out it?"

"They can't help it; they'll miss their chief; they'll run across that
horse of his and that'll give 'em the clue."

This unexpected discovery put a new face on matters. Five mountain
Indians, the bravest and most implacable of their race, were almost
within stone's throw of the party. But for the occurrence of a brief
while before, they probably would have permitted the white men to
continue their journey unmolested, since the strength of the two
bands, all things considered, was about equal, but when the hostiles
learned of the death of their leader, they would bend every effort
toward securing revenge. They would dog the miners, watchful, alert
and tireless in their attempts to cut them off from the possibility of
ever repeating the deed.

"But that chief, as you seem to think he was," said Captain Dawson,
"is gone as utterly as if the ground had opened and swallowed him.
They will never have the chance to officiate at his funeral, so how
are they to learn of the manner of his taking off?"

"It won't take 'em long," replied Adams; "his pony will hunt them out,
now that he is left to himself; that'll tell 'em that something is up
and they'll start an investigatin' committee. The footprints of our
horses, the marks on the rocks, which you and me wouldn't notice, the
fact that we met the chief on that narrer ledge and that he's turned
up missing will soon lay bare the whole story, and as I remarked
aforesaid, we shall hear from 'em agin."

"It looks like a case of the hunter hunting the tiger," said the
parson, "and then awaking to the fact that the tiger is engaged
in hunting him; it is plain to see that there's going to be a
complication of matters, but I don't feel that it need make any
difference to us."

"It won't!" replied the captain decisively; "we haven't put our hands
to the plough with any intention of looking back. What's the next
thing to do, Vose?"

"We've got to look after our animals."

"But there's no grass here for them."

"A little further and we'll strike a stream of water where we'll find
some grass, though not much, but it's better than nothing."

Vaulting into the saddle, the guide after some pounding of his heels
against the iron ribs of Hercules, forced him into a gallop, which the
others imitated. The trail continued comparatively smooth, and, being
slightly descending, the animals were not crowded as hard as it would
seem. A mile of this brought them to the water, where