THE i;0("KV MOUNTAINS 93 



t«iini(l ;i Ihh' o]»oii i;;inie trail, j)ara]k'i tu llie course ofllio 

 ri\ci'. wliirli I made snro t1i(^ caravan iniist have rdllowcfl 

 if my tlii'ectioii.s liad liccii iiiulerstood ; Imt llid-f was no 

 si»iii til" aiixdiiiiL!,- except wild animals liaviiiu' passcil tliat 

 wa\' loi' a tliousaiid years. In no pleasant IVamc of mind 

 I wandered, now a mile down streain. now a mile up, 

 slnnitino' nivself lioai'se. and occasionalK liiinu my i-iHe 

 till I had nfarlv exhausted niv cartridiies. i cared iiotliiii!"- 

 tor losinu' Idie nn-n for tli(> time, hut T was quite unalile to 

 account for my sou's disappearance. The intense solit ikIc 

 was oppressive, and my imagiuatiou eonjui'e<l up all sorts 

 of terrilile contingencies. 



After two or three liours, to my great relief, I heard his 

 voice, now as lioarse as my own, on tlie side of tlie ri\er 

 from which T had come, and alter a loUir strujjeir with the 

 ^\■ilIow lirake he rejoined me in a panting condition, lie 

 had lieen several mih>s(hnvn to the junction of tlie streams, 

 huL had no more news of the pack-ti'ain than I had. \\ a 

 \\v\v utterly mystifii'tl. hut, after once more walking down 

 to the appointed UK^eting-phu'C, hite in the afternoon there 

 was an answering sliot to one of ours, and in a (piailer of 

 an hour the missing hand appe;ire(|. hxiking verv much 

 hedrauuhjd and rat her ashamed of themselves. .Mvdiree- 

 tions to Boh had heen exitlicit — to o'O straiii'ht down to the 

 stream to lii> li'jht. and follow it to its junction with the 

 oiher. it was oi)vious that that was the easiest slope ftr 

 the horses, hut he was in one oi his ohstinale moods, and 

 had followcil (Hir t I'ack in tln' snow ;dong the iidges, and 

 when he ;irrivi'(l ;il the end it was too stee[) to get down, 

 so that he hai] to retuiii on his track neai'ly to tlie 

 last cam]>. Tt was now -i o'clock, and farther progress, 



