nearly noon
When Jefferson Worth left headquarters camp that morning , his purpose was to ride over a part of the territory lying southeast of the old San Felipe trail between the sand hills and the old beach-line . He had covered practically all of the land on the western side of the ancient sea-bed , from the delta dam at the southern end north to the lowest point in the Basin , and southward again on the eastern side as far as the old trail . There remained for him to see only this section in the southeast . It was nearly noon when the banker , from a slight elevation that afforded him a view of the surrounding country , recognized the group of sand hills and , by the general course of Dry River , distinguished the spot where the San Felipe trail crosses the deep arroyo . Occupied with his thoughts , he had ridden farther from camp than he had realized . He should turn back . But the distant scene of the desert tragedy called him .