s I do, eh, Bob?" asked th

her, slowly. "Only for the life of me I can't get it through my poor old h

mystery-who little Lopez is; what he, or she may be doing away off here in the canyons of the Rockies; and more particularly the mystery of the mountain that the reds look on as sacr

ed Bob. "I don't like to run against a stone wall like this.

ays, Bob," replied the other. "I wouldn't be surprised one bit but what you'd go rushing after Lopez, an

brought up to mind my own

orn, what your dad did for a living, when you cut your first tooth, how much it cost your father to let you gallop around the country in the saddle with me, and all that

Bob laughe

Lopez alone, no matter whether he's girl or boy; the grub-getter of prospectors; or agent for that sly Mendoza, the c

urning once more to get his horse, the task of se

s. The near presence of that terrible monster had caused them to strain at their ropes, prance wildly, and try in every way possible to break lo

d. Frank, as one born to the country, and familiar with many of its peculiarities, amused himself by po

d, "this is really what mi

tell about them befor

n the mountains, when a heavy cloud breaks against the wall above. When that comes about, this gully is going to be bank-full of r

ff till we get out of this hole. If it caught us here, Frank, I reckon we'd just have to let our nags shift for themselves, and t

flank of Buckskin affe

dreds on the ranch; but I never threw a leg over one I fancied like my Buckskin. Why, there are times, Bob, when the game little fellow s

h of his young master's hand much more readily than he did spoken words; but this was a subject which he never debated with

would dismount to examine the rocks and scanty eart

off'n on, both ways-stacks of 'em," he announced, when perhaps an hour

ter. It was now more in the nature of a canyon; though there were still places whe

here up that rise," remarked Frank, th

we have the chance, and leave them, while we keep up the game on foot?

e able to climb almost anywhere, and peek into places we'd never be able to find as long as we stuck to our mounts. So, if you're of the same

looked across a deep little pool that lay just at the foot of a very high slope; and then f

ow, that the rustlers have really got a camp around these diggings. P'raps now, they just push through the canyon to get to some other point across the divide. Or it may be a favorite

by his saddle chum. "We'll keep our eyes peeled for a chance to get the horses out of this place.

dred feet, he could see little bushes growing on the edge of the top of the rise, which slope formed an ang

ly, "horses have made this clim

hat?" asked the other

and even if I am next door to a greenhorn I can tel

d went me one better. Sure there have been horses climbing that slope-one, two, three of 'em. An

g the edge of the top there. Somebody's got an eye on us right now, Frank. D'ye reckon it

pted to shoot. His action looked so decidedly hostile that it naturally created something o

arm, the hidden one had started to change his posi

manner. Immediately a human figure came into view, struggling, clawing desperately, and try

. And so the fellow started to roll down the slope. He came much after the manner in which a bag of corn might turn over and over. S

al alarm; as though the prospect of a final plunge int

scanty soil half way up the rise. Caught by the seat of his stout trousers on one of the scrubby tree's broke

Peg is so glad to see us he couldn't wait to walk down, but tried to skate. And see what's happened to him! Ne