it down now, so that the smoke was caught and held under the
obstruction. Then they lifted it clear of the fire altogether, and the
smoke, released, rose straight up in a long, tall column, that was
visible for miles where the trees did not obscure the view. Once and
again they repeated this, making three separate columns of smoke before
they left the fire to itself.

And still there was no answering smoke from the other peak. The girls
had won their race.

"Did the Indians really use those signals?" asked Dolly.

"They certainly did. Out on the plains, you see, smoke like that could
be seen for miles and miles. And so, if there were Indians a few miles
apart, signals could go very, very quickly for great distances, and
they could send messages for hundreds of miles almost as quickly as we
can send them now by telegraph."

Then they piled on more dry wood, and built the fire up so that it was
a great, roaring blaze.

"Now we will just find the water. They'll need that for cooking."

In less than five minutes after they separated to look for the spring
they knew was near, Dolly cried out that she had found it. And in the
same moment the first smoke rose from South Peak.

CHAPTER X

THE SIGNAL SMOKES

"There's smoke, Dolly!" cried Bessie, triumphantly. "Oh, but we've
beaten them on this! Ours must have gone up twenty minutes before
theirs, and they must have been able to see it when they were building
their fire, too."

"Good! Oh, we'll take them down a peg or two before we're done today,
Bessie!"

"Don't be too confident yet, Dolly. Remember this is only the start.
There's ever so much more to be done before we've won."

"I don't care! You and I have done our share, anyhow."

"You certainly have," said Eleanor Mercer's laughing voice. "But
Bessie's right; it isn't time to celebrate yet. Come on, now, we're
all going to be busy cooking and getting ready to cook."

Dolly and Bessie looked at the girls emerging from the trail in
surprised delight.

"Well, you've done your share, and more, too," said Bessie. "We
thought we came pretty fast, and we didn't expect you for another
fifteen minutes, anyway."

"Well, we didn't exactly loiter on the way. I expect we'd all be glad
of a chance to rest a little, but that will have to come later. We'll
be able to take things easy while we're eating. We're each to allow a
full hour for that, you see, no matter when we get ready."

"But if w