n and made deep gorges, the
hillsides were striped with blues and reds; and along the ancient trail
there were tunnels and dumps of rock where prospectors had dug in for
gold. There were dog tracks in the mud showing where Good Luck had come
down, and she knew Wunpost must be up there somewhere; but when she came
upon a mule, lying down under his pack, she started and clutched at her
gun. The mule jumped up noisily and ran smashing through the willows,
then turned with a terrifying snort; and as she drew rein and stopped
Good Luck sprang to the ground and rushed silently off up the canyon.

Billy followed along cautiously, driving the snorting mule before her
and looking for something she feared to find. A buzzard rose up slowly,
flopping awkwardly to clear the canyon wall, and her heart leapt once
and stood still. There in the open lay Wunpost's horse, its sharp-shod
feet in the air, and there was a bullet-hole through its side. She
stopped and looked about, at the ridge, at the sky, at the knife-like
gash ahead; and then she set her teeth and spurred up the canyon to
where the dog had set up a yapping.

He was standing by a tunnel at the edge of the creek, wagging his tail
and waiting expectantly; and when she came in sight he dashed half-way
to meet her and turned back to the hole in the hill. She rode up to its
mouth, her eyes straining into the darkness, her breath coming in short,
quick gasps; and Tellurium, advancing slowly, suddenly flew back and
snorted as a voice came out from the depths.

"Hello, there!" it hailed; "say, bring me a drink of water. This is
Calhoun--I'm shot in the leg."

"Well, what are you hiding in there for?" burst out Billy as she
dismounted; "why don't you crawl out and get some yourself?"

Now that she knew he was alive a swift impatience swept over her, an
unreasoning anger that he had caused her such a fright, and as she
unslung her canteen and started for the tunnel her stride was almost
vixenish. But when she found him stretched out on the bare, uneven rocks
with one bloody leg done up in bandages, she knelt down suddenly and
held out the canteen, which he seized and almost drained at one drink.

"Fine! Fine!" he smacked; "began to think you wasn't coming--did you
bring along that medicine I wrote for?"

"Why, what medicine?" exclaimed Billy. "No, I didn't find a note--Good
Luck must have lost it on the way."

"Well, never mind," he said; "just catch one of my mules and we'll