The Rock Jockeys Read Online Free

pack up. There wasn’t much room to see with the pack in his way, but he pointed the light anyway. His eyes widened in disbelief.
    The things at the bottom of the hole were bones.
    Human bones and a skull.

C HAPTER 9
    Rick turned his head and clutched the pack tightly. “I’ve got it, J.D. Get me out of here.”
    J.D. used the pine tree for leverage and pulled Rick up.
    Rick threw the pack over the top edge of the hole and crawled out behind it. “How’s Spud?” He took the rope and headlamp off.
    “I’m fine,” Spud answered, “except I feel like a total jerk.”
    Rick brought the first-aid kit from his pack. “I wouldn’t if I were you. Turns out you weren’t the first guy to fall in that hole.”
    “What are you talking about?” Spud tried to sit up and winced with pain.
    “Easy. Lie back down so we can splint that arm.” Rick gently felt Spud’s arm until he located the break just below the elbow. J.D. found two straight sticks for splints, and together they wrapped it with elastic bandage from the kit.
    “Sorry we don’t have any painkiller. You’ll just have to tough it out.” Rick put the kit back in his pack. “Can you stand?”
    “In a minute. What’s this about me not being the first one to fall in that hole?”
    “You’re not going to believe this. When I was reaching for my pack I nearly came up with some bones and a skull.”
    “Human?” J.D. suddenly looked sick.
    Rick nodded. “Sorry, guys, but we’re not the first ones to explore up here.”
    “I don’t care. I’m just glad I didn’t wind up like the last guy.” Spud tried to get to his feet.
    J.D. helped him stand. “It’s gonna be dark soon. We better find a place to camp.”
    Rick shouldered both his pack and Spud’s. “Hopefully there’ll be a good spot just over this ridge. If not, I’m leaving some of this stuff for the next fortune hunters.” He looked back at Spud. “It’s amazing what some people will do to get out of work.”

C HAPTER 10
    Spud’s eyes flew open. For a moment he thought he had dreamed the whole thing. Then the pain in his arm reminded him that it was definitely real.
    His arm was killing him and, except for the last couple of hours, he hadn’t really slept at all. Spud raised himself on his good elbow and looked around the campsite. He was alone.
    They had left him some cooked powdered eggs and tea near the fire. He made his way to it and awkwardly sat down to eat.
    “How’s your arm this morning, SleepingBeauty?” Rick moved a large tree branch and stepped into camp.
    “It’s a little swollen and it aches—kind of like a toothache. But other than that, it’s coming around. Where’s J.D.?”
    “Out looking for the best route back through the woods so we can get you off this mountain quicker.”
    “You guys don’t worry about me. My right arm is just as good as ever.” Spud flexed his muscle and rotated his right arm in a circle. “I’m a mountain-climbing machine.”
    J.D. stepped out of the trees. “We weren’t worried about you. We’re just getting kinda tired of this place.” He looked at Rick. “It’s brushy all the way. I say we travel as the crow flies. It’ll be hard no matter which way we take, but that will be the shortest route.”
    Rick checked Spud’s arm and loosened the bandage in a couple of places. “I’ll kill the fire. You guys make sure we have everything.”
    When they were ready to leave, J.D. picked up Spud’s heavy pack. Spud put his hand outto stop him. “I don’t need all that stuff. Let’s lighten it and then I can carry it.”
    “Are you sure?”
    Spud nodded and started pulling things out. He took out the prop and a little black book fell on the ground. Rick reached down and picked it up. “What’s this?”
    Spud shrugged. “I haven’t had a chance to look at it. It’s probably a logbook or something. I found it wrapped in a plastic sack stuffed down in a hole in the wall of the plane.”
    Rick opened it and started reading.