uld not be allowed
to pass beyond sight, and the cowman began a cautious search for them.
But once more he was doomed to disappointment. In the gathering twilight
it was impossible to regain sight of them, and, convinced of the
uselessness of the attempt, he gave it up.

"It begins to look as if Tozer holds the winning hand," he angrily
muttered; "there ain't no question that the two have the younker safe,
and I've no idee where to hunt fur him--but hold on!"

The conviction, or rather suspicion, that the prison of the youth was
within the canyon returned to the hunter with redoubled force. Why had
he not searched there before? If it was a mistake, no harm could follow;
if it was not a mistake--well, he should see.

Wondering at himself because of his oversight, he abandoned all attempt
to regain sight of the couple and headed for the break in the canyon. He
arrived only a brief while after Jack Dudley attempted and failed to
follow up the gorge, and except for the mishap of the youth the two
would have met within the following few minutes. It has already been
shown how narrowly they missed doing so.

The familiarity of the cowman with the canyon averted the mistake made
by his young friend. He ascended it with scarcely any hesitation,
although in the dense gloom his vision was almost useless. It was
because of that that he well-nigh stepped upon the crouching figure
without suspecting it. Reaching the stone where Jack had been
overwhelmed by failure, the cowman paused for a minute and peered round
in the gloom. Not until he had glanced upward and studied the projecting
crags over his head as outlined against the starlit sky was he
absolutely sure of his location. That glance made everything clear.

The next rock upon which it was necessary to leap was within easy reach,
and had Jack Dudley known its location he would have fallen into no
trouble. It lay to the left, close to the side of the canyon, and really
carried one no further up the gorge; but from its surface he readily
bounded to one beyond, and continued his leap-frog performance until he
had ascended another hundred yards.

He was now close to the point he had in mind. It was there that he had
been picking his way when the wondering boys, looking down from the top,
saw him. Hazletine would have explained his action to them but for a
certain feeling of shame which was not unnatural.

There had been rumors for years among the cattlemen of Southwestern
Wy