there were any mountaineers around, 

 they would understand the signal and 

 answer. 



We waited. All was silent as before 

 Two more horses dropped to the ground. 

 Then he sent another loud report into 

 the darkness. In a few moments we 

 thought we heard a distant shout, then 

 the report of a gun not far away. 



Nimrod mounted the only standing 

 horse and went in the direction of the 

 sound. Then followed an interminable 

 silence. I hallooed, but got no answer. 

 The wildest fears for Nimrod's safety 

 tormented me. He had fallen into a 

 gully, the horse had thrown him, he was 

 lost. 



Then I heard a noise and listened 

 eagerly. The driver said it was a coy- 

 ote howling up on the mountain. At 

 last voices did come to me from out of 



