was a spring and now securely fastened; but a small leather flap,
intended to cover the keyhole, had been torn from its fastenings and
lay on the ground. The pouch itself had been flung slightly out of the
way, under the bushes, as if the trespasser had satisfied himself with
and concerning it and had no further use for it.

"Well, there used to be three keys to this concern. One the mistress
has; one the postmaster keeps at the office; and the other was
Antonio's, since he always was wanting to open and put something extra
in the bag after Mrs. Trent had done with it. I never liked the look
of that, and it's my opinion that it's the very key has unlocked this
bag, if unlocked it's been. Which is more'n likely."

Cromarty's head was again beginning to grow dizzy, and he sat again
upon the rock to recover himself, making no answer to Ephraim's words
than the exclamation:

"How am I going to get that bag to post in time?"

CHAPTER XI.

THE PASSING OF OLD CENTURY

Jessica and her escort, John Benton, rode swiftly up the canyon trail
and over the brow of the mesa toward the shepherd's cabin; but they
had not proceeded far along the upland before a sense of the
strangeness of things oppressed them both.

John's keen eye detected the neglect of the sheep, which were still
huddled in the corral, though long past their hour for pasturage;
while their bleating expressed hunger as well as dislike of their
unusual imprisonment. But Jessica saw first the abject attitude of the
collie, Keno, who came reluctantly to greet them with down-hanging
head and tail and a reproachful upward glance of his brown eyes.

"Why, you poor doggie! What's happened you? You look as if you'd been
beaten. Where's your master, good Keno? Keno, where's Pedro?"

The Indian was nowhere visible, and as if he fully understood the
question, the collie answered by a long, lugubrious whine.

"Something's wrong. That's as plain as preachin'!" cried John, and
hurried to the little house, whose door stood open, but about which
there was no sign of life.

He had tossed his bridle to the captain, meaning that if aught were
amiss within she should be detained for the present by holding the
horses. However, she saw through this ruse, and, leaping from Buster,
swiftly hobbled both animals and ran after the carpenter.

Keno kept close at her heels, the very presentment of canine misery,
and uttering at every few steps that doleful whine which was so