We could even see
the stars; and, better yet, it did not seem to be growing colder.
We went to bed feeling encouraged.
The next morning the sun peeped in at us through the long
trunks of the pines, and Ollie soon discovered that the wind was
from the south.
"Unless it turns cold again, this will fix the snow," said
Jack.
He was right, and it soon began to thaw. By noon the little
stream in the gulch was a torrent, and before night patches of
bare ground began to appear. We decided not to attempt to leave
camp that day, but the next morning saw us headed back along the
tortuous road. In two hours we were again on the main trail. Just
as we turned in, Eugene Brooks came along, having also been
delayed by the snow, though the fall where he was had not been
nearly so great. 'Gene laughed at us, and told us that we had
been following a trail to some lead mines which had been
abandoned several months before.
[Illustration: Lack of Confidence in Mankind]
Half a mile farther on we came to the Thunder Butte Creek
which we had sought.
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