There was a sinking of Fred's heart and yet the boy refused to believe
that he had lost his way or that he was really in peril. There were many
small canyons or gulches, as has been said, which opened into the larger
gulch. Into several of these Fred entered, hoping to discover something
that would convince him that he was moving in the right direction.
His alarm increased, however, when he soon discovered that he was moving
through a region that was entirely unknown. Not a familiar object was to
be seen.
The fear in his heart deepened and again the troubled boy stopped to look
keenly about him.
As Fred tried to obtain his bearings his confusion apparently increased.
The stream in the bottom of the gulch was wider than the one he had seen
in the first part of his journey. He peered in one direction in his search
for landmarks only to fail and then turn and try the same experiment in
another gulch. All his efforts were alike unavailing and a great fear now
welled up in the heart of the troubled boy.
He looked up to the rim and saw the passing clouds that seemed to be close
to the ground. There was no help to be found from that direction and
suddenly he laughed aloud as he thought of his rifle.
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