The Set is a Western world with a visible edge: at Brimstone, Devil’s Highway rises above the settlement and extends beyond the boundary. Its geography makes departure seem physically possible, but Washburn’s ride to the bridge’s midpoint and return to town turn that threshold into a place of hesitation and renewed confrontation.

Geography and Boundary

Brimstone is a desolate mining settlement on the northeastern edge of The Territory. Above it stands Devil’s Highway, a broad, gently sloping natural rock bridge. Its far end is hidden from view and firmly anchored just outside The Set, two hundred yards and 150 years away. The distance is at once short and immense: the bridge appears traversable, yet its far end marks a separation in both space and time.

Brimstone and the Approach

Washburn reaches Brimstone on a limping horse. There are few people about, but he recognizes the freckle-faced kid, who has apparently ridden hard to arrive before him. Washburn passes without speaking, then sits on his horse and looks at Devil’s Highway. He imagines crossing it and leaving the West behind, with its good and bad times, its fear and laughter, and its slow days and dangerous nights. Beyond it, he pictures being with Consuela, reading newspapers, and watching television. The ordinary modern life he expects makes the bridge feel like an exit from the whole Western world, not merely a route out of town.

Washburn at the Crossing

After a final drink of redeye, Washburn starts across. His horse hesitates, and he must urge it over the sloping, pebble-covered surface. At the bridge’s highest point, astride the joint between two worlds, he looks at neither. Reaching for his hat, he discovers that he is bareheaded; he scratches his forehead and sits as if in no hurry. Then he turns the horse around and rides back down toward Brimstone. The return changes the bridge from an apparent escape route into the setting for a renewed encounter: the watching crowd scatters for cover, while Little Joe Potter alone remains in the dusty street as Washburn dismounts, sends his horse out of the line of fire, and walks toward him.