The lad meditated some little time and studied the conditions. He crawled into his crevice, and, lo, he saw a lateral breakaway. He might gain Creedon's berth, as he called it, without chancing an outside steal. Fortune favored him; Creedon's crevice was one of several rents in the rock, and he managed to reach the sleeper's foot, and he cautiously touched it, fearing at the moment that Creedon in his surprise might make an outcry or an inquiry in a loud tone, but here he learned a lesson in woodcraft. Creedon did not make an outcry; he awoke and cautiously investigated, and soon discovered that Desmond had touched him and was seeking to communicate with him. He demanded in a whisper: "What is it, lad?" "There are Indians in the gulch." "Aha! where?" "Down where we were camped last night." "You keep low and I will take a peep." Desmond could afford to let Creedon take a peep. The woodsman did peep and took in the situation, and he said: "You are smaller than I am; does the rent where you are run to the berth where Brooks is sleeping?" "It may; I will find out and go slow; we don't want a fight if we can help it, but we've got the dead bulge on those redskins if we have to fight." CHAPTER III. CREEDON'S KNOWLEDGE OF WOODCRAFT--THE REDMEN'S DEPARTURE--A LONG TRAIL--ON THE TRAMP--THE STRANGEST REFUGE IN THE WORLD--A BRIDGE OF RISKS. Desmond crawled forward beyond the rent where Creedon had lodged, and he found the space much wider as he progressed, and soon gained the opening where the rent terminated in which Brooks had lain all night. Desmond glanced in, and, lo, Brooks was inside awake, and had already discovered the presence of the Indians, and so far they were all right. "Have you been able to notify Creedon?" asked Brooks. "Yes." "What does he say?" "He bade me arouse you." "I discovered the rascals as soon as I awoke." "All right; lay low and I will learn what Creedon advises." Desmond crawled back and said: "Brooks is awake and wants to know what we shall do." "There is only one thing to do: we will lay low, and if the rascals do not discover us all right; if they do discover us it will be bad for them and all right with us again, that's all. And now you and Brooks just keep out of sight and let me run the show." Word was passed to Brooks, and Desmond with the tramp lay low. As it proved there was not much of a show to run, as the Indians moved away after a little, but Creedon did not permit his friends to go forth. He said: "You can never tell about these redskins; they might suspect we are around, and their going away may be a little trick; they are up to these tricks." Hours passed, and Creedon still kept his friends in hiding, and it was near evening when he stole forth, saying he would take an observation. After a little he returned and said: "It's all right; come out." Creedon said he had discovered evidence that the redskins had really gone away. "Why couldn't you have found that out sooner?"