Far up the Grand Cañon road late that evening Brady and his three companions still sat watching sadly for the stage which came not. There they had sat in the burning sun without food or water since ten o'clock that morning. They did not speak to each other, but occasionally they cursed, sometimes the birds, sometimes the inanimate things about them. At times they thought of Harrison--but what their thoughts were no one will ever know. ONE TOUCH OF NATURE. "Pretty good cigar this," remarked the Cowboy. The Eastern man nodded. "Nowadays we can buy good ones out where I live, but 'twa'n't very long ago when good cigars were as rare out there as buffaloes are now round Kansas City." "The enormous increase in population in some of your Western cities is astonishing," remarked the Eastern man. The Cowboy glanced at him with an amused smile. The Eastern man smiled back good-naturedly. "What's the joke?" he asked. [Illustration: RESTING HIS HEAD ON THE COWBOY'S KNEE.] "Oh, nothin'," answered the Cowboy, "only I was thinkin' maybe you didn't live out West." "No, I am a New Yorker," answered the Eastern man. "Well, I guess they raise pretty good men in both places," remarked the Cowboy. "Our late war proved that, I think." The train had stopped, but there were no signs of a station, although two or three rather dilapidated houses and a typical Western saloon could be seen a short distance ahead. "Wonder what we are stopping here for," remarked the Cowboy; "it strikes me we've been here a pretty long time." Just then the porter passed the door of the smoking compartment, and the Cowboy called to him: "Say, porter, what's the matter? Seems to me we have been stoppin' here a whole lot. What's the name of this metropolis?" "It's mighty lucky you've got whole necks," answered the porter. "The eccentric, or something about the engine, is broke, and we came mighty near having a bad accident. They've sent on for another engine." "That's pleasant," remarked the Eastern man. "How long do you think we shall have to stay here before the other engine arrives?" "Give it up," said the porter. "Maybe an hour, maybe two; can't tell exactly. The train conductor will be along pretty soon and he will know all about it." "Guess I'll have to appoint myself a committee of one to investigate," remarked the Cowboy. He arose and went out on the platform of the car, followed by the Eastern man. They climbed down and walked forward to where they saw a crowd gathered about the engine. The eccentric rod had broken short off, and had the engine not been slowing up at the time, the result might have been serious.