to reassure her. But it is
difficult to speak of a person who hears what you are saying, and Swan
was talking of everything, it seemed to her, except the man they were
carrying.

She wondered if it were really true that Swan had sent a call through
space for a doctor; straightway she would call herself crazy for even
considering for a moment its possibility. If he could do that--but of
course he couldn't. He must just imagine it.

Many times Swan had her lower the stretcher to the ground, and would
make a great show of rubbing his arms and easing his shoulder muscles.
Whenever Lorraine looked full into his face he would grin at her as
though nothing was wrong, and when they came to a clear-running stream
he emptied the water bottle, dipped up a little fresh water, added
brandy, and lifted Brit's head very gently and gave him a drink. Brit
opened his eyes and looked at Swan, and from him to Lorraine, but he
did not say anything. He still had that tightened look around his
mouth which spelled pain.

"Pretty quick now we get you fixed up good," Swan told him cheerfully.
"One mile more is all, and we get the horses and I make a good bed for
you." He looked a signal, and Lorraine once more took up the stretcher.

Another mile seemed a long way, light though Swan had made the load for
her. She thought once that he must have some clairvoyant power,
because whenever she felt as if her arms were breaking, Swan would tell
her to stop a minute.

"How do you know a doctor will come?" she asked Swan suddenly, when
they were resting with the Thurman ranch in view half a mile below them.

Swan did not look at her directly, as had been his custom. She saw a
darker shade of red creep up into his cheeks. "My mother says she
would send a doctor quick," he replied hesitatingly. "You will see.
It is because--your father he is not like other men in this country.
Your father is a good man. That is why a doctor comes."

Lorraine looked at him strangely and stooped again to her burden. She
did not speak again until they were passing the Thurman fence where it
ran up into the mouth of the canyon. A few horses were grazing there,
the sun striking their sides with the sheen of satin. They stared
curiously at the little procession, snorted and started to run, heads
and tails held high. But one wheeled suddenly and came galloping
toward them, stopped when he was quite close, ducked and went
thundering past to the head of the f