Page:The Boy Land Boomer.djvu/102

92 a blaze on the tree six inches square, and on the blaze was written in charcoal:

"Hullo, a message from Dan," he cried, half aloud. He had read the strange marking without difficulty. It ran as follows:

Pacing off the ten feet in the direction indicated, Pawnee Brown located a flat rock. Raising this, he uncovered a small, circular hole, in the centre of which lay a leaf torn from a note book, on which was written:

"'I write this to notify Pawnee Brown or any of my other friends that I have gone up the ravine on the trail of half a dozen cavalry scouts who are up here, not only to watch for boomers, but also to try and locate several Indians who have left the reservation without permission. I will be back soon.'.'"

The boomer read the note with interest. Then he hastily scribbled off the answer:

"'Have read the note that was left. Am following Yellow Elk, who stole my mare and has Jack Rasco's niece a captive. Yellow Elk is bound for some cave in the mountains..'"