he forest. It was pleasant
under the trees, in the gold-flecked shade, with the whistle of quail
and twittering of birds everywhere. Soon he had passed the limit of his
former excursions and entered new territory. Here the woods began to
show open glades and brooks running down from the slope, and presently
he emerged from shade into the sunshine of a meadow. The shaking of the
high grass told him of the running of animals, what species he could
not tell, but from Ring's manifest desire to have a chase they were
evidently some kind wilder than rabbits. Venters approached the willow
and cottonwood belt that he had observed from the height of slope.
He penetrated it to find a considerable stream of water and great
half-submerged mounds of brush and sticks, and all about him were old
and new gnawed circles at the base of the cottonwoods.

"Beaver!" he exclaimed. "By all that's lucky! The meadow's full of
beaver! How did they ever get here?"

Beaver had not found a way into the valley by the trail of the
cliff-dwellers, of that he was certain; and he began to have more than
curiosity as to the outlet or inlet of the stream. When he passed some
dead water, which he noted was held by a beaver dam, there was a current
in the stream, and it flowed west. Following its course, he soon entered
the oak forest again, and passed through to find himself before massed
and jumbled ruins of cliff wall. There were tangled thickets of
wild plum-trees and other thorny growths that made passage extremely
laborsome. He found innumerable tracks of wildcats and foxes. Rustlings
in the thick undergrowth told him of stealthy movements of these
animals. At length his further advance appeared futile, for the reason
that the stream disappeared in a split at the base of immense rocks over
which he could not climb. To his relief he concluded that though beaver
might work their way up the narrow chasm where the water rushed, it
would be impossible for men to enter the valley there.

This western curve was the only part of the valley where the walls had
been split asunder, and it was a wildly rough and inaccessible corner.
Going back a little way, he leaped the stream and headed toward the
southern wall. Once out of the oaks he found again the low terrace of
aspens, and above that the wide, open terrace fringed by silver spruces.
This side of the valley contained the wind or water worn caves. As he
pressed on, keeping to the upper terrace, cave after