Now Injuns good to you."

Roger rose. "Thank you," he said simply. But Charley was too moved for
words and as if she understood, one of the squaws put one hand on the
girl's shoulder while she patted her cheek.

They clambered back to the top of the trail, without a word until the
camp was out of sight, then Roger said with a half smile,

"You are some girl, Charley dear."

"And you are some boy, Roger."

"I? Why Charley, I'm just beginning to realize that I have gone through
life with my eyes shut. The man with one idea misses most of life. I
went up there with the intention of threatening a lot of savages. I've
come away feeling as if I'd met a group of intelligent and kind hearted
fellow humans."

"It was wonderful of them, wasn't it!" exclaimed Charley. "I had no idea
they felt under obligations, to me. I certainly didn't want them to."

Roger nodded and looked at his watch. "It's only nine o'clock now. If it
wasn't so frightfully hot and there were any place to go, I'd say let's
continue our spree."

"Just beyond that strip of desert there," Charley pointed into the
valley to the east, "there are some wonderful Indian inscriptions on
some rocks around a spring. I've never seen them, but I've always wanted
to and I know the trail. Dick has shown it to me."

"Let's try it," said Roger. "Peter, come on, you're getting fat and
lazy. I believe it's about ten degrees hotter than usual."

It was an hour's climb down into the valley. It lost its level look on
near inspection. In every direction a fine, powderlike sand lay in long
undulating ridges. Neither rock nor cactus was to be seen. A faint wind
was stirring and tiny eddies of sand rose against the sky.

"You see that peak, due east?" asked Charley. "Well, the spring is just
at the foot of that in a little canyon. There's never any trail here at
all, the sand drifts so."

"I'm glad we're heading for a spring," exclaimed Roger. "I know I can
empty the gallon canteen by myself."

They started ahead, Roger leading, Peter following behind Charley. It
was heavy slow walking. After perhaps an hour of it, during which
conversation languished more and more, Charley said,

"I don't feel as eager minded as I did about Indian writings, do you?"

"Well," replied Roger, stopping to wipe the sand from his face and to
grin at Charley. "I wasn't eager about the hieroglyphics to begin with.
I haven't taken a girl for a walk for years and I thought this was my
chance!