"It does take you to figure out these things," declared Bob, in
admiration, as they trudged along, with Charley Moi in advance.
"Then we haven't yet got to the place where the Chinese buyer meets his
employer with the eatables?" Bob remarked after a little silence.
"The last time I asked him he kept saying it was only a little farther
along," replied Frank.
"There, look at him stopping right now; and Frank, he's grinning at us
in a way that can only mean one thing. That must be where he always
waits for the queer old gentleman to show up."
"How about that, Charley; is this the place where you hang out?" asked
Frank, as they hastened to join the guide.
"Allee samee place," replied Charley Moi, waving his yellow hand around
him. "Not know where shaib come fromee, always turn roundee rock," and
he pointed to a large outlying mass that had, ages ago, become detached
from the towering cliff overhead, and fallen in such a fashion as to
partly obstruct the canyon trail.
Frank looked around him eagerly.
"We must be getting warmer all the time," he remarked; "and if you just
take a look at that river right now, you'll see that up yonder the rock
rises up almost from its very flood. When the water is high it must
sweep along against the face of that big cliff. And Bob, something seems
to tell me that somewhere inside of a mile or so, we're going to find
what we're looking for."
"Oh! I hope so!" echoed Bob, with a look of expectancy on his face; for
he always put great reliance on the common sense of his chum; and when
Frank said a thing in that steady tone, the Kentucky boy believed it
must be so.
Frank called a halt then and there.
"We're tired, anyway," he said, "and might as well spend the night here.
Besides, I just want to find a place were I can take a good look through
the glass up at that cliff near the top. It faces the West, all right,
you see; and the indications are that somewhere or other I'll find
signs of the queer windows belonging to some of those cave houses."
The camp was made, and Charley Moi busied himself with his fire. Bob had
some things he wished to attend to; while Frank took the glass, and,
settling down in a place where he believed he could get a fair view of
the upper strata of colored rock, began carefully scrutinizing the
cliff.
"The time is right, because the old Indian said the Westering sun shone
in the mouth of Echo Cave," Frank mused, as he pursued his work, not
disappointed because failure came in the beginning.
Frank had been at work possibly six or eight minutes when he gave
utterance to a low exclamation. Then he fixed his field glasses upon a
certain spot as though something had caught his attention there.
"Bob!" he called out.
"Want me?" asked his chum from the spot where the fire was burning.
"Yes, come here please," Frank continued.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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