raveled all
night a good many times, but it done no good as they done the same
thing, and we found we war further away, if anything, next morning
than we war at sundown. If we'd ever lost the trail so as not to find
it we'd guv up and come home, but we never done that nor never lost
more nor an hour in lookin' for it. You see," added the trapper,
impressively, "you never have found the trail, and, therefore, there
ain't the shadder of a chance."

"Begorrah, yees can't blame us whin we tried to the bist of our
indeavor to find it and wasn't able."

"Yer done the best yer knowed, I s'pose; but why didn't four on 'em
divide so as to let one go up one side the river and one t'other, and
the same way down-stream. Yer don't s'pose that feller was able to
keep paddlin' forever in the river, do yer? and jist so soon as he
landed, jist so sure would one of them Sioux find the spot where he
touched land, and foller him to his hole."

"Begorrah, if wees had only thought of that!"

"A Sioux is as cunning a red-skin as I ever found, and it's jist my
opine every one of 'em _did_ think of that same thing, but they didn't
try it for fear they might catch the varmint! They knew their man,
rest assured o' that."

Teddy looked up as if he did not comprehend the meaning of the last
remark.

"'Cordin' to yer own showin', one of them infarnal copper-gals was at
the bottom of the hull business, and it's like as not the men knowed
about it, too, and didn't _want_ to catch the gal!"

"There's where yees are mightily mistook, as Pat McGuire said whin
his landlord called him honest, for ivery one of them same
chocolate-colored gintlemen would have done their bist for Master
Harvey. They would have cut that thaif's wizzen wid a mighty good
will, I knows."

"Mebbe so, but I don't believe it!" said the hunter, with an
incredulous shake of his head.

"Would ye have me give up the s'arch altogether?"

"Can't say that I would; howsumever, the chance is small, and ye'd
better go west with me, and spend the winter in l'arning how to trap
fur beaver and otter."

"What good might result from that?"

"None, as I knows on."

"Then it's meself that thanks yees for the offer and respectfully
declines to accept the nomination. I'll jist elict meself to the
office of sheriff an' go about these regions wid a s'arch-warrint in
my shoes that'll niver let me rist until Miss Cora is found."

"Wal, I 'spose we'll part in the mornin' then. As yer sa