und, and all he felt able to do was to wait while the
figure came nearer and nearer, through the transparent darkness, till it
was close upon him, and said in a low voice that made the youth start
from his lethargy, unchaining as it did his faculties, and giving him
the power to move:

"Hallo, Bart! I thought you were asleep."

"I thought you were, sir," said Bart.

"Well, I'm going to lie down now, my boy, but I've been walking in a
silver dream. Better get back."

He said no more, but walked straight to the little camp, while,
pondering upon the intent manner in which his guardian seemed to give
himself up to this dream of discovering silver, Bart began to make a
circuit of the camp, finding to his satisfaction that the Beaver had
posted four men as sentinels, Joses telling his young leader afterwards
when he lay down that the chief had refused to allow either of the white
men to go on duty that night.

"You think he is to be trusted, don't you, Joses?" asked Bart sleepily.

"Trusted? Oh yes, he's to be trusted, my lad. Injuns are as bad as can
be, but some of 'em's got good pyntes, and this one, though he might
have scalped the lot of us once upon a time, became our friend as soon
as the Doctor cured his arm. And it was a cure too, for now it's as
strong and well as ever. I tell you what, Master Bart."

No answer.

"I tell you what, Master Bart."

No answer.

"I say, young one, are you asleep?"

No reply.

"Well, he has dropped off sudden," growled Joses. "I suppose I must
tell him what another time."

Having made up his mind to this, the sturdy fellow gave himself a bit of
a twist in his blanket, laid his head upon his arm, and in a few seconds
was as fast asleep as Bart.

The latter slept soundly all but once in the night, when it seemed to
him that he had heard a strange, wild cry, and, starting up on his
elbow, he listened attentively for some moments, but the cry was not
repeated, and feeling that it must have been in his dreams that he had
heard the sound, he lay down again and slept till dawn, when he sprang
up, left every one asleep, and stole off, rifle in hand, to see if he
could get a shot at a deer anywhere about the mountain, and also to have
a look down into the tremendous canyon about whose depths and whose
rushing stream he seemed to have been dreaming all the night.

He recollected well enough the way they had gone on the previous
evening, and as he stepped swiftly forward,