n.

Man is the most needful of all the animals, albeit the most resourceful.
We needed shelter, and we had none. Night came on. The great gray
wolves, haunters of the buffalo herds, roared their wild salute to us,
savage enough to strike terror to any woman's soul. The girl edged close
to me as the dark came down. We spoke but little. Our dangers had not
yet made us other than conventional.

Now, worst of all, the dark bank of cloud arose and blotted out all the
map of the stars. The sun scarce had sunk before a cold breath, silent,
with no motion in its coming, swept across or settled down upon the
Plains. The little grasses no longer stirred in the wind. The
temperature mysteriously fell more and more, until it was cold, very
cold. And those pale, heatless flames, icy as serpent tongues played
along the darkening heavens, and mocked at us who craved warmth and
shelter. I felt my own body shiver. She looked at me startled.

"You are cold," said she.

"No," I answered, "only angry because I am so weak." We sat silent for
very long intervals. At length she raised her hand and pointed.

Even as dusk sank upon us, all the lower sky went black. An advancing
roar came upon our ears. And then a blinding wave of rain drove across
the surface of the earth, wiping out the day, beating down with
remorseless strength and volume as though it would smother and drown us
twain in its deluge--us, the last two human creatures of the world!

It caught us, that wave of damp and darkness, and rolled over us and
crushed us down as we cowered. I caught up the blanket from the ground
and pulled it around the girl's shoulders. I drew her tight to me as I
lay with my own back to the storm, and pulled the saddle over her head,
with this and my own body keeping out the tempest from her as much as I
could. There was no other fence for her, and but for this she might
perhaps have died; I do not know. I felt her strain at my arms first,
then settle back and sink her head under the saddle flap and cower close
like some little schoolfellow, all the curves of her body craving
shelter, comfort, warmth. She shivered terribly. I heard her gasp and
sob. Ah, how I pitied her that hour!

[Illustration: COLONEL MERIWEATHER EXPRESSES HIS THANKS FOR THE RESCUE
OF HIS DAUGHTER]

[Illustration: ORME TESTIFIES THAT HE HEARD JOHN AND THE COLONEL
QUARRELING]

Our fire was gone at the first sweep of the storm, which raged
thunderously by, with heavy feet,