"It's a kind
of fool's journey anyway."
The sun was now pouring its beams directly upon the heads of the young
explorers and there was no relief to be had. Across the desert stretch not
a place of refuge was within sight.
"There's nothing else to be done," said Grant resolutely. "Jack will have
to keep on and follow the compass just as closely as he did on the way
here."
The declaration of the Go Ahead Boy was so evidently true that without a
protest from any one the entire party resumed its march.
They were now at least a half-mile from the rim of the great Gulch. In
changing the direction in which they were moving they still were following
the line made by the huge chasm.
They had gone only half the distance of the second stage of their journey,
when they all halted abruptly as Zeke said in a low voice, pointing as he
spoke toward the canyon, "Is that smoke off there?"
For a moment all in the party were silent, but Pete and Grant were strong
in their opinion that a thin line of smoke was visible just above the
border of Thorn's Gulch.
"Huh," muttered Zeke, "that's more or less what I expected."
"What was it you were expecting?" demanded Fred.
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