In the moonlight the lake was an odd sight. The sands that composed it seemed in constant motion, bubbling and rippling from some underlying force. It was very like the “jumping quicksands” of the Bad Lands, with which the scout was familiar, only here there were no gliding hillocks, but minute ridges like small waves. No doubt there were springs under the whole extent of the lake, and the water impregnated the sand and gave it its motion. As far as the scout could see, the slope to the quicksands was an easy one. A dark mass, rising clear of the sands off on the right, impressed the scout as being the island, and he moved in that direction. He stopped before he came opposite the island, for there was an object on the bank of the lake which claimed his attention. This object was a buckboard--McGowan’s buckboard, undoubtedly, and the one in which Hendricks had spirited Annie McGowan to that rendezvous in Quicksand Lake. This was a bit of proof that Hendricks and Banks had been giving the scout correct information. But where were the star-faced cayuses? Had Bascomb and Bernritter some means of taking the animals to the island, along with their own mounts? Passing the buckboard, Buffalo Bill continued his investigation. As he came abreast of the island, he grew more cautious in his movements. The short distance which separated the island from the shore, together with the bright moonlight, would enable those on the island to see him unless he was wary and careful. Creeping onward, several yards from the shore, he finally halted and crouched in the sand. The island was low and small. It appeared to be covered with large stones, heaped at its center into a sort of breastwork. No sounds came from the island, and there was no other evidence that criminals had taken possession of it as a rendezvous. Something nearer the edge of the quicksands captured the scout’s attention, and he crept down to investigate. Close inspection showed the dark blot to be comprised of a dozen kegs and several boxes. The kegs contained water and the boxes food. “This is the food and water supply for those on the island,” reasoned the scout. “Presumably Hendricks brought the plunder in the buckboard, and Bascomb and Bernritter have not yet taken it across. It looks as though they were laying in supplies so as to be in shape to withstand a possible siege.” An idea struck the scout. Crouching under the screen of the kegs, he turned it over in his mind. “About the only way to get at those scoundrels,” he mentally debated, “will be to starve them out. No charge could be made across the quicksands, unless an attacking force had the outlaws’ means for getting across, and a few men behind those rocks on the island could stand off a besieging force indefinitely. If we could remove these supplies, and keep Bascomb and Bernritter from----”