The Prescott daily news., 1918-04-19
(Copyrsskt by Little. crown q Co,) CHAPTER x-Continued.

Skeena, rlSKy ana teulOuS piece oi business, for the river run deep and stron6
 Preseatiy the way grew rougher. If anything. Roaring Bill increased his pace. He Himself no longer rode. When the stex0ess of the hills and canyons made the koing hard the packs were redivided, ant henceforth Satin bore on his back a portion of the sup plies. Bill led the way tfrelessly. Through flies, river crossings, camp labor. and all the petty irritntions of the trail he kept an unrufied spirit. fine, enduring patience that Hazel mar veled at and admired. Many time, wakening at some slight stir, she would find him cooking breakfast. In every way within his power he saved her.
 Many a strange shift were they put to. Once Bill had to fell a great spruce across twenty-foOt crevice. It took him two days to hew 1t fiat SO that his horses could be led over. The depth was bottomless to the eye. but from far below rose the cavernous growl of rushing water, and Hazel held her breath as each animal stepped aingerly over the narrow bridge. One misstep-
 Once they climbed three weary days up a precipitous mountain range. and. turned back in sight of the crest by an impossible cliff, were forced to back track and swing a fifty-mile de-
  days dwindled in length. and the nights grew to have a frosty nip.
 Early and late he pushed on. Two camp necessities were fortunately abundant, grass and water. Even SO, the stress of the trail told on the horses. They lost flesh. The extreme steepness of succeeding hills bred gals under the heavy packs. They grew leg weary, no longer following each other with sprightly step and heads high. Hazel pitied them, for she her self was trail weary beyond words. The vagabond instinct had fallen asleep. The fine aura of romance no longer lowered over the venture.
 Sometimes when dusk ended the days journey and she swung her stiff fened limbs out of the saddle. she would cheerfully have foregone all the gold in the North to be at her ease before the fireplace in their distant cabin, with her mans head nesting in her lap, and no toll of weary miles looming sternly on the morrow's hori- son. 1t was ali work. trying work, the more trying because she sensed a latent uneasiness on her husbands part, an uneasiness she could never in- duce him to embody In words. Never theless, it existed, and she resented Its existence-a trouble she could not share But she could not put her fin- ger on the cause, for Bill merely smiled a denial when she mentioned 1t.
 Nor did she fathom the cause until upon a certain day which fell upon the end of weeks wearisome traverse of the hardest country yet encountered.
 They broke out of canyon up which they had struggled all day onto a level plot where the pine stood In somber ranks. A spring creek split the fiat in two. Beside this tiny stream Bill unlashed his packs. It still lacked two hours of dark. But he made no comment, and Hazel forbore to trouble him with questions. Once the packs were of and the horses at liberty, Bill caught up his rifle.
 "Come on, Hazel" he said. Let's take a little hike"
 The fiat was small, and once clear of 1t the pines thinned out on steep, rocky slope so that westward they could overlook vast network of can- yons and mountain spurs. But ahead of them the mountain rose to an up- standing backbone of jumbled granite, and on this backbone Bill Wagstaff bent an anxious eye. Presently they sat down on powder to take a breathing spell after a stiff stretch of climbing. Hazel slipped her hand in his and whispered:
 "What is it, Billy-boy"
 'T'm afraid we can't get over here with the horses" he answered slowly. "And if we can't find a pass of some tkind-well, come onl It isn't moro than quarter of a mile to the top"
 Just short of the top Bill halted and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. And as he stood his gaze suddenly became Mxed, a concentrated stare at a point northward. He raised his glasses.
 By thuaderw he exclaimed. T be- lieve--it's mo for the top"