sco Mountains behind them, however, and
from that on the dash was for the most part over a fairly level plateau.

Now and then they were threading the trail through great pine forests,
and again it was a mesa that opened up before them.

Bob was especially delighted.

"Think we'll make it, Frank?" he asked, about the middle of the
afternoon, as they cantered along, side by side, the horses by this time
having had pretty much all their "ginger" as Bob called it taken out of
them, though still able to respond to a sudden emergency, had one
arisen.

"I reckon so," replied the other. "According to my map we're within
striking distance right now. Given two more hours, and we'll possibly
sight the border of the big hole. That was Red Horse Tank we just
passed, you know," and he pointed out their position on the little chart
to Bob.

It was half an hour to sundown when the well known Grand View Hotel
stood out in plain sight before them; and before the shades of night
commenced to fall, the tired boys had thrown themselves from their
saddles, seen to the comfort of the faithful steeds, and mounted to the
porch of the hotel for a flitting view of the amazing spectacle that
spread itself before them, ere darkness hid its wonderful and majestic
beauty.

CHAPTER XII

HOW THE LITTLE TRAP WORKED

"What do you think of it?" asked Frank, after they had stood there a
short time, taking in the picture as seen in the late afternoon.

"It's hard to tell," Bob replied slowly. "It's so terribly big, that a
fellow ought to take his time letting the thing soak in. That further
wall looks as if you could throw a stone over to it; and yet they say
it's more than a mile from here."

"Yes," Frank went on, "and all along in the Grand Canyon there are what
seem to be little hills, every one of which is a mountain in itself.
They only look small in comparison with the tremendous size of the
biggest gap in the whole world."

"And how far does this thing run--is it fifty miles in length?" Bob
asked.

"I understand that the river runs through this canyon over two hundred
miles," the other replied. "And all the way there are scores, if not
hundreds, of smaller canyons and 'washes,' reaching out like the fingers
of a whopping big hand; or the feelers of a centipede."

"That's what I read about it away back; but I had forgotten," Bob
remarked. "And they say that it would be a year's trip to try and follow
the Grand Canyon all the