Page:Boy scouts in the White Mountains; the story of a long hike (IA boyscoutsinwhite00eato).pdf/174

 nearly as steep, with the long white scars of land-*slides down its face.

"Well!" said Peanut, "the Franconia Notch was some place, but this one has got it skun a mile. Gee! Looks as if the mountains were going to tumble over on top of you!"

"They did once, on top of the Willey family," said Mr. Rogers. "Come on, we'll walk down till we can see how it happened."

The road plunged rapidly down-hill, into the forest at the bottom of the Notch. They met one or two motors chugging up, and having a hard time of it. In one case, everybody but the driver was walking, to lighten the load.

"I came down this hill on a bicycle once—only once," said the Scout Master. "It was back in 1896, when everybody was riding bicycles. I was trying to coast through the Notch. Somewhere on this hill I ran into a big loose stone, head on, and the bicycle stopped. I didn't, though. The man with me couldn't stop his wheel for nearly a quarter of a mile. Finally he came back and picked me up, and took me back to the Crawford House, where they bandaged up my head and knee. Somebody brought the wheel back on a cart."

"Say, it would make some coast on a bob-sled, though!" cried Peanut. "Wouldn't be any rocks to dodge then."