il to Jeb to hurry Simms and then escort Mrs.
Brewster home. We're ridin' up yander to work," ordered Bill,
authoritatively.

Eleanor turned her horse's head to a faint trail that she was sure would
bring them to the cave. Barbara and the cow-boy followed, while Bill
and his men urged the horses to their utmost up the steep Slide.

"Thar's one good thing about this fire--it seems to be comin' down, and
it don't travel near so quick that way, like-as-how it do when it goes
upward. Mebbe we-all kin choke it in its first stages," explained Bill.

Eleanor and her two followers now reached the end of the little erosion
made by a storm. Then the city girl found it really was no trail at all.
They sat their horses looking helplessly about while Barbara began to
whimper with fear.

Even courageous Eleanor began to quail at what would befall them if they
were lost, when Mike suddenly appeared in the distance, climbing the
steep slope before them. His broncho came on recklessly through the
bushes and wild undergrowth until he was within speaking distance then
he shouted:

"Mike hear shoots! Gals in cabe alle-right. Mike smell fire. He go see
who burn. Fin' tree bad miner--One gone happy hunting-groun',--two sleep
f'm much fire-water. Tree hosses hobble on down trail." As he spoke he
acted his words so that it was plain that he had found the three
claim-jumpers who were dead drunk, and their mounts which were trying
to break away in sheer fear of the fire.

"Mike, Bill and Mr. Brewster said you were to leave us in the cave, if
it is safe there, and then ride down trail to meet Jeb and go on to stop
Simms' party. Warn the lookout on the forest-ranger's post and then come
back to us, but Jeb is to ride home with the Missus!" exclaimed Eleanor,
excitedly.

Mike frowned. "Indian no like squaw job!"

"That's just what I was going to say, Mike. Now if you will put us on
the right trail, we three can find the way to the cave. We will stay
there with the other girls, and let you do as you think best, _after_
you send Jeb away to meet Simms," said Eleanor.

"Mike mus' tell Boss and Bill 'bout fire. Him eat down-hill, udder side
Slide. No burn dis side."

Meantime, the Indian was leading the way to the trail that would bring
the girls out at the ravine where the cave was. Once on the right trail,
the youth whom Bill had sent with the girls, said he could keep to it
without going astray.

Mike waited but a moment to assure hims