ehind
and on opposite sides of the horse, they were in position to hold back
the animal, should he start to slide or get to going too fast. In this
way and with very little trouble, for the footing down the declivity was
much better than they expected it would be, they soon had the six horses
safely down the Devil's Slide.

All now stood at the bottom of a deep canyon, with walls of nearly
perpendicular rock rising on both sides from five hundred to a thousand
feet above their heads. The bottom was strewn with rocks of all shapes
and sizes, and little clumps of trees and bushes grew here and there.

"This," and Dickson glanced a bit dramatically around him, "is Lot's
Canyon. The white pillar of rock, called Lot's Wife on the map, is about
a couple of miles farther up the canyon, and near it stands the Big
Tree, and close by that tree, according to the map, should be the hidden
entrance to Crooked Arm Gulch. And it must be well-hidden too; for, when
I was with Stackpole, we couldn't find a sign of a gulch near the Big
Tree, although I remember we looked especially sharp for it right there,
because the Indian had told Stackpole that it was near a big tree and
that was the biggest tree we could find in the canyon. I hope we have
better luck."

"Let us hurry and get to the Big Tree," cried Thure impatiently. "I am
sure that, if there is any entrance to any gulch there, some of us can
find it. Come on," and the excited boy, with Bud by his side, started up
the canyon.

Rex and Dill and Mr. Dickson at once joined the two boys, and the five
hurried eagerly forward, leaving the others to come on more slowly with
Pedro and the horses.

The canyon was from one hundred to two hundred feet wide at the bottom,
and twisted and wound along between its gigantic walls of rock, like a
huge serpent. Doubtless in some far distant age it had been the course
of a mighty river; but now not a drop of water flowed along its rocky
bottom and evidently had not for hundreds of years.

"Looks like a mighty good place for grizzlies," commented Rex, as they
hurried along over the rough rocks of the bottom.

"And there has been one here not many minutes ago," supplemented Dill,
pointing to the bark of a tree that had been freshly torn by the sharp
claws of some powerful animal.

"And there he is!" cried Thure, as they made a sudden turn around a huge
point of rocks, projecting a few feet out into the canyon, and came face
to face with a huge