“Thar’s yer way!” she whispered. “I see ye’ve got a rope fer ther bad places. Two or three uv ’em’ll maybe hump ye, but I’m sure you uns, by holpin’ each other, kin make it. An’ it’ll save ye nigh about half the distance.” “Thank you,” said Frank, as she turned away. “You have placed us under great obligations.” This time Merriwell took the lead, plunging into the laurel, for the route was an unknown one to all. He hurried forward as rapidly as the ground would admit. A number of hogs of the razorback variety leaped up in front of him and scurried out of sight. “Look out that you don’t get bitten,” shouted Rattleton, with a laugh. “Those are wild hogs, you must understand, and you’d better not crowd them.” The hogs looked fierce enough to justify Rattleton’s assertion. “A boar hunt in these hills wouldn’t be bad,” said Hodge. “One of those fellows had tusks like razors.” They soon found abundant use for the rope, of which Nell Thornton had spoken, and for the stout alpinstocks they had provided as well. The way was rough and steep, and they quickly came to a series of benches, where the rope was found invaluable. “This is what I call tough,” grunted Browning, mopping his heated face at the end of one of these climbs. “Cyant hab no chillins, an’ fevah, dough, Mistah Browning, when you sweat dat way,” laughed Toots. “Dis clamb is gwan ter cure yeh.” “Or kill me!” Bruce growled. “I wonder how these other fellows are getting on?” said Hodge. “I don’t doubt they’re going faster than we are,” answered Merriwell. “But I’m depending on the judgment of that girl, and you know that we have the best of authority for believing that the race is not always to the swift.” “Or the battle to the strong!” chimed in Diamond, completing the quotation. “Ha! ha! ha!” laughed Rattleton. “Mr. Rattleton, what are you grinning about now?” queried Hodge. “I was just thinking that if the battle were always to the strong, what a fight a polecat would put up!” answered Rattleton, with another shout. “I believe, by chaowder, they air the strongest things on earth,” declared the boy from Vermont, with a smile. “I tried to poke one out of dad’s old barn once, an’ I thought it would lift the roof, b’gosh!” Higher and higher the dim path led, zigzagging at times, crossing perilous crevices, which they were forced to leap, dipping into narrow gorges, through which ran icy streams of water from hidden springs. “I tell you we’re nearing the top!” cried Rattleton, with a burst of enthusiasm. Merriwell looked at his watch. “We’ve already been an hour on the way,” he declared. “That starter thought the climb could be made in two hours. We may have to cross that rocky shoulder yet.” “No, we shall not have to cross it,” said Hodge. “I caught a view of the path from that other slope a while ago, and it swings under the point instead of over it.” “Hello! I don’t know about this!” cried Merriwell, coming to a full stop at another bend.