"I see," he said. "Well, we'll wait a bit, then."

"But why are you staying here? Why didn't you make
for the road up the mountain? What are you watching for,
anyway?" asked Drake.

"Go to it, Ruth," Ventnor grinned. "Tell 'em. After all
--it was YOUR party you know."

"Mart!" she cried, blushing.

"Well--it wasn't ME they admired," he laughed.

"Martin!" she cried again, and stamped her foot.

"Shoot," he said. "I'm busy. I've got to watch."

"Well"--Ruth's voice was uncertain--"we'd been hunting
up in Kashmir. Martin wanted to come over somewhere
here. So we crossed the passes. That was about a
month ago. The fourth day out we ran across what looked
like a road running south.

"We thought we'd take it. It looked sort of old and lost
--but it was going the way we wanted to go. It took us
first into a country of little hills; then to the very base of
the great range itself; finally into the mountains--and then
it ran blank."