."

"Yes," he said, as they walked back, "this is going to be a
disappointment." He picked up a piece of rock as he went along between
the rocks; "this stone does not look like silver-bearing stratum. But
we'll wait till the morning, Bart, and see."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

DANGEROUS NEIGHBOURS.

Upon reaching the waggon it was to find Joses smiling and sniffing as he
stood on the leeward side of the fire, so as to get the full benefit of
the odour of the well-done sage grouse which looked juicy brown, and
delicious enough to tempt the most ascetic of individuals, while Maude
laughed merrily to see the eager glances Bart kept directing at the iron
rod upon which the birds had been spitted and hung before the fire.

"Don't you wish we had a nice new loaf or two, Bart?" she said, looking
very serious, and as if disappointed that this was not the case.

"Oh, don't talk about it," cried Bart.

"I won't," said Maude, trying to appear serious. "It makes you look
like a wolf, Bart."

"And that's just how I feel," he cried--"horribly like one."

Half an hour later he owned that he felt more like a reasonable being,
for not only had he had a fair portion of the delicate sage grouse, but
found to his delight that there was an ample supply of cakes freshly
made and baked in the ashes while he had been with the Doctor exploring.

Bart took one turn round their little camp before lying down to sleep,
and by the wonderfully dark, star-encrusted sky, the great flat-topped
mountain looked curiously black, and as if it leaned over towards where
they were encamped, and might at any moment topple down and crush them.

So strange was this appearance, and so thoroughly real, that it was a
long time before Bart could satisfy himself that it was only the shadow
that impressed him in so peculiar a way. Once he had been about to call
the attention of the Doctor to the fact, but fortunately, as he thought,
he refrained.

"He lay down directly," said Bart to himself as he walked on, and then
he stopped short, startled, for just before him in the solemn stillness
of the great plain, and just outside the shadow cast by the mountain, he
saw what appeared to be an enormously tall, dark figure coming towards
him in perfect silence, and seeming as if it glided over the sandy
earth.

Bart's heart seemed to stand still. His mouth felt dry. His breath
came thick and short. He could not run, for his feet appeared to be
fixed to the gro