d at his clothes, and he believed he was being searched.
His captors were as silent as if they had been dumb. He felt when they
took his pocketbook and his knife and all that he had. Then they cut,
tore, and stripped off all his clothing. He was lifted, carried a few
steps, and dropped upon what seemed a soft, low mound, and left lying
there, still tied and naked. Shefford heard the rustle of sage and the
dull thud of hoofs as his assailants went away.

His first sensation was one of immeasurable relief. He had not been
murdered. Robbery was nothing. And though roughly handled, he had not
been hurt. He associated the assault with the three strange visitors
of the preceding day. Still, he had no proof of that. Not the slightest
clue remained to help him ascertain who had attacked him.

It might have been a short while or a long one, his mind was so filled
with growing conjectures, but a time came when he felt cold. As he lay
face down, only his back felt cold at first. He was grateful that he
had not been thrown upon the rocks. The ground under him appeared soft,
spongy, and gave somewhat as he breathed. He had really sunk down a
little in this pile of soft earth. The day was not far off, as he could
tell by the brightening of the gray. He began to suffer with the cold,
and then slowly he seemed to freeze and grow numb. In an effort to roll
over upon his back he discovered that his position, or his being bound,
or the numbness of his muscles was responsible for the fact that he
could not move. Here was a predicament. It began to look serious. What
would a few hours of the powerful sun do to his uncovered skin? Somebody
would trail and find him: still, he might not be found soon.

He saw the sky lighten, turn rosy and then gold. The sun shone upon him,
but some time elapsed before he felt its warmth. All of a sudden a pain,
like a sting, shot through his shoulder. He could not see what caused
it; probably a bee. Then he felt another upon his leg, and about
simultaneously with it a tiny, fiery stab in his side. A sickening
sensation pervaded his body, slowly moving, as if poison had entered
the blood of his veins. Then a puncture, as from a hot wire, entered the
skin of his breast. Unmistakably it was a bite. By dint of great effort
he twisted his head to see a big red ant on his breast. Then he heard
a faint sound, so exceedingly faint that he could not tell what it was
like. But presently his strained ears detected a lo