uspiciously, when she saw the
deep concern on every man's face as he rode single file down the path.

"Wall, now, seem' as we-all are well along the way down, Ah may as well
tell you-all: thar hain't goin' to be no danger of any claim-jumpers
staking your land if Old Grizzly knows anything about it. Thar war a
turrible avalanche yesterday and a leetle one at suppertime; it looks
like-es-how anuther powerful one will hit the trail any moment. That's
why we-all air runnin' away as fast as our hosses kin go," explained
Bill.

"Oh! Tell Mike to hurry!" cried Barbara.

"No fear but what we-all are as crazy to git down as you kin be, young
leddy," said Bill, soothingly.

After four hours' hard traveling, the riders came to a small park where
Mike said they could rest and cook their breakfast, and feed the horses.
From a certain spot on the clearing on this mountain-side, the peak of
Old Grizzly Slide could be seen opposite them, dazzling in the sunshine.

"Well, the old rascal is still up there," declared Anne.

"But you-all can't say how soon its skirts will whisk and send down the
trash that always ruins a forest," added Bill.

Even as he spoke, a strange sight was presented to the group who were
admiring the sparkling peak. A great mist seemed to rise suddenly from
its pinnacle, spreading out and obscuring the sun for a time. Then an
ominous rumble echoed along the crest, and rolled down the slopes. The
mist was suddenly sucked down by some tremendous force, and then a
mighty tremor shook the ground where the escaped riders stood.

The horses seemed to know instinctively that there was some upheaval of
nature taking place, for they quivered along their sensitive nerves and
nosed the air questioningly. Several of the highbred animals pulled at
their halters and, with drawn-back lips, snapped viciously at the air
as if to warn away the destruction.

"Oh, oh! Will it hit us?" wailed Barbara.

"No, we are safe on this opposite up-trail now. But a few hours delay in
getting away this morning and we would have been caught in the drift,"
said Sam Brewster, wiping beads of cold perspiration from his brow.

"Daddy, you don't think that avalanche was on the side of our gold mine,
do you?" asked Polly, plaintively.

"Pretty close to Choko's Find, Polly dear," said her father.

"Humph! Gol' all gone dis time!" added Mike, dramatically.

"Oh no! don't say that, Mike!" wailed Polly.

"Not _our gold mine_!" added Eleanor