t--had
her heart withstood the sapping of such a crafty besieger! _My_
influence might indeed be gone; or, if a remnant of it still existed, it
might not turn the scale against that of her father--that fearful
father! What should he care for one child, who had already abetted
another to her shame?

Possessed by these thoughts, then, I tried not to turn Marian from her
purpose. On the contrary, I rather encouraged it. On her influence
with Lilian I had now placed my chief reliance. Without that, I should
have been almost deprived of hope. It might turn out that Lilian no
longer loved me. Time, or absence, might have inverted the _stylus_
upon the tender page of her young heart; and some other image may have
become impressed upon its yielding tablet? If so, my own would sorely
grieve; but, even if so, I would not that hers should be corrupted. She
must not be the victim of a villain, if my hand could hinder it! "No,
Lilian! though loved and lost, I shall not add to the bitterness of your
betrayal. My cup of grief will possess sufficient acerbity without
mingling with it the gall of revenge."

CHAPTER NINETY ONE.

THE NIGHT-CAMP.

We again rode through the upper canon of the Huerfano, keeping along the
bank of the stream. Farther on we came to the forking of two trails--
the more southern one leading up to the Cuchada, to the pass of Sangre
de Cristo. By it had the gold-seekers gone in company with the
dragoons--the latter _en route_ for the new military post of Port
Massachusetts--the former, no doubt, intending to take the line of the
Gila or Mohave to their still distant destination--the gold-bearing
placers of California?

Above its upper canon the Huerfano bends suddenly to the north; and up
its bank lies the route to Robideau's Pass--the same taken by the Mormon
train. We had no difficulty in following their trail. The wheel and
hoof-tracks had cut out a conspicuous road; and the numbers of both
showed that the party was a large one--much larger than our previous
information had led us to anticipate. This was of little consequence--
since in any case, we could not have used force in the accomplishment of
our design. I regarded it rather as a favourable circumstance. The
greater the multitude, the less likelihood of an individual being
closely observed, or speedily missed. We reached Robideau's Pass as the
sun was sinking over the great plain of San Luis. Within the pass we
lighted upon