they were in like a book.
Rathburn, with the experience born of years spent in the open places,
was able to keep his bearings.

They had followed a course for some miles north of the main trail
leading east, the trail by which he had first come into the locality.
Then they had doubled back westward, some miles above that trail, of
course, and now were heading almost due north again, in the direction
of the mountains which did not appear to be far away. He surmised that
they were nearly directly north of the ranch where he had had the meal
with the girl and boy.

At the top of the next ridge his guide pointed above them.

"See that crack in the mountain?" he said.

Rathburn nodded as he made out what appeared to be a gash in the steep
side of a mountain north of them.

"That's Sunrise Canon," said the other quietly. "There's a trail up
that canyon into the heart of the mountains where they couldn't catch
us--or you, if you want to go alone--in a hundred years!"

He stared steadily at Rathburn.

"Mosey along, then," said Rathburn. "Let's get somewheres before our
horses drop."

They kept along the ridge until it was cut by a canyon. Here they
descended and entered another long, narrow ravine which they
negotiated at a gallop. At its upper end they again climbed a steep
slope. Their horses were showing the strain of the hours of hard
riding. Rathburn realized that they could go but a limited distance.
But the members of the posse most assuredly must be in the same fix so
far as their mounts were concerned.

He decided that if they could get into the canyon unseen they would be
able to rest their horses and remain secure for the night. Next
morning they could continue on up into the hills, or slip back by a
roundabout way to Dry Lake.

His lips froze into a thin white line. He did not look at the man with
him as they paused for a few moments under the trees which covered the
top of the ridge and gazed at a long, gently sloping stretch of nearly
open country. It was covered with clumps of trees at intervals, that
reached to the dark, narrow opening in the mountains, marking the
entrance to Sunrise Canon and the trail to the fastnesses of the
higher hills.

"You can swing off here to the left an' down a wide valley to where
there's a cut-off into Dry Lake," he heard his captive suggesting. "I
don't see any sense in all this hard ridin' an' hidin' if you're goin'
to turn me in."

"We'll go on," growlingly rep