find it?"

"_Not_ in the Athabasca!" said Mackintosh with quiet triumph. "Haggis
and I came upon it this morning a hundred yards from Silver Lake."

"Then that means that they are on shore!" exclaimed Bob with delight at
the relief from one anxiety that the evidence of the handkerchief
provided.

"Ay. The Athabasca is free from that charge, at any rate. That hanky has
no legs to walk by itsel'. It must have been carried. By whom? No' by an
Indian, though I ken there's been Indians in the viceenity. If a
redskin had found it, he'd have taken better care o' it. And so it's
clear to me that one o' your faithers must have dropped it on dry land,
and so--so---- Well, you both o' you can have a sound night's rest."

So convincing were the tones in which the man clothed his words that the
spirits of the boys were quickly stirred from gloomy anticipations to
comparative cheerfulness.

"You've lifted a load from my mind, Mr. Mackintosh," Bob said
gratefully, "for of course it is all fairly plain now. As likely as not
they passed through that horrible gully, but were too worn out yesterday
to start the trudge back to camp. It would be a long way, too, seeing
how the river winds."

"In that case, most likely they are back at the camp by this time,"
suggested Alf. "But they would understand our being away, for they would
find the note that we pinned to the tent."

"That's right, laddies. Look for the bright side and you'll always find
it," the Scotsman remarked. "But I'm thinking that your reasoning is a
wee bit oot in one respect--they have no' gone back yet, else Haggis or
I would have seen them. This camp is in the direct natural path from
that part o' the Athabasca. My opeenion is that they've fallen in with
the Indians--a tribe o' Dacotahs, and peaceable folk they are. It's no'
to be expected that the gully could be passed unscathed. So it's likely
to me that they're nursing themselves for a day wi' the redskins, after,
maybe, sending a brave to your camp to tell you o' it. So to-morrow
we'll lose no time in starting for Silver Lake. That's the best plan I
can think o'."

"You mean to come with us?" asked Alf.

"What do you take me for--a savage?" was the reproachful return. "Do you
think that Skipper Mackintosh is going to allow twa laddies like you to
go wandering aboot the backwoods when he can guide you? And when Skipper
fails, is there no' the Haggis and Bannock--a pair o' the finest scouts
and trackers that