s at the broadest portion of the stream, where
the falls, whirlpools, eddies and deep water would have turned back the
most skillful swimmer.

"What do you mean?" asked the astonished Fred.

"I thought I'd show you the place where they _didn't_ cross," was his
reply, and then he broke into the merriest laughter, as well he might,
for he had solved the mystery.

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE TERROR IN THE AIR.

"Do obsarve where the trail comes down to that big bowl?" asked Terry,
pointing to the huge, circular cavity below them.

"Of course."

"Well, that's a mistake; _that isn't the right trail_."

Fred turned about, and jumped and ran back to the Devil's Punch Bowl, at
a rate that threatened his neck. Stooping over, he carefully examined
the path. He saw that his companion was right; the trail which they had
followed to the edge of the stream was one that had been worn by animals
in coming to and going from the Punch Bowl. You will admit that no
better punch in the wide world could be furnished the dumb beasts than
that which was thus freely given to them.

As if to confirm that which did not need confirming, a large buck at
that moment appeared in the path, within a hundred feet of where Fred
had straightened up, after examining the trail. He threw up his head on
catching sight of the young hunter, gave one quick, inquiring stare and
then whirled about and was off like a flash.

Fred Linden could have brought him down at the moment he wheeled had he
chosen to do so, but he recalled his own proposition to Terry some time
before, about firing such a shot. Indeed, since they had some of the
cooked buffalo steak left, there was no call to use any more ammunition
for game.

Terry Clark came laughing down the rocks, looking upon the whole
business as one of the funniest of incidents, but to Fred it was any
thing but a laughing matter. Time was becoming of the utmost value, and
this divergence from the trail meant delay--a delay, too, whose length
could not be guessed. If they had turned aside several miles back, it
was more than likely that they would lose all the advantage gained by
the laborious travel of the night before.

"How could we have made such a blunder?" asked Fred, his eyes wandering
back over the path, as though searching for an explanation of the
mistake; "I suppose at the point where the trails cross the direction
isn't changed much and this is more distinct than the other. Terry, I
can't see