urse Frank was particularly anxious to scrutinize every colored
wall that faced the West. The rainbow tints so plainly marked, tier
above tier, called out expressions of deep admiration from the two lads;
but all the while they were on the watch for something besides.

When Frank ranged that powerful glass along the ragged face of a
towering cliff he was looking eagerly for signs of openings such as
marked the windows of the homes fashioned by the strange people of a
past age.

During the afternoon they actually discovered such small slits in the
rock--at least they looked like pencil markings to them when the guide
first pointed out the village of the ancient cliff dwellers; though on
closer acquaintance they found that the openings were of generous size.

"Shall we climb up that straggly path along the face of the wall, and
see what the old things look like?" asked Bob, as the guide made motions
upward.

"Yes, we ought to have our first sight of such places," Frank replied,
in a cautious tone. "Not that I expect we're going to find our hermit
there, or in any other village that's known to tourist travel. But we
ought to get an idea of what these places are like, you see. Then we'll
know better what to expect. And perhaps the conditions will teach us how
to discover _his_ hiding place."

Accordingly they started to climb upward, just as many other tourists
had been doing for years. There were even places, "aisles of safety,"
Bob called them, where one who was ascending, upon happening to meet a
descending investigator, could squeeze into a hole in the rock until the
other had slipped by.

Of course it was a risky climb, and no lightheaded person could ever
dream of taking it. But the two saddle boys were possessed of good
nerves and able to look downward toward the bottom of the canyon, even
when several hundred feet up in the air.

Then they entered the first hole. It seemed to be a fair-sized
apartment, and was connected with a string of others, all running along
the face of the cliff; so that those who occupied them in the long ago
might have air and light.

The boys observed everything with the ordinary curiosity expected of
newcomers. Frank even investigated to see if there were any signs to
indicate that those old dwellers in the canyon knew about the use of
fire; and soon decided that it was so.

"Well, what do you think about this?" Bob asked, after they had roamed
from one room to another. "For my p