endous.

The camp suggested secrecy. It lay in the bowels of a hollow. The
hollow was crowded with spruce, a low, sparse-growing scrub, and
mosquitoes. Its approach was a defile which suggested a rift in the
hills at the back. Its exit was of a similar nature, except that it
followed the rocky bed of a trickling mountain stream. A mile or so
further on this gave on to the more gracious banks of the Bell River to
the west of the gorge.

Kars had taken up a position upon some rolled blankets. He was
smoking, and meditating over the remains of a small fire. Bill was
stretched full-length upon the ground. His philosophic temperament
seemed to render him impervious to the attacking hordes of mosquitoes.
Beyond the hum of the flying pestilence the place was soundless.

Near by the Indians were slumbering restfully. It is the nature of the
laboring Indian to slumber at every opportunity--slumber or eat.
Peigan Charley was different from these others of his race. But the
scout had long been absent from the camp on work that only the keenest
of his kind could accomplish successfully. Indian spying upon Indian
is like hunting the black panther. The difficulty is to decide which
is the hunter.

Bill was drowsily watching a cloud of mosquitoes set into undue
commotion by the smoke from his pipe. But for all that his thoughts
were busy.

"Guess Charley isn't likely to take fool chances?" he suggested after a
while.

Kars shook his head at the fire. His action possessed all the decision
of conviction.

"Charley's slim. He's a razor edge, I guess. He's got us all beaten
to death on his own play. He's got these murdering devils beaten
before they start." Then he turned, and a smile lit his steady eyes as
they encountered the regard of his friend. "It seems queer sending a
poor darn Indian to take a big chance while we sit around."

Then he kicked the fire together as he went on.

"But we're taking the real chance, I guess," he said, with a short
laugh. "If the Bell River outfit is all we reckon, then it's no sort
of gamble we made this camp without them getting wise."

Bill sat up.

"Then we certainly are taking the big chance."

Kars laughed again.

"Sure. And I'll be all broken up if we don't hear from 'em," he said.

He knocked out his pipe and refilled it. Once during the operation he
paused and listened.

"Y'see," he went on, after a while, "we're white folks."

"That's how I've always h