CHAPTER VII

ON THE RIM OF ETERNITY

Tad caught his breath sharply.  He, too, for the instant seemed unable to move.  Then all at once he sprang forward, throwing himself upon the fat boy, both going to earth together, locked in a tight embrace.

“Leggo!  Leggo!” shrieked Stacy.

The fat boy fought desperately.  He had appealed for help; now he refused to accept it.  He was possessed with a maddened desire to throw himself into the mile-deep chasm.  It was all Tad Butler could do at the moment to keep from being rolled to the rim himself.

Dad, suddenly discovering the situation, ran at full speed toward the struggling boys.

“Grab his legs.  I will look out for his shoulders,” gasped Tad, sitting down on Chunky’s face for a brief respite.

“I’ll handle him,” said the guide quietly.  “They get taken that way sometimes when they first look into the hole.”

By this time the others, having shaken off the spell, started to move toward the scene of the brief conflict.  Dad waved them back; then, with Tad holding up the fat boy’s shoulders, Dad with Chunky’s feet in hand, the two carried him back some distance, where they laid him on the ground.  Stacy did not move.  His face was ghastly.

“I think he has fainted—–­fainted away,” stammered Tad.

“Let him alone.  He’ll be all right in a few minutes,” directed the guide.

“What made him do that?” wondered Tad, turning large eyes on Nance.

“He jest couldn’t help it.  I told you you’d see something, but I didn’t think Fatty would be taken quite so hard.  You go back.”

“No, I’ll wait.  You perhaps had better look after the others, Ned or the Professor might be taken the same way,” answered Tad, with a faint smile.

Nance hurried back.  After a time Chunky opened his eyes.  He sat up, looking dazed then he reached a feeble hand toward Tad.

“I’d ‘a’ gone sure, Tad,” he said weakly.

“Nonsense!”

“I would, sure.”

“Come back and look at it.”

“Not for a million, I wouldn’t.”

“Oh, pooh!  Don’t be a baby.  Come back, I tell you.  You’ve got to get over that fright.  We shall have to be around this canyon for some time.  If you haven’t any nerve, why-----”

“Nerve?  Nerve?” queried Stacy, rousing himself suddenly.  “Talk about nerve!  Don’t you think it takes nerve for a fellow to start in to jump off a rock a mile high?  Well, I guess it does.  Don’t you talk to me about nerve.”

“There come the others.”

The Professor, the guide and the other boys walked slowly up to them at this juncture.  Chunky expected that Ned would make fun of him.  Ned did nothing of the sort.  Both Ned and Walter were solemn and their faces were drawn.  They sighed as if they had just awakened from a deep sleep.