"That _is_ strange," said the mining engineer, "_mighty_ strange. Didn't
he find out why they were frightened or what was behind it all?"

"No," said Neil, "I think the matter was sort of hushed up. They did a
little investigating and it didn't seem to get them anywhere, and I
guess the people at the school thought it wasn't worth while to follow
it up any more. No one doubts that this Campbell fellow and Bassett were
behind the business, and as far as the Chinese go I guess they were just
superstitious or something. You must know them pretty well--you've
traveled over there so much. Don't you?"

Apparently the mining engineer did not hear Neil's question, for he had
turned again to the fireplace and was gazing into the embers in an
abstracted manner. Neil did not feel like interrupting. For several
minutes the room was silent, then Wolcott Norris suddenly turned and
asked:

"When was that crowd coming back?"

The ski party on that night consisted of the three Jefferson football
players, Teeny-bits and two brothers by the name of Williams who were
from a camp a quarter of a mile down the valley. They planned to go up
over the shoulder of Whiteface in the brilliant moonlight and shoot down
a long, bare slope which was known as The Slide, where years before an
avalanche had torn its way downward leaving bare earth in its wake. This
V-shaped scar on the face of the mountain was now covered with a smooth
expanse of snow--an ideal avenue for a swift and thrilling descent of
the mountain. Teeny-bits had done more skiing in the last few days than
he had done before in all the years of his life and had become
enthusiastic over the sport. The sensation of sweeping down a slope and
of speeding on with increasing swiftness until it seemed as if one were
actually flying filled him with exhilaration and the real joy of living.
He had never tried anything as steep as The Slide, but he had no fear of
the place, and when, after a somewhat laborious climb, they had reached
the peak and stood gazing down on the white way that stretched before
them, he was eager to be off for the descent.

"Don't take it too fast," said Norris, "the slope is steeper than it
looks. If you should want to slow up you can shoot over to the side and
work against the slope a little."

The moon, now almost at the full, was shedding its ghostly light over
the snow-covered mountains; by its brilliance the ski runners could see
the surface of the slide, unbr