“No. But he recovers slowly. A man must have a perfect heart and powerful lungs to battle against the many perils in this country. But Virey will get over this all right.”
“You never give up, do you?” she inquired.
“Come to think of that, I guess I never do,” replied Adam.
“Such spirit is worthy of a better cause. You are doomed here to failure.”
“Well, I’m not infallible, that’s certain. But you can never tell. The fact of my standing here is proof of the overcoming of almost impossible things. I can’t make Death Valley habitable for you, but I can lessen the hardships. How long have you been here?”
“Several months. But it’s years to me.”
“Who brought you down? How did you get here?”
“We’ve had different guides. The last were Shoshone Indians, who accompanied us across a range of mountains, then a valley, and last over the Panamints. They left us here. I rode a horse. Virey walked the last stages of this journey to Death Valley—from which there will be no return. We turned horse and burros loose. I have not seen them since.”
“Are these Shoshones supposed to visit you occasionally?”
“Yes. Virey made a deal with them to come every full moon. We’ve had more supplies than we need. The trouble is that Virey has the inclination to eat, but I have not the skill to prepare food wholesomely under these rough conditions. So we almost starved.”