By slow degrees the water subsided, and after a long while the rain ceased, a heavy mist lay on the mountains and the night approached without any further appearance of the veiled sun. Toward evening Robert Maitland with the three men and the three children joined the wretched trio above the camp. Maitland, wild with excitement and apprehension, had pressed on ahead of the rest. It was a glad faced man indeed who ran the last few steps of the rough way and clasped his wife in his arms, but as he did so he noticed that one was missing. "Where is Enid?" he cried, releasing his wife. "She went down the cañon early this mornin' intendin' to stay all day," slowly and reluctantly answered old Kirkby, "an'--" He paused there, it wasn't necessary for him to say anything more. Maitland walked to the edge of the trail and looked down into the valley. It had been swept clean of the camp. Rocks had been rolled over upon the meadow land, trunks of trees torn up by the roots had lodged against them, it was a scene of desolate and miserable confusion and disaster. "Oh, Robert, don't you think she may be safe?" asked Mrs. Maitland. "There's jest a chance, I think, that she may have suspicioned the storm an' got out of the cañon," suggested the old frontiersman. "A slim chance," answered Maitland gloomily. "I wouldn't have had this happen for anything on earth." "Nor me; I'd a heap ruther it had got me than her," said Kirkby simply. "I didn't see it coming," continued Maitland nodding as if Kirkby's statement were to be accepted as a matter of course, as indeed it was. "We were on the other slope of the mountain, until it was almost over head." "Nuther did I. To tell the truth I was lyin' down nappin' w'en Pete, yere, who'd been down the cañon rounding up some of the critters, came bustin' in on us." "I ain't saved but four hosses," said Pete mournfully, "and there's only one burro on the hogback." "We came back as fast as we could," said Maitland. "I pushed on ahead. George, Bradshaw and Phillips are bringing Bob and the girls. We must search the cañon." "It can't be done to-night, old man," said Kirkby. "I tell you we can't wait, Jack!" "We've got to. I'm as willin' to lay down my life for that young gal as anybody on earth, but in this yere mist an' as black a night as it's goin' to be, we couldn't go ten rod without killin' ourselves an' we couldn't see nothin' noways." "But she may be in the cañon." "If she's in the cañon 'twon't make no difference to her w'ether we finds her to-morrer or next day or next year, Bob." Maitland groaned in anguish. "I can't stay here inactive," he persisted stubbornly.