And then Tom was pulled back and Peter's fair head took his place.

"Well, we've found them, David, and they're all right except Dickie says he's hungry. And they've got the most terrific surprise - all right, Mary, you little beast, don't pinch! Do you know what we did? We were over on the other side and I could see you all coming up the Dingle, and Tom said..."

"WILL YOU CHILDREN BE SILENT?" suddenly roared Uncle Micah in his old manner. "HAVE YE NO RESPECT FOR YOUR ELDERS?... Humphrey, ye great goop! bring me that rope."

Then the constable sat down with his back to the cliff and mopped himself, while Humphrey, still flustered and flabbergasted at the change in his master, dropped the pickaxe he was carrying and then got Jenny mixed up in the rope. When they were disentangled, Uncle Micah showed him that the rope must somehow be thrown over the heavy cable before anything could be hauled up or anybody let down. But this proved more difficult than it looked. The cable was too high and the rope too thin. They tried tying the crowbar to one end and throwing it up that way, but, except that Mary was nearly beheaded as she leaned out offering encouraging remarks, this was also unsuccessful. Then Dickie called out: "Just you wait. We've got an idea. We're going to send a message," and then they both disappeared, and the rescue party sat down for a rest.

By now Uncle Micah was looking very fierce, and David rather felt he was about to relapse into scripture again. Then came an odd snuffling behind them, and when they looked down it was to see Macbeth emerging for the second time from the little tunnel through the fallen rocks.

"Gosh!" David shouted. "I'd forgotten all about you, Mackie. Where have you been?"

Mackie, looking rather rakish with a green bow and now a white bow in his collar, leapt upon his big master and embraced him. Then he saw the policeman and barked menacingly. He hated policemen with an unreasonable hatred, and he didn't care very much for Uncle Micah either, because he had never seen anyone quite like him before. David calmed him, and then noticed that the white bow was a twist of chocolate paper. He opened it and saw a note in the twin's best style and headed with a sketch of the Lone Pine. He beckoned Jenny to his side, and they read together.

"To our galant Reskewers.