He watched with his eyes strained; he hoped to see a wagon, a few stray cattle.

But no, he soon descried several horsemen.

Shots and yells behind him attested to the fact that his pursuers likewise had seen these new-comers on the scene.
More than a mile separated these two parties, yet that distance did not keep them from soon understanding each other.

Duane waited only to see this new factor show signs of sudden quick action, and then, with a muttered curse, he spurred his horse off the road into the brush.
He chose the right side, because the river lay nearer that way.

There were patches of open sandy ground between clumps of cactus and mesquite, and he found that despite a zigzag course he made better time.