ting me to a railroad. I never fully
appreciated the inaccessibility of the Siwash until the question arose
of finding a way out. To return on our back trail would require two
weeks, and to go out by the trail north to Utah meant half as much time
over the same kind of desert. Lawson came to our help, however, with
the information that an occasional prospector or horse hunter crossed
the canyon from the Saddle, where a trail led down to the river.

"I've heard the trail is a bad one," said Lawson, "an' though I never
seen it, I reckon it could be found. After we get to the Saddle we'll
build two fires on one of the high points an' keep them burnin' well
after dark. If Mr. Bass, who lives on the other side, sees the fires
he'll come down his trail next mornin' an' meet us at the river. He
keeps a boat there. This is takin' a chance, but I reckon it's worth
while."

So it was decided that Lawson and Frank would try to get me out by way
of the canyon; Wallace intended to go by the Utah route, and Jones was
to return at once to his range and his buffalo.

That night round the campfire we talked over the many incidents of the
hunt. Jones stated he had never in his life come so near getting his
"everlasting" as when the big bay horse tripped on a canyon slope and
rolled over him. Notwithstanding the respect with which we regarded his
statement we held different opinions. Then, with the unfailing optimism
of hunters, we planned another hunt for the next year.

"I'll tell you what," said Jones. "Up in Utah there's a wild region
called Pink Cliffs. A few poor sheep-herders try to raise sheep in the
valleys. They wouldn't be so poor if it was not for the grizzly and
black bears that live on the sheep. We'll go up there, find a place
where grass and water can be had, and camp. We'll notify the
sheep-herders we are there for business. They'll be only too glad to
hustle in with news of a bear, and we can get the hounds on the trail
by sun-up. I'll have a dozen hounds then, maybe twenty, and all
trained. We'll put every black bear we chase up a tree, and we'll rope
and tie him. As to grizzlies--well, I'm not saying so much. They can't
climb trees, and they are not afraid of a pack of hounds. If we rounded
up a grizzly, got him cornered, and threw a rope on him--there'd be
some fun, eh, Jim?"

"Shore there would," Jim replied.

On the strength of this I stored up food for future thought and thus
reconciled myself to bidding far