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John was torn betwixt hope and bitter disappointment

"Do you think they could climb out of the fissure?" he asked half a dozen ti for an answer, "Did you see her face, Billy? I had just a glilance has put new life in et her! Even this cursed desert isn't wide enough to keep et him!"

Porter kept his eyes on Alchise's rifle which had never wavered in the past three hours

"I've a notion to shoot the barrel off that thing just for luck!" he growled "John, sit down! You will need all the strength you've got and then so to do?" asked John, seating hi probability is," said Billy, "that they are in the crack It would be just about iirl to clih, it's just a ain We'll have 'em! It's just this chance crack that saved 'e the all and try for the top again"

For the next five hours, Porter guarded thesix o'clock when Jack returned, exhausted and disappointed He had followed the great split back until the hty fissures that progress was irowled to Porter as he ate, "that we should have let hiet into that one crack! What next! Unless they are still in there, we've lost the here"

As he spoke, there was a sound of voices in the fissure The two ed fro and breathless

"Lost 'em as usual, by our infernal stupidity," he panted, while Carlos dropped his empty canteen and lifted Porter's to his lips "I rode round to the south of the mesa There are a couple of possible ascents there I found Carlosone We followed a dozen fissures before we located this one We got into it about a mile back fro"

He tossed one of Cesca's pitch baskets at Billy, then threw himself in the sand

"They were down off the mesa, I bet," he went on, "before we fools found the way up, and it was easy for the chap they left guarding the entrance to avoid us Therocks"