"A man?" said Seaforth. "I fancied there was nobody but ourselves
between here and Somasco. What could he be doing?"

"I don't know," said Alton. "Did you find the panther's trail?"

"No," said Seaforth. "Rock again!"

Alton said nothing for a minute, and when he spoke his voice had a
curious tone. "Well," he said gravely, "the rock belongs to this place
and we don't, so there's no use kicking, but it would have been
convenient if there had been less of it. Now it's quite possible that
a few pounds of grub and a load of blankets may make a big difference
before we get home again, and if we can't trail that horse to-morrow
you'll go back to Somasco for another one. We'll cache the load
somewhere here and make a big smoke for you at every camping."

"That means the loss of a fortnight, anyway," said Seaforth. "Time is
valuable with the winter coming on."

Alton nodded. "Still, it can't be helped," he said.

"I'll lose no time," said Seaforth, who had been watching his comrade.
"Are you quite sure you have told us all, Harry?"

Alton slowly drew a strip of hide from beneath him, and passed it
across. Seaforth and Okanagan bent over it together, their faces
showing intent in the light of the fire, while Alton laughed softly as
he watched them.

"What do you make of that?" he said.

Seaforth glanced round sharply. "It's a trifle curious. That hide's
thick, and yet the beast has evidently broken it, but it pulled up the
peg."

"Did you find the peg?" said Alton, and Okanagan swept his glance
across the faces before him. Seaforth's expressed bewilderment,
Alton's was grim.

"I found one," said Seaforth--"Julius Caesar's."

"Yes," said Alton dryly. "There should have been another, and a horse
that breaks his tether can't pull out the peg. Still, I don't think he
broke it."

"But," said Seaforth, "the thing is broken."

Tom of Okanagan smiled in a curious fashion while Alton reached out and
laid his finger on the hide. "One can't be sure of anything," he said.
"Still, one could fancy that had felt the knife before it snapped."

There was silence for almost a minute, and the shadows of the great
firs seemed to close in upon the camp. Then Alton rose up and
stretched his limbs wearily.

"I am kind of tired," he said. "There's a good deal to be done
to-morrow."

CHAPTER XVI

CAUSE FOR ANXIETY

There was no sign of the missing horse next day, and Alton's face was
grave when he re