fore hoofs in the air. He slid and broke a way
down the steep, soft banks, through the thick brush and thick clusters
of saplings, sending loose rocks and earth into avalanches ahead of him.
He fell over one bank, but a thicket of aspens upheld him so that he
rebounded and gained his feet. The sounds of fight ceased, but Dale's
thrilling call floated up on the pine-scented air.

Before Helen realized it she was at the foot of the slope, in a narrow
canuon-bed, full of rocks and trees, with a soft roar of running water
filling her ears. Tracks were everywhere, and when she came to the first
open place she saw where the grizzly had plunged off a sandy bar into
the water. Here he had fought Pedro. Signs of that battle were easy to
read. Helen saw where his huge tracks, still wet, led up the opposite
sandy bank.

Then down-stream Helen did some more reckless and splendid riding. On
level ground the horse was great. Once he leaped clear across the brook.
Every plunge, every turn Helen expected to come upon Dale and Bo facing
the bear. The canuon narrowed, the stream-bed deepened. She had to slow
down to get through the trees and rocks. Quite unexpectedly she rode
pell-mell upon Dale and Bo and the panting Pedro. Her horse plunged to a
halt, answering the shrill neighs of the other horses.

Dale gazed in admiring amazement at Helen.

"Say, did you meet the bear again?" he queried, blankly.

"No. Didn't--you--kill him?" panted Helen, slowly sagging in her saddle.

"He got away in the rocks. Rough country down here."

Helen slid off her horse and fell with a little panting cry of relief.
She saw that she was bloody, dirty, disheveled, and wringing wet with
perspiration. Her riding habit was torn into tatters. Every muscle
seemed to burn and sting, and all her bones seemed broken. But it was
worth all this to meet Dale's penetrating glance, to see Bo's utter,
incredulous astonishment.

"Nell--Rayner!" gasped Bo.

"If--my horse 'd been--any good--in the woods," panted Helen, "I'd not
lost--so much time--riding down this mountain. And I'd caught you--beat
you."

"Girl, did you RIDE down this last slope?" queried Dale.

"I sure did," replied Helen, smiling.

"We walked every step of the way, and was lucky to get down at that,"
responded Dale, gravely. "No horse should have been ridden down there.
Why, he must have slid down."

"We slid--yes. But I stayed on him."

Bo's incredulity changed to wondering, speechless