l of Wabi's command.

Rod helped himself to the meat and coffee. He was hungry, but after he
was done there remained some of the rabbit and a biscuit and these he
placed in his pack for further use. Soon after this there came two shots
from the rock and before the echoes had died away down the chasm Wabi
approached through the gathering gloom.

It was easy for the hunters to steal along the concealment of the
mountain wall, and even if there had been prying eyes on the opposite
ridge they could not have penetrated the thickening darkness in the
bottom of the gulch. For some time the flight was continued with extreme
caution, no sound being made to arouse the suspicion of any outlaw who
might be patrolling the edge of the precipice. At the end of half an
hour Mukoki, who was in the lead that he might set a pace according to
his strength, quickened his steps. Rod was close beside him now, his
eyes ceaselessly searching the chasm wall for signs that would tell him
when they were nearing the rift. Suddenly Wabi halted in his tracks and
gave a low hiss that stopped them.

"It's snowing!" he whispered.

Mukoki lifted his face. Great solitary flakes of snow fell upon it.

"She snow hard--soon. Mebby cover snow-shoe trails!"

"And if it does--we're safe!" There was a vibrant joy in Wabi's voice.

For a full minute Mukoki held his face to the sky.

"Hear small wind over chasm," he said.

"She come from south. She snow hard--now--up there!"

They went on, stirred by new hope. Rod could feel that the flakes were
coming thicker. The three now kept close to the chasm wall in their
search for the rift. How changed all things were at night! Rod's heart
throbbed now with hope, now with doubt, now with actual fear. Was it
possible that he could not find it? Had they passed it among some of the
black shadows behind? He saw no rock that he recognized, no overhanging
crag, no sign to guide him. He stopped, and his voice betrayed his
uneasiness as he asked:

"How far do you think we have come?"

Mukoki had gone a few steps ahead, and before Wabi answered he called
softly to them from close up against the chasm wall. They hurried to him
and found him standing beside the rift.

"Here!"

Wabi handed his rifle to Rod.

"I'm going up first," he announced. "If the coast is clear I'll whistle
down."

For a few moments Mukoki and Rod could hear him as he crawled up the
fissure. Then all was silent. A quarter of an hour passed, a