The principle of safe climbing is to maintain always three points of suspension: that it to say, one should keep either both footholds and one handhold, or both handholds and one foothold. Failing that, one is taking long chances. With this firmly in mind, I spidered out across the wall, testing every projection and cranny before I trusted any weight to it.

Trails spidered up its broken steep, and were lost in the cloud-drift or dipped out of sight over the edge of the timbered mesa. "We would go over the trail to hunt," said Moke-icha. "There were no buffaloes, but blacktail and mule deer that fattened on the bunch grass, and bands of pronghorn flashing their white rumps. Quail ran in droves and rose among the mesas like young thunder.

"We've got dozens of coils of hook-up wire," Deston said, "but not too many miles and it's soft stuff." "Graham wire!" Jones snapped his finger. "Of course," Deston agreed. "Hundreds of miles of it. Float the senser down on a Hotchkiss " "Tear-out." Jones objected. "Bailey it spidered out to twenty or so big, flat feet.