with the bridle in his hand and the horse floundering behind him. They
reached the summit, and, stopping among thin timber, it was with strong
relief that he heard Edgar's shout. Shortly afterward the lad
appeared, leading his horse.

"There's some of the drove on this side; I don't see the rest," he
said, glancing toward the opposite bank, where dark trees stood out
against a strong red glare.

"It strikes me we only got across in time."

Then torrential rain broke upon them, and while they stood, unable to
move forward, a cry reached them faintly through the roar of the
deluge. It came again when George answered, and was followed by a
crackling and snapping of underbrush. Then, as a blaze of lightning
filled the bluff with radiance, two men appeared for a moment, leading
their horses among the slender trunks. They were immediately lost to
sight again, but presently they came up, and George recognized Grant by
his voice.

"So you have got through, Lansing," he cried. "I met Constable Flett
on the trail, and, as he told me the river was rising and there was a
big fire west, I figured you must be up against trouble."

He asked a few questions and then resumed:

"As you got the stock started, they'll have swum across; but we can't
round them up until it's light. There's a deserted shack not far off,
and I guess we'll head for it."