The Three Godfathers (novel)

The story was originally published in The Saturday Evening Post (November 23, 1912), illustrated by N. C.

One of the fleeing men has a gunshot wound in his shoulder.

They encounter a woman in labor in a covered wagon who delivers a baby, entrusts the child to the men's care (asking them all to act as godfathers to the child), and then dies.

The men then try to get the baby back to civilization; two of them die on the way due to the lack of water.

The final man, suffering from extreme thirst, carries the baby to the town of New Jerusalem, pursued doggedly by coyotes and aided by a burro.