John and Billy crossed the cañon southward. After heavy scrambling
they reached the foot of the cañon wall. Twenty feet above them
dangled a white cloth. Catching any sort of hand and foot hold, John
clambered upward. Then he gave a great shout of joy. Rhoda's neck
scarf with the pebble pinned in one end was in his hands! DeWitt slid
to the ground and he and Billy examined the scarf tenderly, eagerly.

"I told you! I told you!" exulted Billy hoarsely. "See that weight
fastened to it? Wasn't that smart of her? Bless her heart! Now we
got to get above, somehow, and find where she dropped it from!"




CHAPTER VI

ENTERING THE DESERT KINDERGARTEN

"We'll start now," said Kut-le.

Alchise led out the horses. The squaws each threw an emancipated,
sinewy leg across a pony's back and followed Alchise's fluttering shirt
up the mountain. Kut-le stood holding the bridle of a sedate little
horse on which he had fastened a comfortable high-backed saddle.

"Come, Rhoda," he said. "I'll shorten the stirrups after you are
mounted."

Rhoda stood with her back to the wall, her blue-veined hands clutching
the rough out-croppings on either side, horror and fear in her eyes.