nger blinded by the
darkness, for, in the three hours of infinite effort he had expended,
the moon had risen, and its radiance shone down the length of the gorge
like some dull yellow search-light. The wood-lined walls were lit till
their conformation was vaguely discernible. The swift stream reflected
the yellow rays on the crests of its surging ripples. Then, far in,
beyond the mouth of the canyon, the long low foreshore stood out almost
plainly to his searching eyes.

His task was only at its beginning. He waited just sufficiently long
to deliberate his next move. Then he set off, heading for the heart of
the gorge itself.

It was a scene of deep interest for eyes backed by understanding.

A figure moved slowly about, searching here, probing there. It was a
figure suggesting secret investigation without a sign of real secrecy
in its movements.

The foreshore of the river was wide, far wider than could have been
believed from the heights above. It sloped gradually to the water's
edge, and the soil was loose, gravelly, with a consistency that was
significant to the trained mind. But its greater interest lay in the
signs of intense labor that stood out on every hand. Operations,
crudely scientific, had been carried out to an extent that was almost
staggering. Here, in the heart of a low class Indian territory was the
touch of the white man. It was more than a touch. It was the impress
of his whole hand.

The foreshore was honeycombed with shallow pits, shored, and timbered
with rough hewn timber. Against the mouth of each pit, and there were
dozens of them, a great pile of soil stood up like a giant beehive,
Some of these were in the process of formation. Some were completed,
and looked to have stood thus for many months. Some were in the
process of being demolished, and iron-wheeled trolleys on timbered
pathways stood about them, with the tools of the laborers remaining
just where they had been flung down when the day's work was finished.

Each pit, each "dump" was narrowly scrutinized by the silent figure as
it moved from point to point. Even the examination extended to touch.
Again and again the soil was handled in an effort to test its quality.

But the search extended beyond the "dumps" and pits. It revealed a
cutting hewn out of the great wall of the gorge. It was hewn at a
point well above the highest water level of the spring freshets. And
it was approached by a well timbered roadway