robability of any of the Assiniboines being in the neighborhood, yet
it was possible there were, and it might be they had observed the
twinkle of the fire he had kindled and then allowed to die out. He
remounted his horse and headed more to the westward, for he had a long
way to travel to reach the Blackfoot country on the other side of the
Rocky Mountains.

The youth was riding forward, glancing to the right and left, on the
lookout for a suitable place for camping, when he noticed that while
the ground over which he was passing was more level than usual, a high
ridge loomed up on the left, rising in some places to a height of
several hundred feet. After a time a similar formation appeared on the
right. This showed that he was passing through a valley-like
depression, but he had gone a comparatively short distance when he
observed that the two mountain ranges, if such they might be
considered, gradually converged. He turned to the left and at the base
of the ridge dismounted.

"Here we will stay for the rest of the night," he said to Whirlwind.
"Deerfoot feels that hard work is before us and it is wise to save our
strength."

Since there was no saddle or bridle to be taken from the stallion, his
master turned him loose, first kissing his nose and affectionately
patting his neck. The horse wandered off a few steps to spend the hours
by himself, while the youth laid his blanket on the ground and wrapped
himself in it. No water was near, nor was there enough grass growing
for Whirlwind to crop, but neither cared for a little thing like that.

Deerfoot slept soundly till roused by the licking of his cheek by his
faithful friend, who was standing at his head and looking down in his
face as revealed in the dim morning light. The night was gone and it
had brought no alarm to either. Casting aside the blanket, Deerfoot
sprang to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.

That which first attracted his attention was the convergence of the
massive walls to the southeast. Less than half a mile away they came
within a hundred feet of each other, thus forming one of the canons
that are common in mountainous countries. The question which Deerfoot
asked himself was whether it was probable the two joined. If so, he was
entering a pocket from which he would be forced to withdraw. The middle
of the valley showed that at certain times, perhaps when the snows
melted, a stream coursed its way through the canyon, but the water came
from