his plans before Wabi and Mukoki.

"We must take John Ball back to the Post as quickly as we can," he
said. "It is our only chance of saving him. If we start now, while
the water in the creek is deep enough to float our canoe, we can make
Wabinosh House in ten or fifteen days."

"It will be impossible to paddle against the swift current," said
Wabi.

"That is true. But we can put John Ball into the canoe and tow him
up-stream. It will be a long wade and hard work, but--"

He looked at Wabi in silence, then added,

"Do we want John Ball to live, or do we want him to die?"

"If I thought he would live I would wade a thousand miles to save
him," rejoined the young Indian. "It means little to us but work. We
know where the rest of the gold is and can return to it within a few
weeks."

If there had been a doubt in the boys' minds as to the right course to
pursue John Ball settled it himself that very afternoon. He awakened
from an unusually long stupor. His eyes were burning with a new light,
and as Rod bent over him he whispered softly, but distinctly,

"Dolores--Dolores--Where is Dolores?"

"Who is Dolores, John Ball?" whispered the white youth, his heart
thumping wildly. "Who is Dolores?"

Ball drew up one of his emaciated hands and clasped it to his head,
and a sobbing moan fell from his lips. Then, after a moment, he
repeated, as though to himself,

"Dolores--Dolores--Who is Dolores?"

The Indians had come near, and heard. But John Ball said no more. He
swallowed a few spoonfuls of soup and fell again into his death-like
trance.

"Who is Dolores?" repeated Wabigoon, his face whitening as he looked
at Rod. "Is there somebody else in the cavern?"

"He is talking of some one whom he probably knew forty or fifty years
ago," replied Rod. But his own face was white. He stared hard at
Wabigoon, and a strange look came into Mukoki's face.

"Dolores," he mused, without taking his eyes from Wabi. "It's a
woman's name, or a girl's name. We must save John Ball! We must start
for Wabinosh House--now!"

"While he's unconscious we can tie the rope about him and hoist him
into the upper chasm," quickly added Wabigoon. "Muky, get to work. We
move this minute!"

It was still two hours before dusk, and now that they had determined
on returning to Wabinosh House the adventurers lost no time in getting
under way. Wabi climbed the rope that was suspended from the upper
chasm, and that part of their equipment which it w