rst."

"I never thought of that," said Chris, as, separated now from the rest,
they allowed their ponies to pace slowly on, nibbling off such juicy
shoots as came in their way.

"It isn't likely," said Griggs. "There must be water somewhere--a fine
fall that comes down from the plain up above, or they wouldn't have
chosen this spot."

"Perhaps there used to be one, and it has dried-up."

"Nay; the place is too green. Water must come on the high ground
somewhere and find its way into this great hollow. Anyhow, it's out of
sight, so it's underneath somewhere."

"Then we shan't find it."

"I don't know about that, my lad," replied the American, with a little
laugh. "There's other senses besides seeing."

"Yes, smelling," said Chris, with a smile; "but we can't find it that
way."

"Don't you be in too great a hurry, my lad. We're going to have another
good hunt round at the bottom of these great cliffs, and if that comes
to nothing we might try smelling."

"Ah! Nothing but a dog would be any use there."

"In a hurry again, boy. I'd back something else to find water before a
dog."

"A fish on dry land?"

"Tchah! No. What was it found the lake for us the other day?"

"The mule," cried Chris.

"Got it again," said Griggs, laughing. "I don't say he would, but I
shouldn't at all wonder, if we brought old Skeeter round, as like as not
he'd smell out the place."

"Buried under some of these great stone slides that have come down?"

"To be sure, my lad. Now, that's a likely place."

Griggs pointed to a huge gap in the cliff away to their right where the
carved-out openings running along behind a rough terrace a hundred feet
up the vast wall suddenly ceased as if broken off, and commenced again
at about the same height on the other side of the gap.

"Let's go and look, then," said Chris; "but it doesn't seem very likely,
for it's all one bank of piled-up stones."

"That have run down from up yonder like those avalanches we read about.
Mind how you come, for it's a snaky-looking bit. Go on, old chap; I'll
sweep the way for you with my fir-pole."

Chris felt a creepy sensation at the allusion to snakes, and his eyes
looked very wide open as he followed close behind his companion, whose
pony picked its steps with the greatest caution, the way growing more
and more encumbered with stones as they neared the slope which filled up
the gap.

"It looks as if there had been an earthquake. What a roar t