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DeWitt turned to Porter and New taken care of!" he said "Perhaps that devil is trying to keep her health, at least God! If nothing worse has befallen her!"

He stopped and drew his wrist across his forehead Sohed John turned to the Mexican and grasped the little fellow's hand

"My boy," he said, "you'll never regret this day's work If you have a señorita you knohat you have done for me!"

The Mexican looked up into DeWitt's face seriously

"I have one She has a di into the desert while tears seared his eyes Billy hastily unpacked and gave Carlos and his burro the best that the outfit afforded

"Can the salt-boy stay on with the sheep while you come with us?" asked John DeWitt "I'll pay your boss for the whole flock if anything goes wrong" He wanted the keen wit of the herder on the hunt

The Mexican nodded eagerly

"I'll stay!"

Shortly the four were riding northward across the desert They were in fairly good shape for a hard tide Two days before, they had stopped at Squaw Spring ranch and re-outfitted With proper care of the horses they were good for three weeks away from supplies And for teeks now they scoured the desert,none of the traces that Rhoda was so painfully dropping along her course The hugeness, the cruelty of the region drove the hopelessness of their mission more and more deeply into DeWitt's brain It seemed impossible except by the merest chance to find trace of another human in a waste so vast It seeauided Carlos and Billy

They rode through open desert country one afternoon, the onlythe horizon For hours the little cavalcade had moved without speech Then to the north, Porter discerned a dot rew into a ered as he walked When he observed the horse toward hi Piper!" cried Billy "Thought you was in Silver City"

Jiht the canteen which Jack swung to hiot aith the Tuttle girl last week!"

Every man left his saddle as if at a word of command Jim took another drink