Knowles only half caught her meaning. "Sure he climbed up. That proves he has the grit and the nerve. He had proved that even better, going down at the other place. Put any man down there, and he'd make a try to get out. No, the real test was his going back down again. He might have come up just for himself. But going down again--that's the proof of what's in him; that's what proves he's white!" "Dear Daddy!... But I'm afraid. He thinks he has been too bad ever to--to marry me. I'm so afraid he'll go away and leave me!" The cowman straightened up, his eyes glinting with righteous indignation. "What! Go 'way and leave you?--when you want him to stay? By--James! He's going to stay! Don't you worry, honey. He's going to stay, if I have to rope and hogtie him for you!" The girl stared into the frowning face of her father. There was no twinkle in the corner of his eyes. He was absolutely serious. For the first time in over two days her dimples flashed. Her eyes sparkled with merriment. Her lips parted. But she checked the gay laugh before it could burst out. "Oh!" she reproached herself. "How could I? And they still down there--and Tom suffering!" "Tom?" repeated Knowles. "Thomas Blake--your brother! That's why you got me started reading all those reports and engineering journals. You guessed it." "It did not seem possible. Yet I could not help hoping." "Things do happen our way--sometimes," qualified Knowles. "Mrs. Blake--Jenny--says Lafe brought up word that the project can be put through. I meant to fight. But now--he is your brother, and he has done something no man ever before thought could be done--he has surveyed Deep Canyon. He has me beat. I've told Mrs.--Jenny straight out." "I know he will do what is right by you, dear, dear Daddy." "He's your brother, honey. That settles it." CHAPTER XXXIV RECLAMATION Even with the mutual assistance that they could give one another, and with the certain knowledge that the descent was possible, the rescuers had no easy task following the trail "broken" by Ashton. Their very numbers prevented them from going down as fast as he had gone. On the other hand, those on the upper part of the life-line could steady their companions over ledges and down the steeper crevices, while the leaders helped the ones who followed by hammering footholds in the rock and at the very worst places driving in picket-pins to hold the extra ropes brought down for the purpose. Still, Deep Canyon was Deep Canyon--the ladder it offered was a ladder of Titans. Many long hours of waiting passed after the rescuing party disappeared among the shadows less than a third of the way down the steep-sloping precipices, before they came struggling upwards again into view of the anxious watchers on the brink. The sun had circled well over into the western sky.