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But Rhoda scarcely heeded the woman's voice. She rolled over with her hot face in the fragrant needles and groaned. "O Molly! Molly! I'm in terrible trouble!" "What trouble? You tell old Molly!" Rhoda sat up and stared into the deep brown eyes. Just as Kut-le had become to her the splendor of the desert, so had Molly become the brooding wisdom of the desert.
The wall was composed of a series of jutting rocks and of ledges that barely offered hand or foot hold. Up and up and up! Kut-le was now beside her, now above her, now lifting, now pulling. Half-way to the top, Rhoda stopped, dizzy and afraid. Kneeling on the ledge above, with one hand thrust down to lift her, Kut-le looked into her eyes almost pleadingly.
My own people!" she sobbed, crouching upon the cañon edge. Kut-le watched the little figure with inscrutable eyes. Then he lifted the girl to her feet. "Rhoda, are you going to eat your heart out for your own kind if you marry me? Won't I be sufficient? It hadn't occurred to me that I might not be!" "You haven't given up your people," answered Rhoda. "You are always going back to them."
Before the girl could plan any action, Kut-le had turned to her and had lifted her in his arms. She fought him wildly. "I can't leave him so, Kut-le! You will kill all I've learned to feel for you if you leave him so!" "He'll be all right!" panted Kut-le, running down the trail. "I've got Billy Porter down here to leave with him!" At the foot of the trail were horses.
Katherine and Jack greeted him with quiet sympathy. "I came in to get fixed up for a long cruise," said John. "My pony went lame, and I want a flannel shirt instead of this silk thing I had on last night. I wish to God Kut-le would come! I suppose he could read what we are blind to." "You bet!" cried Jack. "I expect an answer from his friends this afternoon.
"You take my advice and let me take the girl back to her friends and you make tracks down into Mexico as fast as the Lord'll let you." Kut-le shifted the Navajo that hung over his naked shoulders. He gave a short laugh that Rhoda had never heard from him before. "Let her go with you, Jim Provenso! You know as well as I do that she is safer with an Apache! Anything else?" "Yes, this else!"
"It's a devilish thing for Kut-le to do. But she's safe, John, old boy, I'm sure she is." Billy Porter, conscience-stricken at the effect of his words, clapped John on the shoulder. "Aw shucks! I let my Injun hate get the best of my tongue. Of course she's safe enough; only the darn devil's got to be caught before he gets to Mexico and makes some padre marry 'em.
He says that Newman and Porter hired him to trail us but he is tired of the job. They foolishly advanced him five dollars. He says they are camping in the valley right below here." Rhoda sprang to her feet. "Where are you going?" smiled Kut-le. "He says they are going to shoot me on sight!" Under her tan Rhoda's face whitened. "Would they shoot you, Kut-le, even if I told them not to?"
"We'll not let her out of our sight again. You can't tell what stunt Kut-le is up to!" "That's right!" said Porter. "It'll be hard on her, but she'd better come with us." "Don't trouble to discuss the matter," said Rhoda coolly. "I am coming with you. Katherine probably sent some clothing for me, didn't she?" "Why, yes!" exclaimed Jack. "That was one of the first things she thought of.
Into this she flung the eviscerated mice and in an instant the tiny things were a delicate brown. The aroma was pleasant but Rhoda turned whiter still when Molly brought her the fattest of the mice. "Take it away!" she whispered. "Take it away!" Molly looked at the girl in stupid surprise. "You must eat, Rhoda girl!" said Kut-le.
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