Billie had been looking down at them, but appearing to know that his chums must have arrived above, he turned a white, appealing face up toward them. Such fear the others had never seen in all their lives; but chances were their own faces must have been just as white at that same instant. “Help me, boys, for goodness sake!” gasped poor Billie, as he squirmed there, unable to find the slightest perch for his dangling feet, so that all of his great weight came upon his arms alone, and they must have been sorely tried when he first clutched hold of the rough face of the rock to check his descent. “Hold on like everything, Billie!” called Donald, excitedly. “Ain’t I doing that same; but please get busy and start something to save me, boys!” groaned the one in peril. “It’s just awful hanging here, and listening to them use their old rattleboxes that way.” “How long can you hold out?” demanded Donald, “for if I could run over to our ponies and snatch up a rope, I’d have you out of that in a jiffy.” “Go!” pleaded Billie. “Anything, so that you’re on the jump! I’ll do the best I know how to keep hanging here; but it’s pretty tough on a fellow!” Donald had already disappeared, and was flying like the wind toward the spot where their mounts were fastened, leaping over rocks that stood in the way as if they were next door to nothing. Adrian, left with the lad who was in such desperate straits, busied himself in looking around, in the vague hope of discovering some means for rendering “first aid to the injured.” He remembered seeing certain queer vines growing from fissures in the rocks in some places, and if one of these only happened to be within reaching distance it might prove valuable now. Luck seemed to be with him, for what should he sight but an unusually thick specimen of this same vine not ten feet away. Snatching out his sharp-edged hunting knife, which he always kept in prime condition, Adrian sprang over to where he had discovered this treasure. “Oh! don’t leave me alone, Adrian!” shrieked the fat boy, piteously; for how was he to know what had caused the other to vanish from his agonized view? But Adrian was already cutting away fiercely; and although the vine proved very tough, he had it hacked through in next to no time, such was the vigor he put into his work. Then back he sprang, trailing the vine with him; and when he again thrust his eager face over the edge of the pit, doubtless that was the most delightful vision poor alarmed Billie had ever seen in all his life. “Oh! ain’t I glad you didn’t leave me, Adrian!” he cried, almost whimpering in his tremendous excitement. “How are you holding out, Billie?” called the other.