I can follow the trail as soon as he quits covering it. Get the canteens and come on. We don't need a million cowboys running round promiscuous over the sand. Numbers don't help in trailing an Injun. It's experience and patience. It may take us two weeks and we'll outfit for that. But we'll get him in the end. Crook always did." 

 There was that in Billy Porter's voice which put heart into his listeners. John DeWitt lifted his head, and while his blue eyes returned the gaze of the others miserably, he squared his shoulders doggedly. 

 "I'm ready," he said briefly. 

 "Oh, let me come!" cried Katherine.  "I can't bear this waiting!" 

 Billy smiled. 

 "Why, Mrs. Jack, you'd be dried up and blowed away before the first day was over." 

 "But Rhoda is enduring it!" protested Katherine, with quivering lips. 

 "God!" John DeWitt muttered and flung himself from the house to the corral. The other two followed him at once. 

 It was mid-afternoon when the three rode into the quivering yellow haze of the desert followed by a little string of pack horses. It was now nearing twenty-four hours since Rhoda had disappeared and in that time there had been little sand blowing. This meant that the trail could be easily followed were it found. The men rode single file, Billy Porter leading. All wore blue flannel shirts and khaki trousers. John DeWitt rode Eastern park fashion, with short stirrup, rising from the saddle with the trot. Jack and Billy rode Western fashion, long stirrup, an inseparable part of their horses, a fashion that John DeWitt was to be forced to learn in the fearful days to come. 

 Billy Porter declaimed in a loud voice from the head of the procession. 

 "Of course, Kut-le has taken to the mountains. He'll steer clear of ranches and cowboys for a while. Our chance lies in his giving up covering his trail after he gets well into the ranges. We will get his trail and hang on till we can outwit him. If he was alone, we'd never get him, barring accident. But he will be a lot hampered by Miss Rhoda and I trust to her to hamper him a whole lot after she gets her hand in." 

 All the rest of the burning afternoon they moved toward the mountains. It was quite dusk when they 

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