ad waited for me. I hurried with
the butchering, cutting the loin well forward, and rolling it all tight
in the hide, bound the meat behind the saddle.

"Now, shall we go back?" she asked. "If we rode opposite to the sun, we
might strike the trail. These hills look all alike."

"The river runs east and west," I said, "so we might perhaps better
strike to the southward."

"But I heard them say that the river bends far to the south not far from
where we crossed. We might parallel the river if we went straight
south."

"But does not the trail cut off the bend, and run straight west?" I
rejoined. Neither of us knew that the course of the north fork ran
thence far to the northwest and quite away from the trail to Laramie.

Evidently our council was of little avail. We started southwest as
nearly as we could determine it, and I admit that grave anxiety had now
settled upon me. In that monotonous country only the sun and the stars
might guide one. Now, hard as it was to admit the thought, I realized
that we would be most fortunate if we saw the wagons again that night. I
had my watch with me, and with this I made the traveler's compass, using
the dial and the noon mark to orient myself; but this was of small
assistance, for we were not certain of the direction of the compass in
which the trail lay. As a matter of fact, it is probable that we went
rather west than southwest, and so paralleled both the trail and the
river for more than a dozen miles that afternoon. The girl's face was
very grave, and now and again she watched me walking or trotting
alongside at such speed as I could muster. My clothing was covered with
blood from my wound.

I looked always for some little rivulet which I knew must lead us to the
Platte, but we struck no running water until late that evening, and then
could not be sure that we had found an actual water course. There were
some pools of water standing in a coulee, at whose head grew a clump of
wild plum trees and other straggly growth. At least here was water and
some sort of shelter. I dared go no farther.

Over in the west I saw rising a low, black bank of clouds. A film was
coming across the sky. Any way I looked I could see no break, no
landmark, no trend of the land which could offer any sort of guidance.
I wished myself all places in the world but there, and reproached myself
bitterly that through my clumsiness I had brought the girl into such a
situation.

"Miss Meriwether," I said