After a hearty camp supper, devoured with appetites whetted by the keen mountain air, the boys found themselves only too glad to roll in for a good night’s sleep. “Have the bell-boy call me in the morning,” called Ed airily from his blanket, but before either the drowsy Warde or tired Westy could come back at him with a reply, sleep overpowered all three. They only waked next morning when the brisk stirring about of Mr. Wilde and Billy disturbed them. “Come on now, you fellows,” jeered Mr. Wilde. “Scouts ought to be up and dressed ahead of an old business man like me.”
Warde and Westy took this remark to heart and scrambled shamefacedly for their clothes, but Ed’s unfailing good humor left him untouched. He lolled back, gazing up and up into the depths of foliage above him and retorted, “Have that bellhop get my pants from the tailor.”
“Aren’t you going to wear your scout suit at all?” queried Westy in disapproval.
“Aw, gee, Mr. Wilde joshed me so about wearing ‘rompers’ I’m going to stick to my corduroys,” said Ed, springing up, his mind eagerly on breakfast.
“Are you going up to Vulture Cliff this morning, Mr. Wilde?” asked Warde, impatient to know the program of the outing.
“That’s just where I’m going, Mister,” replied Mr. Wilde, busy already with preparations for this hike. “And,” he added, “I hope you young hopefuls put in a lucky day catching plenty of fish for a good meal this evening, because when Billy and I get back here we’ll be hungry enough to eat a hard-boiled rhinoceros.”
“Can’t we go with you?” asked Westy, his face the picture of disappointment.
“Go with us, your grandmother,” grinned Billy heartlessly. “That cliff is no place for little children.”
“I should say not,” added Mr. Wilde. “I can’t be responsible to your mammas if their darling boys fall down and have the buzzards pick their bones. Why, don’t you know a vulture would rather eat a Boy Scout than a dish of ice cream? No, you kids stick around here out of our way where you’re safe and show us what kind of a meal a star scout can cook.”
It was a cruel disappointment to the boys to find that their part in this un............