"It'th all right. Ath I'm rethponthible for it, I only wanted to know."

"Did YOU send it?" asked Low, quickly fixing his eyes on his face.

"Well, not exactly ME. But it'th not worth making a mythtery of it.
Teretha gave me a commithion to buy it and thend it to you anonymouthly.
That'th a woman'th nonthenth, for how could thee get a retheipt for it?"

"Then it was HER present," said Low gloomily.

"Of courthe. It wathn't mine, my boy. I'd have thent you a Tharp'th
rifle in plathe of that muthle loader you carry, or thomething
thenthible. But, I thay! what'th up? You look ath if you had been
running all night."

Low grasped his hand. "Thank you," he said hurriedly; "but it's nothing.
Only I must be back to the woods early. Good-by."

But Curson retained Low's hand in his own powerful grip.

"I'll go with you a bit further," he said. "In fact, I've got thomething
to thay to you; only don't be in thuch a hurry; the woodth can wait till
you get there." Quietly compelling Low to alter his own characteristic
Indian stride to keep pace with his, he went on: "I don't mind thaying
I rather cottoned to you from the time you acted like a white man--no
offenthe--to Teretha. She thayth you were left when a child lying
round, jutht ath promithcuouthly ath she wath; and if I can do anything
towardth putting you on the trail of your people, I'll do it. I know
thome of the voyageurth who traded with the Cherokeeth, and your
father wath one-wathn't he?" He glanced at Low's utterly abstracted and
immobile face. "I thay, you don't theem to take a hand in thith game,
pardner. What'th the row? Ith anything wrong over there?" and he pointed
to the Carquinez Woods, which were just looming out of the morning
horizon in the distance.

Low stopped. The last words of his companion seemed to recall him to
himself. He raised his eyes automatically to the woods and started.

"There IS something wrong over there," he said breathlessly. "Look!"

"I thee nothing," said Curson, beginning to doubt Low's sanity; "nothing
more than I thaw an hour ago."

"Look again. Don't you see that smoke rising straight up? It isn't blown
over there from the Divide; it's new smoke! The fire is in the woods!"

"I reckon that'th so," muttered Curson, shading his eyes with his hand.
"But, hullo! wait a minute! We'll get hortheth. I say!" he shouted,
forgetting his lisp in his excitement--"stop!" But Low had already
lowered his head and darted forward like a