aperture of irregular roundish shape, about the size, of the cloister
window of a convent. They saw at once that it was big enough to allow
the passage of their bodies. They saw, too, that it was admitting the
sunbeams--admonishing them that it was still far from night.

They had brought all their traps down along with them--their knives and
pistols, with Hamersley's gun still carefully kept. But they hesitated
about going out. There could be no difficulty in their doing so, for
there was a ledge less than three feet under the aperture, upon which
they could find footing. It was not that which caused them to hesitate,
but the fact of again falling into the hands of their implacable
enemies.

That these were still upon the plain they had evidence. They could hear
their yells and whooping, mingled with peals of wild demon-like
laughter. It was at the time when the firewater was in the ascendant,
and the savages were playing their merry game with the pieces of
despoiled cotton goods.

There was danger in going out, but there might be more in staying in.
The savages might return upon their search, and discover this other
entrance to the vault. In that case they would take still greater pains
to close it and besiege the two fugitives to the point of starvation.

Both were eager to escape from a place they had lately looked upon as a
living tomb.

Still, they dared not venture out of it. They could not retreat by the
plain so long as the Indians were upon it. At night, perhaps, in the
darkness, they might. Hamersley suggested this.

"No," said Walt, "nor at night eyther. It's moontime, you know; an'
them sharp-eyed Injuns niver all goes to sleep thegither. On that sand
they'd see us in the moonlight 'most as plain as in the day. Ef we wait
at all, we'll hev to stay till they go clar off."

Wilder, while speaking, stood close to the aperture, looking cautiously
out. At that moment, craning his neck to a greater stretch, so as to
command a better view of what lay below, his eye caught sight of an
object that elicited an exclamation of surprise.

"Darn it," he said, "thar's my old clout lyin' down thar on the rocks."

It was the red kerchief he had plucked from his head to put the pursuers
on the wrong track.

"It's jest where I flinged it," he continued; "I kin recognise the
place. That gully, then, must be the one we didn't go up."

Walt spoke the truth. The decoy was still in the place where he ha