that I propose to get on the other
side of the horseshoe and climb back over the rocks to our trail. If I
am fortunate enough to get there the rest will be easy and I'll have
you up in a short time. How about it, Dad?" asked the boy lightly,
as if his proposal were nothing out of the ordinary.
Dad took a few steps forward.
"How do ye propose to get across that stretch of water there to reach
the other side of the horseshoe?"
"Swim it, of course."
The guide laughed harshly.
"Swim it? Why, kid a boat wouldn't live in that boiling pot for two
minutes. What could a mere man hope to do against that demon?"
"It is my opinion that a man would do better for a few moments against
the water than a boat would.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113