."

"I wanted you lads to have a chance."

"Perhaps they are still in this vicinity," suggested Roger. "Let us take
a look around."

The others were willing, and slowly and cautiously they made their way
among the cedars and the big rocks, exposing themselves as little as
possible, and speaking only in a whisper. They had the rifles and
shotguns ready for action.

Half an hour's search took them to another dent in the mountain side.
Here the grass was extra thick and inviting and a spring of water flowed
quietly over the rocks.

"That's an ideal spot for a camp," said Phil to Dave, as they halted to
view the scene.

Dave did not answer, for he had seen something moving in the bushes
close to the water. He pointed in silence, and all gazed in the
direction. Slowly a magnificent pair of antlers arose behind the bushes.

"One of the elk!" whispered Sid Todd.

"And there is the other!" came from Roger, and pointed to a rock twenty
yards beyond the bushes.

"Now, boys, be careful," directed the cowboy. "This is the chance of
your lives. Divide up the game to suit yourselves. I won't shoot unless
I see the elk getting away from you."

The chums consulted among themselves, and Roger and Phil decided to aim
at the elk nearest to them.

"Then I'll aim at the elk near the rock," said Dave. "I think I've got
the best rifle anyway," he added.

All crawled forward, followed by Todd, and thus covered half the
distance toward the game. The nearest elk was now less than a hundred
yards away.

"They see us!" cried Phil, and hastily raised his firearm, and the
others did the same. Then, as the elk bounded away, all three of the
young hunters fired.

Both the animals were hit, but neither mortally, and as soon as possible
the boys fired a second time. The elk were now together, and a bullet
and some shot meant for one hit the other. One of the animals staggered
and fell, got up, and staggered again, coming down on the rocks with a
loud thud.

"You've got this one!" cried Sid Todd, in triumph. "Go after the other!"

The boys were not loath to do this, and away they went pell-mell, over
the grass and around the rocks and bushes. The second elk was limping
along, occasionally holding his left hind leg in the air. He did not
seem to be going fast, but he dodged in and out among the rocks so
quickly that to get another shot at him seemed impossible.

"If we can only get him into the open we'll have him!" cried Dave.

T