y and fallen timber, made it imperative for Helen to put all her
attention on the ground and trees in her immediate vicinity. So the
pleasure of gazing ahead at the beautiful wilderness was denied her.
Thereafter travel became toil and the hours endless.

Roy led on, and Ranger followed, while the shadows darkened under the
trees. She was reeling in her saddle, half blind and sick, when Roy
called out cheerily that they were almost there.

Whatever his idea was, to Helen it seemed many miles that she followed
him farther, out of the heavy-timbered forest down upon slopes of low
spruce, like evergreen, which descended sharply to another level, where
dark, shallow streams flowed gently and the solemn stillness held a low
murmur of falling water, and at last the wood ended upon a wonderful
park full of a thick, rich, golden light of fast-fading sunset.

"Smell the smoke," said Roy. "By Solomon! if Milt ain't here ahead of
me!"

He rode on. Helen's weary gaze took in the round senaca, the circling
black slopes, leading up to craggy rims all gold and red in the
last flare of the sun; then all the spirit left in her flashed up in
thrilling wonder at this exquisite, wild, and colorful spot.

Horses were grazing out in the long grass and there were deer grazing
with them. Roy led round a corner of the fringed, bordering woodland,
and there, under lofty trees, shone a camp-fire. Huge gray rocks loomed
beyond, and then cliffs rose step by step to a notch in the mountain
wall, over which poured a thin, lacy waterfall. As Helen gazed in
rapture the sunset gold faded to white and all the western slope of the
amphitheater darkened.

Dale's tall form appeared.

"Reckon you're late," he said, as with a comprehensive flash of eye he
took in the three.

"Milt, I got lost," replied Roy.

"I feared as much.... You girls look like you'd done better to ride with
me," went on Dale, as he offered a hand to help Bo off. She took it,
tried to get her foot out of the stirrups, and then she slid from the
saddle into Dale's arms. He placed her on her feet and, supporting her,
said, solicitously: "A hundred-mile ride in three days for a tenderfoot
is somethin' your uncle Al won't believe.... Come, walk if it kills
you!"

Whereupon he led Bo, very much as if he were teaching a child to walk.
The fact that the voluble Bo had nothing to say was significant to
Helen, who was following, with the assistance of Roy.

One of the huge rocks res