"What is to be done?" asked Mrs. Starr, as grievously disappointed as her husband. "I'm blessed if I know; it may be half a mile deep and ten miles across, with a perpendicular bluff a thousand feet high on the other side." Leaving her pony, the wife took the hand of Dot and joined him where he had halted on the edge of the unknown stream. "I've made up my mind that we shall do one thing right away," he remarked decisively. "What's that?" "Eat supper while we have the chance; Jerry is on hand with the provisions, and he may be somewhere else in the morning." "I'm glad of that," said the happy Dot, "for I'm awfuller hungry than I ever was in all my life." "Then supper it is." CHAPTER XIV. TURNED BACK. It was a wise proceeding on the part of the rancher. The opportunity to make a substantial repast was theirs, and as he had remarked, there was no certainty when it would come again. The bag in which the provisions were placed was taken from the back of Jerry, and the father helped his child and wife, who ate until they were fully satisfied. He dipped up water with Dot's small tin cup from the stream in front, and with it their thirst was slaked. "Molly," he suggested, "you can carry one or two of the sandwiches without inconvenience." "Yes." "Let us both do so; we may lose Jerry, and if so, they will come in handy." "I have a couple, too," said Dot. "It isn't best that you should burden yourself with them." "But I can't help it, papa." "How is that?" "They're inside of me," and the parents, even in their great dread, smiled at the odd conceit of the little one, who chuckled softly to think how she had "fooled" her papa. The delay was brief. The rancher knew that it was impossible to reach Fort Meade without crossing the stream before them, with the probability that still others awaited them at no great distance. It can be understood with what depth of dread he contemplated swimming the animals over, with the certainty of the saturation of all their garments, on this winter night, and the cold steadily increasing. In short, it meant perishing, unless a fire was kindled, in which case, a delay would be necessitated that would throw away all the advantage secured by flight. He was determined not to do it, unless actually driven to it as a last resource. He did not forget that he was now where there was an abundance of material with which a raft could be constructed that would obviate this exposure, but the building of such a rude craft, under the circumstances, was next to impossible. He had no implement except his pocket knife, and might grope about in the darkness for hours without getting together enough timber to float them to the other side. Obviously one of two things must be done--try to cross where they were or follow the bank down until a fording place could be found, and repeated trials were likely to be necessary before success was obtainable.