It's just as I'm tellin' you," Pete repeated. "That skiff we lost the
other night didn't get loose. It was taken by somebody who knew what he
was doing and brought down here. Here's where the party landed," he added,
as he pointed to the shore. "But the boat wasn't 'wrecked,' unless you
call smashing it wrecking it."

"What do you mean? How do you know?" demanded Fred in keen excitement.

"I know because I can see with both eyes," replied Pete sharply. "I don't
have to have it all written out for me when I see what's happened to that
boat."

"Why should anybody want to wreck it?" inquired Fred.

"It might be safer for some people if they started down the stream from
here not to have any boats around that could follow."

"Do you think those two men who were in our camp took the boat?" Fred
inquired abruptly.

"That's exactly what I think. And I think too," the guide added as he
stopped to examine other parts of the boat, "that this skiff was wrecked
as well as smashed. There's a hole stove in the bottom and then there are
places that have been cut by an axe so I guess both parts of the story are
true."

"Do you suppose they went up Thorn's Gulch from here?" asked Fred in a low
voice.

"That's just what I think they did," replied Pete.

"Do you think we may meet them somewhere in the Gulch?"

"I shouldn't be a bit surprised."

"Then we may have pretty serious trouble before we're done."

"Right you are," assented Pete. "But it's time for us to be moving, boys,"
he added. "Here, I'll help each of you with his pack and we'll start out.
If those two men are ahead of us we'll know it before they know that we're
following them."

CHAPTER XIII

ALONE IN THE CANYON

For a considerable distance the way along which the guide was leading was
not difficult. The footing was fairly strong and there were not many
obstacles to be met.

Both boys in spite of the exciting experiences of the morning were deeply
interested in the marvelous sights which greeted them as they advanced
into the gulch.

On the sides of the canyon layers of rock and earth of different colors
were plainly to be seen. Occasionally there were strange formations that
extended from the rim of the cliff to the bottom of the valley that were
like huge buttresses fashioned by the hands of men.

"Look at that!" exclaimed Fred, calling the attention of John to one of
these peculiar formations. "That looks exactly as if it had been cut out
by