y in
his mind the direction in which Thorn's Gulch extended.

Having satisfied himself as to this he next tried to think of the angles
in which the various branches extended. As he recalled his own actions it
seemed to him that he had gone in a half-dozen different directions. It
was therefore now well nigh impossible to fix accurately the direction in
which he ought to move.

Again he looked keenly all about him, trying to find his bearings.

At last he turned back over part of the way by which he had come. At times
the frightened boy ran swiftly and then frequently stopped to glance at
the sky far above the rim of the canyon. More and more his mind became
confused and in his terror he increased the speed at which he was running.

Soon breathless from his endeavors, he was compelled to halt and once more
he did his utmost to calm himself. He recalled the time which had elapsed
since he had left his friends. Glancing at his watch he saw that more than
two hours had passed and that now it was late in the afternoon.

Darkness would soon be at hand and would come suddenly when it arrived.
Already Fred fancied he could feel the chill of the night air. He had no
food anywhere about him and visions of hunger increased the suffering of
the troubled boy. Besides he was afraid of what might occur in the hours
of darkness.

When at last night came Fred had not found his way back to the spot where
he had left his friends so many hours before. He was convinced now that he
would be compelled to pass the night alone in the canyon. Whether or not
he ever would be able to escape from the gulch was more than a question in
his mind.

Chilled and hungry as well as alarmed, Fred did not dare look for a place
where he might sleep. In the darkness it would be impossible for him to
tell whether or not rattlesnakes were near or the eyes of some prowling
beast might already be fixed upon him.

It was a night of agony. How the long and weary hours at last passed Fred
had no conception. There were times when he felt numb as if all power of
sensation had entirely left his body. Again he tried resolutely to assure
himself that safety would come with the morning light and that soon either
he would find his friends or they would discover him. Somehow he was
convinced that neither Pete nor John would search together for him. It was
likely also that one of them would remain in the spot from which Fred had
started so that if the lost boy in some