's nearly five o'clock now and we
could start at daybreak."

"But--why, we haven't anything to stop with! No tent and no blankets and
nothing to eat! It would be rather dreadful, wouldn't it?"

"Well, not dreadful, exactly. We've the blankets under our saddles, and
you have your long cloak. I'll build you a fire. Of course there's nothing
to eat except the rest of the sandwiches."

"Well, perhaps--it would be pretty bad to get lost up here after dark.
There might be mountain lions or mad skunks. They do have mad skunks out
here, don't they?"

Scott chuckled. "Search me, honey, all the skunks I ever met were mad.
Come on down and we'll have a look at the country."

"Marc," Polly looked down at him, her eyes soft, "I'm wondering what I
would have done if those bandits had gobbled you."

"I don't let bandits gobble me when I'm escorting ladies," replied Scott.
Then meeting her eyes, the twinkle faded out of his. "You'd better say
what would I have done if you hadn't hidden in that cave." His head rested
for a moment against her knee.

"I don't know. Seems as though things were being managed for us, doesn't
it?"

"I hope so."

He lifted her to her feet and she looked around her curiously.

"It's a pretty place," she pronounced. "I hope you're right about the
water. I saw a little stream way up in the mountains when I climbed to the
cave."

"I'm going to let Jasper find it for me," replied Scott. He had the
saddles off the tired horses in a few seconds and they lay down and rolled
happily, drying their sweaty backs in the dust. When they got to their
feet again, he took the two long ropes from the saddles and fastened them
around the horses' necks.

"Are you going to tie them up?" demanded the girl.

"Not now. Going to let them drag the ropes around. I can catch 'em easy
that way. Guess they're too tired to go far."

The horses had smelled the water and made for it. It ran in a trickling
little stream down the hillside about a dozen feet away, hidden by some
brush. Once refreshed, they were easily led back and began to feed on the
coarse grass. Scott shook out the blankets.

"They're a bit horsey," he admitted, "but they'll keep you warm. I put
them under the saddles instead of the regular saddle blankets because I've
been caught out this way before. A man learns things in this country." He
handed Polly her long coat and she slipped into it. "This isn't exactly
the time of year I'd pick for a camping trip,