ld not be here. I did not
tell him of the peril of his child, but I resolved to save her and
restore her to his arms. I have saved her, but I shall be unable to take
her to him. I shall not live to see the light of another day."

"Oh, you may not be so badly injured as all that."

"I am. I am sure of it. I will leave the child in your care. Take her
to him, and tell him that I forgive everything. Never again will I rise
like one from the dead to come between Foster and Marian."

Frank remained with the man a while longer, and then, telling Fay to
stay there that she might keep beyond the reach of bullets, he returned
to the mouth of the cave.

"I'm glad ye've come, boy," said Old Rocks. "Ef them pesky varmints
ain't gone away entirely, they're up ter mischief, an' I needs yer
hyar."

They crouched behind the bowlders and waited, while the minutes slipped
away, and the same silence reigned.

At least an hour passed, and then came a sudden sound that filled both
with surprise and alarm.

Behind them there was a faint dropping in the cave, a movement, a rush,
and a roar. Then a cloud of dust swirled out and nearly smothered them.

"What is the meaning of that?" said Frank, bewildered.

"A cave-in!" shouted Old Rocks, making a hasty examination. "By ther
livin' gods! ther hull derned cave is blocked, an' ther Hermit an' ther
leetle gal is both buried beneath ur beyond thet fall!"

Frank was horrified beyond measure.

"It is terrible!" he gasped. "Poor little Fay!"

"What you want?" asked the familiar voice of the child, near at hand.
"It was lonetome in dere. The mans goed to sleep, an' I tomed out to see
you."

"Thank God!" came fervently from Frank's lips, as he caught her up in
his arms and covered her face with kisses.

"Wa-al, thet's whut I call luck!" gurgled the guide.

"Luck!" cried Frank, rebukingly. "It was the hand of Providence! Can you
doubt the wisdom and goodness of an Overruling Power after this?"

"Dunno ez I kin," admitted the old man. "It duz look like something a'
ther kind took her out o' thar jest at ther right time."

A complete examination showed that the whole roof of the cave had
apparently fallen in, and the passage was blocked with tons upon tons of
earth and sand.

"This yar's ther end o' Sand Cave," said Old Rocks.

They kept the child with them and waited behind the rocks for the attack
of the Blackfeet, but no attack came. Thus the long night passed, and
another day ca