“No. Dad read it aloud, and she might have heard it. But what difference would that make?”
“Not bein’ a woman, and never havin’ been engaged, I’d hate to try for an answer on that one.”
“Do you think she came to see Blaze Nolan?”
“You know what I think about my own thinkin’, Harry. Let’s see what we can find around here.”
But the signs were not plain to either of them, because the ground was too hard to retain a footprint. They circled the horses, trying to pick up tracks, but the ground told them nothing; so they came back to their horses, where they stood and scanned the cliffs on both sides.
“Shore beats me,” said Bad News wearily. “I reckon we better hightail back to yore ranch and see if yore father knows anythin’ about it. If he don’t, we’ll get a gang of men and search the canyon. There’s somethin’ queer about this. Blaze Nolan ain’t the kind to invite a man to see him, and then bushwhack him.”
Harry took one last circle of the place, but was unable to pick up any tracks; so he came back to his horse and they rode out of the canyon. Bad News looked at his watch and back at the portals of the canyon, as he said, “We’re shore stuck for time. By the time I can get back to Medicine Tree and organise a searchin’ party and get back here, it’ll be dark. We’d look well, searchin’ Padre Canyon with a lantern.”
“We’ll see what dad knows, before we make it look too bad. C’mon!”
CHAPTER XIX: ’TWIXT SKY AND DEATH
Cultus was a little dubious himself about that climb up the fissure in the canyon wall, but he realised it was their one best bet. He watched Jane prepare for the climb and was silent in his admiration for this young woman, whose face was white with fear of those dizzy heights, but who was willing to go ahead.