He decided to hurry on before the girl found out the truth.
"I can still walk," he said, "and, while I can walk, I got to go south.

But--you gimme heart, lady.

You gimme a pile of heart to keep going.

Maybe"-- he paused, uncertain what to say next, and yet obviously she expected something more--"I'll get a chance to come back this way, and if I do, I'll see you! You can lay to that--I'll see you!" He was gone before she could answer, and he was wondering why she had looked down with that sudden color and that queer, pleased smile.

It would be long before Bull understood, but, even without understanding, he found that his heart was lighter and an odd warmth suffused him.
The rising of the sun found him in the pale desert with the magic of the hills growing distant behind him, and he settled to a different step through the thin sand--a short, choppy step.