The Irishman suddenly slapped his chest and side, as though he missed
something from the pocket.

"And be the powers!" he exclaimed, "I've lost that mate, and there must
have been enough to last us a wake or two."

"How could you have lost that?" asked Fred, who was much disappointed.

"It must have slid out when we were riding so hard, or else when we lift
our horses."

"Are you sure it wasn't lost somewhere among these trees, where we can get
it again?"

But he was confident that such was not the case, and he was not disposed
to mourn the loss a great deal. They could do longer without food than
they could without drink, and he was of the opinion that this problem
would be solved before they were likely to perish from the want of either.

"Did ye get a fair look at any of the spalpeens that was so ill-mannered
as to paap down on ye?"

"Yes; and there was one--'Sh! there he is now!"

The two peered upward through the leaves, and saw the head and shoulders
of an Apache, who was looking down into the ravine. He was not directly
above them, but a dozen feet off to the left. He seemed to be trying to
locate the party that had fired two such fatal shots, and therefore could
not have known where he was.