Mack led. The half dozen burros,
with their packs followed, next came Curly, and Enoch brought up the
rear. There was little talking on the trail. The single file, the
heavy dust, and the heat made conversation too great an effort. And
Enoch was grateful that this was so.
To-day he made a tremendous endeavor to keep his mind off Luigi and the
Brown papers. He found he could do this by thinking of Diana. And so
he spent the day with her, and resolved that if opportunity arose that
night, to write to her, in the black diary.
The trail, which gradually ascended as they drew north, grew rougher
and rougher. During the latter part of the day sand gave way to rock,
and the desert appeared full of pot holes which Mack claimed led to
subterranean rivers.
They left these behind near sunset, and came upon a huge, rude,
cave-like opening in a mesa side. A tiny pool at the back and the
evidence of many camp fires in the front announced that this was one of
the trail's established oases. There was no possible grazing for the
animals, so they were watered, staked, and fed oats from the packs.
"Well, Mr. Just Smith," said Curly, after the supper had been
dispatched and cleared up and the trio were established around the
fire, pipes glowing, "well, Mr.
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