y; "lead the way."

"I hope it will not be necessary to subject you and Dot to the trial,
but there is not a minute to spare."

With his lips compressed, the rancher hastily remounted his pony and
turned his head toward the water.

"Let me keep in advance," he said, "and you can tell what to do."

The obedient horse sniffed the water, but, without hesitation, stepped
in, sinking to his knees within a yard of the bank.

A rod farther the depth had not materially increased, and, turning his
head, he signified to his wife to follow. She clasped Dot a little
closer to her breast, spoke quietly to her animal, and he obeyed without
faltering.

The water steadily but slowly deepened, and when the middle of the
stream was reached it was at the stirrups of the leader. He withdrew
his feet and pushed on, the pony cautiously advancing, and the hope
growing that the stream would be forded without trouble.

A rod farther, and Mrs. Starr uttered a slight exclamation. She saw the
steed of her husband suddenly sink, and thought he was going entirely
under. But he did not, and, by a quick raising of his feet, the rider
saved them from wetting. His animal still retained a firm foothold, and,
quickly recovering, kept forward.

Now the water began shallowing, and, with a relief beyond words, the
rancher reached dry land without having suffered any inconvenience.

"Thank Heaven!" he exclaimed, turning about and watching his wife, who
guided her animal over the invisible trail until she was beside him on
the hard earth. It required no little skill on her part, for when she
withdrew her foot from her stirrup, and was obliged not only to hold her
own poise, but to take care of Dot, her task became delicate and
difficult. But the little one behaved like a heroine. She did not speak
or stir, through fear of disturbing her parent, and was as relieved as
both when the current was safely forded.

"Are there any more like this?" asked the wife.

"There are other streams, but whether they can be forded or not remains
to be learned."

The bank sloped upward to a height of a dozen feet, and beyond it
declined nearly as much, and then stretched away in an open plain for
more than a mile, before breaking into rough, rocky country, where they
were quite sure to find greater obstructions confronting them than any
yet encountered.

"Oh, see there!" called out Dot.

Flakes of scurrying snow were in the air, and her father supposed she
refer