He stopped abruptly when for a moment he fancied he saw a huge living creature behind a sage bush a few yards before him.  Pete had related many stories of the savage mountain lion and the peril of encounters which he had with the savage beasts.  Since he had started, the fiercest animal Fred had seen had been the noisy little coyote.  After night fall the sly, little beasts often came within sound of the camp and their weird barks or cries made the silence of the night appear even more intense.  Of bears Fred had not seen one.  Pete had related the story of the fate which had befallen a friend of his who, making his way through the forest one day had jumped upon a log which appeared in his pathway and without any delay then had leaped down upon the ground before him.  The “ground” however, had proved to be a she-bear with her two cubs nearby.  “They found only the bones of poor Jim Hyde,” Pete had remarked at the end of the story.

“I don’t see how you know that Jim jumped upon a log,” suggested John when the guide’s story had been told.

“That was easy,” declared Pete.  “We saw the prints of his feet leading right up to the log and marks where he stood on the top and then over on the other side there was nothing but the bones of the poor fellow.”

Fred recalled the somewhat gruesome tale as he entered further within the shades of the canyon.

The sight, however, was so fascinating that he still continued on his way.  The vivid coloring of the sides seemed to be more marked most of the way just a little in advance.  Led on by the continued hope of discovering some place of special beauty, Fred was astonished when at last he looked at his watch and saw that more than an hour had elapsed since he had left his friends.

The Go Ahead Boy was less interested in the sights which greeted him on his return than when he at first entered the canyon.  Occasionally he stopped before some sight that was unusually impressive, but he was eager to retrace his way for he was aware that the guide would soon want to resume their journey.

When he came nearer the place he was seeking, Fred’s thoughts were turned once more to the mine for which the search was to be made.  At the thought his eagerness again increased and he began to walk more rapidly.

It was strange that he did not discover the place before him where his friends were awaiting his coming.  He steadily continued on his way, walking occasionally with increased speed.

At last really puzzled by his failure to discover the camp he stopped and looked keenly about him in all directions.  Why was it that he had not found the place where they had stopped for their noonday meal?  Indeed, as he now looked about him on all sides he failed to recognize the region.

There was a sinking of Fred’s heart and yet the boy refused to believe that he had lost his way or that he was really in peril.  There were many small canyons or gulches, as has been said, which opened into the larger gulch.  Into several of these Fred entered, hoping to discover something that would convince him that he was moving in the right direction.