sort, but there was no danger of famine in that camp for
days and days to come.

Judge Parks would hardly have unpacked mining-tools and "fixings," as
Pine called them, so composedly if he could have known what was going
forward farther down the valley and on the other side of the little
river.

On, on rode Two Arrows and his companion, and it almost seemed as if
both were growing older. It was no sort of boy-play to ride like that,
with such tremendous consequences depending upon them. Sile's merry face
put on a tremendously sober and earnest expression, while Two Arrows
looked as if he were already a chief in command of a war-party. So he
was, only that the party was a very small one.

Mile after mile went by, and the horses held out capitally; but at last
Two Arrows slackened his gait, seemed to make a silent calculation, and
halted.

"Pale-face camp there," he said, emphatically, pointing across towards
the mountain range at their left. "Red-head cross water. Tell his
people. Two Arrows ride. Tell Nez Perce. Red-head go straight, find
camp. Ugh!"

"I can find it," said Sile. "I was thinking we'd gone up river about far
enough. We must have got away ahead of the Apaches. Hope I sha'n't meet
any."

"Shoot quick," said Two Arrows. "Kill. Take 'calp. Be great brave. Two
Arrows kill grisly. Kill 'Pache some day. How!"

He held out his hand, and Sile shook it hard in token of good-bye, and
the two boys separated, each to carry his own tidings and face his own
dangers. Two Arrows rode on in a straight line up the valley, and Sile
wheeled towards the line of forest which bordered the river. It struck
him that he was yet a little below the precise neighborhood of the mine,
and he was correct, but as yet it was all guess-work. At all events, he
was sure that his remaining ride could not be a long one; it could not
fail to be intensely exciting. Again he saw plenty of game, and he was
strangely tempted to try a shot at a deer until the idea came to him,

"I can't say what ears might hear the report of my rifle."

Deer did not seem to be of any account after that idea took form, and he
galloped on. In a few minutes more his horse's feet were in the water,
and he was almost immediately aware that he had not chosen a good ford.
It grew deep too fast, and he had to ride out again.

"I won't go into another pool," he said to himself. "I'll hunt for a
wide place where it ripples well."

He had not the experience and th