, 1905-02-01

49, taS 1850 q ~ " TIA
the atmosphere was a smoth-
ering glare, and the drag by
night would be easier on the animals.
They could all rest and sleep in the
day, for there was not even a fly to
disturb them-nothing but that deep.
deathly silence, which seemed to creep.
creep, creep, ~stealthily in from every
where.
Frequently they stopped in the dark
to breathe the animals. and then the
tired travellers sank in the sand for II
few blissful moments and dropped into
sweet oblivion. They clutched at the
wagons, with hand upon the spokes.
or the hind end, or lay in front of the
oxen, or sat between the wheels. that
at the first movement every one might
wake.
Next morning they said to one anoth-
er it was a wonder no one was miss
ing; the next, that they wondered how
long they could keep it up; the third,
they tramped DULY on till sunup with
out a word, although an awful thing
had happened. They had rested foul
tllllCo buIiliS tit iiiShtt iiAi Ji't Ho" VI
when or where it had occurred no one
knew, but their number had been less
ened by one, and some one whispered
that Boy had been left behind. God
knows, with all that WEAKNESS weigh
ing upon limb and eyelid, it was all
one could do to see that he himself
walked without bearing another on his
mind.
Its goodby,' said one woman in a
low voice, "and it may be Il turn
next she added, glancing at Mrs.
Robinson ahead. The child had muir
INJURED several times about water dur
ing the night, and the mother walked
at the side of the wagon, holding the
little ones hand in dull dread.
But the captains eye, responsible for
every one, searching a%nXiously down
the lines on both sides of the wagons,
missed a face, and his voice had a
trembling note in its bass as he began
asking of each: "'Where's Boy? Haven't
you seer her? Perhaps she's crawled
in one of the wagons, and that's
against orders. My God, men and wo-
men, where's my girl? Not left behind
in this trackless waste!'
There was no need to tell him in
words. The faces he looked into were
plain as a read tale. Running ahead,
he plucked S~evadra's sleeve. But the
Mexican turned his burning, anxious
gaze backward at the forms huddled in
a whispering group and with an elo-
quent sweep of his hand slowly shook
his head. 'Madre de Dios, senor; you
must go alone,' he said. 81 must still
stay with these. l shall find water
soon, l hope. Keep to the north and
east on your return and-God be with
you, senor!'
The I'M whose turn it was to ride
old Lucy cried as h was displaced,
for she was a weakling, but she clung
to the back of the first wagon, with old
Bucks breath, coming on behind, at
her shoulder, and Sevadra stepped
back and told her he could almost re-
member a spring in a spot of brackish
marsh which he hoped lay a few hours
ahead.
With a quick. last look at the bent
head of his already grief burdened
wife. yet without Il word, the captain
was gone-swailowed up. lie became Il
thing of the past in Il moment. They
said to each other he could never find
Boy. She would be lying asleep, and
he might pass ever within "A mile of
her. Several men told how they had
heard the faint, low voice of Il boot
owl through the night made and re
turned far too regularly to have been
given by the bird, and other Indian
signs had been noticed-a COMPARE
lively fresh cheWed cud of soap root
twice. and once IN arrow and again
the hidden marks of a camp. Indeed,
rowing bands had kept the train in
watch all along the road, but it was
no use telling the women before. yet
now it was perhaps best to reveal ev-
erything. Adelaide shivered and look
ed back in fear, but her mother still
walked on. holding the little extended
hand.
What strange Authorizations filled the
captains whirling brain as with his
heels pressing his poor horses ribs he
tried to retrace their steps. In vain.
The sand which had sucked at each
withdrawn hoof and foot had run gen
thy back and filled in the track smooth
ly and evenly till the whole lay like d
direction to the horizon. Then the u