for a moment or two pepper hung at the extremity of the branch to which he was clinging, when all at once there came an ominous cracking and the end broke away, but fortunately it had swung so low toward the ground that he dropped at the foot of the tree, not much the worse for his experience.
it had ail happened so quickly that, before he had time to utter a cry pepper found himself lying on the ground flat on his back.
"my goodness gracious!" exclaimed pepper, feeling himself all over to make sure that he was ail there. "the farther i go the worse it gets. this is certainly the worst yet. i think the ground is good enough for me after that."
a little dazed by his fall, pepper, without stopping to consider his direction, started off as fast as he could go, turning this way and that as he went, to avoid the thicker growths of under-brush, until he had gone a mile or more, getting ail the time deeper into the forest.
"i think," he mused, when he stopped for a breathing spell, looking about for some clue to guide him, "i had better be getting back to the road. now, i wonder which way it is. let me see, which is the north. that must be it, because this side of the trees have moss on them; then the road must be off this way."
starting off in the direction he had decided upon pepper pursued his way, swerving now to the right and again to the left to avoid some all but impassable thicket or some swampy bit of ground, until he judged that he had gone at least a mile.
"crickets!" he exclaimed at length. "i wonder where that road has gone. i was not that far from it, i know. i must have traveled about four miles since i left it, in the wrong direction at that. gee! it must be pretty near noon, by the way i feel." looking at his watch he saw it was 12 o'clock, and sat down to eat his lunch.
"lucky i brought it along," he thought; "for, from the looks of things, i don't know when i am going to get any more. i wonder if the boys are waiting for me to return? looks as though they would have quite a wait.
"now, which way shall i go?" he questioned when he had finished. "there doesn't seem to be any choice in the matter, one way looks as promising as another."
striking off at right angles from the way he had been going he decided to try that course for a while, but after traveling for an hour through the underbrush, which seemed to be getting thicker and more difficult to get through the farther he went, he again came to a halt.
"looks as if i was lost," he mused, "and the farther i go the more lost i am. i suppose if don were here he would toss up for the way to go, and i guess that's as good a way as any."
taking a coin from his pocket he closed his hand upon the metal without looking at it. "if it is head," he decided, "i will go to the right, and if it is tail i will go to the left. it's head," opening his hand. "now, i'll bet that isn't the right way, but i'll try it anyhow."
taking the course the coin had indicated pepper plunged into the brush and doggedly pushed on, although he was getting tired and somewhat discouraged.
"i am going to keep on this way," he determined, "until i get to the road or come out on the other side, if it brings me out in california."
stopping to rest, after he had forced his way through a particularly heavy growth of brush, he was startled at hearing the angry bark of a dog not far away.
"crickets!" he cried, "i hope i haven't run across that beast again i think i had better look for a stick while i have time. i don't want to be picking up any more snakes"
looking about him he found a good-sized stick lying upon the ground, which he scrutinized closely before venturing to take possession.
in addition to the barking of the dog he could now hear voices, and thus encouraged, he advanced in the direction from which came the sounds.
"perhaps i can find some one who can direct me how to get out of this," he thought. a few minutes' walk brought him near to a small opening in the woods in which stood a rudely-built cabin, and a little way off a smaller shack which, apparently, was used as a stable, as there was a wagon standing beside it, which pepper recognized as the one he had seen on the road, and as the very one monkey had been driving when he nearly run them down. there were a couple of kegs in the wagon and several tin cans. perched on the roof of the cabin was a boy, whom he recognized as sam tompkins, who had, apparently, climbed there to escape the dog, which was jumping up, trying to get at him.
while pepper watched, the man whom he had seen driving the wagon, came from the inside of the house and drove the dog away, at the same time calling to sam to come down.
"that's what you get for teasing him," he growled. "he'll take a piece out of you yet."
making a surly response sam slipped down from the roof and disappeared into the house.
"gee!" exclaimed pepper. "i am glad i didn't walk in on them. now, i wonder what is going on here?"
from a large chimney, which was built at the back of the cabin, which was nearest pepper, the smoke from a wood fire was rising, and there was an unpleasant odor in the air.
"that must be the smoke we saw from the river the other day," concluded pepper. "i wonder what they are cooking there? i can't say i like the smell of it, whatever it is, and i don't think this is any good place for me, either."
slipping back as quietly as he had come, pepper started on his away again. when he had gotten far enough from the place so that, he thought, it would not attract the attention of those there, pepper sounded a call on his bugle.
"perhaps the boys are out looking for me when i didn't get back on time," he said, sounding the call from time to time as he went on, but which brought no response.
"thank goodness! i've got to the end of the woods," he exclaimed a little later, when he saw an open space not far ahead of him.
hurrying forward he found himself, not, as he had expected, on the road, but on the top of a high bluff which descended almost perpendicularly for a hundred feet to a roadway, which was a welcome sight. just below him, looking over the edge, he saw that there was a broad ledge about ten feet down and that, below this again, the cliff sloped at an acute angle to another narrow ledge, but below this again there was seemingly nothing but the bare side of the cliff.
"no use trying to get down that way," he soliloquized. "i'll just follow along the edge and see where i come out."
turning, he was about to step back when the earth, where he was standing, gave way, sliding down to the ledge below and carrying him with it.
"goodness!" he cried, picking himself up and shaking off the dirt with which he was covered. "i wonder what next? now, how am i going to get out of this? i doubt if i can get back up there, and it don't look inviting below."
it was impossible to climb up the side of the cliff, as it was almost perpendicular, but upon the small ledge below he noticed that a stunted tree was growing from the rocks.
"i wonder if i can catch that tree," considered pepper, preparing to slide down to the ledge. "i guess it ain't a question of can, i've just got to do it, and i won't be any worse off there than i am here, and i may be a good deal better."
carefully calculating his distance he let go, sliding down until he reached the ledge where he clutched a tree and held on until he could gain a footing. the ledge, which was about a foot in width, ran but a short distance in either direction, but to the right, a few feet below, was another level space, which pepper judged he might gain. moving cautiously along until he was over the point he let himself down to the lower ledge. following this along he was able to gain another, and so on, slipping at times and tumbling, until he finally came out upon a small plateau at the foot of the hill.
"thank goodness!" he cried as he got up and shook himself. "i've got to the bottom, anyhow. i hope there isn't anything more coming my way or i won't get that message there to-day, and i've got to move pretty quick, as it is."
he had gone but a short distance when he heard a loud "hello," and looked up to see a strange boy in the scout uniform standing on the rocks not far above him.
"hello!" called the boy again; "who are you?"
"hello!" he replied. "pepper blake. who are you?"
"tom brown," replied the other, then, with his trumpet, sending out a call that went echoing among the rocks until it brought back an answering call. "say, hold on until i get down there," he said, addressing pepper, then clambering down until he stood beside the lost boy. "do you know we have been hunting all over for you?"
"no," replied pepper; "but i am mighty glad to see you just the same."
"how did you get down here?" went on tom.
"tumbled down, mainly," was the reply. "i took a drop from the top of the hill yonder."
by this time several more of the boys, who were members of the highpoint patrol, had joined them and began to ply the object of their search with questions.
"hold on a minute," said one of them. "say, pepper, ain't you hungry?"
"well, i had a bite," he confessed; "but that was a good while ago, and i want to get on with this message."
"i guess you have got there," said the boy, with a laugh. "i am jack dudley, the leader; you can give it to me."
"all right," replied pepper, with a sigh of relief; "i got it to you, anyhow."
"you certainly did," said jack. "lucky we brought along a day's rations. we didn't know how long we might be out. now," as the boys got out their supplies from their knapsacks and spread them out on the rocks, "tell us how you got here." whereupon pepper related the story of his adventures.
"my goodness!" exclaimed tom, when the story was finished, "i don't believe it is safe for you to be out alone. what do you say, boys, don't you think we ought to see him safe home?"
"sure," agreed the others.
"it's getting dark now," continued tom, "and there is no telling what he will find on the road."
so, in spite of pepper's protests that he was all right and that once put upon the right road he could take care of himself, the boys insisted upon escorting him to the outskirts of creston, which they reached without further misadventure.
"do you think you will be safe now?" asked tom as they were about to leave him.
"of course i will," replied pepper, with a laugh; "why, i am almost home."
"well, then, good night," they called, and with three cheers for pepper, the messenger of the uncas, the highpoint boys turned about and went on their way home.
tired, but happy that he had succeeded in delivering the message, pepper hurried on home. he was almost there when he was accosted by a schoolmate and was told that his brother jack and others had been seen going into judge taylor's office. it was but a step farther, so thither he directed his course.
