ever dreamed of
his going out to-night. He said he should signal for a talk at the
moment of starting with his escort, and so, probably, meet 'Tonio near
the Peak."

A solemn little gathering was this at the shack, while up at the
quarters two sorrow-stricken women, Mrs. Archer and Mrs. Stannard, were
striving to soothe and still poor Lilian, to whom the truth had had to
be told. All the officers were up and astir, some of them conferring
with their gray-faced commandant at the doorway, others heading the
search over among the willows and down the stream. A strange fact had
developed. Only one shot had been heard, only one shot hole had been
discovered (and the probe indicated that the bullet, having struck a
rib, had been deflected downward, where it was not yet located), but
while this had produced shock and, possibly, temporary unconsciousness,
it was another blow, one with a blunt instrument, probably more than
one, upon the back of the head, that resulted in this prolonged stupor.
Not once had Willett regained consciousness, nor, said Bentley, was it
likely that he would. Bentley feared concussion of the brain.

Turner, a capital trailer, with some of the best of his men, was
working down stream, and all who knew Turner felt that no trace would
be bunglingly trampled out. The few pathways along the west bank,
through the willows, showed recent tracks on only one, where the
Mexicans and half-breeds had scurried away toward the old Sanchez
place. Already a strong party had been sent thither in search, but
meantime Turner was looking, as he frankly said, "for 'Tonio's tracks
about the ford," for within forty paces of the lower ford poor Willett
was found, and in the minds of every man and woman who could hold a
listener that night no other explanation was either sought or expected.
The fact that both shores of the stream were stony above and below the
spot--that it would be easy for an Indian to conceal them, would
account for it if their footprints were lacking, but lacking they were
not. In a dozen places about the ford and down the east bank, in a
dozen places around the spot where lay the stricken officer, the
earliest comers had seen and marked and protected against obliteration
print after print of the moccasins of the Apache-Mohaves--'Tonio's own
band. This in itself was wellnigh proof positive, but more was to come.

Willett's trail was easily found and followed. Straight and swift he
had gone across the fl