Laughing and talking, they trotted home, picking up belated ones who had strung behind the fastest horses.
"Where is Miss Searles, Major?" spoke one.
"That's so! don't know; had a slow horse; by Gad, we must look this up." And the now anxious father galloped his mount. The others followed sympathetically. Rounding the bluffs, they saw Ermine's pony quietly feeding.
"Where is Ermine?" came a hail of questions, and presently they almost ran over the girl's horse, now lying on its side, breathing heavily, and no longer trying to disengage his leg from the gopher-hole.
"The horse is in a gopher-hole," said some one; "and see here—look at the dirt; he has thrown Miss Searles; here is where she struck."
"Yes, but where is she? where is she?" ejaculated the Major, in a nervous tremor of excitement. "Where is my girl?"
Wolf-Voice had dismounted and found Ermine's trail, which he followed toward the river.
"Come!" he called. "Am show you dose girl!"
While an orderly stayed behind to shoot the horse and get the empty saddle, the group followed hard on the half-breed.