CHAPTER XV
With Rob, Art and Peanut Into the Great Gulf
Rob, Art and Peanut were making time down
the head wall, but they were also using up shoe
leather, for the wall of the Great Gulf is composed
of innumerable loose stones, often of a shaly nature,
with sharp edges, which turn under the foot. The
head wall trail, too, because of its steepness, is not
so much used as many others, and at times the
Scouts had some difficulty in keeping it. It grew
warmer as they descended out of the breeze into the
still air of the Gulf, and, as Peanut said, his forehead
was starting another brook. They reached timber
line in a short time, and before long were in the
woods beside Spaulding Lake, where in spite of the
leaf-mould on the bottom they paused long enough
to strip and have a quick bath in the cold water,
which was, however, warm by contrast with some of
the brooks they had tried. Then they resumed the
trail down the floor of the Gulf, beside the head
waters of the Peabody River. The path was rough,
full of roots and wet places, and it descended con-
