the cliff. Then he invaded the
wagons and again brought forth treasures better than gold.

He found in one side box some bottles of medicine, the simple
remedies of the border, which he packed very carefully, and in
another he discovered half a sack of flour--fifty pounds,
perhaps. A third rewarded him with a canister of tea and a
twenty-pound bag of ground coffee. He clutched these treasures
eagerly. They would be invaluable to Albert.

Continuing his search, he was rewarded with two pairs of heavy
shoes, an ax, a hatchet, some packages of pins, needles, and
thread, and a number of cooking utensils--pots, kettles, pans,
and skillets. Just as he was about to quit for the purpose of
making up his pack, he noticed in one of the wagons a long,
narrow locker made into the side and fastened with a stout
padlock. The wagon had been plundered, but evidently the Sioux
had balked at the time this stout box would take for opening, and
had passed on. Dick, feeling sure that it must contain something
of value, broke the padlock with the head of the ax. When he
looked in he uttered a cry of delight at his reward.

He brought forth from the box a beautiful double-barreled
breech-loading shotgun, and the bounty of chance did not stop
with the gun, for in the locker were over a thousand cartridges
to fit it. Dick foresaw at once that it would be invaluable to
Albert and himself in the pursuit of wild ducks, wild geese,
and other feathered game. He removed some of the articles from
his pack, which was already heavy enough, and put the shotgun
and cartridges in their place. Then he set forth on the return
journey.

As he left the wagons and went toward the mouth of the pass, he
heard soft, padding sounds behind him, and knew that the wolves
were returning, almost on his heels. He looked back once, and
saw a pair of fiery red eyes which he felt must belong to the
monster, the timber wolf, but Dick was no longer under the
uncanny spell of the night and the place; he was rejoicing too
much in his new treasures, like a miser who has just added a
great sum to his hoard, to feel further awe of the wolves, the
darkness, and a new battlefield.

Dick's second pack was heavier than his first, but as before, he
trod lightly. He took a different path when he left the pass,
and here in the moonlight, which was now much brighter, he saw
the trace of wheels on the earth. The trace ran off irregularly
through the short bushes and