ths toward the end
of the valley.

Suddenly Ted placed his hand on Bud's arm.

"Some one right ahead of us," he whispered.

"Sentinel, I reckon," answered Bud.

Ted nodded: "You stay here. I'm going forward. I'll be back soon."

Ted glided away into the gloom. Presently Bud heard a muffled cry. Then
all was still again.

He waited a few minutes, and was about to go forward, when he heard a
slight rustle beside him, and there stood Ted.

"It was a guard," he said. "I jumped him, and gagged him, but he gave me
a pretty good fight. I've rolled him away where his pals won't find him.
I guess we can go on now, but we must go slowly and quietly. I don't
know how many more of them are about."

"Get a line on where the hole is?"

"Yes, we're on the right track. It is ahead of us."

On they went, and, having proceeded about half a mile, they suddenly
became aware of the neighing of horses and the voices of men, which
seemed to come from beneath them, and it was not long before they saw a
glare of light against the rocks not far ahead.

They went more cautiously now, crawling forward on their hands and
knees. Ted, in advance, soon threw up his hand and lay flat on the
rocks, and Bud crawled to his side.

They found themselves looking down into a circular little valley, in
reality a hole in the wall of the mountain.

Several camp fires were burning here and there, and about fifty Indians
and white men were lounging about.

Near the rear wall was a small tent, before which sat a fat old squaw.

As Ted was looking, the flap of the tent was pushed aside, and Ted
clutched Bud's arm, for Stella had come forth, and stood looking up at
the sky.

"By Jove, if we could only attract her attention," muttered Ted.

"It would help her a lot if she knew we were so close to her," said Bud.

The glare from the fires flaring upward fell full upon their faces, and
they knew that if she looked in their direction she would not fail to
see them.

They saw her cast her eyes all around the sky, and in their direction.
Ted dared not make a noise, but he nodded his head several times so that
she would know who it was, should she chance to see him.

Evidently she did not, for she turned away, and again her eyes swung
around in the circle with her back to them.

"I've a mind to throw somethin' down at her, and attract her attention
ter us," said Bud.

"And have every one of those cutthroats get on to us. Don't you do it,"
said T