him laughing over it, even though they were no longer able to see him.

"Are you warm enough down there?" called Ned.

"Sure thing. I have most of the blankets."

"That means we freeze, I guess," interjected Stacy.

"You can go cut yourself a few chopsticks and sleep under them,"
retorted Ned Rector. "Hey, Tad, why don't you build a fire down
there?"

"Haven't any matches."

"Never mind, Tad, the moon soon will be up and you can get warm by
that," shouted the fat boy.

"Chunky has suddenly developed into a wit, Tad. I don't know what's
happened to the boy. It must have been that fall over the cliff that
shook his thinking machinery into place."

"Pity some other folks not more'n a million miles away wouldn't fall
over," muttered Stacy.

"What's that you say?" demanded Ned, turning on him.

"I--I was just thinking to myself," explained Chunky, edging away.

Ned was glaring at him ferociously, at the same time struggling to
keep back the laughter that rose to his lips because of Stacy's sharp