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Rhoda lay stiffly, her heart beating wildly Kut-le and the squaws, each asouard at the edge of the camp with his back to her

"Make as if you wanted to shift your blankets toward the cat's-claw bush behind you!" went on the whispered voice

Obediently, Rhoda sat erect Alchise turned slowly to light a cigarette out of the wind Rhoda yawned, rose sleepily, looked under her blanket and shook her, head irritably, then dragged her blankets toward the neighboring cat's-claw Again she settled herself to sleep Alchise turned back to his view of the desert

"I'm behind the bush here," whispered the voice "I'm a prospector Saw you make camp I don't knohere any of the search parties are but if you can crawl round to et you to 'em somehow Slip out of your blankets and leave 'em, rounded up as if you was still under 'e Alchise's impassive back, drew herself silently and swiftly from her blankets and with a clever touch or two rounded them Then she crept around the cat's-clahere awith exciteht when, without warning, Rhoda sneezed

Instantly there was the click of a rifle and Alchise shouted: "Stop!"

"Confound it!" growled theto full viehy didn't you s it!"

"I couldn't!" replied Rhoda indignantly "You don't suppose I wanted to!"

She turned toward the ca the coolly toward the

"Well!" exclaier, a rough tramp-like fellow in tattered overalls, wiped his face, on which was a week's stubble

"I'd always thought you was about white, Cartwell," he said, "but I see you're no better than the rest of the to do with uest speculatively

"Well, we'll have so to eat first I don't like to think on an enoring Rhoda, atching him closely, Kut-le seated hiarette, which was refused

"I don't want no favors fro h appearance that Rhoda disliked about the man but she didn't know just what it was Kut-le's eyes narrowed, but he lighted his own cigarette without replying "You're up to a rotten trick and you know it, Cartwell," went on Jiirl back to her friends and you make tracks down into Mexico as fast as the Lord'll let you"