FOLLOWING A CONCEALED TRAIL 123 



Moore made no attempt to find the trail here, 

 but with his companions rode on beyond the 

 numerous tracks and examined the main road. 

 But the trail was not in that direction, and all 

 returned to the place where the horse herd had 

 crossed the road. After vainly seeking a trail 

 on the south of the road, Moore joined the fore- 

 man and the cowboy on the north. The fore- 

 man had found the trail and had stopped to 

 adjust his saddle when Moore came up. Moore 

 rode on a short distance, then suddenly swung 

 out of the saddle and stopped to look at some 

 tracks. He took off his sombrero and scratched 

 his head. 



"What is it ?" called the cowboy. 



"The tracks of a horse that appears to have 

 wings," said Moore. "Here a horse with shoes 

 on appears to have alighted, for the tracks begin 

 at this place." Then after a moment's consid- 

 eration he added: "That cuss has stopped and 

 put shoes on his horse not the shoes he pulled 

 off, but another set. And he has changed his 

 own shoes, too. He certainly is a genius for 

 taking pains." 



At a swinging trot the three trailers followed 

 the trail northward across the four miles of mesa. 

 The mountains rose steep and rocky beyond the 

 buttes on the mesa's edge. The thief purposely 

 crossed a rocky stretch between the buttes where 



