They felt their way down the east end of
the trail, not far from Dent's, toward the Big Bend, which they gained
without a mishap. Johnny was sent up to a place they had noticed and
marked in their memories at the time they had rioted down to defy the
ghost. He was to stop any one trying to escape up the San Felippe end
of the canyon trail, and his confidence in his ability to do this was
exuberant. Hopalong and Red slowly and laboriously worked their way down
the perilous path leading to the bottom, forded the stream, and crept up
the other side, where they found cover not far from a wide crack in the
canyon wall. Upon the occasion of their hilarious visit to the Big Bend
they had observed that a faint trail led to the crack and had cogitated
deeply upon this fact.
Three hours passed before the watchers in and above the canyon were
rewarded by anything further; and then a light flickered far down the
canyon and close to the edge of the stream. Immediately strange noises
were heard and suddenly the ghost swung out of the opening in the rock
wall near Hopalong and Red and danced above their heads, while the
shrieking which had so frightened Johnny and his horse filled the canyon
with uproar and sent Martin wriggling nearer to the crevice which he had
watched so closely. The noise soon ceased, but the ghost danced on, and
the sound of men stumbling along the rocky ledge bordering the stream
became more and more audible.
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