CHAPTER XIV

To sleep after the excitement through which he had passed, and with
to-morrow's uncertainties ahead of him, seemed to Aldous a physical
impossibility. Yet he slept, and soundly. It was MacDonald who roused him
three hours later. They prepared a quick breakfast over a small fire, and
Aldous heated water in which he soaked his face until the strips of
court-plaster peeled off. The scratches were lividly evident, but, inasmuch
as he had a choice of but two evils, he preferred that Joanne should see
these instead of the abominable disfigurement of court-plaster strips.

Old Donald took one look at him through half-closed eyes.

"You look as though you'd come out of a tussle with a grizzly," he grinned.
"Want some fresh court-plaster?"

"And look as though I'd come out of a circus--no!" retorted Aldous. "I'm
invited to breakfast at the Blacktons', Mac. How the devil am I going to
get out of it?"

"Tell 'em you're sick," chuckled the old hunter, who saw something funny in
the appearance of Aldous' face. "Good Lord, how I'd liked to have seen you
come through that window--in daylight!"

Aldous led off in the direction of the trail. MacDonald followed close
behind him. It was dark--that almost ebon-black hour that precedes summer
dawn in the northern mountains. The moon had long ago disappeared in the
west. When a few minutes later they paused in the little opening on the
trail Aldous could just make out the shadowy form of the old mountaineer.

"I lost my gun when I jumped through the window, Mac," he explained.
"There's another thirty-eight automatic in my kit at the corral. Bring
that, and the .303 with the gold-bead sight--and plenty of ammunition.
You'd better take that forty-four hip-cannon of yours along, as well as
your rifle. Wish I could civilize you, Mac, so you'd carry one of the
Savage automatics instead of that old brain-storm of fifty years ago!"

MacDonald gave a grunt of disgust that was like the whoof of a bear.

"It's done business all that time," he growled good humouredly. "An' it
ain't ever made me jump through any window as I remember of, Johnny!"

"Enough," said Aldous, and in the gloom he gripped the other's hand.
"You'll be there, Mac--in front of the Blacktons'--just as it's growing
light?"

"That means in three quarters of an hour, Johnny. I'll be there. Three
saddle-horses and a pack."

Where the trail divided they separated. Aldous went directly to the
Blacktons'. As