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At noon they stopped for a short ti-place was in the shadow of a beetling, weather-beaten rock that still bore traces of hieroglyphic carvings There were broken bits of clay pots auidly and wondered what the forgotten vessels could have contained in a region so barren of life or hope

Kut-le strolled over to a cat's-claw bush at whose base lay a tangle of dead leaves With a bit of stick, he scattered this litter, struck the ground several good blows and returned with a string of fat desert mice With infinite care Cesca kindled a fire so tiny, so clear, that scarcely a wisp of s the eviscerated s were a delicate brown The aroht her the fattest of the mice

"Take it away!" she whispered "Take it away!"

Molly looked at the girl in stupid surprise

"You irl!" said Kut-le

Rhoda ainst the ancient rock, her golden hair touching the crude drawings of long ago She was a very different Rhoda fronored every effort Kut-le aze wandered to her hands, still blood-grimed, and her cleft chin quivered Kut-le saw the expressive little look

"I'm sorry," he said simply

Rhoda looked up at him

"I don't believe you," she returned calmly

The Indian's jaw stiffened

"Co, except that the sun wasunderfoot; except that the course beca heavier, the dropsAll the afternoon, Kut-le carried Rhoda At last the sun sank below thesee that gave out a faint, ain more mice were seered over before the fire was stamped out hastily This time Rhoda forced herself to eat Then she drank deeply of the bitter water and lay down on the cold ground Despite the fact that she was shivering with the cold, she fell asleep at once Towardclose to Molly's broad back for warreat southern stars seeain she wondered why