“Grandfather!” they all said at once.
Mr. Alden was half sitting, half lying under a stone ledge at the bottom of the ravine. Watch stood beside him like a bank guard.
“Are you all right?” Violet called.
“I’m fine,” Mr. Alden assured them. “Except for my ankle. I twisted it when I fell.”
Henry climbed down the steep slope. The other children followed.
“Be careful,” Grandfather warned them. “It’s slippery.”
“How long have you been here, Grandfather?” Jessie asked.
“All night,” Mr. Alden replied.
“Weren’t you scared?” Benny asked.
“Well, Benny, I was a little nervous.” Then he said, “I don’t think I can put any weight on my ankle.”
“You can lean on us,” Violet said.
Henry slipped Mr. Alden’s arm around his neck. “That’s right, Grandfather, lean on us.”
Jessie and Violet took the other arm.
Mr. Alden shook his head. “Even with your help, I’d never get back up to the path.”
Henry looked up toward the trail. It was a hard climb. Grandfather was right, they’d never make it. “We need help,” he said.
Benny started up the slope. “Let’s hurry!”
“I’ll stay with Grandfather,” Violet said.
“Watch, you stay, too,” Jessie told the dog.
Violet took off her jacket and folded it. “Here, Grandfather, let’s put this behind your head.”
“You’re sure you’ll be all right?” Henry asked.
Grandfather nodded. “I’ll be fine with Violet and Watch to take care of me.”
Back on the trail, Benny said, “Let’s get the ranger.”
“The cabin is closer,” Henry told him.
“But that woman is an old crab,” Benny argued. “She won’t help us.”
“Henry’s right, Benny,” Jessie said. “Even if the woman won’t help us, she might have a telephone. We can call the ranger from there.”
They trekked back to the cabin and knocked on the door.
No one answered.
“Please help us,” Jessie called. “Our grandfather is hurt!”
They knocked again. Just as they were about to give up, the cabin door flew open.
“What do you want?!” the woman snapped. “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from here?”
“Please let us use your phone,” Henry said.
“Telephone!” the woman repeated. “You think I’d have a telephone? What would I want with a telephone?”
“Our grandfather fell down a ravine,” Henry said. “We need help to get him out. Could we look around? Maybe you have something we could use to make a stretcher.”
“People who can’t take care of themselves should stay in the city where they belong!” she shouted. “You need help—go get Andy Watts to help you!” She waved toward the hill behind the cabin and slammed her door.
“Who’s Andy Watts?” Benny wondered aloud.
Already running toward the hill, Henry said, “Let’s find out.”
Beyond the hill, another cabin squatted among the trees.
Henry reached it first. He knocked and called, but no one answered.
“We’re wasting time,” Jessie said. “Let’s head back to the ranger’s station.”
They were just about to leave when a man carrying a long walking stick came toward them.
He smiled, “Hello, children,” he said. “I’m Andy Watts. That’s my cabin. What can I do for you?”
“Oh, Mr. Watts, we were looking for you,” Henry said. “Our grandfather fell down a ravine and hurt his ankle. We can’t get him out. Will you please help us?”
“Of course I’ll help you,” Mr. Watts said. He hurried into the cabin, saying, “I’ll be right back.” He came out with a rolled elastic bandage, which he put in his pocket. “Now, show me the way,” he said.
The four of them hurried back along the trail.
“How did you know about me?” Mr. Watts asked.
“We went to the other cabin,” Jessie told him. “The woman there said a man named Andy Watts would help us.”
Mr. Watts nodded. “That’s Hildy,” he said. “She’s something, isn’t she?”
“Unfriendly is what she is,” Benny said.
Mr. Watts laughed. “Her bark is worse than her bite,” he said.
They reached Mr. Alden and Violet and climbed down beside them. Watch got between Mr. Watts and Grandfather. He growled softly.
“That’s strange,” Jessie observed. “He’s usually friendly.”
Mr. Watts said, “He’s just doing his job —guarding your grandfather.” Then he put his hand out toward Watch. The dog sniffed it and wagged his tail. Mr. Watts patted his head. “I like animals,” he said, “so they usually like me.”
Henry made the introductions, and then Mr. Watts said, “Let me see that ankle.” He carefully pulled Mr. Alden’s sock down. “It’s swollen all right,” he said. “Can you move it?”
Grandfather made a slow circle with his foot. “Yes,” he said, “but it hurts.”
“I don’t wonder,” Mr. Watts said. “It’s a bad sprain. Lucky you didn’t break it.”
“I thought I did,” Mr. Alden told him. “It got twisted under me when I fell.”
“How did you fall, Grandfather?” Jessie asked.
“I waited at the store hoping the rain would stop,” he said. “When it didn’t, I decided to hike back anyway. I was walking along, when suddenly there was a blast of music. It startled me and I slipped. The next thing I knew, I was down here.”
“The soil washes away in a heavy rain,” Mr. Watts said. “They need to plant more trees along the trail.”
“Why don’t they do that?” Benny asked. “Then it wouldn’t be so dangerous.”
“Planting trees costs money,” Mr. Watts answered. “People sometimes object to spending their tax money that way.”
“They wouldn’t if they fell down like Grandfather,” Benny said.
Mr. Watts took out the elastic bandage.
“Should I take off Grandfather’s shoe?” Violet asked.
“Not until we get him back to camp,” the man answered. “His shoe will give him some support.” He wrapped the bandage under and over Mr. Alden’s shoe and up around his ankle. When he’d tied it securely, he said, “Now, let’s get you out of here.”
“How will we get Grandfather up the slope?” Henry asked.
“We won’t,” Mr. Watts answered. “There’s a narrow deer path behind this stone outcrop. We’ll follow that until the terrain is more even.”
Henry and Mr. Watts helped Grandfather up.
“Put this arm around my shoulders,” Mr. Watts directed.
“I’ll take his other arm,” Henry volunteered.
“The path is too narrow for three of us,” Mr. Watts said. He gave Mr. Alden his walking stick. “Use this. It’ll help.”
“I’ll carry these,” Benny said as he picked up the thermos, and the lantern Grandfather had bought.
“Henry and Violet and I will go on ahead to clear the way,” Jessie said.
Mr. Alden and Mr. Watts hobbled along behind them. Before too long, the trail and ravine were just about even.
“We’ll go up here,” Mr. Watts said.
They started up the slope, but Mr. Alden lost his balance and nearly fell.
“Henry, you and Benny go ahead of Grandfather,” Jessie said. “Violet and I will be behind him.”
“Good thinking,” Mr. Watts said. “Henry and Benny, you take hold of the walking stick. That way you can pull us up.”
“And we’ll push,” Violet said.
With everyone working together, they got Grandfather up the slope to the trail. But it was still a long way back to camp.
“I need to rest,” Grandfather said.
“Me, too,” Benny piped up.
Mr. Watts helped Mr. Alden to a tree stump. “Stay here and rest,” he said. “I’ll be back shortly.”
When he was gone, Violet said, “Being out in the rain all night must have been awful for you, Grandfather.”
“I was able to pull myself under the ledge,” Mr. Alden said. “It kept me fairly dry. And I had the new lantern.”
“I’ll bet you got hungry,” Benny put in.
“I had the lunch Jessie made for me,” Grandfather reminded him. “I ate every bit of it. And the coffee kept me warm.”
Watch barked. Something was moving along the trail toward them. It was Andy Watts, pushing a wheelbarrow. They were surprised to see him back so soon.
“We’ll push you back to camp, Mr. Alden,” Andy said. “That will make the trip easier for you.” He helped Mr. Alden into the barrow.
Grandfather’s legs stuck out in a funny way. The children laughed. The men laughed, too.
Henry and Mr. Watts pushed the wheelbarrow along the trail.
“Watch out for bumps!” Grandfather said.
At camp, Benny brought Grandfather’s sleeping bag out into the sun. Mr. Watts eased the man onto it. Then he carefully removed his shoe and sock.
“Shall I get an ice pack?” Violet asked.
“That’s a good idea,” Mr. Watts said.
Violet dashed off to the kitchen tent. There she took ice from the cooler and wrapped it in a plastic bag.
Mr. Watts wrapped the ankle with the elastic bandage. “Keep it elevated,” he said. “And stay off of it. It’ll probably be fine in a few days.”
Violet propped up Grandfather’s ankle with folded clothes and placed the ice pack on it.
“The ice feels good,” Mr. Alden said. “Thank you, Violet.” He looked around at the others. “Thank you, all!”
Mr. Watts said, “If you need help packing up to leave, just let me know.”
“Oh, my ankle will be fine by the time we break camp,” Grandfather assured him.
Andy Watts looked surprised. “You mean you aren’t going home now?” he asked.
The children looked at Grandfather. They, too, thought he would want to leave. As much as they wanted to stay, they would gladly cut their trip short if Grandfather would be more comfortable at home.
“Oh, no,” Mr. Alden said. “My grandchildren are having too good a time. They’ll take good care of me, and I can stay off my ankle here as well as at home.”
Andy looked doubtful. “Well, I have a feeling you might change you mind,” he said. “If you do, you know where to find me.” He walked off, pushing the wheelbarrow. |