ance. The canyon at this
point ran towards the mesa escarpment as if it had originally intended
to drive through into Dry Fork Gulch, but twisted sharp about and
curved back across the plateau. Even Blake was surprised at the
measurement. It was only a little over two thousand feet.

"Noticed this place when out with Mr. Knowles and Gowan," he remarked,
gazing down into the abyss with keen appreciation of its awful
grandeur. "They told me it is the nearest that the canyon comes to the
edge of the mesa, until it breaks out, thirty or forty miles down."

"How--how about that 'if' you said this measurement would settle?"
asked Ashton.

"What's the time?"

Ashton looked at his watch, frowning over the evasive reply. "It's
two-ten."

"I'll figure on the proposition while we eat lunch," said Blake. "I
can answer you better regarding that 'if' when I have done some
calculating. Luckily I climbed up to examine the rock in the gulch."
He smiled quizzically at his companion. "You were right as to its
being unclimbable; but I found out even more than I expected."

Ashton silently took the bag from him and arranged the lunch and his
canteen on a rock under a pine. The engineer figured and drew little
diagrams in his fieldbook while he ate his sandwiches. Ashton had half
drained the canteen on the way up the mountain. Before sitting down
Blake had rinsed out his mouth and taken a few swallows of water.
After eating, he started to take another drink, noticed his
companion's hot dry face, and stopped after a single sip.

"Guess you need it more than I do," he remarked, as he rose to his
feet. "Time to start. I wish to go around and down the mountain on the
other side of the gulch."

"How about the--the 'if'?" inquired Ashton.

"Killed," answered Blake. "There now is only one left. If that comes
out the same way, Dry Mesa will have good cause to change its name."

"You can tunnel through from the gulch to the canyon?" exclaimed
Ashton.

"Yes; and I shall do so--if Deep Canyon is not too deep."

"I hope it is a thousand feet below Dry Mesa!" said Ashton.

"In the circumstances," Blake replied to the fervent declaration, "I
am glad to hear you say it."

Ashton stared, but could detect no sarcasm in the other's smile of
commendation.

CHAPTER XVII

A SHOT IN THE DUSK

They returned to their grazing ponies, and at once started the descent
of the mountain, after crossing the ravine where they had seen the
wol