"
Advancing a few yards, Linda braced herself, drew around her
glasses, and began searching the side of the mountain opposite
her and below as far as she could range with the glasses. At
last she gave up.
"Must have gone the other way," she said to Katy. "I'll crawl
back to you. We'll go after help and get Donald out. There will
be time enough to examine the cliff afterward; but I am just as
sure now as I will be when it is examined that that stone was
purposely loosened to a degree where a slight push would drop it.
As Donald says, there's no reason why it should hang there for
centuries and fall on him today. Shut your eyes, old dear, and
back up. We must go to Donald. I rather think it's on one of
his feet from what he said. Let me take one more good look."
At that minute from high on the mountain above them a shower of
sand and pebbles came rattling down. Linda gave Katy one
terrified look.
"My God!" she panted. "He's coming down right above us!"
Just how Linda recrossed the bushes and reached Katy she did not
know. She motioned for her to make her way back as they had
come. Katy planted her feet squarely upon the rock. Her lower
jaw shot out; her eyes were aflame. She stood perfectly still
with the exception of motioning Linda to crowd back under the
bushes, and again Linda realized that she had no authority; as
she had done from childhood when Katy was in earnest, Linda
obeyed her. She had barely reached the overhanging bushes,
crouched under them, and straightened herself, when a small
avalanche came showering down, and a minute later a pair of feet
were level with her head.
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