"In a minute," Baba answered. Crabwise, with Johnny still hanging on, Baba worked along the ledge, which slowly widened until Johnny could stand alone. They were now on the jungle side of the rock.
A few feet farther on, there was a narrow slit in the rock face that widened into a small cave. Deep in the cave's darkness Johnny heard the squeaking of young arrow-birds. As he crept inside he whipped his flashlight from his belt. Purple eyes glittered at him in the circle of its light. There was a flutter of wings. Johnny and Baba started to click at the same time. The fluttering stopped and the birds' heads disappeared into their nests. The cave ended in a pile of large stones. Johnny sat down.
"Boy, do my arms ache!" Johnny said. "How about you, Baba?"
"I can climb," Baba answered. "But can you hold on? We have far to go."
"Aren't there any more ledges?" Johnny asked.
"Small ones," Baba answered. "None are wide like this one. Do you still want to go up?"
"Maybe we could tie me on some way," Johnny said. "Mountain climbers do it that way."
In a moment the boy and the bear were trying to see what they could work out. Finally Johnny had Baba use the razor sharp point of one of his claws to cut a pair of long thin straps from the wide ones on the harness. These they tied to Johnny's belt and then to Baba's harness again.
When the straps were finished, Johnny felt rested and they started out of the cave. They were stopped by the sight below them.
At the foot of the rock there was a wide space of cleared ground, and then the jungle stretched out. About a half mile away some large greyish beasts were breaking out of the undergrowth.