cattle, most of them in excellent shape. There were also some horses, descendants of those left by Jim Burge.
Despite the growing darkness, he pushed on, wondering at the towering walls, the green grass and the slim white trunks of the aspens. The cattle gazed at him curiously, seemingly unafraid.
In a small glade among the aspens, he drew up and stepped down. Stripping the gear from the Appaloosa, he made camp. This would end what supplies he had brought along, and tomorrow he must start back. Yet this would be a place to start such a cache of supplies as Scott had advised.
Night brought coolness to the valley. He built a fire and made coffee, talking to Rio meanwhile.
Then he became aware of movement. Looking up he saw himself surrounded, but well back at the edge of the light, by a dozen cows and a bull. They were staring at the fire and at him with amazed bovine eyes. Apparently they had never seen a man before, and more than likely this was their first fire.
From all appearances, the crater had been a large one, several miles across and carpeted with rich grass. Twice during the night he heard the cry of a cougar, and once the howl of a wolf.
He gathered wood from under the trees and made a little stack close by the fire. There were many fallen branches, toppled trees, and bits of bark, fuel enough to keep a fire going for the rest of his life.
The water was excellent, and there was game.
Literally, a man could live here forever ... and if that passage should be blocked, he might have to.
The thought worried him. He walked out away from the fire, the cattle moving back as he neared them, and looked around at what he could see of There was no break that he could see, and it was very likely there was none. A man caught in the bottom of this crater would have to spend his life here unless he was a good enough rock-climber to find a way up the cliffs.
At this altitude there would be snow, and during most of the winter a man would be snowed in.
He walked back to his camp feeling distinctly uneasy.
He had no desire to be trapped, even in such a beautiful place as this.
With daylight, he was in the saddle once more.
But by day the crater seemed smaller than it had the previous night. There were several smaller craters that broke into this one, and while riding about, scouting the area and making a tentative count of the cattle, he saw several ice caves. These were caused, no doubt, by the mass cooling so unevenly that when the surface had become cold and hard the material below was still molten. As the fluid drained away, the caves were formed under the solid crust Because lava is a poor heat conductor, the cold air of the caves was protected. Ice formed there, no matter how warm it might be on the surface, and here and there pools of water had gathered on the floors. And these had been used as watering places by wild horses, deer, elk, and bighorn sheep.
When at last he started back toward the cleft through which he had gained entrance to the crater, he was sure there were four or five hundred head of cattle in the bottom, too many for the area now.
Probably there had been an unusual increase due to natural factors.
Yet when he reached the place where he believed the cleft to be, it was not there. For a moment he sat his horse, studying the cliff, and several minutes later he thought he had it. But it was only when he found his own tracks that he was able to locate the cleft.
The landmarks he had chosen at night had proved useless by day.
He started into the cleft, and for part of the distance it proved a scramble for Rio. Yet from time to time, Canavan drew up to let the Appaloosa catch his wind. Glancing up at the overhanging rocks, he made a mental note that someday he would climb up there and see just how secure they were.
It was dusk of another day before he cantered into the main street of Soledad and rode up to the livery stable. A Mexican came to the door, glanced at the brand on his horse and then
Despite the growing darkness, he pushed on, wondering at the towering walls, the green grass and the slim white trunks of the aspens. The cattle gazed at him curiously, seemingly unafraid.
In a small glade among the aspens, he drew up and stepped down. Stripping the gear from the Appaloosa, he made camp. This would end what supplies he had brought along, and tomorrow he must start back. Yet this would be a place to start such a cache of supplies as Scott had advised.
Night brought coolness to the valley. He built a fire and made coffee, talking to Rio meanwhile.
Then he became aware of movement. Looking up he saw himself surrounded, but well back at the edge of the light, by a dozen cows and a bull. They were staring at the fire and at him with amazed bovine eyes. Apparently they had never seen a man before, and more than likely this was their first fire.
From all appearances, the crater had been a large one, several miles across and carpeted with rich grass. Twice during the night he heard the cry of a cougar, and once the howl of a wolf.
He gathered wood from under the trees and made a little stack close by the fire. There were many fallen branches, toppled trees, and bits of bark, fuel enough to keep a fire going for the rest of his life.
The water was excellent, and there was game.
Literally, a man could live here forever ... and if that passage should be blocked, he might have to.
The thought worried him. He walked out away from the fire, the cattle moving back as he neared them, and looked around at what he could see of There was no break that he could see, and it was very likely there was none. A man caught in the bottom of this crater would have to spend his life here unless he was a good enough rock-climber to find a way up the cliffs.
At this altitude there would be snow, and during most of the winter a man would be snowed in.
He walked back to his camp feeling distinctly uneasy.
He had no desire to be trapped, even in such a beautiful place as this.
With daylight, he was in the saddle once more.
But by day the crater seemed smaller than it had the previous night. There were several smaller craters that broke into this one, and while riding about, scouting the area and making a tentative count of the cattle, he saw several ice caves. These were caused, no doubt, by the mass cooling so unevenly that when the surface had become cold and hard the material below was still molten. As the fluid drained away, the caves were formed under the solid crust Because lava is a poor heat conductor, the cold air of the caves was protected. Ice formed there, no matter how warm it might be on the surface, and here and there pools of water had gathered on the floors. And these had been used as watering places by wild horses, deer, elk, and bighorn sheep.
When at last he started back toward the cleft through which he had gained entrance to the crater, he was sure there were four or five hundred head of cattle in the bottom, too many for the area now.
Probably there had been an unusual increase due to natural factors.
Yet when he reached the place where he believed the cleft to be, it was not there. For a moment he sat his horse, studying the cliff, and several minutes later he thought he had it. But it was only when he found his own tracks that he was able to locate the cleft.
The landmarks he had chosen at night had proved useless by day.
He started into the cleft, and for part of the distance it proved a scramble for Rio. Yet from time to time, Canavan drew up to let the Appaloosa catch his wind. Glancing up at the overhanging rocks, he made a mental note that someday he would climb up there and see just how secure they were.
It was dusk of another day before he cantered into the main street of Soledad and rode up to the livery stable. A Mexican came to the door, glanced at the brand on his horse and then
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