He could think of only one
solution to the puzzle. He turned and gazed down through the gloom at
the dim figure crouched beside the edge of the swirling water.

"Locoed," he said pityingly--"Locoed.... Poor devil!"

CHAPTER XXVI

IN THE GLOOM

When the engineer came down to the river, Ashton still crouched low,
his dripping head close over the water, as if he was afraid even to
look away from it. Blake rinsed out his mouth and stood up to sip
slowly from his hat, while looking about at the awesome spectacle of
the canyon bottom.

His first glance was at the swift-flowing stream. His eyes brightened
and the furrows in his forehead smoothed away. The river was not as
formidable as its tumult and foam had threatened. It could be
descended by wading at the places where ledges and bowlders along the
base of the canyon walls failed to afford safe footing. He glanced up
the stupendous precipices at the blue-black ribbon of sky, but only
for a moment. His present thought was not of escape from the depths.

He bent over to grip the crouching man by the shoulder and lift him to
his feet. Ashton writhed about and glared at him like a trapped wolf.

"Let go!" he snarled. "It was an accident! I didn't mean to do it!"

"Of course not," replied Blake, releasing his grip but standing close
that he might not have to shout. "It's all right, old man--my fault.
The knot slipped."

"You own it! You own it's your fault!" cried Ashton. "You've brought
me down here into this hell-pit! We can't get out! Lost! All your
fault--yours!"

He made a frantic snatch and jerked the revolver from Blake's holster.
The engineer caught his wrist in an iron grasp and wrenched the weapon
from him.

"None of that, old man," he admonished with a cool sternness that
chilled the frenzy of the other like a dash of ice water. "You're here
to do your work, and you're going to do it. Understand?"

"My work!" repeated Ashton wildly.

"Yes, your work," commanded Blake, his face as hard as iron. "We're
going to survey Deep Canyon down to the tunnel site. Your work is to
carry rod. Do you get that?"

"Down the canyon?--deeper!"

"We can't get back up here. There's a place down there beyond the
tunnel site where perhaps we can make it up the canyon wall."

"A place where we--?" shrilled Ashton. "A place--Good God! and you
stand here doing nothing!"

He whirled to spring out into the swirling water. Blake was still
swifter in his movements. H