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"Your plan sounds bravely in words, Chevalier, but e to attempt it, we should soon find ourselves in more serious stress than now,--ay! before we had covered the first day's journey My Calvinistic friend, what advice have you for our guidance?"

The sectary's eyes were fastened upon the ragged line of hills at our back, and for the ht

"How far, Master Benteen," he queried finally, "do you make it from here to the ues," I answered, after a bit of thinking "The streae the true distance"

"It was a grievous journey," he adain, unless it be revealed plainly to me as the will of the Lord I naues What has been the main direction of our course?"

"To north of west"

"Ay! Are we, think you, thirty leagues to northward of where we left the Spaniards?"

"I should say yes, ues more"

"I doubt the extra ten, but even at thirty it would be foolishness to retrace all that hard-won distance ht of this muddy stream, the very water of which is unfit for Christian stomach, and of no value otherwise 'Tis ht a trail as possible until we find the great river It should be as easy travelling as along this bank, and will bring us out above the Spanish lines of guard"

I know not how long I sat there gazing silently into his i over within ument of his words He was neither woods, I saw but one possible objection to his plan--lack of water or of ga the unknown route to be traversed But serious scarcity of either was hardly to be expected at this season a thus saved would th and time of our journey

"It appears to me our best hope," I ad over rocks, yet yonder range does not appear high, nor of a width to keep us long in its shadow; besides, the lower reaches of this river arewill be easier if we take higher ground It is all guesswork at the best We kno impassable the trail will be below, and, even if we retrace our steps down the river, we shall have to make a wide detour to cross this mad stream But wait; we have heard no word from Madame de Noyan"