ilot, would likely have steered a
correct course, for he had much of that intuition which for lack of a
better term may be called sense of direction, and an eye for the
general configuration of country. But he was in a hurry and his brothers
obtruded advice. And so Gavin went astray. Half a day's travel converted
suspicion of this to certainty. The only thing to do was to angle
forward in the general direction in which the old trail might be
supposed to lie.

It is one thing to travel following the line of least resistance; but it
is quite another to hold for any definite objective point. Immediately,
obstacles interposed. All of a sudden, as it seemed, things went wrong.
Their way was barred by swift creeks, rocks, tangled wind-falls piled
high. These had to be circumnavigated. One pack pony was drowned in a
sudden dip of what looked like a fordable stream. The other slipped,
sprained his shoulder and could not travel. They shot him, and took his
load between them. At last they regained what was presumably the old
trail. The one redeeming feature was that in their wanderings, they
might have shaken off pursuit. But the next morning, looking back,
behind and below them but on their line of travel, they saw smoke. The
pursuit had even gained.

Now the old trail grew better, clearer, so that they did not have to
worry about that; but they did worry about the way their pursuers hung
on. Of what profit was it to traverse this sea of mountains and emerge
with these hunters at their heels? As they rode, bending against the
keen wind that swept the great ridge, this problem lay in the mind of
each.

But Blake viewed it from an angle of his own. He had thrown in his lot
with his brothers in panic, relying on them, feeling the safety of
numbers. But the pursuit that dogged was primarily of them and not of
him. Then he had made a mistake in joining them. Garland was a wise bird
in striking off by himself. That was what he should have done. He should
have known it would be assumed that he had gone with his brothers. He
had been a fool.

And there was another consideration. He knew very well that the boys did
not intend to be taken. If he stayed with them he would have to fight.
Angus or Turkey, or even Rennie would shoot him on sight, and in all
probability one or more of them was with the bunch behind. Obviously the
thing to do was to quit his brothers and let them draw the pursuit. But
the devil of it was he had no money. T