it was circled by
a grove of cottonwood and spruce trees. Jean and Ralph hid in the
underbrush and got softly down on their knees so as to make no possible
noise, for they saw a few yards ahead a delicate, dappled fawn, with its
nose deep in the clear water. Its sides were of a light gray and brown,
its legs like slender staves, and its long ears as soft and sensitive as
any created thing. The scene was so beautiful that Jean's eyes grew
suddenly misty with tears.

Ralph also felt a quiver of excitement stiffen his arm. His companion
was behind him and out of any possible danger, the fawn was in direct
range of his gun and as yet unconscious of his presence.

The young man lifted his gun, took direct aim, and his fingers pressed
the trigger. At the same instant the gun kicked up in the air, exploded
and the shot went wide of its mark. For one quivering instant the fawn
gazed at the hunter, its big brown eyes full of terror and reproach, and
then with a bound was off through the trees and out of sight.

"How could you, Miss Bruce?" Ralph demanded indignantly, turning on
Jean. "If you hadn't struck the butt of my gun I should have gotten that
deer and we would have had fresh meat for a week." He stopped abruptly.
Jean's eyes were as wide open and brown and frightened as the fawn's and
her body trembled just as delicately.

[Illustration: "HOW COULD YOU, MISS BRUCE?" RALPH DEMANDED INDIGNANTLY.]

"How could _you_?" she replied brokenly. "I couldn't bear to have you
kill that lovely, gentle thing. I can't help it, I hate people who kill
things. But if you think you will be hungry because of what I did, I'll
get Ruth and Jim to let me give you some of my share of our food in the
caravan," and Jean marched back to her friends and would have nothing
more to say to her companion for the rest of the day.

Just before tea time, the storm that had overtaken the travelers to the
deserted mine gathered over the little party, who were resting near the
tent. Ruth and the girls tried their best to fight down their fears, but
their lips and eyes asked the same question: "How were Jim and Jack and
Carlos to fight their way back to them through the darkness and rain and
wind with only the light of the small lantern Jim had taken with him
when they set out?"

Jean and Olive got a hasty supper, while Ralph Merrit lashed the tent
ropes more closely to the ground, found what shelter he could for the
horses, and made a canopy of pine br