one of constant privation and well-nigh innumerable perils. The
meeting with the crazed hermit of this wild waste formed one of the
most thrilling incidents. The whole vast alkali plain presented a
maze the solving of which taxed to the utmost the ingenuity of the
young men. However, they bore themselves with credit, and came out
with a greater reputation than ever for judgment, courage and
endurance.

Our next meeting with these lads, who were fast becoming veterans of
the saddle, was in the sixth volume, "_The Pony Rider Boys in New
Mexico_." Here, again, the lads ran upon Indian "signs" and
experiences, not the least of which was their chance to be present at
the weird fire dance of the Apaches. The race with the prairie fire,
the wonderful discoveries made in the former homes of the cave-dwellers,
and the defence of the lost treasure in the home of the ancient Pueblo
Indians are all matters well remembered by our readers.

Now another journey, to the scene of one of Nature's greatest wonders,
the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, was absorbing the thought of Tad
Butler and his young friends.

"The question is, what'll we take with us?" asked Ned Rector.

"Yes, that's one of the things about which we wanted to talk with you,"
spoke up Walter Perkins. "You always think of things that none of the
rest of us remembers."

"Oh, I don't know. You're all pretty good planners. In the first place,
you know you want to travel light."