“But I’m not worrying,” Andy continued. “He’d virtually told me how to find the Valley of Arcana, and it strikes me that he’s already about fulfilled his contract. I believe I can go straight to it from here. I’ll tell you later what I got out of him. “Personally, I won’t miss the old coot in the least. He’s not so much in the mountains. I walked the head off the old boy on the trip back to the cache. I let myself out--see?--which I couldn’t do in travelling with you folks--if you’ll pardon me. So I took our bold mountaineer on for a regular ramble, and I had him begging for less speed three hours out of camp.” “He’s quite a little older than you are, Andy,” Charmian made reminder. She did not exactly approve of Andy’s slightly boastful tone. Dr. Shonto caught the note in her voice, and hastened to say: “Don’t pay too much attention to our young friend’s high opinion of his own prowess. Ordinarily Andy isn’t the least bit boastful. But we’re living a more or less primitive life these days. Our existence may depend on what we can do with our legs and arms and hands. Surmounting the difficulties of this wilderness has become the most important thing in our lives. We must excuse one another for being primevally proud of our little achievements.” “Good work, Doctor!” laughed Andy, a trifle red of face. “Was I shooting the old bazoo too hard? Maybe so. Thanks for your explanation to Charmian. The doctor’s a wonder at keeping the serene equilibrium of camp life at par. He always understands that folks are different once they’ve shaken the dust of civilization from their feet. They’re more primitive--that’s right. “Well, to continue, old Henry has been worrying ever since the bell burro made a sandwich out of his old gauge. Reading that gauge and sending in his reports are the greatest things in life for him. And so--well, he just up and hit the trail, that’s all. He’s got a loose screw in his head, of course. So we were camped at the cache, ready to start back in the morning. And when I found he’d gone I knew right away what had happened and struck out at dawn alone. And--boasting or no boasting--I’ve brought all that I meant to pack in and at least half of what Shirttail Henry had laid out for his pack. So we’re not so bad off, after all. How’s our pillar of determination and her sprain?” The three walked down the cañon toward their camp, Shonto carrying the pack. Andy told the others, as they stumbled over the round, smooth stone cannon balls of the creek-bed, what Shirttail Henry had divulged concerning the onward trail to the Valley of Arcana.