HUNTING AND PROSPECTING 409 



he had been caught by just such a storm on that 

 same Mesa. 



"John Burnet was with me," said he, "and we 

 waited too long to get our horses out and their 

 bones are somewhere on this Mesa yet. All 

 we saved then was a hatchet, a blanket, and our 

 rifles, and we had to make snowshoes to get out 

 on. 



"We couldn't possibly get out in the night," 

 said I. 



"No, but we ought to start as soon as we can 

 see in the morning," which we did and that night 

 slept in the Vallecito valley, at the mouth of a 

 ravine which led 



" 'On and up where Nature's heart 

 Beat strong among the hills,' " 



as Ned quoted to me while we sat by the fire 

 planning for the coming day. 



We began our prospecting work the next day 

 and rode up the ravine as far as horses could 

 carry us. Then Ned took one side of the ravine 

 and I the other, playfully promising Mackenzie 



