Page:Zodiac stories by Blanche Mary Channing.pdf/137

120 soft moss,—moss such as they had never seen before; moss which showed, even in the moonlight, rich hues of crimson, and which felt like a thick rug to their feet. They got those same feet very wet in crossing this place, and were not sorry to regain the solid ground, for, as Willie said, "It might have been a bog and swallowed them up."

The way grew steeper and steeper, the air colder, as they went on. The boys' clothing was soaked with dew, and their feet grew weary with hard climbing. After a time they sat down to rest under a rock. If Roy had begun to wish that he had waited for day, he would not allow as much.

Willie loyally kept silent. And, as the weird stillness around them was soothing, they presently dropped into a dull slumber, leaning back against the boulder. The sun was just rising in a tangle of mists as they opened their eyes once more. They