The next day and for the three or four days following, Kut-le was
missing. The Newmans were worried. The ditch needed its engineer and
never before had Kut-le been known to neglect his work. Once a year he
went on a long hunt with chosen friends of his tribe, but never until
his work was finished.

Rhoda confided in no one regarding her last interview with the Indian.
She missed Kut-le, but DeWitt was frankly relieved. For the first time
since Porter's warning he relaxed his vigilance. On the fifth evening
after Kut-le's disappearance, Jack and DeWitt rode over to a
neighboring ranch. Katherine was lazy with a headache. So Rhoda took
her evening stroll alone. For once, she left the orchard and wandered
out into the open desert, moved by an uncanny desire to let the full
horror of the desert mystery sweep over her.

How long she sat on a rock, gazing into infinity, she did not know. It
seemed to her that her whole shivering, protesting body was being
absorbed into the strange radiance of the afterglow. At last she rose.
As she did so, a tall figure loomed silently before her. Rhoda was too
startled to scream. The figure was that of an Indian, naked save for
high moccasins and a magnificently decorated loin-cloth. The man
looked down at her with the smile of good fellowship that she knew so
well. It was Kut-le, standing like a young bronze god against the
faint pink of the afterglow.

"Hello!" he said nonchalantly. "I've been watching for you."

"What do you want!" gasped Rhoda. "What do you mean by coming before
me in--in--"