Part 26 (1/2)

”Who do you suppose that man was, anyway?” Tom remarked ”You have never heard of him since, have you?”

”Noait until I tell you I don't know But let us go ahead, and I will tell you what I mean in a day or two”

”What do you look for anyhen you go off by yourself?” asked Toive us a pointer on that subject weyou that I a for a trail,” said Elam

”And it is so old that no one butto follow it up It isn't over ten feet long, for a reat ways to hide a nugget”

”Do you mean to tell me that we are on his trail now?” exclaimed Tom in amazement

”Certainly I do I have found two or three places where he slept”

”Why didn't you speak about it?”

”Do you suppose I have co some trail? Of course not Some of the marks he made are so badly obliterated by the wind and the rain, that you can't make head nor tail of them, unless you knohat had been there in the first place Why, I have found blood on the rocks where he slept”

”You're beaten, aint you, Toazed at me, lost in wonder

”I should say I was I wish you had showed me that spot”

”Well, I will the next tiracious! if I didn't know any et”

”How do you suppose your father caot it in soon”

”That is one thing that I don't know,” answered Elaot it, and how it ever caed to me beats my time I wish the man that started that story had it craain, and we thought it best to leave hiet We didn't raise any objections when he spurred up his horse and got out of sight of us in the bushes When ere certain that he had passed out of hearing, Tom said:

”Why, it is two years since that h here, and to think he can find sos s which must be taken into consideration,” said I

”In the first place that man didn't knohat he left of a trail; he hoped nobody would ever find it A twig may have been broken down and he left it so, certain it would lead him back to the place where he had buried his find In the next place there is so that will lead him directly to the place he wants to find; some branch of a tree that has been broken down and looks as though so there, and it will tell Elam that he is hot on the trail Do you see?”

”Yes, I see; but I don't see how a man can follow a trail two years old

I wish you would show round If I aet”

I laughed and promised Tom that I would show hi time before I found any You could not have told that a h there in one year or ten, the weather had so completely done aith all his work But it did not one before ere up, but he always caood and hot for him We never made any enquiries, for he knew just how i a er than was necessary We had been in the canyon six weeks, and, to tell you the truth, To pretty tired of the search It was the salad that nobody had connectedon foot, leaving his horse to follow or not as he pleased; and if he found a little pile of stones on the bank that didn't look as though it had been thrown up by nature, he would go into the bushes and perhaps be gone for an hour We had long ago passed the pocket, and were continuing on our way slowly and laboriously up the canyon, and one day Ela out:

”I reckon you will think I aht now Here is the place where that fellow camped”