Page:Cornelia Meigs-The Pirate of Jasper Peak.djvu/172

 litter they had constructed, and was carried out of the cabin. They had covered him well against the wind and rain, but the journey would be a  perilous one for him, none the less. Slowly, and with frequent pauses, they got him across the  clearing and down the hill to the stream, then  along its bank to where the fallen tree still held  its place. With the decreasing of the furious rain the flood had dropped a little, so that to-day  the whole of the rude bridge was out of water. How they got across, Hugh did not ever quite know. The tree swayed and shook more than it had done before, for the water had undermined  the banks and made the frail support even more  uncertain. They worked their way across, holding their burden high between them, and breathed a monstrous sigh of relief when at last they were  on firm ground again. Nicholas would not trust their way of crossing, but swam over, with much  difficulty, and was waiting for them on the other  shore.

They were a tired and breathless pair when they had finally carried Edmonds up the steep