And at the same time the rough country came closer, until one could see where the fertile plain really ended, and the sandy desert began.
Unless one made a very wide detour it was absolutely necessary to cross over this arid waste in order to reach the Mexican border. Frank had been figuring it all out. He believed that Jose, being a bold and audacious man, would not think of taking the longer route. In the first place that course was apt to keep him exposed to the hot pursuit which he knew he could count on as the result of his audacious exploit. And doubtless Jose was fully aware of the reputation those hard riding cow punchers connected with the Double X Ranch had as trackers and fighters too, on occasion. What they had done to the Mexican cattle rustlers must have made a reputation for them across the border; so that Jose knew what chances he was taking when he started in to steal his daughter, which the court had given over into the keeping of her relative, Mr. Witherspoon.
And Andy was not a great while in making the discovery that they were now approaching the confines of that sandy region where the sun beat pitilessly down all through the livelong hours of the day, and the heat must be terrific.
Up where they were they could feel nothing of the earth’s radiation, and doubtless it would be delightfully cool.
Beyond as far as the eye could reach, it held, that same glaring stretch of glistening sand, on the surface of which toward noon it would be easily possible to fry an egg; indeed Andy had actually done the same on a previous visit, when they dropped down to discover how it felt to be adrift in the midst of a desert, he having been put up to the game through words spoken by Buckskin.
Far away to the west he saw the tops of high mountains, but they must have been scores of miles off. Between doubtless lay the desert, with perhaps a stretch of the plain where the grass grew, and even flowers could be found in their season, all the difference being brought about by the presence of earth in the one case and nothing but sand in the other.
On this waste nothing seemed to grow save the cactus that stood up like giant sentinels guarding the cemetery of centuries. Here and there one could find the skulls and bones of unfortunate animals that had become lost in the sand storms occasionally blowing over this heated stretch, to perish miserably from suffocation or else subsequent thirst.
Straining his eyes Andy kept on looking, always hoping that the very next minute might result in a pleasing discovery. If the glare caused his eyes to burn he paid little attention to that discomfort. All the while he was thinking how terrible it would be if they had, after all, made a mistake in figuring out the probable way Jose would take in trying to escape the penalty of his cruel deed. Should he have turned aside, and continued to avoid the desert, all their work would go for nothing.
Still, Andy had the utmost confidence in his chum’s ability to grapple with a question like this. He felt that Frank must know just about what would be passing in the mind of the man they were hunting. Frank had a faculty for putting himself in another’s place, and figuring things out from that standpoint.
And then there was another comforting thought that came to Andy. Supposing the fugitive had done this same thing, he could not reach the border under several days, since the desert was extensive; and surely there would be a good chance of the hard-riding cowboys coming up on him meanwhile.