Micah had to take a prisoner to Santa Fe.  I told him I'd go along.  We had to cross the desert.  We reached the basin of the desert at the hottest point of the day, it was like a furnace.  We decided to camp now and cross the basin about midnight.  Stanley, the prisoner started laughing.  "Ill be glad when we get laughing boy off our hands," said Micah.  "Alright Stanley, get off that horse and make up your bedding," I said.  He rode over to us laughing.  "I sure wish you fellows would think twice about keeping these here irons on me," said Stanley.  "You ain't givin' me a sportin' chance Mr. McCain," said Stanley.  "More of a sporting chance then you and those drunken Indians gave that rancher and his family." "Well, you wouldn't want us to lift hair pieces off of live folks Mr. McCain."  "Stanley, get your bedding down before I shove you under a rock where you belong." 

I was getting my bed roll ready when I heard some commotion.  It was Stanley, he had spooked our horses.  He thought this was funny.  I was so mad at him that.  I grabbed him by his shirt.  Micah came running over to us.  "Who's gonna die first, huh marshal, you? You Mr. McCain? Or maybe me?" Asked Stanley.  "Maybe I have nothing to loose, seeing they're gonna hang me."  "Half way across, no water," said Stanley.  I told him if we didn't round up the horses, he was gonna be needing water just as bad as we do.  He was right tho, he had nothin' to loose.  He wanted to take us down with him.  I started to run after the horses.  But it didn't do any good. 

Stanly was so sure that he would out last us.  He said he would be around to stomp on our graves by sundown tomorrow.

After we rested and the sun went down we started off on foot.  Micah was tiring fast.  I was concerned about him.  The hotter it got the slower Micah got.  He was getting farther and farther behind.  It wasn't even near noon yet, but that sun was extremely hot.   He had to stop and rest.  "There's nothing like takin' a little walk in the sun to bring out the age in a man Lucas," said Micah.  "Another hour Micah, we'll make camp."  "We can rest by day and travel by night," I said.  While Micah and I were talking, Stanley came up to us.  "I was thinkin' about now, I could do you guys a favor. Sorta ease a poor situation, like they say," said Stanley.  I told him to get movin'.  He knew where there was water.  He wanted to make a deal.  He wanted to swap the water for the keys. He would give us the water if we turned our backs while he goes on.  Micah wouldn't budge.

  I wasn't too sure that he knew where the water was, but Micah was convinced Stanley knew. He recalled how that band of Indians that Stanley took up with use to cross this basin without carrying any water at all.  He heard they found a hidden spring somewhere.  They kept it covered up just so no one else could use it.  We we're hoping Stanley would get thirsty enough to say where the water was, deal or no deal.  At least now we had some hope.  We started off again.

Micah started to climb around on the rocks.  He thought if he got up higher he might be able to spot a mud hole.  He couldn't see nothing.  With the heat and the glare from the sun, Micah lost his balance and tumbled down over several rocks.  He was hurt.  He thought he might have cracked a rib or two. I decided we should rest there for a couple of hours or at least until Micah gets his wind back.  Micah leaned over to talk to me.  "Lucas, lets not mince words. Something's happened to me." "I'm drying out a lot faster then I thought I would," said Micah.  I told him that maybe we should agree to Stanley's terms.  He couldn't face the people of North Fork, knowing that Stanley would still be out there torturing and killing again.  I promised Micah I'd hunt Stanley down for him.  He needed water.  That's what was important now.  Water or no water he felt I would beat this and reach Santa Fe alive. He wanted me to take Stanley and go on without him.  He hoped Stanley would crack.  I had a plan.  I was going to try and burn him out.  Get him to the point where he would sell his soul for water then we would have a chance.  If there's water, that's the only chance we got.  Micah agreed, but warned me not to overplay my hand.  He knew to drive Stanley, I would have to drive myself.  I told him.....I'd be back.  I told Stanley to get on his feet.  As we headed out, the buzzards were flying overhead. 

He never shut up.  Yap, yap, yap.  Talking about how dry your throat gets. I told him to get going and to go over some rocks that were ahead.  He wanted to go around them.  I was taking him the roughest way around.  He told me to go up the rocks and he'd go around and meet me.  He started off.  I then shot at his feet.  "Over the rocks Stanley."  He knew what I was trying to do.  It was down to him or me.  My plan was working.  He started running to get to those rocks.  We made it over the rocks and walked and walked and walked.  We were both exhausted.  He dropped to the ground, laughing.  Again he tried to strike up a deal.  The water for me turning my back. "On your feet and keep going," I said.  He said no one needed to know.  The marshal would be dead.  I could say that he snuck off while my back was turned.  I couldn't do it no matter what.  I remember what Micah had said about not being able face the people of North Fork, knowing that Stanley would still be out there torturing and killing again. 

That sun sure was a scorcher.  I could hardly walk.  I don't know how I kept goin'.  My eyes we're playing tricks on me.  Stanley headed over my way.  He wanted to see if I needed any help.  He's a liar.  I fell to my knees.  He told me how he seen men stuff dirt down their throats and how he was going to be around to help me do just that.  He slowly worked his way up to me and tried to take my rifle.  I threw him down to the ground.  I Held my rifle on him.  He said I couldn't kill him.  But thinking about what Micah had said made me want to. 

"Lucas, Lucas," yelled Micah.  I went over to him.  He told me he was alright.  Stanley started laughing and yelling, "traveling around and going no where, that's what we've been doin."  I started for Stanley.  Micah stopped me.  "Lucas, your too strong a man to let this desert beat you," said Micah.  "You go on and leave Stanley. The desert will do for him what the law wanted to do."  I ran to him and held him down with the sun beating on his face.  I told him I'd stake him out to dry if he didn't tell me where the water was.  I just kept yelling,  "Stanley, where's the water?"   Micah called to me.  Stanley was laughing and crawling around on the desert on his hands and knees.  "It's been there all the time. Right on top of you!"  "You fool!"  He was loosing his mind.  He just kept calling and screaming and crawling on his hands and knees.  He started swallowing dirt, thinking it was water.  I yelled to him.  He crawled a little more and then collapsed. He was dead.

  Just then our horses came running in.  They ran right up to the watering hole that was hidden by rocks.  I filled the canteen and gave Micah a drink.  It was an underground spring.  That was why the horses came back, they smelled water.  This is what Stanley was pointing to.  He couldn't crawl to it so he imagined it was flowing out to him. 

          Mark was glad to have me back home.  He was so glad that he offered to do the dishes, washin' and dryin' until I felt better. I told him that I should feel better by next week.  Maybe we could keep that squirrel hunting date with Micah.  Mark was glad.  He then started to pump water to get a drink.  It was over flowing.  I grabbed his arm.  He asked me what was the matter.  "Nothing's a matter son."  "We've got plenty of water on the ranch."  "It's funny how you take the good things for granted."  "Go ahead."  "Let me help you as a matter of fact."  I just kept pumping and his cup just kept overflowing.  "That's enough, Pa, that's enough."  We both started to laugh.