lanks were taken up so that you couldn't get across the
bridge with your horses and wagon. I think whoever did it wished to
make you lose your horses and carry-all as well as our stuff. If it
was our mysterious enemy, then he knew that we could escape. But how
can you get back with your horses?"

"There's another bridge five miles above here. I'll go that way in the
morning. I'll ride one of the horses and lead the other one."

Harriet rose and piled more wood on the campfire. She then began
laying out the sections of their tent, which she laced together. Janus
stepped over to her.

"You sit down, Miss. We will do that," he insisted. Jim was sent out
to cut some poles for the tent, Janus in the meantime smoothing off a
space on the ground on which to pitch the tent. The canvas was still
quite wet. Examination of the blankets showed that these had not yet
dried out sufficiently to make them fit for use. "I guess you'll have
to sit up and wait for the things to dry out," declared the guide. He
was troubled over what had happened as well as what had been said that
evening. Janus, too, was still thinking of the description given him
of Miss Elting's caller. He thought he knew whom that description
fitted, all except the beard. It was the beard that spoiled the
picture he had in mind. He pondered over this all during the time he
was working on the tent, pausing now and then to stroke his own beard.

"Don't worry about it. We are not afraid," said a soothing voice at
his side. He glanced around to find Harriet Burrell's brown eyes
smiling up at him.

"Eh? What?"

"I said don't worry. We aren't afraid."

"Thank you, Miss. You are the right sort. Yes, we'll take care of the
gentleman, if it should prove to be some one trying to do us harm."

"You know who it is?"

Janus shook his head.

"You think you know?"

Again the guide shook his head dubiously.

"I might, but I don't," he replied somewhat ambiguously. "It isn't the
party I had in mind. He isn't around these parts now. Jim is going to
see the sheriff when he gets back to Compton and have the officer look
into this bridge affair. I was a deputy sheriff in the county once.
The present sheriff will do anything for me. Besides, this is a matter
he's bound to look into, anyway. Here, Jim, get hold of that
end-pole." Harriet sprang to the other end and raised the pole,
setting the lower end firmly on the ground, motioning to Jane to m