It was only a brief rest she allowed; and then, hastily packing up her stores, and retaining some dry corn bread and a few beans in her pocket, she mounted and rode on.

The morning grew hot, and the way was long.  As the ground rose again, it was stony and overgrown with cactus.  A great desolation took possession of the girl.  She felt as if she were in an endless flight from an unseen pursuer, who would never give up until he had her.

It was high noon by the glaring sun when she suddenly saw another human being.  At first she was not quite sure whether he were human.  It was only a distant view of a moving speck; but it was coming toward her, though separated by a wide valley that had stretched already for miles.  He was moving along against the sky-line on a high bench on one side of the valley, and she mounting as fast as her weary beast would go to the top of another, hoping to find a grassy stretch and a chance to rest.

But the sight of the moving speck startled her.  She watched it breathlessly as they neared each other.  Could it be a wild beast?  No, it must be a horse and rider.  A moment later there came a puff of smoke as from a rifle discharged, followed by the distant echo of the discharge.  It was a man, and he was yet a great way off.  Should she turn and flee before she was discovered?  But where?  Should she go back?  No, a thousand times, no!  Her enemy was there.  This could not be the one from whom she fled.  He was coming from the opposite direction, but he might be just as bad.  Her experience taught her that men were to be shunned.  Even fathers and brothers were terribly uncertain, sorrow-bringing creatures.

She could not go back to the place where the dead man lay.  She must not go back.  And forward she was taking the only course that seemed at all possible through the natural obstructions of the region.  She shrank to her saddle, and urged the patient horse on.  Perhaps she could reach the bench and get away out of sight before the newcomer saw her.

But the way was longer to the top, and steeper than it had seemed at first, and the horse was tired.  Sometimes he stopped of his own accord, and snorted appealingly to her with his head turned inquiringly as if to know how long and how far this strange ride was to continue.  Then the man in the distance seemed to ride faster.  The valley between them was not so wide here.  He was quite distinctly a man now, and his horse was going rapidly.  Once it seemed as if he waved his arms; but she turned her head, and urged her horse with sudden fright.  They were almost to the top now.  She dismounted and clambered alongside of the animal up the steep incline, her breath coming in quick gasps, with the horse’s breath hot upon her cheek as they climbed together.

At last!  They were at the top!  Ten feet more and they would be on a level, where they might disappear from view.  She turned to look across the valley, and the man was directly opposite.  He must have ridden hard to get there so soon.  Oh, horror!  He was waving his hands and calling.  She could distinctly hear a cry!  It chilled her senses, and brought a frantic, unreasoning fear.  Somehow she felt he was connected with the one from whom she fled.  Some emissary of his sent out to foil her in her attempt for safety, perhaps.