ey left the spring, the youths realized what was before
them. The trail now led constantly upward, and was in parts stony and
uncertain. In several places they had to leap brooks of fair size.

"This isn't so nice," remarked Phil, as they came to a halt, to allow
the horses to rest after a particularly difficult hill had been climbed.

"Oh, this is nothing to the traveling we'll do to-morrow," answered Sid
Todd. "We are only in the foothills now--to-morrow we'll be right in the
mountains."

About four o'clock they gained the top of another hill. As they came out
in a cleared spot all gazed around with interest.

"Look!" cried Dave, pointing with his hand. "Am I mistaken, or are those
deer?"

He was pointing to the top of another hill about half a mile distant.
There, outlined against the sky, could be seen a number of animals
grazing.

"Deer, my boy!" cried Sid Todd. "A fine lot of 'em, too, or I'm
mistaken!"

"Oh, let us go after them!" exclaimed Roger, impulsively.

"I'm willing," answered the cowboy. "But I don't know if you can get any
of 'em to-night. It will be a hard climb to where they are. I don't know
as we can go all the way on hosses."

"Then we'll go on foot," cried Dave. He was as anxious as his chums to
get a shot at the big game.

The cowboy studied the situation for several minutes, meanwhile
withdrawing himself and the others to a spot where the distant deer
might not see them. Then he led the party down the hill and in the
direction of the game.

If traveling had been hard before, it was doubly so now, and the chums
realized that to get to where the deer were grazing would be no easy
matter. They had to slip and slide over the rocks, and once or twice
they reached places where further progress seemed impossible.

"If we get any of those deer, we'll earn them!" panted Phil, as he half
climbed, half slid, over some rocks. "If my horse goes down, I don't
know what will happen to me!" he added.

"We'll not go much further on hossback, I'm thinking," answered Todd.
"We can't afford to injure our animals."

Between the hills was a small valley and here the cowboy said they had
better tether their steeds and leave them.

"Even if we don't get back, they'll likely be safe till morning," he
added.

"If we have to remain away all night, we had better take some eating
with us," said Phil.

"We sure will," answered Todd, and he gave each of the party something
to carry on his back and in hi