's so thick
you can scarcely get through it in places. We found one or two hoof
marks, but that was all. If he's not home to-night we're going out at
daybreak with every hand on the place."

"I'm coming."

"I knew you'd want to," Jim said, anxiety in his tone. "But I don't
think you're fit to, old girl."

"Jimmy, I'd go mad if I stayed behind."

"Oh, I know that, too. But you'll have to stay near me, Norah, and if
you're coming you've got to eat now; Brownie says you've touched
nothing all day."

Norah shivered a little. "I'm not hungry."

"No, but you've sense, old chap. You'd be the first to say one of us
couldn't go out without proper food. Try, won't you?"

"I'll try," Norah said, obediently.

"Brownie's got dinner for Wally and me in the breakfast-room," Jim
said. "Wouldn't you come down, old girl? It's only old Wal., you know,
and--and he's so awfully sorry for you, Nor. He's been such a brick. I
think it would cheer him up a bit if you came down."

"All right," Norah said, hesitating a moment. "But I'm bad company,
Jim."

"We're none of us lively," said the boy. "But we've got to help each
other." And Norah looked at him gently, and came.

Dinner was quiet, for the shadow hung upon them all. Wally tried to
talk cheerfully, checked by a lump that would rise in his throat
whenever he looked at Norah, who was "playing the game" manfully,
trying hard to eat and to be, as she would have said, "ordinary." They
talked of the plans for the next day, when a systematic search was to
be made through the scrub near where the tracks had been found.

"Each of us is to take a revolver," Jim said; "there are five
altogether, and the men who haven't got them will have to use their
stockwhips as signals if they find anything. Three shots to be fired in
the air if help is wanted. And Brownie has flasks ready for every one,
and little packets of food with some chocolate; if he's come to grief
it'll be nearly forty-eight hours since he had anything to eat. Two of
the men are to take the express wagon out as far as it can go, with
everything to make him comfortable, if--if he's hurt. Then they can ride
the horses on to help us search." Jim forced a sorry smile. "Won't he
grin at us if he turns up all right? We'll never hear the end of it!"
Then he got up abruptly and walked to the window, looking out across
the moonlit flats; and they were all silent.

"I keep thinking all the time I hear him coming," Jim said, turnin