rdy said. 'The horses had better be picketed, and then those who can
had better get a few hours more sleep. We shall want no more watch
to-night.' In a few minutes most of the party were again asleep; and the
young Hardys were about to follow their example, when Mr. Hardy came up
to them and said quietly, 'Come this way, boys; we are going to have a
council.'

The boys followed their father to where some eight or nine men were
sitting down at a short distance from the sleepers, and these the boys
made out, by the glow from their pipes, to consist of Herries and
Farquhar, the two Jamiesons, Mr. Percy, and the four Guachos.

'This is a terribly bad business,' Mr. Hardy began, when he and his sons
had taken their seats on the ground. 'I expected it, but it is a heavy
blow nevertheless.'

'Why, what is the matter, papa?' the boys exclaimed anxiously. 'Have we
lost anything?'

'Yes, boys,' Mr. Hardy said; 'we have lost what is at this moment the
most important thing in the world,--we have lost the trail.'

Charley and Hubert uttered a simultaneous exclamation of dismay as the
truth flashed across their minds. 'The trail was lost!' They had never
thought of this. In the excitement of the fire, it had never once
occurred to them that the flames were wiping out every trace of the
Indian track.

Mr. Hardy then went on, addressing himself to the others: 'Of course
this fire was lit with the especial intent of throwing us off the
scent. Have you any idea how far it is likely to have come?' he asked
the Guachos. 'That is, are you aware of the existence of any wide stream
or damp ground which would have checked it, and which must therefore be
the farthest boundary of the fire?'

The Guachos were silent a minute; then Perez said, 'The next stream is
fifteen miles farther; but it is small, and would not stop the fire
going with the wind. Beyond that there is no certain stream, as far as I
know of.'

'The ground rises, and the grass gets thinner and poorer thirty miles or
so on. I should say that they would light it this side of that,'
Martinez said. The other Guachos nodded assent.

'We took the bearings of the track by our compass,' Farquhar said.
'Could we not follow it on by compass across the burnt ground, and hit
it upon the other side?'

Mr. Percy and Mr. Hardy both shook their heads. 'I do not pretend to say
where the trail is gone,' the former said, 'but the one place where I am
quite sure it is not, is on the con