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"Did he speak to you? What did he say?" cried DeWitt

But the Indian lapsed into silence and refused to speak more Porter felt well rewarded for his efforts and tossed the dollar to the Indian

"Gee!" said Billy, as they started elated down the ain That poverty-stricken lot couldn't have had any horses here for him to use I'll bet he ood bunch That would be at Kelly's, sixty miles south of here We'll hike for Kelly's!"

This idea did not meet with enthusiastic approval froestion to make, the trail to Kelly's was taken It seemed to John Dewitt that Billy relied little on science andthe Indians At first, considering Porter's early boasts about his skill, DeWitt was much disappointed by the old-ti of the terrible hardships of the desert, after a few demonstrations of the Apache's cleverness, John had concluded that intuition was the most reliable weapon that the whites could hope to discover hich to offset the Indian's appalling skill and knowledge

It was an exhausted quartet with its string of horses that drew up at Kelly's dusty corral Dick Kelly, a stocky Irishers pleasantly When, however, he learned their naentlemen are at the end of your rope, wid the end frayed at that!" he said "Now come in for a few hours' rest and the Chinaman will cook you the best meal he kno"

"Lord, no!" cried Billy "We're so close on the track now that we can hang on to the end If you've had no trace here we'll just double back and start froain!"

By this tiathered about the newcomers Every one knew about Rhoda's disappearance Every one knew about every man in the little search party In the flicker of the lanterns the ard face

"Say," said a tall, lank cowht, usn'll scour this part of the desert with a fine-tooth co a little rest An' if we find the Injun we'll string him up and save you the trouble"

DeWitt spoke for the first time

"If you find the Indian," he said succinctly, "he's mine!"

There was a moment's silence in the crowd Thesewas perfectly correct in their eyes The pause cae of the delicate Eastern girl suffering who knehat torments constantly before him