misery--such of their number as the men may bring alive out of that
rocky waste! Yet we cannot spare them, and the fewer the survivors, the
greater our need to cherish them. We will build a stockade, and leave
the beasts here in the charge of two or three of the men."

"Leave them! And what of ourselves?"

"We will go on in search of the Red River."

"Afoot? In midwinter?"

"Southward. There must be passes over the mountains to the
southwest,--passes leading over into the warmer valleys. All reports
agree that the Spanish settlements enjoy a mild climate."

"The Spanish settlements!" I cried. "You would head for the Spanish
settlements! Give the word, Montgomery; the sooner the better. Ho, for
Nuevo Mexico and my lady!"

He shook his head soberly. "It is well you are not in command, John,
else I fear you would have even less chance than now of winning your way
to your lady. It is a desperate move we are about to undertake."

I smiled. "Can anything be more desperate than our present situation?"

"We must leave the horses to recuperate," he replied. "With the horses
we must leave a guard. Two men will be as many as we can spare. They
must have a stockade for defence should they be attacked by Indians or
Spaniards."

"Come!" I exclaimed. "Only show me the place, an axe, and a grove of
pines. I will have your stockade well under way by nightfall."

He took me at my word, and at once led the way downstream to the site of
our last camp on the river before we struck off into the mountains
behind the Grand Peak. On the way we met Brown and his two companions,
going to fetch his deer. We borrowed from them two of their axes, and,
arriving at the camp, at once set about felling pines.

Before nightfall we were rejoined by Brown's party and two others, the
latter bringing in four sadly disabled horses. The least wearied of the
men were at once sent back in search of the remaining parties, carrying
a plentiful supply of deer meat to supply those who might be famished.
To make a long story short, the ninth of January saw the last member of
the expedition in camp, safe and sound, with a loss all told of only
four horses.

To hunt down a sufficient store of game and complete the blockhouse for
Baroney and Smith, the two men detailed to stay in charge of the bruised
and half-famished beasts, occupied the party a full five days. But
between times in helping and directing the others, Pike and I managed to
take several obse