Where are
we?"
"We are almost at the Colorado, and directly under the head of Coconina.
We can see the mountain from the break in the valley below."
"Come sit by me here under this tree. Tell me--how did you ever get
here?"
Then Mescal told him how the peon had led her on a long trail from Bitter
Seeps, how they had camped at desert waterholes, and on the fourth day
descended to Thunder River.
"I was quite happy at first. It's always summer down here. There were
rabbits, birds, beaver, and fruit--we had enough to eat. I explored the
valley with Wolf or rode Noddle up and down the canyon. Then my peon
died, and I had to shift for myself. There came a time when the beaver
left the valley, and Wolf and I had to make a rabbit serve for days. I
knew then I'd have to get across the desert to the Navajos or starve in
the canyon. I hesitated about climbing out into the desert, for I wasn't
sure of the trail to the waterholes. Noddle wandered off up the canyon
and never came back. After he was gone and I knew I couldn't get out I
grew homesick. The days weren't so bad because I was always hunting for
something to eat, but the nights were lonely.
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