ed with snow which the sun never dissolved.

The tiny stream wound like a silvery serpent through the stretch of
green, succulent grass, narrowing gorge and obtruding rock and
boulder. Now and then the path led across the water, which was so
shallow that it only plashed about the fetlocks of the horses. Captain
Dawson, in his impetuosity, kept a few paces in front of the other
two, as if he were the leader. When the space increased too much he
reined up his animal and waited until his friends joined him. They
were grim, resolute and for most of the time had little to say to one
another, though, as may be supposed, their thoughts were of anything
but a pleasant nature.

So long as the moon held her place near the zenith, the canyon was
suffused and flooded with its soft radiance, but the rifts of clouds
drifting before its face rendered the light at times treacherous and
uncertain. The horses had rested so long, and had had such extensive
browsing on the rich pasturage, that they were in fine condition, and
the gallop seemed more grateful to them than an ordinary walking gait.
The air was cool and the fine trail, at this portion of the journey,
made all the conditions favorable. After a time however, the ascent
and descent would appear, the ground would become rough and the best
the animals could do would be to walk.

When Parson Brush remarked that Lieutenant Russell had proved himself
an idiot when he left these horses behind for his pursuers to use, the
captain and Ruggles agreed with him.

"I don't understand it," said Brush; "he must have expected we would
be hot after him, within the very hour we learned of what he had done,
or can it be that he and she concluded we would say, 'Depart in
peace?' If so, the young man shall have a terrible awakening."

"It seems to me," said Ruggles, "that it is more likely he believed
that with the start he would gain, it didn't matter whether we
follered or not, feelin' sure that he could keep out of reach and get
to Sacramento so fur ahead of us, that he needn't give us a thought."

"I am not very familiar with the trail," remarked the captain, "for,
as you know, I have passed over it only twice; first, nearly five
years ago, when I went to the war, and a few months since when I came
back."

"But you and Russell did not lose your way," said the parson.

"That was because we did our traveling by day. We tried it once at
night, but came within a hair of tumbling over a prec