he boat was
pulled back again, and McCloud stepped out of it. He spoke a moment
with the men, rejoined his party, and climbed into the saddle. "Now we
are off," said he.

"What was it all about?" asked Whispering Smith.

"Your friend Klein is over there. Nobody could understand what he said
except that he wanted me. When I got here I couldn't make out what he
was talking about, so they let us out in the boat on a line. Half-way
across the break I made out what was troubling him. He said he was
going to lose three hundred feet of track, and wanted to know what to
do."

"And you told him, of course?"

"Yes."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to lose it."

"I could have done that myself."

"Why didn't you?"

CHAPTER XXIII

AT THE RIVER

They found the ranch-house as Marion and Dicksie had left it,
deserted. Puss told them every one was at the river. McCloud did not
approve Dicksie's plan of going down to see her cousin first. "Why not
let me ride down and manage it without bringing you into it at all?"
he suggested. "It can be done." And after further discussion it was so
arranged.

McCloud and Smith had been joined by Dancing on horseback, and they
made their way around Squaw Lake and across the fields. The fog was
rolling up from the willows at the bend. Men were chopping in the
brush, and McCloud and his companion soon met Lance Dunning riding up
the narrow strip of sand that held the river off the ranch.

McCloud greeted Dunning, regardless of his amazement, as if he had
parted from him the day before. "How are you making it over here?" he
asked. "We are in pretty good shape at the moment down below, and I
thought I would ride over to see if we could do anything for you.
This is what you call pretty fair water for this part of the valley,
isn't it?"

Lance swallowed his astonishment. "This isn't water, McCloud; this is
hell." He took off his hat and wiped his forehead. "Well, I call this
white, anyway, and no mistake--I do indeed, sir! This is Whispering
Smith, isn't it? Glad to see you at Crawling Stone, sir." Which served
not only to surprise but to please Whispering Smith.

"Some of my men were free," continued McCloud; "I switched some
mattresses and sacks around the Y, thinking they might come in play
here for you at the bend. They are at your service if you think you
need them."

"Need them!" Lance swore fiercely and from the bottom of his heart. He
was glad to get help from