rry me. I'm so afraid he'll go away and leave me!"

The cowman straightened up, his eyes glinting with righteous
indignation.

"What! Go 'way and leave you?--when you want him to stay? By--James!
He's going to stay! Don't you worry, honey. He's going to stay, if I
have to rope and hogtie him for you!"

The girl stared into the frowning face of her father. There was no
twinkle in the corner of his eyes. He was absolutely serious. For the
first time in over two days her dimples flashed. Her eyes sparkled
with merriment. Her lips parted. But she checked the gay laugh before
it could burst out.

"Oh!" she reproached herself. "How could I? And they still down
there--and Tom suffering!"

"Tom?" repeated Knowles. "Thomas Blake--your brother! That's why you
got me started reading all those reports and engineering journals.
You guessed it."

"It did not seem possible. Yet I could not help hoping."

"Things do happen our way--sometimes," qualified Knowles. "Mrs.
Blake--Jenny--says Lafe brought up word that the project can be put
through. I meant to fight. But now--he is your brother, and he has
done something no man ever before thought could be done--he has
surveyed Deep Canyon. He has me beat. I've told Mrs.--Jenny straight
out."

"I know he will do what is right by you, dear, dear Daddy."

"He's your brother, honey. That settles it."

CHAPTER XXXIV

RECLAMATION

Even with the mutual assistance that they could give one another, and
with the certain knowledge that the descent was possible, the rescuers
had no easy task following the trail "broken" by Ashton. Their very
numbers prevented them from going down as fast as he had gone. On the
other hand, those on the upper part of the life-line could steady
their companions over ledges and down the steeper crevices, while the
leaders helped the ones who followed by hammering footholds in the
rock and at the very worst places driving in picket-pins to hold the
extra ropes brought down for the purpose.

Still, Deep Canyon was Deep Canyon--the ladder it offered was a ladder
of Titans. Many long hours of waiting passed after the rescuing party
disappeared among the shadows less than a third of the way down the
steep-sloping precipices, before they came struggling upwards again
into view of the anxious watchers on the brink. The sun had circled
well over into the western sky.

There was yet a thousand feet for the rescuers to clamber, hauling
and pushing up in t