od gray matter trying to dodge paying one a
compliment than most men use in thinking up one," decided Polly.

The way through the chaparral was trying. The trail was very faint, the
stiff brush hit one in the face and almost tore one's clothing. It was
necessary for Scott to go first in order to keep the trail, while the girl
fell considerably into the rear to escape the blows from the brush which
flew back after he had disturbed it. On either side of them, above the
brush, rose walls formed by foothills, growing higher as they went. They
were evidently going directly into the mountains.

"Of course, we crossed two ranges when we came from Athens to Casa
Grande," reasoned Polly, "and we've got to cross them again going back.
But this doesn't look as though we were going through any gaps as we did
on the other trail. We're evidently going straight up. It's going to be
hard on the horses."

It _was_ hard on the horses. It was getting on in the afternoon and the
sun was still very hot. They had seen no water since leaving the little
river. The trail had come out of the brush and become a narrow--a very
narrow ledge on the side of the mountain, while on the other side one
looked down into a ravine deep enough to make one's head swim if one
looked too long. Scott ploughed along ahead, looking back whenever the
trail showed a nasty place, ready to jump off and go to the girl's rescue
if necessary.

"She's a plucky one all right," he said to himself. "This is no trail for
a tenderfoot. I hope we don't run into anything worse before we get
through. How are you coming?" he called back.

They had come to a turn in the trail. Huge boulders poised on the edge of
the narrow ledge with that utter disregard for gravity displayed now and
then by rocks which look big enough to know better. Scott had dismounted
and stood looking into the ravine which had widened into a valley. In
front of him, on the narrow turn, it seemed but a step to the tree-tops of
the valley below. Further ahead, lay the next range of mountains, higher
than the ones through which they were passing. Back of them, the winding
trail seemed to flutter like a brown ribbon. Polly hopped down and joined
him. Together they drank in the scene.

"It's too lovely. It hurts," said the girl, with wet eyes.

"Isn't it? I didn't know myself that there was anything around here like
this."

"It's worth being raided for," replied Polly. "Let's stay here a while and
keep on