edro. Here the ground, which happened to be a little
soft, plainly showed where he had fallen and jumped to his feet and
leaped off in the direction of the point of rocks, but farther than this
it was impossible to trail him on account of the hardness of the ground.
There was absolutely nothing more that they could do; for it would be
useless to attempt to run him down in that wilderness of mountains; and
they were obliged to leave the mystery of the tent; it was a great
mystery to those strong watchful men how the gagging and the binding of
Mrs. Dickson had been so quietly and effectively accomplished, unsolved
for the present.

"Don't look much as if we'd thrown th' cunnin' devils off our trail,
does it?" Ham grumbled, as our little company again started on their
journey. "'Pears like as if we'd had all our trouble for our pains so
far. Wal, they didn't git th' skin map; but it shows they shore could
have got it, if they'd knowed whar it was," and his face clouded. "They
might have sneaked up ahind Dickson or Thure jest as easy an' knocked
'em senseless an' bound an' gagged 'em. Reckon we've got tew be more
keerful or they'll git th' map yit. 'Bout how much longer will it take
us tew git tew that thar canyon?" and he turned anxiously to Mr.
Dickson.

"We ought to make it in three days sure," answered Dickson. "Stackpole
and I did it in a little over two days from here; but, on account of the
pack-horses, it will probably take us a little longer."

"Shore you remember th' trail?"

"Yes," and Dickson's eyes turned northward. "Now that I am on the
ground, things come back to me. See that opening between those two
mountains?" and Dickson pointed to a ravine-like depression between two
mountains some four or five miles away. "Well, I know we went up that
ravine, because Stackpole pointed it out to me right from here, just as
I am pointing it out to you; and that ravine, after a couple of miles,
widens out into quite a little valley, with the mountain, called Three
Tree Mountain on the map, near its upper end."

"Wal, we shore was in luck, Dick, when we took you intew th'
partnership," Ham declared heartily; "for, I reckon, we'd had a durned
long hunt a-findin' our way jest by that map, but now all we've got tew
do is jest tew foller y'ur lead. Wal, lead on," and he grinned.

Dickson proved that his memory of the trail was correct; for, after they
had entered the ravine between the two mountains and had gone up it for