stretched away on either side with scarcely a break to the horizon. They
had time to make up, and on these open spaces the engineer had let it out
to the limit. So swiftly and smoothly had it sped along that the "click,
click" as it struck each separate rail had merged into one droning "song
of the road."

There had been no rain for a week past, and the dust lay thick on the
grass and cactus. The motion of the train drew it up in clouds that made
it impossible to keep the windows raised, and the sun, beating down
pitilessly from a brazen sky, added to the general discomfort. Cooling
drinks were at a premium, and the porters were kept busy making trips to
the buffet car, from which they returned with tinkling glasses and
cooling ices. Collars wilted and conversation languished. Women glanced
listlessly over the pages of the magazines. Men drew their traveling caps
over their eyes and settled down for a doze. Here and there a commercial
traveler jotted down some item or wondered how far he dared to "pad" his
expense account so that it would "get by" the lynx-eyed head of the firm.
In the smoking-room a languid game of cards was being played, in an
effort to beguile the tedious monotony of the trip. Over all there
brooded a spirit of somnolence and relaxation.

If there was life to be discerned anywhere, it was in a group of three
young fellows seated near the middle of the car. They would have drawn
more than a passing glance wherever seen. Tall, well set up, muscular,
they served as splendid types of young American manhood. None of them
were over twenty, and their lean, bronzed faces, as well as the lithe
alertness of their movements, spoke of a life spent largely in the open.
They were brimming with life and high spirits. Exuberant vitality shone
through their eyes and betrayed itself in every gesture. That they were
friends of long standing was evident from the utter absence of ceremony