membered, they were all members of the
Beaver Patrol, Chicago. Will Smith had recently been advanced to the
important position of Scoutmaster, and George Benton had been elected to
the position left vacant by the advancement of his chum, that of Patrol
Leader. Besides carrying the badges of their offices and their patrol,
the boys all wore medals showing that they had qualified in the Stalker,
Ambulance, Seaman and Pioneer grades.

After rather striking adventures on Lake Superior and in the Florida
Everglades the boys had been persuaded by Mr. Horton, a well-known
criminal lawyer of Chicago, to undertake a mission in the interest of a
client in whom he had become greatly interested. The lads had already
arranged a vacation trip to the Great Divide, and it necessitated only a
slight change in their program in order to make the investigation
desired by the attorney, who had shown himself their friend on more than
one occasion. In fact, the Superior trip had been taken at his expense.

Mr. Horton had presented the request which had changed the lads'
vacation plans on the night before they left Chicago, and so no details
whatever of the case had been given them. They had been asked to proceed
to the city of Green River, in the state of Wyoming, and there secure
burros, provisions and tents and travel to the valley lying south and
west of Altantic peak.

The noted attorney had informed them on the morning of their departure
that, in case further instructions did not reach them by wire before
they came to Green River, a messenger would follow them into the
mountains with full details, and also a history of the case in which
they were to be employed. On this sunny afternoon they were awaiting the
arrival of the messenger, no information having been received by
telegraph.

The tents had been set up on the previous evening, and the boys did not
think it possible that the messenger could be more than twenty-four
hours behind them. While they waited for the supper to cook they watched
the country off to the south anxiously.

"Last call for supper!" cried Sandy, spreading a great white cloth on
the fragrant grass of the valley. "We can eat out-doors in this country
without any danger of people butting in to see what we've got for
supper."

"You say it well!" said Will, "but you can't prove it! For instance," he
added, pointing to the south, "there's some one coming right now to see
what we've got for supper!"

The figure