ivide. There she dismounted, and led the cayuse
up a steep gully through which a torrent poured. They stumbled amidst
big boulders and over slippery shingle until they reached the head of
the gully, and then there were almost precipitous slopes of rock to be
faced. They climbed for a couple of hours, and Laura gasped with
relief when at last she stood upon the crest of the divide.

The descent was perilous, but already the sun hung low above the
western hills, and she went down in the saddle with the cayuse
slipping and stumbling horribly, until the roar of the river came
faintly up to her. Then she drew bridle, and glanced ruefully at her
attire. Her skirt was rent in places, and one little shoe had burst. A
branch that had torn her hat off had loosened a coil of gleaming hair,
and, anxious as she was, she stopped for several minutes to set these
matters straight as far as it was possible. There was, she felt, after
all, no reason why Nasmyth should see her in that state. Then she rode
on, and a little later a man appeared among the pines at the head of
the gully. She was very weary when she got down beside him.

"Have two strangers arrived here yet?" she asked.

"They haven't," answered the man.

Laura was glad she had undertaken the journey when she saw the sudden
intentness of his face.

"Two of them are on the trail?" he inquired sharply.

"Yes," said Laura. "They have gone round by the pack-horse trail. I
rode in by the new one."

The man was astonished that she had accomplished the trip, and she saw
that he was troubled.

"Well," he advised, "you had better go right on and tell Nasmyth as
quick as you can. It's my business to see no strangers get in, or I'd
go with you."

Laura left the horse with him, and, descending the gully, found an
unusual number of men busy beside the river. In fact, she believed
that all those who had been at work in the valley must have crossed
the range to the canyon. It was also evident from their faces that most
of them were in a state of eager expectation. Something out of the
usual course was clearly going on. She asked for Nasmyth, and a few
moments later he came scrambling towards her along the log staging.
There was, she was quick to notice, a strained look in his eyes, but
he shook hands with her, and then, remembering the state of her
attire, she coloured a little.

"Do you expect two men from the city to-night?" she asked.

Nasmyth started. "I have, at least, bee