“Then we ought to be able to find our way out all right,” said Fred.

“Of course we can,” said Grant quietly, “though after we find our way out we haven’t gotten to the end of our troubles.”

For a time the suggestion made all three boys silent and serious.  They were more than two thousand miles from home.  One of their companions had not been seen for many hours and in spite of what he was willing to acknowledge every one of the Go Ahead Boys was now anxious concerning the safety of the missing John.

Not even a guide was left them and the continued failure of Zeke to return increased their fears.

Fred, the most easily discouraged of the Go Ahead Boys had been the most eager of all to enter upon the expedition.  It was plain to his comrades now that his spirits were sinking and both were fearful of what the effect would be if Fred entirely lost hope.

“I tell you what we’ll do,” suggested Grant at last.  “We’ll try to make a copy of the map that Simon Moultrie had of the place where he had staked his claim.”

“We can’t make any copy,” said Fred disconsolately, “we haven’t anything to copy.”

“Then we’ll make it from memory,” said Grant quietly.  “Let me see,” he continued, as he took a note book from his pocket and at once began to draw on a blank page.  “Here’s Thorn’s Gulch,” he added as he drew lines to indicate the great canyon.  “We have come about six miles so we’ll put our camp about here,” he explained as he marked the location.  “Now as I remember, Simon Moultrie had marked Two Crow Tree on this side of the Gulch and about so far from the place where the Gulch runs into the Grand Canyon.  Then about so much further on the same side of the Gulch was Tom’s Thumb.  About half way between Two Crow Tree and Tom’s Thumb on the other side of the Gulch was Split Rock.  Then a little to the right in back here was the place he marked as the stake.  Now, let me see, what were the figures and the letters he had there?”

“The first one,” said Fred interested now in what Grant was saying, “was ‘1/2 m. n.e.’”

“That’s right,” said Grant, “and right below it was ‘1/4 m. s.e.’”

“And the last one at the bottom,” joined in George, “was ‘1/4 m. n.n.e.’”

“There,” Grant said with satisfaction as he held his drawing up for inspection.  “I think we have reproduced Simon Moultrie’s map closely enough to tell us about where we are and where we’ve got to go.”

“Are we still going on?” inquired Fred.

“Of course we are going on,” declared Grant.  “We’ll start just as soon as the others join us.  Look yonder!” he said, abruptly leaping to his feet as he spoke and pointing to a distant spot on the side of the Gulch.  “There’s something moving over there.”

CHAPTER XIX

A JOYOUS RETURN

Keenly excited, the three boys instantly arose and advanced nearer the rim of the Gulch.  Around the bend of the next great buttress or projection they saw two forms moving slowly which they instantly recognized as men.