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Warmth deserted her face and her mouth went dry If the Indians were only interested in the food, torching the wagons would only ensure they would follow the deep tracks of the pack mules She wanted to talk to Bordeaux about it, but they weretoo fast and conversation was impossible No one spoke The only sound was the muffled sound of hooves in the sand and the occasional clink of a harness Even the anier lurked in the darkness

By dawn they had left the wagons far behind They paused at a water hole that bubbled up between soh to water ahot by the tied to water the mules and fill their canteens

As Cassie mounted, she frowned at Bordeaux

"We lost a lot of ti here Do you think the Indians will catch up?"

He shrugged "They'll have to wait for water, the sa ti white dunes "If they're still following us"

"Do you think they ot mules to eat noould they want to follow us?"

She stared at hi sarcastic, or was he stillthe mules? She turned the horse and followed hisin at his side

"If you think they're not following us, then why are we pushing the aniazed down at her quizzically, a twinkle in his eyes "Maybe you'd like to stick around here for a while to see if they show up"

She grimaced "Not really But if they don't want our food, ould they follow us?"

"If they left the reservation because they were hungry, ould they be out here? No, it wasn't our food they were after - it was mischief" He kicked the mule into motion and started out across the sand

Cassie followed, eyeing the dunes suspiciously Were the Indians out there watching right now? She shuddered as she urged the bay closer to Bordeaux

The white sand reflected the hot sun back at the with perspiration Cassie removed her hat and fanned her face The artificial breeze provided only te scalp Ahead, Bordeaux rode erect and alert How could he re any attention to their peril His eyes constantly roved over the dunes and his rifle lay across his lap, ready for use