with plough and shovel and scraper. As they rode into camp the very
first man to emerge from Casement's tent, with his habitual smile, was
Bob Scott.

Casement himself, who had heard Scott's story when the latter had come
in at daybreak, was awaiting Stanley's return with anxiety, but this
was all forgotten in the great news Stanley brought. Sublette and
Scott now returned to the hunting camp for the cavalry detail, and,
reinforced by these, the two heroes of the long flight rode back to
reconnoitre their escape from the mountains. Bucks rode close to Bob
Scott and learned how the scout had outwitted his assailants at the
canyon, and how after they had all ridden out of it, he had ridden
into it and retraced with safety in the night the path that the
hunters had followed in riding into the hill country.

The second ride through the long defile, which itself was now the
object of so much intense inspection, Bucks found much less exciting
than the first. The party even rode up to where the first flying leap
had been made, and to Bucks's joy found Sublette's rifle still in the
wash; it had been overlooked by the Indians.

What surprised Bucks most was to find how many hours it took to cover
the ground that Stanley and he had negotiated in seemingly as many
minutes.

CHAPTER VI

After a week in Casement's camp, Stanley and his cavalrymen,
accompanied by Dancing, Scott, and Bucks, struck north and east toward
the Spider Water River to find out why the ties were not coming down
faster. Rails had already been laid across the permanent Spider Water
Bridge--known afterward as the first bridge, for the big river
finished more than one structure before it was completely subdued--and
the rail-laying was hampered only by the lack of ties.

The straggling bands of Cheyennes had in the interval been driven out
of the foot-hills by troops sent against them, and Stanley and his
little escort met with no trouble on his rapid journey.

Toward evening of the second day a broad valley opened on the plain
before them, and in the sunset Bucks saw, winding like a silver thread
far up toward the mountains, the great stream about which he had
already heard so much. Camp was pitched on a high bluff that
commanded the valley in both directions for many miles, and after
supper Scott and Bucks rode down to the river.

In its low-water stage nothing could have looked more sluggish or more
sleepily deceptive than the mighty and treac