"Anyway we have these," smiled the girl, but the cowboy shook his head.

"Those big ones are tomatoes, an' the others are corn, an' peas--but, it
don't make any difference." He pointed to the cans in disgust: "See
those ends bulged out that way? If we'd eat any of the stuff in those
cans we'd curl up an' die, _pronto_. Roll 'em back, Bat, we got grub
enough without 'em. Two days will put us through the bad lands an' we've
got plenty. We'll start when the moon comes up."

All four spent the afternoon in the meagre shade of the bull pine,
seeking some amelioration from the awful scorching heat. But it was
scant protection they got, and no comfort. The merciless rays of the sun
beat down upon the little plateau, heating the rocks to a degree that
rendered them intolerable to the touch. No breath of air stirred. The
horses ceased to graze and stood in the scrub with lowered heads and
wide-spread legs, sweating.

Towards evening a breeze sprang up from the southeast, but it was a
breeze that brought with it no atom of comfort. It blew hot and stifling
like the scorching blast of some mighty furnace. For an hour after the
sun went down in a glow of red the super-heated rocks continued to give
off their heat and the wind swept, sirocco-like, over the little camp.
Before the after-glow had faded from the sky the wind died and a
delicious coolness pervaded the plateau.

"It hardly seems possible," said Alice, as she breathed deeply of the
vivifying air, "that in this very spot only a few hours ago we were
gasping for breath.

"You can always bank on the nights bein' cold," answered Tex, as he