humanity, but
he held the tears back.

Bud leaped from his horse. "Never you mind, Chessy lad!" he cried,
hugging up the little figure, "we'll get him out of that, by God!--Could
we haul him out the way you went?"

"No, dere ain't room--an' if you touch dat roof hard--" he shuddered.

Bud sucked in his breath. "If you weren't the sandy little man to try
it!" he said. He stood a moment in silence going over it all.

"Ches," he said, "there ain't any time to lose. If Jim's cut like that he
may bleed to death in there when we could save him all right if we had
him outside.

"There's a party of miners down the road eight mile. They was having
their grub as I went by. Chances are they'll be there yet. They've got
four men and a team. I _could_ ride back, but I ought to be here working.
Do you think you could stick on old Buck and ride there?"

"I kin."

"By God! I hate to do it--but there ain't any other way!" The big man
ground his teeth together. "I hate to do it--damned if I'll do it!"

Ches caught his hand. "I kin make it, Bud," he pleaded; "I cuddent do
nothin' if I stayed here, an' you could do a heap. Put me up and let me
try."

"All right," said Bud. "The good Lord kept you from getting hurt in the
tunnel, perhaps He'll see you through again. Shut your eyes and hold on
tight when you strike the high places, and don't touch a rein--leave it
all to old Buck."

He stepped forward and caught the horse by the bit.

"Buck!" he said, as though talking to a human being, "you and me have
been through a heap together--don't fall down on me, now!--Take the kid
safe, old boy!" He caught Ches up and threw him across the saddle.
"You'll only have to tell 'em what's happened--the Lord send nothing
happens to you! Good-by, you brave little devil--we'll win out yet. Go
it, Buck!"

And while one of Jim's friends plied pick and shovel like a mad man, the
other was swaying on top of a galloping horse, gripping the pommel of the
saddle with all the strength he had, and shutting his eyes when he came
to the high places.

Captain Hanrahan's party were miners of substance. They were working
their way out to a new country to suit their inclinations. It had just
been suggested that it was perhaps time to hit the trail again when the
captain saw a figure on a horse flying athwart the mountain side--the
regular road was bad enough, but Bud had short cuts of his own, and Buck
followed his usual way.

"Huh!" said the captain, "