FOLLOWING A CONCEALED TRAIL 127 



he followed upstream in the water and finally 

 backed his horse out as you know." 



"He pulled off a mighty clever job/' said the 

 foreman. 



"Yes," said Moore, "but it took him longer to 

 do his work than it has us to uncover his tracks. 

 But now we must get him. He is not far ahead 

 and cannot possibly take the horse farther than 

 Lost Basin. It is too rocky and steep. Prob- 

 ably he intends to camp in the basin for a few 

 days and then come out after the excitement is 

 over. He has concealed his trail so well that he 

 will not expect us to follow it beyond the grassy 

 space, and probably not so far. As soon as he 

 reaches the basin he is almost certain to come 

 out on a rock point to look down and see if 

 the coast is clear. He knows this country. 

 But I know Scott Ashton. This is his trail all 

 right but I guess it doesn't go much farther." 



Ashton sat on top of a cliff more than a thou- 

 sand feet above and watched his bewildered 

 trailers in the grassy space below. Though out of 

 his sight where they stood talking he had covered 

 his trail so thoroughly that he felt no concern. 



Presently Moore said: "You fellows ride back 

 across the open and for a time keep out of sight 

 behind those buttes. Then come forward and 

 again search all over the region. Take plenty of 

 time." 



