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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/36423-8.txt b/36423-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..78aae09 --- /dev/null +++ b/36423-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,7727 @@ +Project Gutenberg's The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali, by Frank Gee Patchin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + or, Finding a Key to the Desert Maze + +Author: Frank Gee Patchin + +Release Date: June 13, 2011 [EBook #36423] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI *** + + + + +Produced by Al Haines + + + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Cover art] + + + + + +[Frontispiece: Faster and Faster Danced Ned Rector.] + + + + + +The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + +OR + +Finding a Key to the Desert Maze + + + +By + +FRANK GEE PATCHIN + + + +Author of The Pony Rider Boys in The Rockies, The Pony Rider Boys in +Texas, The Pony Rider Boys in Montana, The Pony Rider Boys in The +Ozarks, Etc., Etc. + + + +Illustrated + + + +THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY + +Akron, Ohio -------- New York + +Made in U. S. A. + + + + +Copyright MCMX + +By THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY + + + + +CONTENTS + + +CHAPTER. + + I. THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL + II. THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP + III. TWISTED BY A TWISTER + IV. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE + V. STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT + VI. BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS + VII. CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF + VIII. NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK + IX. THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER + X. A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER + XI. A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER + XII. RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL + XIII. COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS + XIV. FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS + XV. BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT + XVI. THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS + XVII. ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT + XVIII. ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS + XIX. WINNING THEIR REWARD + XX. VISITED BY A HALO + XXI. OFF ON A DRY TRAIL + XXII. IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE + XXIII. LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE + XXIV. CONCLUSION + + + + +The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL + +"If this is the desert, then I think I prefer mountains," decided Stacy +Brown. + +"It is not the desert. We have not reached it yet. This is the +Diamond Range," replied Tom Parry, who was to guide the Pony Rider Boys +across the great Nevada Desert. "We shall soon be there, however." + +"You'll know the place when you see it, Chunky," said Ned Rector. + +"And feel it, too, I guess," added Tad Butler under his breath. + +"We have the desert on each side of us now," continued the guide. +"Were you to fire a rifle to the right or left, your bullet would fall +on the baking alkali of the desert." + +"Then, if we're so near, why not get out in the open, instead of +floundering through these hills?" questioned Stacy. + +"I'm thinking you'll wish you were back in the hills before many days," +laughed the guide. + +"Mr. Parry has his own reasons for following this trail, Master Stacy," +interposed Professor Zepplin. "We are entirely in his hands and it is +not for us to question the wisdom of his decision." + +The guide nodded. + +Parry was a splendid type of the plainsman of the great West. Tall, +straight, clear-eyed, his bronzed cheeks fairly glistening in the +sunlight, he would have attracted attention anywhere. At present, he +sat on his pony motionless, the broad sombrero tilted upward above his +forehead as he peered into the amber haze that hung over the western +horizon. + +"Yes, we shall reach the desert soon enough. We are heading for the +Newark Valley now, and should be there in time to make camp this +afternoon, providing the weather is satisfactory," announced Parry, +more to himself than to the others. + +"Weather--weather?" stammered Professor Zepplin. "What's the matter +with the weather?" + +"One hundred in the shade. Isn't that matter enough?" grunted Stacy. + +"How do you know, Chunky? You haven't seen any shade to-day," demanded +Ned Rector. "There isn't a patch of shade as large as a man's hand in +this whole country, so far as I have been able to observe." + +"And still less in the country we are about to enter," added the guide. + +Tad Butler, however, had been observing the guide keenly. Though the +lad had asked no questions, he had caught a note of anxiety in the +tone, as well as in the apprehensive glances that Parry kept +continually casting to the westward. The guide, catching Tad's +inquiring look, smiled and nodded. + +"You should always keep your eyes on the weather in this country, +especially when on the alkali," he told the boy after the party had +started on again. + +"Why more there than elsewhere, Mr. Parry?" + +"Because storms here are frequently attended with no little peril. +You'll see some of them, no doubt, before we reach the end of our +journey, and you will wish you hadn't." + +"But there's no sign of storm now," protested Tad. + +"Perhaps not to you, young man. Do you see that haze settling down +like a fog on the western horizon?" + +"Yes, I've been looking at it--a golden fog." + +The guide smiled grimly. + +"I wouldn't call it exactly golden. I should call it fiery," said the +guide. + +"Has it any particular meaning?" + +"May mean most anything. Means storm of some kind--perhaps rain, and +maybe wind. If it passes, we'll drop out of here and make camp on the +desert to-night." + +"That will be fine," said Tad. "We are all crazy for the desert. +Since we started out on our trips, last spring, we have experienced +almost everything that could happen to us on mountain and plain----" + +"But not including the desert?" + +"No." + +"You'll find it different; very different." + +"I suppose you know every foot of it--in fact its every mood, do you +not?" questioned Tad. + +The guide, for the moment lost in thought, finally turned to the lad +again. + +"Moods, did you say? Well, that describes it. The desert is as moody +as an old hen with a brood of chickens. Know the Nevada Desert? +Sometimes I think I do; then again, I know I don't." + +"But you could not get lost----" + +"I have," smiled the guide. "I've been wandering about the alkali for +days without being able to find my way back. If you are able to read +trails and the droop of the scattering sage brush you will have made a +long stride toward knowing your way about the desert." + +"I don't understand," wondered the lad. + +"No; of course not. It's a long story, but when we have time I will +initiate you into the mysteries of reading the desert signs. The west +is clearing up. That's good," the guide exclaimed in a relieved tone. + +"Which means that we go on?" + +"Yes." + +"Are we turning off into the desert, did you say?" asked Walter +Perkins, with sparkling eyes. + +"Well, not just yet, Master Walter. We shall have to refill our +water-bags before leaving the range. I take it, you boys would not +care to be without water?" + +"No, I guess not. But where are you going to get it?" asked Ned. + +"About a mile further on there should be a mountain stream. There will +not be much water in it just now, but we shall be able to fill our bags +and water the stock, I guess." + +"Hooray!" shouted the boys. + +"The call of the desert is stronger than ever," averred Tad. + +"You are not the first ones who have felt that way, young man. 'The +call of the desert,' as you put it, has lured many a poor victim to his +death. Water is the all important thing when on a journey of this +kind, and we shall have to be vigilant that we do not allow ourselves +to be without it." + +As the guide had said, the stream, when they finally came up with it +more than two hours later, was a mere rivulet. + +"Call that a stream?" sniffed Stacy. + +"No, it's a freshet," replied Ned Rector. "You might take a swim in it +were it not for the danger of drowning." + +"How are we going to get any water unless we dip it up with a spoon?" +asked Tad. + +"I'll show you," smiled the guide, dismounting. + +Already the stock had sniffed the presence of water, even though there +was so little of it. The ponies chafed at their bits and snorted, +while the burros of the pack train tossed their heads in their +impatience. + +"I used to have a plaything that worked just like the heads of those +lazy burros," Stacy informed his companions wisely. + +"That's about your gait," growled Ned. + +"You didn't think so when he saved our lives in the Ruby Mountain," +reminded Tad. + +"That's right, Ned," confirmed Walter. "Don't be ungrateful for small +favors." + +"I apologize, Master Chunky," announced Ned, removing his sombrero and +unbending in a ceremonious bow to the fat boy. + +"We will now make a water hole. Come along if you wish to know how it +is done," called the guide. + +Leading the ponies and pack animals down along the slender water course +until they had reached a natural pocket, the guide halted. With a +rubber blanket he formed a basin in the depression in the rocks through +which the water had been trickling and losing itself far down in the +earth. Two of the Pony Rider Boys held the blanket in place while it +was slowly filling with water. + +"Now, Master Stacy, if you will be good enough to fetch one of your +pails we will water the stock first." + +Stacy did so. To save time, Walter brought another pail, so that this +could be filled while his companion was giving the water to one of +their animals. + +It was a slow process; and, by the time the six ponies and four burros +had drunk their fill, something more than an hour had passed. By this +time the rubber blanket had been thoroughly cleaned by constant rubbing. + +"Bring on the canteens and water-bags," directed Tom Parry. "We'll +have water enough to carry us through a few days of desert life, at any +rate. Load the burros down." + +The animals now having satisfied their thirst were nibbling gingerly at +the scant growth of sage brush. It was not a tender morsel at any +time, but from that time on they would be obliged to subsist almost +entirely on the bitter stuff. + +"Have you boys filled up?" asked Tom, looking about. "Better drink +enough to last you for the rest of the day. We shall have to use our +water sparingly for a time now. Take on a supply while you have the +chance." + +"How about you, Chunky?" laughed Ned Rector. + +"Think I'm a camel?" demanded Stacy, with an air of indignation. + +"Now, will you be good, Ned Rector?" laughed Tad. + +Even the stolid face of the guide relaxed in a broad smile of amusement. + +"Then, if you are all supplied, we had better be on our way. If we are +going to camp on the alkali to-night we shall have to make time between +this and sundown. It's about three hours high." + +With a whoop and a hurrah, the boys swung into their saddles, heading +joyously for the Newark Valley and the silent, mysterious desert that +in the dim, misty past had been a great inland sea. + +Readers of the preceding volumes of this series will recall how the +Pony Rider Boys came to spend their summer vacation on horseback, under +the guardianship of Walter Perkins' tutor, Professor Zepplin. With a +capable mountain guide, their first journey was through the wildest +part of the Rocky Mountains, where they met with a series of rousing +adventures and hair-breadth escapes--experiences calculated to try the +stoutest hearts. It was here that the young explorers hunted big +game--here that they discovered a valuable mine that had been the goal +of prospectors for many years past. + +All this was outlined in the first volume of the series, "THE PONY +RIDER BOYS IN THE ROCKIES." In the second volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS +IN TEXAS," was narrated how the four lads joined in a cattle drive +across the plains of Texas, becoming real cowboys. Being by this time +well hardened physically, they were able to do men's work in rounding +up the stampeding cattle, which led them into many thrilling +adventures. It will be recalled, too, how, during a visit to the +mysterious church of San Miguel, the Pony Rider Boys solved the veiled +riddle of the plains, which marked the end of the most eventful journey +of their lives. In the third volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN MONTANA," +we find the plucky lads following the old Custer trail over mountain +and plain. It will be remembered how Tad Butler, while chasing a bear +that had disturbed their camp, overheard a plot to stampede and +slaughter the herd of sheep belonging to a rancher whom they knew; how +the lad managed to escape from the men who sought his life; his +eventual capture by the Blackfeet Indians, his escape, and the final +solving of the mystery of the old Custer trail, during which the boys +were in the thick of a battle between cowboys and sheep herders. In +the volume preceding the present one the Pony Rider Boys were once more +in the saddle in search of further adventure. In "THE PONY RIDER BOYS +IN THE OZARKS," they met with a series of disasters and exciting +experiences which tested their courage almost to the breaking point. +They were beset by a band of robbers, who stole their ponies. Nearly +all the party, one by one, was lost in the fastnesses of the Ozark +wilderness. It will be recalled how the boys, during a visit to the +Red Star Mine, were caught in a wreck far underground; how a car of +dynamite exploded, making them prisoners in a rocky tomb, and how, +after being rescued by a mountain girl, they discovered the real secret +of the Ruby Mountain, narrowly escaping with their lives in doing so. +No sooner had they brought this eventful trip to a close than they set +out to face the perils of the great, silent desert of Nevada. + +They were almost upon it now. Its spell was upon them and the lads +fell silent as they waited anxiously for the first sight of the land +which they had journeyed so far to gaze upon. + +They had not long to wait after leaving the water hole where they had +replenished their supply. + +The guide at last rode out upon a rocky promontory, where he halted, +waiting for the others of the party to come up with him. + +"Where's the desert--is that it?" demanded Ned, riding up beside him. + +The guide raised his hand in a sweeping gesture. + +"The desert lies before you," he answered, his eyes traveling +meditatively over the miles of waste and mottled landscape. + +A brazen glare lay over the scene, while up from the white alkali flats +rose a wave of heat that was suffocating. Old, dried-up water sinks +lay white and glistening here and there, framed by vast areas of sage +brush, while on beyond in the blue distance lay miles and miles of +monotonous, billowing hills and mountains. + +"Whew!" gasped Chunky, mopping the perspiration from his brow. "This +is somewhat hotter than Chillicothe, Missouri. I wish I had a cake of +ice to put under my hat." + +"Beautiful! Grand!" murmured Professor Zepplin. + +"Reminds me of a Turkish bath I was in once in St. Louis," added Ned. + +Tad Butler was silent. He was too profoundly impressed even to speak; +and even the guide, familiar as he was with the scene, was silent and +thoughtful, too. He understood full well the perils, the pitfalls for +the unwary, that lay along the pathway of those who sought to traverse +that barren waste. + +At last he turned to Professor Zepplin. + +"Shall we move?" he asked. + +The Professor nodded. + +"One of you boys get behind the burros and start them along, please," +requested the guide. + +Stacy Brown complied gleefully. No more pleasant task could have been +assigned to him than that of prodding the lazy pack-bearers. + +"Forward!" commanded Tom Parry. + +The boys clucked to their ponies. + +Not an animal moved. + +Surprised, the lads brought their spurs against the flanks that they +could feel were trembling a little. + +A strange, unlooked for thing occurred. + +With whinnies of terror the little animals reared and plunged. Before +their puzzled riders could control them every pony in the outfit had +whirled suddenly and began plunging along on the back trail. + +A chorus of "whoa's" rose from the Pony Rider Boys. Quirt and spur +were used freely, and firm hands on the bridle reins quickly checked +the sudden rush. By dint of force and persuasion the boys finally +succeeded in forcing their mounts back. That is, all had done so save +Stacy Brown. His pony was spinning like a top, while Stacy red-faced +and perspiring was uttering loud, angry shouts, driving in spur and +raining quick, short blows on the animal's rump. + +The burros had moved just far enough away to be out of reach of Stacy's +plunging animal. + +At last it threw itself violently to the ground. Stacy, by a +remarkably lively jump, cleared his falling mount, but not a second too +soon to save himself from being pinned beneath it. + +He sat down on the animal's head, puffing from his exertions. After a +minute, during which the other boys laughed so heartily that their own +ponies nearly got the better of them again, Stacy rose and began +prodding his mount with the end of the quirt, urging it to get up again. + +But the pony refused to budge. + +"He's 'hog-tied,'" nodded the guide, riding up. "Let him stay there +till he gets ready to move. No use trying to hurry the beast. He's +too much scared." + +"Scared at what?" questioned Stacy, looking up apprehensively. + +"Yes; that's what I'd like to know?" agreed Ned. "I don't see anything +that looks like a scare." + +The guide was looking down at the animal pityingly, Tad thought. + +"What are they so frightened at, Mr. Parry?" asked the lad. + +"My boy, they are afraid of the desert," replied the guide solemnly. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP + +"The desert?" the Pony Riders gasped in chorus. + +"Yes. It is not an uncommon thing. They seem to realize instinctively +that there is danger off there. Even in animals that never have been +near the desert you will find the same inborn dread of the alkali +flats. And I don't know that I blame them any." + +"But is my broncho going to lie here all day?" queried Chunky. "If +that's his idea I might as well give him another argument that will +make him change his mind." + +"Let him alone. He'll be better off if you do not force him. When he +gets up be gentle but firm with him." + +"That's the strangest thing I ever saw," said Tad quietly. + +"Most remarkable," agreed the Professor. + +The faces of the boys were serious. They too began to perceive the +feeling that had stirred the ponies to resist when turned toward the +silent plains that lay spread for mile upon mile before them. + +After a few minutes Stacy's pony scrambled to its feet. The lad was in +the saddle in a twinkling. + +"Now, I guess you'll go where I want you to. Whoa! Quit that +b-b-b-b-bucking." + +The animal had gone into a series of jolting bucks, with back arched +and head well down. The fat boy held his seat well. His face was red +and streaked with perspiration which ran down it in tiny rivulets under +the violent exercise to which he had just been subjected. + +The boys forgot the serious side of the incident in their enjoyment of +their companion's discomfiture. + +Tom Parry gazed upon the scene with more than ordinary curiosity. It +was the first opportunity he had had of observing a Pony Rider Boy in +action. At that moment Stacy Brown was most distinctly in action. +Most of the time there was a broad patch of daylight under him, and +when he hit the saddle it was with a jolt that seemed as if it must jar +his head from his body. + +"Put some salt on his tail," suggested Ned Rector. + +"Y-y-y-you do it," gasped Chunky, which brought a roar of laughter from +the whole party. + +"Yes, why don't you?" teased Tad. "It's the only way you can make +good." + +"Salting down horse is not my business," laughed Ned. + +All at once the pony whirled, heading down the mountain side with a +disconcerting rush that nearly brought disaster upon its rider. + +With a shout the rest of the boys urged their mounts into a jog-trot +and followed on down the trail as fast as they dared, for the descent +was steep and dangerous. + +"He'll break his neck!" cried the Professor. + +"After that bucking I'm sure Chunky's neck is too well fastened to come +off," laughed Tad. + +Stacy was out of sight. They could hear him yelling at his broncho, so +they knew he was still in the saddle and right side up. The other +ponies, apparently having forgotten their fear, were following the +leader willingly now. + +All at once they saw lad and mount burst into view on the plain below. + +"He's on the desert!" shouted Tad. + +Laughing and shouting words of encouragement to the fat boy, the Pony +Riders hastened to the base of the hill. Stacy Brown was still busily +engaged trying to subdue his pony, though some of the lads shrewdly +suspected that their companion was urging the animal on in order to +show off his horsemanship. + +In a moment more they, too, were in difficulties. No sooner had their +bronchos set foot on the desert than a sudden panic once more possessed +them. Professor Zepplin's pony whirled on its haunches, then began +climbing the rocks, with the agility of a squirrel. + +The others, however, had troubles of their own, which saved the +Professor from being laughed at. The animals seemed determined not to +be forced to go on, and it required severe measures to induce them to +take up the desert trail. Tom Parry's mount did not exhibit the same +fear as did the others. Still, it gave him more or less trouble, +appearing to be excited, in spite of itself, by the actions of its +companions. + +At last they succeeded in lining the animals up in an orderly +formation. Their next move was to get the burros moving along ahead of +them. The way being open and level there was no necessity for leading +the pack animals now. These could take care of themselves without +danger to the outfit. + +"And this is the desert!" marveled the Professor. + +"It is," smiled the guide. + +"Looks to me more like a landscape of German measles," averred Stacy, +as they moved along through scattering sage brush and open sandy +stretches. + +Now that they had reached the plain itself, they discovered that it was +not one level stretch of land. Instead, the country was rolling; here +and there were wide reaches of whitish desert sands and alkali sinks. +The atmosphere was like an oven. Not a breath of air was stirring. +Already the lads were mopping their brows and fanning their faces with +their sombreros, while spots of dark shining moisture on the ponies' +sides bore evidence that they, too, felt the baking heat. + +"I say, fellows, let's find some shade," called Stacy. + +"All right, go ahead and we'll follow," laughed Tad. + +"I'll ride up to the top of that knoll and make an observation." + +Tom Parry smiled appreciatively as the lad galloped up the sharp rise +of ground, where Chunky sat on his pony, shading his eyes as he gazed +off over the cheerless desert. + +"Well, how about that shade?" shouted Ned. + +Stacy turned disconsolately and rode back to his companions. + +"There isn't any," he said. + +"Of course not," laughed Ned. + +"But I know how to make some," added the fat boy. + +Slipping from his pony he cut some sage brush, which he fashioned about +his head in the shape of a hood, so that it gave his perspiring face +some protection from the intense glare of the sun. + +"Now, all you need is a strip of mosquito netting," suggested Walter. + +"And a little red rocking chair," added Ned. + +"With a dish of ice cream," laughed Tad. + +"I guess you will have to be satisfied with a cup of alkali water," +interjected the Professor, dryly. + +"You will find the air much cooler, shortly," the guide advised them. +"The sun is going down now and I think we had better make camp, if the +Professor has no objections." + +"Not in the least. In fact, I am quite ready to call it a day's work." + +"Where do we camp, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. + +"Right here. It is as good a place as any that we shall find. There +is little choice out here." + +They were now in a broad valley, the rolling hills covered with a +sparse growth of sage brush rising gradually on each side. + +The boys threw themselves from their ponies gladly, stripping the +saddles from the animals' backs. + +"Better stake the animals down, for the first two or three nights, so +they won't take French leave," advised the guide. + +"How about the burros?" asked Tad. + +"Let them roam. They'll stay as long as the ponies are here. The pack +animals will fill up on sage, after which they will come back to camp +to sleep." + +All hands began to unpack. The tents were pitched in record time, cots +unfolded and preparations for the night made with a skill that comes +from long practice in the open. + +"What are we to do for a camp-fire?" asked Walter. "There is not a +single stick of wood about here." + +"Burn the sage," answered the guide. + +"That stuff won't burn," retorted Ned. + +"Try it." + +They did. In an incredibly short time a hot fire was blazing up, on +which they piled armfuls of the stunted desert growth. + +"Now, get your food ready and I will cook it," said Parry, as the +flames began to die down. + +When the fire had settled to a bed of hot ashes Tom thrust the bacon +directly into the ashes, placing the coffee pot near the center, around +and on top of which he heaped the ashes. It was a new method of +preparing a meal, and the lads watched the process with keen interest. + +"I shouldn't think that bacon would be fit to eat. However, I presume +you know what you are doing," said the Professor. + +"It's the only way, sir," replied Parry. "We have to work with the +implements that nature has provided." + +"Nature must have been in a stingy mood when she made this country," +laughed Ned. + +"I don't agree with you," said Tad. "It is the most beautiful and +interesting scene that I have ever looked upon." + +Parry nodded approvingly. + +"And as fickle as it is beautiful," added the guide. "The supper will +be ready by the time you have the table set, boys." + +In spite of the heat the lads realized all at once that their appetites +had not suffered. Bacon, jelly and biscuits, which had been warmed +over the ashes, seemed to them to have reached the proportions of a +banquet. + +Stacy helped himself to a large slice of bacon which he proceeded to +munch. No sooner had he begun, however, than he made a wry face. + +"What's the matter. Isn't the bacon all right?" asked the guide. + +"Awful! Somebody's trying to poison me," Chunky shouted, red in the +face. + +"Must have a brown taste in your mouth,' laughed Ned. + +"What's the trouble----" began the Professor. "Good gracious, there is +something the matter with the stuff. Ugh! Never tasted such bitter +stuff. Did you purchase this meat in a reliable place, Mr. Parry!" + +The guide smiled good-naturedly. + +"The bacon is all right, sir. It's the sage brush taint that you get." + +"The what?" + +"Sage brush. The same taste will be in everything you eat out in this +country--that and the alkali." + +"Then I starve," announced Stacy, firmly, laying down his fork and +folding his arms. + +"Any time you starve it'll be because there is nothing to eat," +retorted Ned. + +"You'll all get used to the taste after you have been out a few days," +comforted the guide. + +"Never!" shouted Stacy. + +"I rather like the peculiar taste," smiled Tad Butler. + +"Good as a tonic," spoke up Walter. + +Thus encouraged Stacy tried it again, at first nibbling gingerly at the +bacon, then attacking it boldly. Even the Professor, after a time, +appeared to forget the bitterness of the food, passing his plate for +more. + +Tom Parry smiled indulgently. + +"You'll all like it after a while," he nodded. + +"I'm sure I'll have to take back some sage brush with me to flavor my +food after we leave the desert," scoffed Ned. + +Supper finished the dishes were cleared away, after which the party +threw themselves down beside the camp-fire in keen enjoyment of the +hour. The evening was delightfully cool, with not a trace of the +baking heat of the day. + +"Doesn't seem possible that there could be such a change in the +temperature in so short a time," marveled the Professor. + +"It is the mood of the desert," answered the guide. + +"What time do we start in the morning?" interrupted Tad, approaching +them at that moment. + +"I was just about to suggest that we break camp at daylight, traveling +until the sun gets hot. We can then pitch a tent or two during the +middle of the day, and rest for a few hours." + +"Why not keep on all day?" asked the lad. + +"It would prove too great a strain--both on man and beast. At noon we +will eat a cold lunch, as too much food in this heat is not good for +us. You will find the temperature rising as you get further south, and +the hardships increasing in proportion." + +"We shall not fall by the wayside," laughed the boy. + +"No; I am convinced of that. You lads are as tough as pine knots, but +you will need all the endurance you have for this trip." + +"If we are going to turn out so early, I think you boys had better go +to bed pretty soon," advised the Professor. + +"That's why I asked you, sir. I rather thought Mr. Parry would wish to +make an early start in the morning. I'll see to the ponies; then I'll +go to bed." + +"Never mind the ponies. I'll look after them," answered Parry. + +"That boy is a splendid type," he continued to the Professor, after Tad +had walked away from them to notify his companions of the plans for the +morrow. + +"They all are," answered the Professor. + +"Yes, I have been observing them all day. To tell the truth I was +rather doubtful about the wisdom of taking a number of boys across the +desert. It's bad enough for men well hardened to the work." + +"I trust your apprehension no longer exists," smiled the Professor. + +"Not a trace of it left," replied Parry, with a hearty laugh. "Young +Brown handled that bucking pony splendidly this afternoon. He's a good +horseman for a boy." + +"Master Tad is a better one. You'll agree with me if you get an +opportunity to see him in any work that's worth while." + +"Well, good night, boys," called the Professor, as he saw the lads +moving toward their tents. + +"Good night, Professor, sleep tight," they shouted merrily altogether. +"Good night, Mr. Parry. We'll be up with the birds." + +"Birds," sniffed Stacy. "A tough old hen couldn't live out on this +desert." + +In a short time the camp settled down to sleep. The guide, with a last +look about and a long, comprehensive study of the sky, sought his own +tent, where in a few moments he, too, was sound asleep. + +After a time the moon came up, in the light of which the weather-beaten +tents of the Pony Rider Boys were mere specks on the vast expanse of +desert. + +Not a sound disturbed the quiet scene. However, had any of the +occupants of the little tents been awake, they might have observed a +thin, fog-like film drifting across the sky from the southwest. On and +on it came until finally it had blanketed the moon, casting a veil over +the landscape. + +Other sheets of film arose from out the southwest, placing layer after +layer over the fast fading moon, until finally it was obliterated +altogether. + +The desert was working out another of its mysterious phases, but none +in the camp of the Pony Riders were awake to observe it. + +A dense pall of blackness now hovered over the southwest. + +All at once a squirming streak of lightning wriggled along the horizon, +like a golden serpent, losing itself by a downward plunge into the +black abyss beyond the desert. + +The air grew suddenly hot and depressing, while a gentle breeze stirred +the sage brush on the higher places. The ponies moved restlessly in +their sleep, kicking out a foot now and then, as if in protest at some +disturbing presence. + +Tad Butler, ever on the alert, roused himself, and stepping out in his +pajamas took a survey of the heavens. + +"I guess we're going to have a storm," he muttered. "I wonder if I +ought to wake Mr. Parry? He thought, this afternoon, that there was a +storm brewing. Still, there's nothing he can do. The tents are staked +down as securely as is possible. No, I guess I'll go back to bed." + +The lad did so, and after a few moments of wakefulness, dropped off +into a sound sleep. + +A few moments later the breeze increased, picking up little patches of +sand, which it hurled into the air, scattering the particles over a +wide area. Far down to the southwest a low roar might have been heard, +and from the blackness there a funnel-shaped cloud detached itself, +starting slantingly over the desert. It appeared to be following a +northerly course, more or less irregularly, and from its direction, +should pass some miles to the westward of the sleeping camp. + +Whirling, diving, swooping here and there, lifting great patches of +sand and hurling them far up into the clouds, the funnel swept on. + +Suddenly, when about three miles to the southwest of the camp, it +seemed to pause hesitatingly; and then, as if all at once having +descried the little group of tents, started swaying, tottering toward +them. As it moved the disturbing roar continued to increase in volume. + +Tad Butler heard it now. + +He slipped from his tent and stood listening apprehensively. + +"I think that means trouble," he said to himself. The hot, oppressive +air felt like a blast from an open furnace door. "It's coming this +way," he continued. + +The lad bounded to the tent of the guide. Slipping inside he laid a +hand on Parry's shoulder. + +The guide was up like a flash. + +"What is it?" he demanded sharply. + +"It's I, Tad Butler. I think there is a bad storm coming----" + +"I hear it," snapped Parry, springing from his blankets. He was out in +the open in a twinkling, with Tad Butler close upon his heels. + +For a moment the guide stood with head inclined, listening intently. + +"Bad one, isn't it?" questioned the lad. + +"Yes." + +"Do you think it is coming this way?" + +"I can't be sure. Wait; don't wake them yet," he whispered, raising a +restraining hand. "Yes, here it comes! It's a cyclone. Quick, get +them out of their tents!" + +Almost before the words were out of his mouth the funnel swooped down +into the broad sage-sprinkled draw, setting its deadly coils over the +camp of the Pony Rider Boys. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +TWISTED BY A TWISTER + +"Turn out!" bellowed the guide, his voice faintly heard above the roar +of the storm. + +"Run for your lives!" piped the shrill voice of Tad Butler. + +"Flat on the ground, every one of you!" commanded the guide. + +All the warnings had come a few seconds too late. Ere the boys had +awakened sufficiently to realize what was wanted of them there sounded +above the roar a report like that of a cannon. + +The tents were lifted from over the startled Pony Riders and hurled +high into the air. A cloud of sand swept over the boys like an +avalanche, burying them, suffocating them, while the resistless coils +of the funnel picked them out of the drift and cast them far from the +spot where but a few minutes before they had been sleeping so +peacefully. + +Above the roar they heard the shrill voice of Stacy Brown. + +"W-o-o-ow!" he shrieked. His voice appeared to be somewhere in the air +over their heads. + +Blankets, trappings, together with all the other belongings of the +party, shot up into the black funnel and disappeared, while the ponies +strained at their tethers, floundering, kicking where they had been +hurled on their backs, screaming with fright. + +The mad medley continued for only a few seconds, though to the +unfortunate lads it seemed to have been tumbling them about for hours. + +As suddenly as it had appeared the funnel tore itself from the camp and +went roaring off into the hills to the northward. + +Staggering to his feet, some distance from where he had been caught, +the guide rubbed the sand from his eyes and mouth and stood gasping for +breath. + +An impressive silence had settled over the scene. + +"Hallo, the camp!" he shouted when he had cleared his mouth +sufficiently to enable him to do so. + +"Hello!" answered Tad Butler far to the right. + +"Are the others with you?" + +"I don't know." + +One by one the others of the party straggled to their feet, choking and +coughing. + +As if to mock them, the moon suddenly burst forth, shedding a brilliant +light over the scene which a few moments before had been the center of +a whirling, devastating cyclone. + +Not a speck of anything save the white, glistening sand of the desert +remained to mark the spot where the camp of the Pony Rider Boys had +stood. + +They gathered shivering in their pajamas, looking fearsomely into each +others' eyes, still dazed from the shock and the fright of their +experience. + +"Wha--what was it?" stammered Walter Perkins. + +"A genuine twister," laughed the guide. + +"Twister?" questioned the Professor. "Cyclone, you mean?" + +"Yes." + +"It was awful," breathed Walter. + +"All our things gone, too," mourned Ned ruefully. + +"You should be thankful that you are alive," chided the Professor. + +"How about the ponies?" questioned Walter. + +"They're over there. More scared than hurt, I guess." + +"But Chunky--where's Chunky? He isn't here!" cried Tad, suddenly +realizing that Stacy Brown was not with them. + +"Chunky?" wondered the others. + +"Why, I thought he was here a moment ago," said Walter in an alarmed +tone. "What can have become of him?" + +"Probably went up with the twister," suggested Ned. + +"Yes, I heard his voice and it seemed to be right over my head," nodded +Tad. "We must look for him." + +The lads set up a shout as they started running about + +"Better look for him that way," directed the guide, motioning in the +direction that the funnel had taken after wrecking their camp. + +The boys spread out, calling and searching excitedly over the sand, +peering into the sage brush and cactus shadows. But not a trace of +Stacy Brown did they find, until they had gone some distance from camp. + +A faint call at last answered their hail. + +"Hooray! We've got him!" shouted Walter. + +"Where are you, Chunky?" called Tad, hurrying forward. + +"Here." + +"Are you all right?" + +"No, I'm dead." + +The boys could afford to laugh now, and they did, after calling back to +the camp that they had found the missing one. + +Half buried in a sand drift they located him. Stacy's head and one +foot were protruding above the sand, the only parts of his anatomy that +were visible above the heap of white sand beneath which he had been +buried. + +The Pony Riders could not repress a shout when they came up with young +Brown and understood his predicament. + +"Get me out of here." + +"No; you're dead. You stay where you are," retorted Ned. + +Tad, however, grasped the foot that was sticking up through the sand, +and with a mighty tug hauled Chunky right through the heap, choking, +coughing and sputtering angrily, to the accompaniment of roars of +laughter from his companions. + +Ned grabbed the boy by the collar, shaking him until the sand flew like +spray. + +"Wake up! Wake up! How did you get here?" demanded Ned. + +"I--I don't know. I--I guess I fell in." + +"You fell up this time. That's a new trick you've developed. Well, +it's safer. You won't get hurt falling up, but look out when you +strike the back trail." + +"Wha--what happened?" asked the fat boy peevishly. + +"Everything," laughed Tad. "We got caught in a cyclone. We don't know +whether you were rolled along with it or carried here. Which was it?" + +"I guess I flied," decided Stacy humorously. "But I came down so hard +that it knocked all the breath out of me. Where's the camp?" + +The boys laughed. + +"Ask the wind," replied Ned. "We don't know. Come! We'd better be +getting back." + +"Yee, I reckon there will be plenty for us to do," agreed Tad. "Can +you walk all right, Chunky?" + +"I guess so." + +"Why not fly? It's easier and quicker. Chunky doesn't need a flying +machine. He's the original human heavier-than-air-machine," averred +Ned. + +The guide had by this time gathered a heap of sage brush, to which he +touched a match, that they might the better examine their surroundings. + +"Anything left?" called Tad, as with his companions he approached the +camp. + +"I don't see anything but the saddles and the rifles." + +"What, everything gone?" demanded Professor Zepplin anxiously. + +"It certainly looks that way." + +"Where's my pants?" wailed Chunky. + +"All 'pants' have gone up," chuckled Ned. + +"And so have provisions and everything else so far as I am able to +observe," added Tad. + +"Then--then we've got to cross the desert in our pajamas," mourned +Walter. + +They looked at each other questioningly; then the entire party burst +out laughing. They were all arrayed in pink night clothes. Not a +stitch of clothing beyond these pajamas did any of them have. + +"We must look about and see if we can find any of the stuff," decided +Parry, his mind turning at once to the practical side of their +predicament. "I hope we find the food at least." + +"Yes, I'm hungry," spoke up Stacy. + +"No wonder, after the shaking up you've had," agreed the Professor. +"Guide, where do you think we'll find our belongings?" + +"You are lucky if you find them at all. More than likely they are +scattered over the Diamond Range for half a dozen miles." + +"May--maybe it'll come back and bring our pants," suggested Chunky, at +which there was a loud protest. + +All hands formed in line, and with the guide to pilot them, started off +in their bare feet, hoping to find some of their belongings. Stacy +made the first find. He picked up a can of tomatoes. Ned Rector +rescued a can of pickled pigs' feet from the shadow of a sage brush, +while their guide discovered a sombrero that belonged to Stacy Brown. + +But that was all. They traveled nearly to the foot of the mountains, +yet not a scrap did they discover beyond what they already had picked +up. + +"No use going any further," announced the guide. + +"Well, this is a fine predicament," decided Professor Zepplin. + +"Nice mess," agreed Ned Rector. + +"I want my pants," wailed Stacy. + +"You'll want more than that. Look at the guide, if you think you are +in difficulties," grinned Tad. + +All eyes were turned on Tom Parry. Then they uttered a shout that +might have been heard far off on the silent desert. The guide was clad +only in a blue flannel shirt and a sombrero. He was in an even worse +predicament than the party that he was guiding. + +Minutes passed before the boys could control their merriment +sufficiently to permit a discussion of their situation. + +Tom Parry took their joking good-naturedly. He was too old a +campaigner to be greatly disturbed over his own laughable condition. + +"Something must be done," announced the Professor, after the laughter +had subsided. "What do you propose, Mr. Parry?" + +"Well, in the first place, like our friend, Master Stacy Brown, I want +a pair of pants. I can't very well cross the desert in this rig." + +Once more their laughter drowned the voices of the guide and the +Professor. + +"Is there no town near here where we can get a fresh outfit? I am +thankful that I kept my money belt strapped about me. We should be in +a tight fix, had I lost the funds, too," said the Professor. + +"I have been considering what is best to be done," replied Parry. "I +see no other way than that we shall have to ride to Eureka. That is a +railroad terminal and quite a town. I am sure we shall be able to get +there all we need for our journey. It will prove a little more +expensive than in a larger city, however." + +"No question of expense just now," answered the Professor. "Will it be +necessary for all of us to go?" + +"I think it will be best. I don't care to leave any of the party +behind. One never can tell what is going to happen, you know." + +"So I have observed," commented the Professor dryly. + +"How far is Eureka from here?" questioned Tad. + +"Between twenty-five and thirty miles. The town lies to the northwest. +If it were not for the pack train we could make it quickly, but we +shall have to move rather slowly on the burros' account." + +"Then why not start at once?" suggested Tad Butler. "The moon is +shining brightly and the air is cool. That is, if you can find the +way?" + +"No trouble about that," grinned Parry. "Your suggestion is a good +one. We'll start just as soon as I can get ready." + +"I don't see anything left here to get ready," laughed Ned. + +"You will excuse me, gentlemen, but there is something that I shall +have to get ready," replied the guide with a peculiar smile. + +"What's that?" demanded the Professor. + +"I've got to take a double reef in my shirt before I can go anywhere, +except to bed." + +The boys shouted again. + +Tom Parry hurried off beyond the ponies, where he was engaged for +several minutes. When he returned they discovered that he had taken +off his shirt. First he had cut off the sleeves, and by thrusting his +feet through the arm holes had made for himself a very substantial pair +of trunks. This odd outfit he had made fast about his waist with a +thong of leather that he had cut from a bridle rein. This, with the +broad-brimmed sombrero, completed his outfit. + +The sight was too much for the Pony Rider Boys. They shouted peal +after peal of merriment, in which the Professor joined, though in a +somewhat more dignified manner. + +Tom Parry's mouth was stretched in a grin as he got busy saddling the +ponies and urging the sleepy burros to their feet. + +"I think we are all ready now," the guide called back to the others. + +With many a shout and jest the strange procession started off across +the desert, under the brightly shining moon, the cool evening breezes +making their scanty covering none too comfortable. + +The boys devoted the greater part of their attention to the Professor +and Tom Parry, both of whom were riding as dignifiedly as if they were +leading a parade at a Fourth of July celebration. Every little while +the boys, unable to contain themselves longer, would burst out into +merry peals of laughter. + +"Hope it doesn't snow," said Stacy Brown wisely. + +"No," retorted Ned. "The colors in your pajamas might run." + +"That's where the guide has the better of us," retorted Tad a little +maliciously, which brought still another laugh from the boys. + +"Say, fellows, this saddle is getting harder every minute," called +Chunky, who was riding back and forth behind the pack train, urging on +the burros. + +"Stand up in your stirrups now and then," suggested Tad. + +"What, in my bare feet?" yelled the fat boy. "Think I want to get +pancake feet?" + +"Chunky's getting aristocratic," jeered Ned. "He's so proud of those +high insteps of his that he has to take off his shoes every little +while to look at his feet. He's afraid they'll cave in some time when +he isn't looking." + +Daylight came all too soon, and following it the sun burst forth in a +blaze of heat. Ahead of them across the desert they were able to make +out the town of Eureka. + +"Say, Mr. Parry, aren't you afraid this sunlight will spoil your +complexion?" called Ned. + +The guide grinned good-naturedly. + +"Never mind," he retorted. "Your turn will come pretty soon, young +man." + +Ned Rector did not catch the significance of the remark just then, but +he understood a few hours later. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE + +"You are not going to ride into town in daylight, are you?" demanded +Ned in surprise. + +Though they had sighted the town of Eureka early in the morning, it was +well along in the afternoon before they finally came up with it. +Desert distances are deceptive and the further they journeyed the less +headway did they seem to be making. This surprised all save the guide. + +Parry explained to them that the clear air brought distant objects much +closer than they really were. + +"We are going into town exactly as we are," replied the guide in answer +to Ned's question. "Why not?" + +"Well, maybe you are, but I'm not," returned Ned. + +"It may improve your complexion, young man," retorted Mr. Parry. + +"I'll stay out here and hide on the desert while the rest of you go on +in," said Ned. + +"No, you don't," shouted the lads all at once. "You go willingly or we +carry you." + +They gathered around him threateningly. + +"If you want a mix-up, we're here," warned Chunky, pushing his pony up +beside that of Ned Rector. + +Ned, forgetting for the instant that he was in his bare feet, let drive +a kick at the side of Stacy's pony. + +"Ouch!" roared Ned. + +Jerking the injured toe up to the saddle, he grabbed it with both +hands, rocking back and forth, for his foot had struck the pony with +such violence that it is a wonder every toe on the foot was not broken. + +"Did 'oo hurt 'oo little tootsie-wootsies?" cooed Chunky, with a +grimace. + +Ned Rector, forgetting the pain for the instant, made a quick grab for +his tormentor. He just barely reached the sleeve of Chunky's pajamas. +But his sudden movement caused the fat boy's pony to leap suddenly to +one side. + +Ned landed on his head and shoulders in the desert sand, feet kicking +the air, to the accompaniment of yells of derision from his companions. + +With red face and angry eyes, the lad scrambled to his feet and started +limping to his pony, which had sprung to one side, where it stood, +evidently wondering what next was about to happen. + +"I'll get even with you, Chunky Brown," Ned growled, as he climbed into +his saddle. + +"Now, now, Ned!" warned the boys. "Take your medicine like a man. +Chunky never got mad when you nagged him." + +"I'll get even with him. I'll----" + +Tad rode up beside the angry lad. + +"Ned, you'll do nothing of the sort," said the boy gently. "You're +mad, now, because your toes hurt. When they stop aching your temper +will improve at the same time." + +"Oh, pshaw! Stop your preaching. Of course it will. I'm a grouch. I +take back all I said just now. Chunky, when these toes get +straightened out--they're all crooked now--I'll come over and hobnob +with you. I deserve all you can give me." + +"You bet you do," chorused the lads. + +"Stop teasing him," commanded Stacy, with well-feigned indignation. +"Can't you see his toes hurt him?" + +The incident was lost sight of in the general laugh that followed. The +others were beginning to appreciate that Stacy Brown possessed a tongue +as sharp as any of them. + +Ned now offered no further protest to entering the village, but it was +observed that he dropped back behind the others as they reached the +outskirts of the town. + +Tom Parry and Professor Zepplin were riding ahead, one in pajamas, the +other clad in trunks--which resembled a meal sack--a sombrero hat and a +sardonic grin of defiance. The others trailed along behind. + +Not one of the party glanced to the right or left of him, except Stacy +Brown, who could scarcely contain his bubbling spirits. + +"They'll think it's some new kind of a menagerie come to town," he +confided to Tad, who was riding beside him. + +"Then I hope they don't shoot the animals," laughed Tad. + +By this time they had entered the main street, down which they rode at +a pace that the burros could follow. People passing along the street +paused and gazed in unfeigned astonishment at the strange procession +which they saw approaching. + +The most conspicuous of them all was Tom Parry. He was a sight to +behold, but not one whit did he care for the amazed stares that greeted +his strange outfit. + +Soon the grins of the populace gave place to yells of derision. + +"Look at the purty boy with the pink toes there behind," shouted one, +pointing to Ned Rector. + +Ned's face went crimson. + +"Now, aren't you glad you didn't lose the tootsie-wootsies?" teased +Chunky. + +Ned made no reply, but it boded ill for any of his tormentors who got +within reach of his long arms. Already more than a hundred persons had +turned to follow the strange outfit. This number was being rapidly +added to as they proceeded. + +"For goodness' sake, how much further have we to go?" begged Ned. + +"The general store is down at the end of the street," the guide +informed him. "I presume you want to get some clothes the first thing?" + +"I should say so." + +A whoop and a yell sounded far down the street. + +"Here's trouble," muttered Tad, instantly recognizing the cowboy yell. + +A band of them at that instant swung around a corner, straightening out +in the main street, letting go a volley of revolver shots into the air. +The band had come to town with a shipment of wild horses that had been +captured among the desert ranges. They had been in Eureka for +twenty-four hours and were by this time ready for whatever might turn +up. The horsemen clad in pink pajamas attracted their attention at +once. Here was fair game. + +"Who-o-o-o-p-e-e-e!" + +The shrill cry sent a shiver to the hearts of the boys. It was not a +shiver of fear, either. + +In a moment more the Pony Rider Boys were the center of a ring of +racing ponies, as the horse-hunters dashed round and round, yelling +like mad and firing off their revolvers. + +"Oh, see that purty boy with the pink toes!" jeered one. + +"Give him the tenderfoot dance," yelled another. "He ought to be able +to dance the fairy lancers on them pinkies." + +Ned did not dare refuse. He slipped from his pony, and, limping to the +center of the ring which the racing ponies had formed about them, began +to dance as the bullets from the revolvers of the cowboys struck the +ground, sending up little clouds of dust under his feet. Faster and +faster barked the guns, and faster and faster danced Ned Rector. + +Stacy Brown was almost beside himself with joy. + +"Better look out, or you'll be doing it next," warned Tad. + +Evidently the cowboys had not recognized Tom Parry as yet. He might be +the next victim. + +Finally Tad rode his pony forward, right through the fire of the +skylarking cowboys. + +"I guess you've had enough fun with him, fellows," he warned. "Let up +now." + +A jeering laugh greeted the lad's command. Their attention was +instantly turned to him. + +"Get off that broncho and give us a dance, young fellow," they shouted. + +"Thank you, I'm not dancing to-day," smiled Tad Butler. + +"Ain't dancing? We'll see about that. Come off that nag." + +Tad shook his head. At that instant a rope squirmed through the air +from a moving pony. Butler threw himself to one side just in time to +avoid it. The lad's eyes snapped. + +"Guess I'll take a hand in this, too," he growled. + +The lad unlimbered his rope in a twinkling and let fly at the cowboy +who had just sought to rope him. With unerring aim Tad's lariat caught +the left hind foot of the cowman's broncho. Pony and rider went down +like a flash. + +Instantly there was a loud uproar. The horse-hunters yelled with +delight; at least all of them save the cowboy who had bit the dust, and +he sprang up, bellowing with rage, as he made for the grinning Tad. + +Tom Parry decided that it was time for him to take a hand. + +The guide jumped his pony between Tad and the angry cowboy. + +"That'll do, Bud! You stop right where you are!" Tom commanded. + +"But the miserable coyote roped me." + +"You tried to rope him first." + +"It's Tom Parry," shouted the cowmen. "Hey, Tom! Them's a fine suit +of clothes you've got on there. Where'd you get them?" + +"Call off Bud and I'll tell you," grinned Tom, "He's got no reason to +interfere with my boys here." + +Laughing uproariously, the cowboys forced their bronchos between Bud +and the others, cutting him off and bidding him attend to his own +business. Then the cowmen halted their ponies, after closing in about +the Pony Rider Boys, while Tom Parry related the experiences they had +passed through on the previous night. + +"Come along. We'll take you to a place where you can get all the pants +you want," shouted the leader of the party, after Tom had finished his +story. + +The cowboys wheeled their ponies and the procession moved on down the +street. They had discovered that the Pony Rider Boys were not the band +of tenderfeet that they had at first taken them for. + +Arriving at the store, the lads lost no time in leaping from their +ponies, which they tethered at the rail in front, and hurried into the +store. This was a postoffice as well as general trading post. + +Half the town, it seemed, had gathered outside the building to get a +look at the nearly naked strangers who had ridden in a short time +before. But once inside the store, the boys did not propose to exhibit +themselves further if it were possible to avoid it. + +An entire new outfit was necessary--tents, provisions and all, and to +purchase all these things would occupy the greater part of the rest of +the afternoon. + +No sooner had they entered the store and made their wants known, than +the boys became conscious of the presence of ladies. The boys could +not see them plainly, because it was a dim, dingy place at best. + +But, all at once Ned felt a cold chill run down his back. One of the +ladies was speaking to him. + +"Isn't this Mr. Rector?" asked a pleasant voice. "I am quite sure I am +not mistaken." + +Ordinarily Ned would have been glad to meet an old acquaintance, but +when a boy is clad only in a pair of pink pajamas, his feet bare of +covering, he is not particularly anxious to see anyone he knows. + +It was so with Ned Rector. At first he pretended not to hear. A hand +was placed lightly on his shoulder. Then he turned, his face flushing +painfully. + +"I am Mrs. Colonel McClure from Texas," she informed him. "We had the +pleasure of entertaining you and your companions when you were with the +cattle drive in our state." + +Ned bowed and mumbled some unintelligible words. He failed to note the +twinkle in the eyes of Mrs. McClure. + +"And this," she continued, "is my niece Miss Courtenay, Miss Barbara +Parks and Miss Long," continued Mrs. McClure mercilessly. + +The young women were blushing furiously as they acknowledged the +introduction. Ned failed to observe it, however. His eyes were on his +feet and the pink toes which seemed abnormally large at that moment. + +"Where are your companions, Mr. Rector? I thought they were with you a +moment ago?" + +"Wh--ye--yes--they are here, they----" + +Ned looked about him blankly. No one was in sight. Then he discovered +the grinning face of Stacy Brown peering at him from behind the +postoffice wicket. + +At the first alarm Walter Perkins had sunk down behind a cracker barrel +with Tad Butler crouching behind him. Over behind the counter was the +guide, while, behind a pile of horse blankets, Professor Zepplin lay +flat on the floor, shrinking himself into as small a space as possible. + +Ned Rector was left to face the enemy alone. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT + +The tension of the moment was relieved by a merry laugh from Mrs. +McClure and her friends, in which Ned Rector joined spontaneously. The +situation was too funny for even his offended dignity to resist. + +The result was an invitation for the entire party to dine with Mrs. +McClure and her friends that evening. Ned Rector accepted on the spot, +much to the disgust of his companions, who felt a diffidence about +meeting the ladies after the exhibition in the store. + +However, after they had properly clothed themselves they felt better, +and the evening passed at the home of Mrs. McClure's friends was one of +the most enjoyable they experienced. + +At sunrise next morning the Pony Rider Boys were once more on the +desert, bubbling over with spirits and anticipation. + +"I've got another invitation for you boys," announced Tom Parry after +they had halted for the midday rest. + +"I hope we'll have some clothes on when it comes off, then," growled +Ned. + +"It won't make much difference whether you have or not, so far as this +invitation is concerned." + +"What is the invitation?" asked Professor Zepplin. + +"Bud Thomas and the other cowboys are hunting wild horses for market, +you know?" replied the guide. + +"Wild horses?" marveled Walter. + +"Yes." + +"I didn't know there were any about here," said Tad. + +"It is estimated that there are all of a hundred thousand wild horses +in the different ranges of this state," replied the guide. + +"You haven't told us yet what the invitation is," reminded Stacy. + +"You haven't given me a chance," laughed Tom. "Well, the invitation is +to join in a wild horse hunt." + +"Hooray!" shouted the lads. + +"Very interesting," agreed the Professor. + +"And lively, too," added the guide. "The boys took quite a fancy to +you young gentlemen after the roping trick, and said if you would join +in a hunt, you'd get all the fun that was coming to you." + +Tad grinned at the recollection of their first meeting with the wild +horse hunters. + +"Whe--when do we join them?" asked Chunky enthusiastically. + +"It will be a week or more yet before we reach that part of the desert +where the hunts take place--that is, if we have good luck. But if we +have any more such experiences as we have just passed through we shall +not get there this summer," laughed the guide. + +By sunset, that day, the town of Eureka had disappeared behind the +copper colored hills, and the Pony Rider Boys were again merely tiny +specks on the great Nevada Desert. + +They pitched the new white tents for the first time that night, having +made camp earlier than usual because they were not accustomed to +working with the new outfit. No one knew where to find anything, which +furnished the lads with plenty of amusement. + +Ned and Tom Parry cooked the supper over a sage brush fire. They had +brought a few cans of milk with them, but after sampling it all hands +declared their preference for the condensed brand of which they had +purchased a liberal supply. The fresh milk procured in Eureka was +strong with the sage brush taste, as was almost everything else in that +barren country. + +The ponies refused the sage brush for their evening meal, having had a +supply of real fodder back in town, so they were staked out near a +growth of sage that they might browse on during the night should they +decide that they were hungry enough. + +"Well, I wonder what will happen to-night," said Tad, as they finished +the evening meal. + +"Let us hope that it will be nothing more serious than pleasant +dreams," smiled Professor Zepplin. + +"That means you, Chunky," nodded Ned. "You are not to have the +nightmare to-night, remember." + +"And you look out for your tootsie-wootsies," retorted Chunky. + +"We shall have to take a long ride to-morrow," announced the guide. + +"Why to-morrow?" asked Ned. + +"It is all of twenty miles to the next water hole, or where the next +water hole should be. One cannot depend upon anything in this country." + +"Haven't we enough water with us?" asked the Professor. + +"Enough to last us through to-morrow--that's all. We shall have to get +water at night; so, if we have no interruptions during the night, we +shall make another early start." + +"Stacy, see to it that you do not lose your trousers this time. We +don't wish to be disgraced by you again to-morrow," warned Ned. + +Stacy merely grimaced, making no reply. He knew that he had not been +the one to get the worst of it, and so did his companions. He was +quite satisfied with the punishment that had been meted out to Ned +Rector. + +All hands turned in shortly after dark. They were tired after the long +day's ride in the broiling sun. Besides, they had not yet made up the +sleep they lost two nights before when the "twister" invaded their camp +and wrecked it. + +The boys had been asleep only a short time, however, before the entire +camp was startled by a long, thrilling wail. + +All the Pony Riders were wide awake in an instant, listening for a +repetition of the sound. It came a moment later. + +"K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-k-i!" + +The boys leaped from their tents. The sound plainly come from some +wild animal, but what, they did not know. + +"Wha--what is it? A lion?" stammered Stacy. + +"I--I don't know," answered Walter. "Do you, Tad?" + +"I certainly do not. It's no lion, though. There are none here?" + +"Maybe it's a pack of wolves," suggested Ned. "There must be a lot of +them to make such a howling as that." + +"D-d-d-d-do you thi--thi--think they're going to attack us?" stammered +Stacy. + +"How do we know?" snorted Ned. + +Neither the Professor nor the guide having made their appearance, the +boys took for granted that the two men were asleep. Such was the case +so far as the Professor was concerned, but Tom Parry was lying on his +bed awake, a quiet smile on his face. + +"Are you sure it's a wild animal, Tad?" whispered Walter. + +"Of course. What else could it be?" + +"Then I'll tell you what let's do." + +"What?" demanded Ned. + +"Let's get our rifles and crawl up to the top of that knoll yonder, +where the sound seems to come from----" + +"And take a shot at them," finished Ned. "Good idea. What do you say, +Tad?" + +"I guess there will be no harm in it," decided the lad, considering the +question for a minute. + +They had moved away from the tents so that the sound of their voices +should not arouse the sleeping men there. + +"Two guns will be enough. We're not so liable to hit each other if +only two of us have them." + +"Who is going to shoot?" demanded Walter. + +"What's the matter with Ned and Chunky?" + +That suited all concerned. + +"You'd better hurry. The animals have stopped howling," advised Tad. + +Ned and Stacy ran lightly to their tents, returning quickly with their +rifles. Stacy bore the handsome telescope rifle that he had won in a +pony race during their exciting trip through the Ozark Mountains. Even +in the moonlight one could see a long distance with the aid of the +telescope on the gun's barrel. + +"See the brutes?" asked Stacy, with bated breath. + +"No, nor hear them, either," answered Walter. + +"I'll tell you what we'd better do," suggested Tad. + +"Yes," answered Ned anxiously. + +"We'll crawl along in the shadow to the south. I think the prowlers +are up there on the ridge to the west. If they are, they'll be +watching the camp-fire. Maybe they have smelled us and run away by +this time, even if they didn't hear us talking." + +"Keep still, everybody," warned Ned. + +The boys stole along as silently as shadows. After moving some ten +rods to the south, Tad motioned for them to turn west, which they did. + +No sooner had they changed their course, however, than Chunky with a +loud "Ouch!" plunged headlong, his rifle falling several feet ahead of +him. With frightful howls he began hugging one foot, rocking back and +forth in great pain. + +"What's the matter?" snapped Ned Rector. + +"My foot! My foot!" + +"What about it----" + +"I--I don't know. I----" + +Tad grabbed the boy by the collar, jerking him clear of the place. The +first thought that came to him was that Stacy had been bitten by a +snake, though Tad did not even know whether or not there were snakes on +the desert. + +"Nice chance we'll have to shoot anything," growled Ned in disgust. +"Stop that wailing." + +"It hurts, it hurts----" + +"Keep still. I'll find out what the trouble is," warned Tad, dropping +down and examining his companion's injured foot. + +"Ouch!" exploded Chunky, jerking his foot away. + +"If you want me to help you, you'll have to be quiet." + +Butler pressed gently on the bottom of the injured foot with the +fingers of one hand, the other holding Chunky's ankle in a firm grip. + +"Humph!" grunted Tad. "He's stepped on a cactus bush with his bare +foot. It's full of prickers. Hold still and I'll pick them out." + +"Guess there's no use to keep still any longer. Those animals probably +have run away before this," complained Ned. + +"K-i-i-o-o-o-o-! K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-k-i!" + +"S-h-h-h!" warned Tad. "They're there yet. Shall I take your rifle, +Chunky? You probably don't feel much like tramping up the hill in your +bare feet." + +"No!" exploded the fat boy. "I guess if there's any shooting to be +done, Stacy Brown can do it, even if he's only got one foot to hop +along on." + +Scrambling to his feet, Stacy recovered his rifle. He had forgotten +all about his injured foot now. + +Cautiously the boys crawled up to the top of the rise of ground. + +"Sit down, everybody," directed Tad. "We ought to be able to see them +from here." + +Not a thing save clumps of sage brush met peering eyes of the Pony +Rider Boys. + +"Lay the barrel of your gun over my shoulder and look through the +telescope," directed Tad softly. + +Pointing the gun to the southward, Stacy rested it on his companion's +shoulder, placing an eye to the peep hole. The lads fairly held their +breath for a minute. + +"I see him! I see him!" whispered Stacy in an excited tone. + +"What is it?" demanded Ned. "Where?" + +"I don't know. I guess it's a wolf." + +"How many?" asked Walter, crawling up to him. + +"See only one." + +"Take your time, Chunky," cautioned Tad in a low voice. "Draw a +careful bead on the fellow and let him have it." + +"Over your shoulder?" + +"Sure. You never'll hit him without a rest." + +Once more they held their breath. + +At last Stacy exerted a gentle pressure on the trigger. + +There followed a flash and a roar. + +"O-u-u-c-h!" yelled the fat boy. + +The end of the telescope had kicked him violently in the eye as the gun +went off. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS + +"K-I-I-O-O-O-O! K-I-I-I-O-O-O!" + +"There he goes!" shouted Walter. + +Stacy was picking himself up from the ground where the rifle had kicked +him. + +Bang! + +Ned Rector had risen to his feet the instant Stacy fired. Throwing his +rifle to shoulder, he fired at an object that he saw bounding down the +opposite side of the hill. + +"I got him! I got him!" shouted Ned, dancing about in his glee. +"Chunky Brown, you're no good. All you can do with a rifle is to get +kicked and fall in. Take a lesson from your Uncle Dudley----" + +"Good shooting, boys," said a laughing voice behind them. + +They whirled around and found themselves facing Tom Parry, who had +crept up to see that the boys got into no trouble. + +"You here?" demanded Tad Butler sharply. + +"I am that. Think I could let you boys go off with a couple of guns to +hunt wild animals? Not without Tom Parry--no, indeed!" + +"I got him, Mr. Parry," glowed Ned. "Did you see me tumble him over?" + +The guide nodded good-naturedly. + +"And Chunky missed him, even though he had a rest over Tad Butler's +shoulder. Chunky can't shoot." + +"Yes, I can, too," objected the fat boy. + +"We'll see," replied the guide. "I am not sure whether he can shoot or +not." + +"What do you mean, Mr. Parry!" asked Walter. "Chunky shot at the +animal and missed it, didn't he?" + +"What kind of an animal was it?" interjected Ned. + +"A coyote." + +"I thought it was a wolf," muttered Stacy Brown. "How many of them was +there?" + +"Only one, you ninny. And I shot him," scoffed Ned. + +"We'll go down the hill and find the one you got, Master Ned," decided +the guide, moving away, followed by the rest of the party. + +No sooner had they started than they heard Professor Zepplin, down in +the camp, shouting to know what the shooting meant. + +"It's all right, Professor," called the guide. "The boys have been +shooting up some wild game. You'll be surprised when you see what they +got." + +Down the hillside sprang the enthusiastic lads. + +"Remember, you're all barefooted," warned the guide. "You don't want +to pick up any more cactus thorns." + +"Were you here then?" demanded Tad, glancing up sharply. + +"I was with you from the time you left the camp." + +"Here he is," shouted Ned, who had run on ahead of the others in his +anxiety to learn the result of his shot. "And I caught him on the +wing, too, didn't I?" + +"You certainly did." + +"Just lift him. He's a whopper," went on the lad enthusiastically. +"I'd like to see any of the others in this outfit make a shot like +that----" + +"Chance shot," mumbled Stacy. "Hit a bird once myself a mile up in the +air, but I didn't flap my wings and crow about it. I couldn't have +done it again. Neither could you have hit that--that--what do you call +it!" + +"Coyote," replied the guide, but he pronounced it "kiute." + +"Oh, I don't know," grumbled Stacy. + +"Suppose we go up the hill now and see what Master Stacy shot," +suggested the guide, starting away. + +"Shot?" sniffed Ned Rector. "Don't you know what he shot?" + +"Yes, we know," interrupted Walter. + +"He shot thin air, that's what he did." + +"We shall see, we shall see," answered the guide enigmatically. + +Though Stacy did not grasp the guide's meaning, he did catch a note in +the tone that filled him with hope. Yet Chunky was unable to see how +he could have hit anything, in view of the fact that Ned had shot the +coyote. + +Tom Parry strode up to the crest of the hill and began looking about, +peering behind sage bush and greasewood. The boys were a little to the +north of him, all hunting for they knew not what. Ned Rector had +seated himself by the side of his dead coyote, stroking its rough coat +proudly. + +A sharp whistle from the guide attracted their attention. + +"What is it?" called Tad. + +"Come over here. I've got a surprise for you." + +The boys obeyed on the run. + +Tom Parry stood with a grin on his face, pointing a finger to the +ground. + +"What is it? What is it?" demanded the lads in chorus. + +"Why, it's a dead animal," marveled Walter. + +"Then that's what the coyote was doing up here. It was after the meat +on the dead one," announced Ned. "I knew there must be some good +reason for its remaining so near camp all that time." + +"Guess again," sniffed Stacy, who had thrown himself down beside his +prize. + +"What's that?" asked Tad, who already suspected something of the truth. + +"It's my coyote, that's what it is." + +Tom Parry nodded. + +"He's right. He killed the animal the first shot----" + +"Then--then----" stammered Ned. + +"There were two of them. Master Stacy killed one and you the other, +and for your gratification I'll say that they are a very difficult +animal to kill. One might try a hundred times and never hit one." + +"If one knows how to shoot, it isn't," spoke up Stacy pompously. + +"Which you certainly do," laughed the guide. + +"May we take them back to camp and skin them?" asked Ned. + +"You may take them in, of course; but I would not advise you to skin +the brutes. The skins are not worth anything in the first place, and +in the second, we should be unable to keep them all the way across the +desert, I am afraid." + +"You mean they would spoil?" questioned Ned. + +"Yes." + +"Then we'll take them down to show to the Professor. After that we'll +bury them." + +"Not necessary at all," smiled the guide. "The buzzards will attend to +that part of the work. They'll be around in the morning. You'll see +them." + +"But how will the buzzards know?" asked Walter. + +"That I cannot say. They do know. Instinct, I suppose. All animals +and birds have the instinct necessary for their kind, yet it is all a +mystery to us." + +Very proudly the lads dragged their trophies to camp, where, after +heaping fresh sage brush on the fire, the youngsters stretched the +carcasses out full length that Professor Zepplin might see. + +"Very fine, young men. You say they were howling and woke you up?" + +"Yes; didn't you hear them!" answered Stacy loudly. + +"Indeed I did not. The first thing I heard was the report of a rifle, +and then, in a few seconds, another. I couldn't imagine what was going +on. When I tumbled out and found the camp deserted, I was alarmed. I +feared you boys had gotten into other and more serious trouble. You +should not take the guns out without either myself or the guide being +with you." + +"He was with us," interrupted Chunky. + +"Then that was all right." + +"But we didn't know he was with us, Professor," Tad Butler hastened to +explain. "So we were in the wrong, even if he was along. However, it +has turned out all right, and we've bagged two coyotes. Wish we could +take their pictures. Why didn't we think to bring a camera with us?" + +"I think I can supply that," laughed the guide. "I always carry one +with me. In the morning I'll take your pictures. I got a new camera +in Eureka yesterday, having lost my old one in the blow-out we had the +other night." + +The boys gave three cheers and a tiger for Tom Parry. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF + +Breakfast was cooked in the cool of the early dawn, long before the sun +had pushed its burning course up above the desert sands. Though the +boys had but little sleep, they tumbled out at the guide's first hail, +full of joyous enthusiasm for what lay before them that day. + +Stacy Brown emerged from his tent rubbing his eyes. The lads uttered a +shout when they saw him. + +"Look at him!" yelled Ned. "Look at Chunky's eye!" + +The right eye was surrounded by a black ring, the eyelid being of the +same dark shade, where the end of the telescope on his rifle had kicked +him. + +"Young man, you are a sight to behold," smiled the Professor. + +"I don't care. I got the coyote," retorted Stacy, with a grin. + +"And the gun got him," added Walter. + +"Judging from your appearance, I should say that the butt of your rifle +was almost as dangerous as the other end," laughed Tad. + +"Come and get it!" called the guide. + +The lads never had to be called twice for meals, and they were in their +places at the breakfast table with a bound. + +"Do you know, I'm beginning to like the sage brush taste in the food," +said Walter. + +Stacy made up a face. + +"I should think you would be ashamed to sit down to a meal with that +countenance of yours, Chunky," declared Ned. + +"I might with some company." + +"See here, Chunky Brown. Do you mean----" + +"I mean that my face will get over what ails it, but yours won't," was +the fat boy's keen-edged retort. + +"All of which goes to prove," announced Tad wisely, "that you never can +tell, by the looks of a toad, how far it will jump. I guess you'd +better let Chunky alone after this. He's perfectly able to take care +of himself, Ned." + +Ned subsided and devoted his further attention to his breakfast. The +meal finished, all hands set briskly to work to strike camp. In half +an hour the burros were loaded ready for the day's journey. The boys +set off singing. + +"I don't see how you can tell where you are going," said the Professor. +"There is no sun and you have no compass." + +"We are traveling almost due southwest. I never use a compass. It is +not necessary." + +"There, I knew I had forgotten to get something," announced Tad. + +"Forgotten what?" questioned Walter. + +"To get a compass." + +"You have a watch, have you not?" asked Tom Parry. + +"Why, yes; but that's not a compass." + +"Oh, yes, it is," smiled the guide. "You can get your direction just +as well with that as you could with a tested compass." + +"Never heard that before," muttered Tad. + +"Nor I," added Ned, at once keenly interested. + +"I'm easy. I'll ask how? What's the answer?" questioned Stacy, gazing +innocently at Tom Parry. + +"I am not joking, boys. Every watch is a compass. You can get your +direction from it unerringly whenever you can see the sun." + +"Indeed?" marveled the Professor. + +"The method is very simple," continued Parry. "All you have to do is +to point the hour hand directly at the sun. Half way between the hour +hand and the figure twelve on the watch dial you will find is due +south." + +"I'll try it," answered Tad. + +"There comes the sun now," said Ned. + +The boys drew out their watches, having halted the ponies and turned +facing the rising sun. + +"Well, did you ever!" exclaimed the lads in one voice. + +"It is, indeed, the fact," marveled the Professor. + +"You can depend upon that whenever you have lost your way," said Tom +Parry. "It has helped me out on many occasions." + +"But what if there isn't any sun--what if the sky is clouded?" +questioned Stacy. + +"Then you'll have to sit down and wait for it," laughed the guide. + +After this brief rest the party continued on its way. They had come +out on the level plain, and before them for several miles stretched the +white alkali of the Nevada Desert. As the sun rose higher, they found +the glare of the glistening plain extremely trying to the eyes. The +guide suggested that they put on their goggles. But the boys would +have none of them. Stacy's right eye was badly swollen, yet he refused +to cover it, though the fine dust of the plain got into it, causing it +to smart until the tears ran down his cheek. + +"Where do the wild horses congregate?" asked Tad, riding up beside the +guide. + +"Likely to see them anywhere, though they do not, as a rule, go far out +on the desert on account of the scarcity of water. We may see some in +the Little Smoky Valley and the Hot Creek Range when we reach there." + +"Is it difficult to catch them?" + +"Very. There is one magnificent white stallion that the horse-hunters +have been trying to capture for the past five years." + +"Why can't they get him?" + +"Too smart for them. He knows what they are up to almost as well as if +the hunters had confided their plans to him. Twice, in the beginning, +the hunters succeeded in getting him in a trap, but he managed to get +away from his would-be captors." + +"I'd like to get a chance to take him," mused Tad Butler. + +"I'm afraid you wouldn't have much luck, but we'll have a hunt when we +get down in the horse country, and I promise you that you will see some +exciting sport. Better than hunting coyotes by moonlight," laughed the +guide. + +"I'd like to capture and break a real live wild horse," said young +Butler, his eyes sparkling at the thought. "It would be a fine prize +to take away with me, now wouldn't it?" + +"If you chanced to capture a good one, yes. The poor stock, however, +has been pretty well taken up, so that the horses on the ranges now are +splendid specimens." + +"Anybody want to run a race?" interrupted Stacy, riding up near the +head of the procession. + +"Too hot," answered Tad. + +"Just the kind of a day for a horse race. I'll run any of you to see +who cooks the supper," persisted Stacy. + +"Oh, go back with the burros. I wouldn't eat any supper that you +cooked, anyway." + +"I'll remember that, Ned. Well, if none of you has spunk enough to +race with me, I'll run a race with myself." + +"That a dare?" questioned Walter. + +Stacy nodded, blinking his blackened eye nervously. + +Walter shook out the reins. + +"Come on, then. I suppose you won't be satisfied until you've gotten +into more trouble. Where do you want to race to?" + +"See that patch of ground whiter than the rest off there?" + +"Yes." + +"Well, we'll race there and back. How far is it from here, Mr. Parry?" + +"'Bout half a mile, I should say," answered the guide, measuring the +distance with his eyes. + +"Whew! I didn't think it was so far," marveled Stacy. "But we'll run +it, anyway." + +"I'll be the starter," announced Ned. "If you break your neck, Chunky, +remember that I am not to blame for it." + +"If I break my neck I won't be likely to remember anything, so you're +safe," retorted Stacy. + +The others were too busy discussing wild-horse hunting to give heed to +the boys' plan. + +"All ready!" + +"Yes." + +"Go!" + +Both lads uttered a sharp yell, at the same time giving their spurs a +gentle pressure, and away they went across the blazing alkali, their +tough little ponies steaming in the intense heat as they straightened +out, entering into the spirit of the contest with evident enthusiasm. + +"See those boys ride," laughed the guide, pausing in his argument on +the wild-horse question: "I didn't suppose the fat boy could sit in a +saddle like that." + +"Oh, yes; he does well. You saw him master the bucker the other day in +the mountains?" + +"Yes, I remember. Whoa! Look out, there! There goes one of them! He +took too short a turn." + +"Walter's down!" cried Ned. + +"Hope he isn't hurt." + +"No; he's cleared all right. That was a mighty quick move the way he +slipped out of that saddle. It would have broken his leg sure, if the +pony had fallen on it," declared the guide. + +Stacy had pulled up his own mount after making the turn safely. Then +he rode slowly back. + +"Hurt you any, Walt?" he asked. + +"Jarred me a little, that's all. Why don't you go on and win the race?" + +"Waiting for you," announced the fat boy laconically. + +Walter swung into his saddle. + +"Come on, then. Gid-ap!" he cried, shaking out the reins. + +The two little animals sprang away like projectiles. But Stacy seemed +not to be in his best form. He came in bobbing up and down, several +lengths behind Walter. + +"You won the race. I fell off," announced Walter, with his usual +spirit of fairness. + +"I guess not," drawled Stacy. "Now I'm going to do some stunts." + +With that, the fat boy galloped out over the alkali again, riding off +fully half a mile ahead of the party, where he jogged back and forth +for a time, then began riding in a circle. + +After a little they saw him toss his hat into the air ahead of him, and +putting spurs to his pony dart under it, giving it a swift blow with +his quirt, sending it spinning some distance away, at the same time +uttering a shrill whoop. + +"Thinks he's having the time of his life," grunted Ned. + +"For a boy with a black eye, he is particularly cheerful, I should +say," laughed Parry. "What's he going to do now!" + +"Pick up his sombrero while at a gallop, I guess," replied Tad, shading +his eyes and gazing off across the plain. "Yes, there he goes at it." + +Stacy, with a graceful dip from his saddle, swooped down on the +sombrero, scooping it up with a yell of triumph, then dashing madly +across the desert to the westward. + +All at once they saw his pony stumble. + +"There he goes!" warned the guide. "He will break his neck!" + +Down plunged the broncho, his nose scraping the ground, his hind feet +beating the air wildly. + +Stacy kept right on. + +"The pony struck a thin crust on the alkali," explained the guide. + +Almost before the words were out of his mouth Stacy Brown hit the +desert broadside on. Then, to the amazed watchers, he seemed to +disappear before their very eyes. + +"He's gone! What does it mean?" cried the boys. + +Where but a few seconds before had been a pony and a boy, there now +remained only a kicking, floundering broncho. + +Tom Parry put spurs to his mount and set off at top speed for the scene +of the accident, followed by the others of the party strung out in +single file. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK + +Tad rapidly drew up on the guide. + +"What has happened?" Butler cried as the two now raced along side by +side. + +"As I said before, the pony went through a thin crust----" + +"Yes, but Chunky--what happened to him?" asked Tad. + +"He went through when he struck the ground." + +"I don't understand it at all." + +"You will when you get there." + +Tad was mystified. The solution of the mystery was beyond him. + +"If he isn't drowned, he's in luck," snapped Parry. + +"Drowned?" wondered his companion. + +They cleared the intervening space that lay between them and the fat +boy's pony in a series of convulsive leaps that the bronchos took under +the urgent pressure of the rowels of their riders' spurs. + +As they neared the scene Tad espied a hole in the desert, and began to +understand. Stacy also had struck a thin crust and had broken through. +Yet what had happened to him after that, Tad did not know. + +Both would-be rescuers leaped from their ponies and ran to the spot. + +With his body submerged, his head barely protruding above the water, +sat Stacy, vigorously rubbing his eyes to get the brown alkali water +out of them sufficiently to enable him to look about and determine what +had happened to him. + +The rest of the party dashed up with loud shouts of alarm, hurling a +series of rapid-fire questions at the guide. + +Parry and Tad grasped Stacy by the arms and hauled him, dripping, from +the alkali sink into which he had plunged. + +They shouted with laughter when they saw that he was not hurt seriously. + +"Well, of all the blundering idiots----" began Ned. + +"That will do," warned the Professor, hurrying to Stacy's side. "Hurt +you much, lad?" + +"I--I fell in," stammered Chunky. + +"I should say you did. How in the world did it happen?" + +The guide explained, that frequently these thin crusts were found on +the desert, covering alkali sinks, some being dry, others having water +in them. + +"And of course Chunky had to find one. He's the original hoodoo," +laughed Ned. + +"Oh, I don't know," replied the guide. "He has done us a real service +by falling in." + +"How's that!" questioned Tad. + +"Master Stacy has found a water hole, just what we need at this +particular moment. The stock needs water, and especially the ponies +that have been racing for the last half hour." + +"You don't mean that we are to drink that stuff, do you?" demanded +Walter. + +"Not now. We still have some fairly good water in the water bags. +Later on you may be glad to drink alkali water. Run up and down if you +feel able. You'll dry off in a few minutes," suggested Parry, turning +to Chunky. + +"I--I don't want to. Feels nice and cool after my bath. Jump in and +take a swim, fellows." + +"No, thank you--not in that dirty water," objected Ned. + +"I'll tell you what, boys," suggested Tad. "After the stock has had a +drink we'll take off our shoes and put our feet in. Guess we can stand +that much." + +"That's a good idea," agreed Walter. "We'll all take a cold foot bath." + +In the meantime, the guide had been busily engaged in breaking the +crust around the sink, so that the stock might more easily get at the +water within it. The animals were impatiently pawing and whinnying, +anxious to get the water. They were now willing to drink any kind of +water after their half day's journey across the burning alkali. + +"You might unpack and get a cold lunch together, if you will," +suggested Parry. + +The boys soon had one of the tents erected, over which they stretched +the fly, that the interior might be cooler. + +Ned opened a can of pickled pigs' feet, which, with some hard rolls +were spread out on a folding table under the tent. Tad, not to be +out-done, dug some lemons from his saddle bag, with which he proceeded +to make a pail of lemonade. + +It was the first time they had had any such beverage since they began +their summer trips. Tad had purchased the lemons back in Eureka. The +lemonade made, it lacked only sweetening now. + +"Where's the sugar?" he called. + +"Where's the sugar?" echoed Chunky. + +"We don't know," answered Ned and Walter in the same breath. + +"Get busy and find it, then. If you don't want this lemonade I'll +drink it myself. I don't care whether it is sweetened or not." + +That threat was effective. The other three boys made a dive for the +burros. An examination of the first pack failed to reveal the +sweetening. The same was the case with the next, and before they had +finished, their entire outfit was spread over the ground, tents, canned +goods, cooking utensils, thrown helter-skelter over several rods of +ground. + +"Here, boys, boys!" chided the Professor. "This will never do. We +can't afford to use our provisions in that way. Soon we'll have +nothing." + +"Regular rough house. Ought to be ashamed of yourselves," agreed +Stacy, surveying the scattered outfit, while he secretly slipped two +lumps of sugar into his mouth. "Here, cook, pick up your kitchen," to +Ned. + +"What you got in your mouth?" demanded Ned suspiciously. + +"He's eating the sugar," spoke up Walter Perkins. + +"Drop 'em!" roared Ned. + +Stacy started to run, whereupon the boys fell upon him, and the next +second he was at the bottom of the heap. The boys were rubbing his +face in the sand in an effort to make him give up the sugar. + +The Professor took a hand--two hands in fact--about this time. He made +short work of the "goose pile," tossing the boys from the very much +ruffled Stacy, whom he also jerked to his feet. + +"What's all this disturbance about?" demanded Professor Zepplin. +"First you strew the outfit all over the desert, then you get to +pummeling each other." + +"Chunky's been stealing sugar," volunteered Ned. + +"Give back that sugar, instantly!" commanded the Professor. + +The fat boy shook his head and grinned. + +"Can't," he answered. + +"And, why not?" + +"'Cause they're inside of me." + +"Now, now, now!" warned Ned. "You haven't chewed that hard sugar down +this quick. I know better than that." + +"No, I swallowed the lumps whole when you fellows jumped on me. Nearly +choked me to death, 'cause one of 'em got stuck in my throat," Chunky +explained. + +Tad, in the meantime, had been busy gathering up the scattered +provisions. + +"Get to work, young gentlemen. Straighten up the camp," commanded the +Professor. + +"Don't we get any lunch?" begged Stacy. + +"You're full of sugar. You don't need anything else," replied Walter. + +"When you have set the outfit to rights, we'll all sit down and eat +like civilized beings," asserted the Professor, with emphasis. + +"Civilized beings making a meal on pigs' feet! Huh!" grumbled Chunky, +picking up a can of tomatoes, then throwing it down again. After this, +he slipped around to the opposite side of the tent. Crawling in under +the fly he promptly went to sleep, the others being so busy that they +had not observed his act. + +The next Stacy knew was when he awakened to find himself being hauled +out by one leg. + +"Here, what are you doing? Leggo my foot." + +"Lunch is ready. You ought to thank us, instead of finding fault +because we woke you up. You might have slept right through the meal; +then you wouldn't have had anything to eat," explained Walter. + +Stacy shook his head. + +"No danger. I wasn't afraid of that!" + +"Not afraid of that? Why not?" demanded Ned. + +"'Cause I knew you'd haul me out. Left my feet sticking out so you +would." + +Everybody roared. There was no resisting Stacy Brown's droll humor. + +"Hopeless," averred the Professor, shrugging his shoulders. + +"He's a wise one," differed the guide. + +"Another name for laziness," nodded Ned. + +"What's that disease they have down south?" asked Walter. "I heard the +Professor and the postmaster talking about it back in Eureka." + +"You mean the--the hook-worm disease?" grinned the guide. + +"That's it. That's what Chunky's got. When a fellow is too lazy to do +anything but eat, they say he's got the--the----" + +"The hook----" finished the guide. + +"That's what he ought to get," agreed Ned. + +"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" corrected the Professor. "This is not a seemly +topic for table discussion." + +"But we eat pigs' feet," suggested Stacy in wide-eyed innocence. + +The meal finished, amid laughter and jest, the party stowed their +belongings, and after a brief rest, pushed on, having decided that they +would feel the heat less in the saddle. + +At sundown the travelers were still some distance from the water hole +for which the guide was making. + +"We'll have to go on," he said. "We may have to ride some time after +dark." + +"Will that be advisable?" questioned the Professor. + +"Not advisable, but necessary. The stock must have their water you +know." + +So the party pushed on. The moon came up late in the evening, and the +guide looking about him, discovered that they had borne too far to the +east, which necessitated their covering some four miles more of alkali +than would have been the case had they kept more closely to their +course. + +"It can't be helped," he laughed good-naturedly. "I guess the pigs' +feet will last you until we make camp." + +"How long will that be, Mr. Parry?" questioned Chunky anxiously. + +"All of an hour and a half." + +Stacy humorously took up his belt three holes. + +"Got two more holes left to take in," he decided after examining the +belt critically. + +"That's a new way to measure distance and time, isn't it!" laughed the +guide. + +"How?" wondered Stacy. + +"By the holes in your belt." + +At eleven o'clock that night Tom Parry announced that they had arrived +at the end of their day's journey. + +"Where's the water? I don't see any water?" said Walter. + +"After supper we'll look for it. I presume want something to eat +first, don't you?" questioned the guide. + +"Yes," shouted the lads in chorus. "We're nearly starved." + +Bacon and coffee constituted the bill of fare for their late meal, +which they ate out in the bright moonlight with the crackling camp-fire +near by. + +"This is fine," announced Tad, with which sentiment all the boys +agreed. "Wish we could do this every night." + +"Your supper would be breakfast after a few days," replied Parry. + +"How's that!" questioned Ned. + +"If you waited for moonlight, I mean. The moon comes up later every +night, you know." + +"That's so." + +"We'd get hungry, wouldn't we?" chuckled Stacy. + +"You wouldn't get. You always are," retorted Ned. + +"Now, I'll show you how I know there is a water hole near here," said +Parry after they had finished their late meal. "When I locate it, you +boys may help me take the stock to it." + +They walked back some twenty rods from where they had pitched the camp, +Parry meanwhile hunting about as if in search of something that he had +dropped. + +"Nope. No water here," decided Stacy. + +"You don't know. Ah! Here is what I am looking for." + +The guide pointed to a heap of stones that rose some twelve inches +above the ground. On the west side of the heap several stones had been +placed in a row, thus forming an arm that extended or pointed almost +due west. + +"Know what that is?" asked Parry. + +The lads shook their heads. + +"That's a water marker. When a traveler across the desert finds a sink +he indicates it either by a heap of stones, which he sticks in the +ground, or by any other means at his command. For instance, this pile +of stones tells me there is a water hole somewhere near by, and the arm +points the way to it." + +"Where is it, then?" wondered Walter. "I don't see any signs of water." + +"Nor do I. We'll follow the direction indicated by the arm and see if +we don't come up with a water tank somewhere close by," replied Parry. + +With the guide leading the way, the others following in single file, +they trailed away to the westward until, finally, they came to a slight +depression in the ground. + +"It should be near here," the guide informed them. "There it is. See +that dark hole?" + +The boys bounded forward, dropping on their knees by the opening into +which they peered inquiringly. + +Suddenly they uttered a yell, and, springing up, ran back as fast as +their legs would carry them. As they did so, some dark object bounded +from the water tank and leaped away into the sage brush. + +"Goodness me, what was that?" cried Walter, after the boys had pulled +up and faced about. + +"Come back, come back. That was only a badger," laughed the guide. + +"In the water?" asked Tad, who had stood his ground. + +"No; so much the worse for us! There is no water there. No need to +look. The tank is empty. Some wandering prospector has emptied it to +save his burros and fill his canteen," announced the guide. + +"What are we going to do, then!" queried Ned. + +"Do without it. We shall have to give the stock a very little of our +fresh supply, saving only enough out of it for our own breakfast and a +canteen full apiece to take with us on the morrow. I think I shall be +able to find a river about ten miles below here, providing it has not +changed its course or gone dry. The water here in this country is as +fickle as the desert itself." + +"What if we should fail to find any?" breathed Tad. + +"Well, you know, neither man nor beast can travel far on the desert +without it. But we'll find some to-morrow. Don't worry," soothed the +guide, though in his innermost heart he was troubled. That this water +hole should prove to be dry did not promise well for those that were to +follow. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER + +"Where's that river you were talking about?" demanded the lads when the +outfit pulled up at noon next day. + +"Don't you see it?" smiled Parry. + +"Not a river," answered Ned, gazing about him, then allowing his glance +to rest on the face of the guide to determine if Parry were making +sport of them. + +"I am not sure myself. I know where it should be. Whether it's there +or not is another matter. Fetch the shovels and we'll soon find out." + +"Finding a river with shovels!" muttered Stacy. "Huh! Who ever heard +of such a thing?" + +But as soon as the boys had returned with the digging implements, Parry +swung the tools over his shoulder and strode confidently to the left of +where they were encamped for the noonday rest. + +The boys followed him full of curiosity. + +Finally the guide threw down the tools and began to run his hands over +the hot, yellow soil. + +"Guess the sun's gone to his head," muttered Ned, as he squatted down +to observe more closely what the guide was doing. The other three lads +followed his example. In a moment they were on all fours, hopping +about like so many quadrupeds. + +Parry was shaking with laughter as he observed them. + +"Bow! Bow wow!" barked Chunky, jumping on hands and feet, snapping his +teeth together suggestively. + +The boys looked at each other and burst out laughing. They had +discovered all at once what a ridiculous figure they were making. + +"Sun gone to your head, too, Chunky?" chuckled Ned. "Oh, no, I forgot; +it's dog days," he added maliciously. + +"Your master had better get a collar and chain for you, then, Ned," +laughed Stacy, in high good humor with himself. + +The guide's voice put a sudden end to their merriment. + +"Here's the river," he cried. "There is plenty of water in it, too." + +The boys gathered about him quickly. + +"I don't see any river," averred Walter. + +"There isn't any," answered Ned, in a low voice. + +"I'll show you whether there is or not," snapped Parry, who had +overheard the remark. "You boys think I have gone crazy, don't you? +You'll find there is something to learn about this old Nevada +Desert--some things that you never even dreamed of. Hand me a shovel, +please." + +All at once Stacy began pushing his companions roughly aside. + +"Here, here, Fatty! What are you trying to do?" the others demanded, +beginning to struggle with him to prevent being bowled over. + +"I'm saving your lives," cried the fat boy. + +"Saving our lives?" cried Ned. "Go shake the alkali out of your eyes." + +"Yes, you'll fall in and drown." + +"In what?" + +"In the river. Don't you see the river right there in front of you?" +queried Stacy, his eyes fairly beaming with importance. + +"No, I don't. If there was a river there you'd be the first one to +fall in, and don't you forget that." + +"What's this? What's this?" inquired the Professor, approaching. + +"It's a river," answered Stacy solemnly. + +"A river?" + +"Yes, sir. Don't you hear it roar? Wish I had a boat." + +"Is it water you are digging for, Mr. Parry?" asked Professor Zepplin. + +But the guide did not hear the question. He was too busy with his +mining operations at the moment. + +"Come on, boys," he urged. "Get busy here." + +"At what?" asked Ned. "We're with you, but we don't know what you want +us to do." + +"Yes; can we help you?" inquired Tad. + +"Of course you can. Get those other shovels and dig." + +"Where?" + +"Right here. Make the dirt fly as fast as you want to. I'll show you +something in a minute." + +He did. All at once the sand beneath them gave way, and the Pony Rider +Boys, all except Stacy Brown, uttered a yell as they sank waist deep +into a sink of soft, wet sand. + +Parry had felt the sand giving way, and with a warning had leaped from +the hole. The lads had not been quick enough. + +"There's no danger. Don't be alarmed. You'll get wet feet, that's +all." + +"What is it?" asked the Professor in amazement. + +"Water, my dear sir. Water in plenty. It's a branch of the Pancake +River. These streams run underground for great distances on the +desert, but they change their course so often that you can't place any +dependence on them. We're lucky, boys." + +"Hurrah for the water!" shouted the lads. + +"Keep on digging. We haven't got it yet. Master Stacy, will you run +to the camp and bring the folding buckets? We'll soon have the hole +cleaned so we can dip up some water." + +"Sure," answered the fat boy, thrusting his hands in his trousers +pockets and strolling off at a leisurely gait as if there were no +necessity for haste. + +"That's Chunky's idea of running," laughed Ned Rector, jerking his head +in Stacy's direction. + +The three lads finding there was no danger in their position, had made +no attempt to clamber from the hole. Instead, they began digging, +until the dirt flew so fast that the Professor was obliged to withdraw. +Somehow most of the dirt seemed to be flying through the air right in +his direction. + +Now the water began to rise above the caved-in sand. It was a dirty +yellow in color and the boys' clothing suffered as a result. But the +youngsters did not care. Besides, they were cooling off. + +At last the hole had been cleared sufficiently to enable them to dip up +some water, but Stacy not having returned with the pails, the Professor +was sent to fetch him. He found the lad enjoying himself tickling the +nose of a drowsy burro. + +Professor Zepplin led Chunky out to the water sink, by one ear. The +lads now quickly dipped up pailful after pailful, which they passed to +the guide on the bank. He ran with them to the stock, giving each of +the animals a little, so that all might share in the first instalment. +Ponies and burros were wide awake now, expressing their pleasure in +loud whinnies and blatant brays. + +"It's foggy on the river," laughed Ned. "The burros have started up +their fog horns." + +When Parry returned he brought with him the drinking cups, which he had +taken from the saddles. + +"Is it fit to drink?" asked Tad as the cups were passed down to them. + +"It's wet." + +"So are we," retorted Ned. "But we're dirty. Uh! That's horrible +stuff." + +"Strongly alkaline," nodded the Professor, after sipping gingerly at +the brimming cup Parry had passed to him. "Do you not think we had +better wait a little while until it settles?" + +"Not a second, if you're thirsty," answered the guide shortly. "This +stream is liable to change its course in the next ten minutes. Don't +you take any chances with a desert stream. Fill the water bags and the +canteens as fast as we can that's what we'll do. Then, if the water +holds out, there will be time enough to empty out our supply and fill +with fresh." + +"Hey, Chunky! Haul those water bags over here," called Walter. + +"Can't," called Stacy. He was sitting on the ground pulling off a shoe. + +"What's the trouble now?" snorted Ned. "Got a cramp?" + +"No; I've got a sore toe." + +"Supposing we duck him," suggested Ned. + +"We'll save all the water we have," warned the guide sharply. "No +nonsense about it, either." + +The party was in great good humor, now that they had found a water +hole, and the animals had drunk until their sides were distended like +balloons in process of being inflated. + +"They've had enough," announced the guide, going to the animals and +glancing over the herd sharply. "No more water for the present." + +"Then perhaps we might as well be on our way," suggested the Professor. + +Parry did not reply. He was shading his eyes with one hand, gazing +intently off over the desert. The Professor, following the direction +in which the guide was looking, discovered a cloud of dust rising into +the air. The cloud was approaching them at a rapid rate. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER + +"What is that?" questioned Professor Zepplin sharply. + +"That's what I'm trying to make out," replied the guide. + +"Looks like horsemen." + +"Yes, it is. But I can't understand why they can be riding at that +killing pace on a hot afternoon such as this." + +About this time the boys' attention had been attracted to the yellow +cloud by Stacy Brown, who, notwithstanding his apparent slowness, had +sharp eyes when there was anything to be seen. + +"Somebody's coming," he announced between sips. + +"What's that?" demanded Tad, springing from the water hole, followed +closely by Walter and Ned. + +"Somebody coming to pay us an afternoon call. By the way they're +whooping it up they must be in a hurry about something." + +All hands ran to where Mr. Parry and the Professor were standing. + +The yellow cloud was rolling toward them at a rapid pace, and ahead of +it the boys discovered half a dozen horsemen, who had evidently +discovered the white tent that the Pony Rider Boys had erected during +their midday stop. + +"Know them?" asked Tad. + +"I'm not sure, but I think it's Bud Stevens and the wild-horse outfit. +Judging from the way they ride they're pretty wild themselves." + +With a series of shrill "y-e-o-w-s," the strangers bore down on the +little desert camp. From the gray, alkali-flecked backs of the ponies +clouds of steam were rising, their sides streaked with dust and sweat. + +"Whoop! Hooray!" bellowed the newcomers, dashing up to the camp, +letting go a volley of revolver shots right into the ground in front of +the Pony Rider Boys. + +Not a boy flinched. + +"How!" said Tom Parry. + +"How!" roared Bud Stevens, the leader, throwing himself from the back +of his trembling mount. + +"Where's the boss?" asked Parry. + +"He's gone down Ralston way." + +"Thought so. Where you headed?" + +"San Antone Range after more hoss flesh. We'll rope the white stallion +this time, and don't you forget it. Eh, kiddie? You're the little +coyote what roped my pony and plunked me into the street back in +Eureka, ain't you?" + +Half jokingly, he swung a vicious blow at Tad with the flat of his +hand. Had it landed it would have laid the lad flat. + +Tad ducked and came up smiling. + +"Wow! The kiddie's a regular little bantam. We'll have to take a fall +out of you. Got to give you the desert initiation like they do in the +secret societies back in Eureka." + +He sought to close with Tad, but the boy eluded him easily. + +"That'll do, Bud," warned the guide, stepping between them. "No rough +house here. Want some water? We've got a water hole right over there." + +"Water? Water? Call the stuff we get out of the ground here water?" + +"He--he's had his head in soak already," piped Stacy, noting the +perspiration dripping from the cowboy leader's face. + +Parry gave the lad a warning look. + +"They're good enough fellows, but they are full of pranks when they are +not at work. No need to stir them up and make them mad." + +"Got anything to eat?" demanded Bud. + +"How would you like some coffee, sir?" asked Tad politely. + +"Coffee?" jeered the cowboy. "Now what d'ye think of that, fellows? +Ain't that right hospitable?" + +"Yes, thank you, young man, I guess that would touch the spot," spoke +up another of the band. "'Course we'll have some coffee." + +"All right. Ned, will you and Walt fix something for the boys to eat? +If you will lead your ponies over to the water hole I'll dip up some +water for them in the meantime, gentlemen." + +"Kiddie, yer all right," bellowed Bud Stevens. "But I've got to take a +fall out of yer yet." + +"Some other time," grinned Tad, who felt no fear of the hulking cowboy. + +"See that nose?" demanded Bud, sticking out his head at Tad. + +"Yes; what's the matter?" + +"That's my nose. And that's where I barked it when you roped my pony +tother day. Oh, I've got to take it out of yer hide, kiddie." + +"Come along. We'll water the ponies. Chunky, help lead those bronchos +to the water hole, will you?" + +The two boys and the noisy plainsmen gathered the tired animals and led +them to the hole that had been dug in the desert. Stacy sprang in and +began dipping out pails of water. + +Bud grabbed the first pailful, but instead of offering it to one of the +thirsty animals, he deliberately emptied the contents over the head of +the boy down in the hole. + +"Hi, there! Stop that, will you?" howled Stacy Brown. + +The fat boy was mad all through. + +He scrambled from the hole, dragging a slopping pail of water after +him, while Bud Stevens roared with delight. But his mirth was +short-lived. + +Stacy ran around the hole and straight at the cowboy who had soaked him +with the yellow water. Up went the pail. + +Splash! + +The contents of it were hurled full in the face of the wild cowboy, who +at that moment, having his mouth wide open, got a mouthful of it. + +The battle was on instantly. Tad knew it was coming, but he did not +think it would be directed at him this time, though he realized that he +would have to protect his companion at any cost. + +Choking and sputtering, Bud made a blind lunge at Tad, his eyes being +so full of muddy water that he could barely make out the slender form +of the Pony Rider Boy. + +Tad ducked and dodged, hoping that Stevens would tire of pursuing him +in a moment. The lad might have called to the others over by the camp, +but he was too proud to do that. He would fight his own battles, no +matter what the odds were against him. + +"I've got to get in," muttered the lad. "He's seeing clearer every +minute, and the longer I wait the less chance I'll have of getting out +with a whole skin. + +"I'm coming, kiddie!" roared Bud. + +Tad made no reply. + +Stooping as if for a spring, Butler launched himself straight at the +pillar of brawn and muscle before him. Had he hesitated for the +briefest part of a second--had he permitted those muscular arms to +close about him, Tad Butler would have gone down to a quick and +inglorious defeat. + +But he did not wait. + +The lad's right arm was brought sharply against the neck of his +adversary, while at the same time his left arm was slipped under the +cowboy's right leg. The result was that Stevens lurched to the left. +A quick jerk and Bud was fairly lifted from the ground. + +Tad gave a quick, forceful tug. + +Bud Stevens landed on his head in the pool of yellow water, his feet +beating the air wildly. + +[Illustration: Bud Stevens Landed on His Head in the Pool of Yellow +Water] + +"Grab hold of a foot, Chunky!" commanded Tad. "Quick! He'll drown in +a minute in there." + +"Oh, let 'im drown," drawled Stacy, blinking to get the sand out of his +eyes. + +"Get hold, I tell you! I'll thrash you, Stacy Brown, if you don't!" + +Stacy reluctantly complied, Tad in the meantime having grasped the +cowboy's foot and began pulling. + +"Not that way, Chunky. Do you want to pull him apart?" + +The fat boy was trying to get Bud's right leg out from the opposite +side of the water hole. + +The disturbance had by this time attracted the attention of the men +over in the camp. They started on the run when they saw Bud turned +head first into the water hole. + +By the time they reached the scene Tad and Stacy had succeeded in +hauling the victim from his perilous position. Bud was choking between +roars of rage. His companions went off into shrieks of laughter when +they understood what had happened. They rolled on the ground; they +danced about their fallen companion, and then their revolvers began to +add their vicious voices to the tumult. + +Tad paid no attention to the uproar. He was too busy shaking the water +out of his fallen antagonist, to whom he was giving first aid to the +drowning. + +Bud staggered to his feet, gasped for breath, while Tad stepped off a +few paces, so as not to be within reach of those long, bony arms, +should Bud decide to stretch them forth and take him in. + +"Guess you got all that was coming to you that time, Bud Stevens," +grinned Tom Parry. "Served you right. You'll let those boys alone +after this or you'll have to reckon with me." + +Stevens's face was streaked with wet sand, his hair was disheveled and +his clothes stuck to him as if they had been pasted on. + +The cowboy's sullen face slowly relaxed into a mirthless grin. + +"Say, kiddie, you put it over me like a cactus plant. I owe you two." + +"I'd cancel the debt if I were in your place," laughed the boy. "Come +along and have a drink of coffee. It'll warm you up after your swim." + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER + +An appetizing meal had been spread for the visitors. But every time +the men glanced at their companion they broke out into loud guffaws. + +"You're a sight, Bud," jeered one. + +"Next time better take a man of your size," said another. + +"Guess that's right," grinned the vanquished one. "Ye can't most +always tell what a kid's going to do." + +"We know what this one did do to you, though," laughed another. + +"Reckon I do myself," admitted Stevens. "Say, kiddie, you come along +with us and try them tricks on the wild hosses we're going to catch. +Mebby I'll forgit to take it out of you. I'll let the white stallion +do that." + +"Thank you; I'll accept that invitation, with Professor Zepplin's +permission." + +"We intended to drop in on your bunch, anyway," interposed Parry. "The +boss has invited us to join a horse hunt with you." + +"Better go along with us now, then," suggested Stevens. "We won't have +no more rough house, leastwise till we get to the San Antone Range, eh?" + +"No," replied Parry. "We have a pack train to drag along. Besides, +you fellows travel too fast for us. We'll take our time and join you +later." + +The bath and the hot coffee had served to quiet Bud Stevens's bubbling +spirits. He was by this time a more rational being. + +After they had finished the meal Bud drew Tad Butler aside +confidentially. + +"Say, kiddie, I like you," he said, slapping the lad a violent blow +between the shoulders. + +"Glad of it," laughed Tad. "But you have a queer way of showing your +affection." + +"Say, can you ride?" + +"Some," admitted Tad. + +"As well as you can fight and throw a rope?" + +"I was not aware that I did either one very well." + +"Go away! Go away! You're a champeen. I've got a spavined, +ring-boned cayuse over in the range that I'm going to put you up +against when you join us. He'll give you all the exercise you want----" + +"Hey, Bud, ain't it 'bout time we were moseying?" called one of +Stevens's companions. + +"I reckon. Can't be any hotter than 'tis now. When you going to join +us, Parry?" + +"We'll be there in a few days. But come here; I want to talk with you?" + +"Sure thing." + +"If we go on a hunt with you, remember there's to be no funny business. +These boys, while they're no tenderfeet, are fine fellows and they must +be treated well. I'm responsible for them. What I say goes. +Understand?" + +"We'll look out for the kids, don't you get in a hot stew 'bout that." + +With a final whoop and a cheer for the members of Tom Parry's party, +the turbulent cowboys put spurs to their ponies. Once more a cloud of +dust rose from the desert, across which it slowly rolled. The boys +watched it for half an hour, until the cloud had dwindled to a mere +speck in the distance. + +"Not such a bad lot, after all," was the Professor's conclusion. + +"Rough diamonds," smiled the guide. + +"Are we going on now, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. + +"No; I think we may as well unpack and make camp here until to-morrow +morning. Then the stock will be fresh, and so shall we." + +"The stock looks to be in pretty good shape already," answered Tad. + +"Yes; but they will be much better to-morrow. A day's water and feed +will do wonders for them. I guess the bunch of horse-hunters made +quite a hole in our fodder, didn't they?" + +"There was nothing the matter with their appetites that I observed," +laughed Tad. "But we've got enough to last us for some time. How long +before we shall strike the range where we are to join them?" + +Parry glanced off over the desert meditatively. + +"If we have no bad luck we ought to make it in three days. The cowboys +will get there some time to-morrow." + +"One of them won't," answered Tad, confidently. + +"Why not?" + +"His pony is wind-broken. Didn't you hear him breathe when they rode +in?" + +"What, with the bunch howling like a pack of coyotes? No, I didn't +hear a horse breathe." + +"I did," chimed in Stacy. + +"Did what?" queried Ned, turning on him sharply. Rector had not heard +the fat boy approach them. + +"Heard the big cowboy breathe. He wheezed like a leaky steam engine." + +Tad and the guide burst out laughing. + +"Why, boy, we weren't talking about the cowboy. We were speaking of +one of the bronchos. Tad says he is wind-broken." + +"Huh!" grunted Stacy, strolling off with hands thrust in his pockets, +chin on his breast. "When I'm not right I'm always wrong," he +muttered. "Mostly wrong." + +They did not see the lad again for more than an hour. The rest of the +party gathered under the tent they had first erected, where they now +fell to discussing their late visitors, next turning to their plans for +the morrow. + +"Do we follow the same course when we next start?" asked the Professor. + +"Not quite. We veer a little more to the west, until we string the San +Antonio Range. When we leave there, if you conclude to go on, we shall +head southward toward Death Valley. I understand you are willing to +penetrate it a little way." + +"Yes, if you think it is safe to do so." + +Parry shrugged his shoulders. + +"Death Valley is no better than its name. If you wish merely to see +it, I think I can gratify your desire." + +"Yes, yes, we want to see Death Valley," chorused the boys. "Don't be +afraid for us." + +"I'll try to get some water bags from the horse-hunters when we join +them; for the further south one goes on the desert the more scarce the +water becomes." + +The sun was lying low by this time and the advance guard of the evening +coolness began crowding back the heat of the day. + +"I wonder what has become of Chunky?" questioned Tad suddenly, rising +from the ground where he had thrown himself in the shade of the tent. + +The others glanced quickly about them. + +"Probably find him asleep behind a bunch of sage somewhere," answered +Ned lightly. "Don't trouble yourself about him." + +"Perhaps over by the water hole," suggested the guide. "I'll stroll +over that way." + +Just then a figure topped the ridge beyond them. + +It was yelling lustily, leaping into the air, rolling and groveling on +the ground alternately. + +"There he is! Something's happened to him," shouted Walter. + +All hands started on a run. They could not imagine what had gone wrong +with the fat boy. + +As they drew nearer to him they discovered that he had taken off all +his clothes. His body was as red as if it had been painted. + +The Professor's long legs were covering the alkali at a pace that left +the others behind, until Tad spurted and headed him. + +"Chunky, Chunky! What's the matter?" he shouted. + +Stacy yelled more lustily than ever. + +"What is it? What is it?" shouted the others in chorus. + +"I'm burned alive? I'm cremated! Oh, w-o-w!" + +"Should think you would he. What on earth have you got your clothes +off for?" + +They discovered that something was the matter then, for an expression +of real pain had taken the place of the complacent look they were wont +to see on the face of Stacy Brown. + +"He's been boiling himself!" exclaimed the guide, with quick intuition. + +Grasping the fat boy, Parry threw him flat on the ground and began +rolling him in the sand. Stacy yelled more lustily than before. + +"Run to my saddlebags. Fetch the black bottle you will find there!" +commanded the guide. "It's oil, yes. Hurry, before his skin all peels +off." + +Tad was back with the black bottle in no time. Tom Parry spread the +oil over the blistered flesh of the fat boy, whose yells grew less and +less explosive as he felt the soothing effects of the grease on his +body. + +"Wha--what happened?" stammered Walter. + +"I--I fell in." + +"In where?" questioned the Professor sharply. + +"I don't know. It was hot." + +"Put your clothes on. You'll be all right in a little while. Where +did you leave them?" + +Stacy pointed back on the desert some distance, whereat Parry +laughingly said he would go in search of the clothing. + +"Now if you will be good enough to tell me what all this uproar is +about, I shall be obliged to you," requested the Professor. + +"Why, the boy found a boiling spring----" + +"And he fell in," added Ned solemnly. + +"He did," agreed the guide, without the suspicion of a smile. + +"Is that it, Master Stacy?" + +Stacy nodded. + +"Tell me about it." + +"I--I was walking along with my hands in my pockets----" + +"Thinking," interjected Ned. + +"What'd you suppose I was doing! Ain't I always thinking when I'm not +asleep?" + +"Go on, go on," urged Ned unsympathetically. + +"All at once something slipped. I went right through the ground. At +first I thought I was a pond of ice water, it felt so cold. Next thing +I knew I was burning up." + +"But your clothes? What did you have them off for?" urged the +Professor. + +"I took them off when I thought I was burning up. Say, fellows, that +was the hottest ice water I ever took a bath in my life." + +The boys could barely resist their inclination to laugh. + +"Why don't you laugh if you want to? Never mind me. I don't count," +growled Chunky. + +Parry explained that these boiling springs were not infrequent on the +desert. They were found, generally, further north, he said. This one +must have worked its way up through the alkali until only a thin crust +covered it, and this crust the boy had had the misfortune to step on +and break through. + +"You wouldn't think there were so many pitfalls under this baked +desert, would you?" questioned Ned. + +"I look like a piece of human sandpaper, don't I?" muttered Stacy +ruefully, as he carefully drew on his clothes. "Every time I sit down +I'll remember that hot ice water." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL + +"Thank goodness, we're in the foothills," sighed Tad, when three days +later they came to a halt at the base of the San Antonio Range far down +on the Nevada Desert. + +"Yes, it is a relief to see some real rocks once more," agreed Walter. +"Chunky, look out that you don't step into any more ice water. You'll +miss the horse-hunt if you do." + +"No danger of that up here," laughed the guide. + +Behind them lay the desert maze, to the right and left, mountain +ranges, high plateaux, mesas and buttes. Giant yucca trees, short, +spreading piñon and spindling cedars clothed the higher peaks of the +San Antonio Range. + +Trees, too, were scattered about in the foothills, and though they gave +little shade it was a relief to every sense of the Pony Riders to feel +the hills and trees about them. + +There, with what little shade they could get, the lads made camp. As +yet they had found no water, though Parry said there would be springs +in plenty further up in the mountains. The bags still held enough to +last them until the following day, so no effort was made to locate +fresh water that afternoon. + +Stacy had thrown himself down under one of the yucca trees, but the +late afternoon sun filtered through the branches, making his face look +red and heated. + +"You don't seem to be getting much shade from that tree," laughed the +guide. + +"'Bout as much as I would from a barbed wire fence," frowned Stacy. + +"What do you know about barbed-wire fences?" demanded Ned. + +"Me? Know all 'bout them. One night I had a falling out with one, +when I was taking a short cut across the fields to get home." + +"How about the apples? Did you get them?" asked Tad. + +"Apples? What do you know 'bout it? Were you there, too?" + +A laugh greeted the fat boy's reply. + +"Come, come, young men. Are you going to make camp?" urged the +Professor. + +"Didn't know we were going to remain here to-night," replied Walter. +"Of course we're going to make camp if that's the case. It'll be a +good time to shake the alkali dust out of our belongings and from +ourselves." + +"I haven't got any dust," piped Stacy. "I--I had a bath--a hot bath." + +"Are we anywhere near the horse-hunters, Mr. Parry?" inquired Tad, as +the boys began unpacking the burros, some devoting their attention to +the kitchen outfit, the rest spreading the canvas on the ground +preparatory to erecting the tents. + +"They are supposed to be further up the range. They will be down this +way to-morrow, probably, to pick us up. They were not certain where +they would make their permanent camp, Stevens said. All depends upon +where the wild horses are grazing." + +"I don't see any wild horses, nor any other wild anything," objected +Ned. + +The guide dropped the ridge pole that he was about to carry to the +place where the cook tent had been laid out ready to be raised. + +"Come with me," he said, taking Ned by the arm and leading him to the +left of their camping place. "Do you see that?" + +"What?" + +"Use your eyes. If you're going to be a plainsman you'll have to +depend on your sense of sight. Take the desert for instance. It's a +desert maze if you are unable to read its signs; no maze at all if you +do." + +"What is it you were going to show Ned?" asked the rest of the boys, +who had followed them out. + +"See if you can tell, Master Tad." + +But Master Tad had already been using his eyes. He nodded as he caught +the guide's eye. + +"There has been a bunch of unshod ponies along here, if that is what +you mean," he said. + +"How do you know?" demanded Stacy. + +"I see their tracks there. Saw them the minute I got over here." + +"Maybe that's the crowd that called at our camp the other day," +suggested Walter. + +The guide shook his head. + +"There was no one on these horses," said Tad. + +"Right," emphasized the guide. "That's observation, young men. You +will notice, by examining these hoofprints carefully, that the weight +of the animal is thrown more on the toe----" + +"How do you know that?" cut in Stacy. + +"Because the toe sinks into the soil more than it would if the animals +were loaded. In the latter event, the heels would dig deeper. Now if +you will follow along a little further I may be able to show you the +hoofprints of the leader of the band of wild horses, for that is what +they are----" + +"Wild horses?" marveled the boys. + +"Wish we could see them," said Tad. + +"I'll wager they have seen us already, for they surely are in this +neighborhood," replied Parry. "But a wild horse is as sharp as an old +fox. The herd have been down in the foothills and, by the hoofprints, +you will observe that they have returned to the mountain fastness." + +"Perhaps they saw us coming," suggested Tad. + +"More than likely," agreed the guide. "They were in a hurry and moving +rapidly--there! There's the leader's trail. Look carefully and you +will see where he leaped up to this little butte here. Reaching it, he +turned about and took a quick, comprehensive look at the desert." + +"And at us," added Stacy. + +"Yes, I think so. Come up here. You see this little ridge gave him a +very good view of the desert maze. See if you can tell how many wild +horses there were in the bunch," suggested Tom Parry. + +Instantly the boys went down on all fours, crawling along the trail +seeking to read the story that it told. + +"Well, how many?" queried the guide, after they had finished their +inspection. + +"Fifty!" shouted Stacy. + +"Forty-five!" answered Ned and Walter at the same time. + +"What do you say, Master Tad?" + +"I am afraid I must have missed some, then. I only make out twenty-one +old ones and a colt. I take it the old mare was with the colt, for the +prints show that the little animal was hugging the other closely," was +Tad's decision. + +"Very good. Very good," nodded Parry. "There were twenty-two. You +didn't get the trailer, probably an old mare. She traveled along off +to the right yonder a little. But I should like to know how you made +fifty, Master Stacy!" twinkled the guide. + +"Counted 'em," answered the fat boy. + +"Show me?" + +Stacy did so, going over the hoofprints carefully, pointing to them +with his index finger as he did so, the guide making mental +calculations at the same time. + +"And that makes fifty--fifty--fifty-four this time. There's more of +them than I thought." + +Parry laughed softly. + +"I'm afraid you'd make a poor Indian, young man. You not only have +counted the hoof-prints, but you have counted the foot marks of +yourself and your companions as well. Master Tad, let me see if you +can run the trail up the mountain side a little way. It will be good +practice. I want you boys to be able to follow a trail as keenly as +the best of them before you have finished this trip. You never know +when it's going to be useful--when it's going to get you out of serious +difficulties, even to the extent of saving your lives." + +Tad was off on a trot, stooping well over, with eyes fixed on the foot +marks. + +"Tad could hunt jack rabbits without a dog, couldn't he?" questioned +Stacy innocently. His companions laughed. + +"Is that a joke?" asked Ned. "If it is, I'll cry. Your jokes would +make a Texas steer weep." + +Tad was picking his way up the rough mountain side, now losing the +trail, then picking it up again. The marks left by the wild horses +were almost indistinguishable after the animals had reached the rocks, +but here and there a broken twig told the lad they had passed that way. + +Once he appeared to leave the trail, moving sharply to the right, where +on a shelving ridge, he straightened up and looked down into the valley. + +Tom Parry nodded encouragingly. + +"Know what you've found?" + +"Yes, this is where the leader came to make another observation," +answered Tad. + +"That's right. He's a plainsman already, boys. Go on. Run the trail +up to the top of this first ridge. It will not be a bad idea for us to +know which way they've gone. If the hunters don't show up by to-morrow +we can take a little run after the herd on our own hook." + +Tad obeyed gladly. Every sense was on the alert. The rest of the boys +were all impatience to take part in the hunt. But the guide said no. +He feared that, if all were to start up the mountain side, their +enthusiasm might lead them too far from camp, resulting in their losing +their way. He knew how tricky the trail of a band of wild horses was, +the clever animals leaving no ruse untried that would tend to mix up +and lose their pursuers. + +Tad's figure was growing smaller as he ascended higher and higher. + +"You don't mean to say that horses climbed up the way he is going!" +questioned Walter incredulously. + +"That's the way they went, my boy. They 're regular goats when it +comes to mountain climbing. They'll go where a man could not, +oftentimes." + +Tad crept, cautiously on, now finding little to guide him, save his own +instinct. He finally disappeared behind the rocks and trees of the +low-lying range. + +The lad was moving almost noiselessly now. A sound a short distance +beyond him caused him to prick up his ears sharply. + +"I believe I am near them," he breathed, as he glanced about him. "Why +did I not think to bring my rope?" + +It was just as well for his own well-being, that he had not brought +along that part of his saddle equipment. He was following the trail +with the skill of a trained mountaineer. An Indian himself could have +done it no better. + +Perhaps the guide understood, better than did Tad himself, why he had +started the lad on the trail, for a quiet smile hung about the lips of +Tom Parry. All at once his twinkling eyes lit up with a new expression. + +"Look! Look!" gasped Walter. + +"Where? Where?" demanded Ned. + +Walter pointed to a pyramid-shaped rock far above their heads. + +At first they could scarcely believe their senses. There poised in the +air, feet doubled into a bunch, stood a splendid specimen of +horse-flesh, resting, it seemed, fairly on the sharp point of the rock, +gazing down into and across the valley. + +"The white stallion," breathed the lads all in the same breath. + +The magnificent animal was a creamy white. Its head was held high, +nostrils distended as if to catch the scent of those for whom it was +looking. Beneath the rays of the low lying sun, its coat glistened and +shone with a luster that no brush or comb could bring to it. + +The lads gazed upon the beautiful statue almost in awe. + +They were standing quite close up under the shadow of the mountain at +that moment. + +"Why doesn't he run?" whispered Walter. + +"Do you think he sees us?" asked Ned. + +"No. Stand perfectly still." + +"Why doesn't he? All he would have to do would be to look down?" +questioned Stacy. + +"He scents us. He knows we are somewhere near. But, if you will +observe him closely, you will notice that he is looking at the camp. +He sees the Professor moving about," explained Parry. + +"Do--do you think we could catch him?" asked Ned eagerly. + +"The most skillful men in this part of the country have been trying to +do that very thing for the last five years, my boy," answered the guide +in a low tone. "No, you couldn't catch him. He's the finest animal to +be found in the entire Nevada Desert district. Wouldn't mind owning +him myself." + +In the meantime Tad had been creeping nearer and nearer. He soon +discovered that the leader of the band had swerved to the left. He +concluded to follow, to see where the solitary animal had gone to. But +so quietly did the lad move that the stallion neither heard nor scented +him. + +All at once the wonderful sight unfolded before the eyes of Tad Butler. +He flattened himself on the ground, within thirty yards of the splendid +animal. + +Suddenly the stallion whirled. Tad rose to his feet, The two stood +facing each other, Tad with head thrust forward, the stallion with +nostrils held high in the air. + +"Oh, my rope, my rope!" breathed the boy. "If I had my rope!" + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS + +Those down in the foothills saw the animal whirl and face the other way. + +"He sees something," cried Walter, forgetting in his excitement that +they were trying to keep quiet. + +"Yes, he has probably scented Master Tad," explained the guide. + +"Think he'll try to catch the horse?" asked Stacy. + +"Hope not. Those wild horses are bad medicine. No, of course, he has +no rope with him. But he'll be wise if he keeps out of the way of the +beast." + +Tad had no thought of doing either. He stood perfectly still, gazing +in awe and wonder at the handsomest horse he had ever seen. + +The stallion's eyes blazed. He uttered a loud snort, then rose right +up into the air on his hind feet. One bound brought him many feet +nearer the boy who was observing him. It was the only direction in +which the stallion could go without plunging into a chasm. + +"Whoa!" commanded Tad sharply. + +The white horse never having been trained, failed to understand the +word, but he halted just the same, gazing angrily at the bold boy +standing there, who, it appeared, was defying him. + +Uttering another snort, this time full of menace, the animal leaped +straight toward the lad in long, graceful bounds. + +Tad threw up his hands to frighten the stallion aside. The animal, +however, refused to be swerved from its course. + +"He's going to run over me," cried the boy, as he noted that the horse +was rising for another leap. + +Tad ducked just as the beast sprang clear of the ground. He felt the +rush of air as the gleaming body was lifted over his head, the boy at +the instant uttering a shrill yell to hasten the stallion's movements. + +The front hoofs caught the rim of the Pony Rider Boy's sombrero, +snipping it from his head. The hind feet came closer. They raked +Tad's head, bowling him completely over, rolling him from the knoll on +which he had been standing. + +He brought up with a jolt some ten feet further down. Tad scrambled to +his feet a little dizzy from the blow and the fall. + +"Whew! That was a close call," he muttered, feeling his head to learn +if it had been injured. + +"No; the skin isn't broken, but I'm going to have a beautiful goose egg +there," he concluded. "It's swelling already. If I'd had my rope I +could have roped him easily when he rose at me that last time." + +Scrambling up the bank, Tad found his hat. Then he picked his way to +the pyramid-shaped rock on which he had first discovered the stallion. + +Poising himself, he swung his sombrero to his companions down in the +foothills. + +"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I met the enemy. I've seen the white stallion, +fellows!" + +"Is the enemy yours?" jeered Ned Rector. + +"No; I rather think I was his," laughed Tad, turning back and hurrying +down the rocks to rejoin his companions. + +He was met by a volley of questions the moment he reached the +foothills. With his companions gathered about him, Tad told them how +he had followed the trail, finally coming upon the handsome animal +while the latter was taking an observation from the pyramid-shaped rock. + +"It's a wonder he didn't attack you," said the guide after the lad had +finished his narration. "Those wild stallions are very savage when +aroused." + +"I guess he tried to do so all right," laughed Tad. + +"I knew he was up there somewhere, watching us, but I did not think for +a minute that you would get close enough to him to be in any danger," +announced Tom Parry, with a disapproving shake of his head. + +"I could have roped him easily," said the lad. + +"Lucky for you that you didn't try it. It's getting late now. I +presume the Professor is beginning to think we are not going to finish +pitching our camp. Come, we'll go back and get to work." + +The work went rather slowly, however, for the lads were too full of the +subject of the wild stallion to devote their whole attention to putting +their camp to rights for the night. Then again, they had to go all +over the story for the Professor's benefit. + +"Do you think we could catch one of these wild ones to take back East +with us?" asked Tad. + +"You couldn't catch one yourself, but you might be able to buy one for +a small sum from the horse-hunters," the guide informed him. + +"How much?" + +"Depends on the animal. Perhaps twenty or twenty-five dollars." + +"Then, I'll do it. I could get him home for as much more, and he'd be +worth at least two hundred dollars. Perhaps I might take two of them +along, providing I can get what I want." + +"You ought to be a horseman," laughed the guide. "You've got the +horseman's instinct." + +"He is a horseman," volunteered Stacy. "There aren't any better." + +"Thank you," glowed Tad. "I'll pull you out next time you fall in, for +that." + +They were very jolly at supper that night. They had nothing to trouble +them. Water was near by and they were soon to participate in the most +exciting event in their lives, a wild-horse hunt. + +"Do you think they will be able to find us!" questioned Walter. + +"Who, the horses?" returned Ned. + +"I hope they do," laughed the guide. "No; Master Walter means Bud +Stevens and the gang. Find us? Why, those fellows could trail a cat +across the Desert Maze if they happened to take a notion to do so." + +There being plenty of dry stuff about, the boys built up a blazing +camp-fire as soon as night came on. Gathering about it they told +stories and sang songs. + +"I move that Stacy Chunky Brown favor us with a selection," suggested +Ned. "He has a very rare voice--an underdone voice some might call it." + +"Yes, Chunky," urged Walter. "You haven't sung for us since we +started." + +"Me? I can't sing. Besides it might scare the wild horses," protested +Stacy. + +"I guess there's no doubt about that. But we'll take the chances." + +"Yes, do sing, Chunky," added Walter. "It may soften Ned's hard heart." + +Stacy cocked an impish eye at Ned Rector. + +"All right, I'll sing," decided the fat boy, clearing his throat. + +"Stand up," thundered Ned. "Have some respect for the audience." + +Stacy stood up. + +"What are you going to favor us with?" questioned Tad. + +"It's a little thing of my own," grinned Stacy. "Hope you'll like it." + +"Oh, we'll like it all right," chuckled Ned. "The audience will please +refrain from applauding until the performer finishes." + +"What's the name of the piece?" demanded Walter. + +"Hasn't been named. You can name it if you wish." + +"Go ahead, go ahead. Never mind the name," chorused the lads. + +Stacy surveyed the upturned, laughing faces of his companions and then +launched out in a shrill soprano: + + It's all day long on the alka-li, + Where the coyotes howl and the wells run dry, + Where the badgers badge in the water holes, + And the twisters twist the old tent poles-- + Right up from the alka-li. + + +"Yeow!" shrieked the Pony Rider Boys. + +"It's a new poet. Hurrah for the poet lariat!" shouted Ned Rector, +jumping up and down, slapping his thighs in his amusement. + +"Go on, give us another verse," laughed the guide. "That's real po'try +that is." + +"Is there another verse?" cried Walter. + +Chunky nodded solemnly. + +"Hush! He is going to sing some more," cautioned Tad Butler, holding +up his hand for silence. + +"Ahem," began Stacy. Throwing back his head he began again: + + When the wind blows high o'er the Desert Maze, + And sand in your eyes interferes with your gaze, + Then the Pony Rider Boys they lose their pants; + Don't dare sit down for fear of the ants-- + That hide in the alka-li. + + +Stacy sat down blinking, solemn as an owl. But if he was solemn his +companions were quite the opposite. The boys formed a ring about him, +and between their yells of appreciation, began dancing around in a +circle shouting out in chorus the last two lines of the second verse: + + Don't dare sit down for fear of the ants-- + That hide in the alka-li. + + +Professor Zepplin and Tom Parry were laughing immoderately, but their +voices could not be heard above the uproar made by the joyous Pony +Riders. No such carnival of fun probably ever had disturbed the +foothills of the San Antonio range, nor extended so far out over the +maze of the great Nevada Desert. + +"Sing it again! Sing it again!" commanded the boys. + +They hauled the protesting Chunky to his feet, stood him on a box of +pickled pigs' feet, compelling him to begin the song all over again. + + "It's all day long on the alka-li. + Where the coyotes howl and----" + + +"Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o! Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o-ki! K-i-i-i-o-o-ki!" + +A long wailing sound--a dismal howl, suddenly cut short the joyous +ditty. + +"What's that!" + +"Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o! Ki-i-i-i-o-o-ki!" + +"Coyotes," laughed the guide. + +There seemed to be hundreds of them. From every peak in the range +their mournful voices were protesting. + +All at once out in the black maze of the desert another bunch of them +began their weird wailing. + +"We're surrounded," announced the Professor. + +"Shall we get the guns?" asked Walter. + +"No, they're expressing their indignation at Chunky's song," jeered Ned. + +"Let 'em howl. I don't care. If they don't stop I'll sing some more," +threatened the fat boy. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS + +The Professor found difficulty even in driving the lads to their beds +that night. When they did finally tumble in and pull the blankets over +them they were unable to sleep, between the howling of the coyotes and +their laughter over Stacy Brown's new-found talent. + +"They'll go away when the moon comes up," called the guide when the +boys protested that the beasts kept them awake. + +"Why can't we shoot at them?" asked Stacy. + +"It will alarm the wild horses," said the guide. "We don't want to +chase them off the range. Neither would the horse-hunters like it if +we were to begin shooting." + +"Go to sleep!" commanded the Professor. + +Then the boys settled down. After a time the moon came up, but instead +of quieting the coyotes it seemed to have urged them on to renewed +efforts. They grew bolder. They approached the camp until a circle of +them surrounded it. + +Out of Stacy Brown's tent crept a figure in its night clothes. It was +none other than Stacy himself. In one hand he held a can of condensed +milk that he had smuggled from the commissary department that afternoon. + +He wriggled along in the shadow of a slight rise of ground until he had +approached quite near the beasts. He could see them plainly now and +Stacy's eyes looked like two balls. + +The animals would elevate their noses in the air, and, as if at a +prearranged signal, all would strike the first note of their mournful +wail at identically the same instant. + +Suddenly the figure of the Pony Rider Boy rose up before them, right in +the middle of one of the unearthly wails. + +"Boo!" said Stacy explosively, at the same time hurling the can of +condensed milk full in the face of the coyote nearest to him. + +His aim was true. The can landed right between the eyes of the animal. +The coyote uttered a grunt of surprise, hesitated an instant, then, +with tail between his legs, bounded away with a howl of fear. + +"Yeow! Scat!" shrieked the fat boy. + +The whole pack turned tail and ran with Stacy after them in full +flight, headed for the desert. + +Tom Parry, aroused by this new note in the midnight medley, tumbled out +just in time to see Stacy disappearing over the ridge. The guide was +followed quickly by the other three boys of the party and Professor +Zepplin. + +"Hey, come back here!" shouted Parry. + +The fat boy paid no attention to him. He was too busy chasing coyotes +across the desert at that moment to give heed to anything else. + +"Get after him, boys! If he falls they're liable to pile on him and +chew him up before we can get to him!" commanded the guide. + +Over the ridge bounded the pajama brigade. The coyotes, frightened +beyond their power of reasoning, if such a faculty was possessed by +them, were now no more than so many black streaks lengthening out +across the desert. + +The lads set up a whoop as they started on the chase after their +companion. + +"Rope him, somebody!" shouted Parry. + +"Haven't any rope," answered Tad, with a muttered "Ouch!" as his +big-toe came in contact with the can of condensed milk. + +Laughing and shouting, they soon came up with Stacy, however, because +he could not run as fast as the other boys. Tad caught up with him +first, and the two lads went down together. In another minute the rest +of the party had piled on the heap. + +"Get up!" shouted Tad. "Somebody's standing on my neck." + +"Yes, and--and you've pushed my face into the desert," came the muffled +voice of Chunky Brown. + +Laughing and all talking at once, the knot was slowly untied. Two of +them grabbed the fat boy under the arms, while a third got between the +lad's feet and picked them up, much as one would the handles of a +wheelbarrow. In that manner they triumphantly carried Stacy back to +the camp. + +Reaching his tent, they threw the fat boy into his bed. + +The tall, gaunt figure of the Professor appeared suddenly at the tent +entrance. Some of the boys darted by him, the others crawling out +under the sides of the tent, all making a lively sprint for their own +quarters. + +"Young men, the very next one who raises a disturbance in this camp +to-night is going to get a real old-fashioned trouncing. Not having +any slipper, I'll use my shoe. Do you hear?" + +Not a voice answered him, but as he strode away the moon-like face of +Stacy Brown might have been seen peering out at him. Quiet reigned in +the camp of the Pony Rider Boys for several hours after that. Yet they +were destined not to pass the night without a further disturbance, +though the Professor did not use his shoe to chastise the noisy ones. + +It lacked only a few hours to daylight when the second interruption +occurred. And when it arrived it was even more startling than had been +the fat boy's chase of the cowardly coyotes. + +There was a sudden sound of hoof-beats. + +"Ki-yi! Ki-yi!" shrieked a chorus of voices. + +A volley of shots was fired as an accompaniment to the startling yells. +A moment later and a body of horsemen dashed into camp, which they had +easily located by the smouldering camp-fire. + +The Pony Rider Boys were out of their tents in a twinkling. + +"Wow!" piped Stacy. + +Bang! Bang! + +Two bullets flicked the dirt up into his face. Bud Stevens and his +companions were in a playful mood again. + +"Hey, you! Better look out where you're shooting to!" warned Stacy. + +Bud let go another volley. + +"The Professor'll take you over his knee and chastise you with his +shoe, if you don't watch sharp," said Stacy. + +"Come out of that. Where's the kiddie? I want to see my kiddie!" +laughed Bud Stevens. + +By this time, with his companions, he had dismounted, turning the +ponies loose to roam where they would. The whole camp, aroused by the +shouting and shooting, had turned out after pulling on their trousers +and shoes. Tom Parry, piling fresh fuel on the embers of the +camp-fire, soon had the scene brightly lighted. There was no more +sleep in camp that night. Professor Zepplin accepted the new +disturbance with good grace. + +"We're going to eat breakfast with you," Bud Stevens informed them. + +"That's right. What we have is free," answered the Professor +hospitably. + +"That's what I was telling the bunch," nodded Bud. "Our chuck wagon'll +be along when it gets here. We've got a schooner with six lazy mules +toting it down along the edge of the foothills. If it ever gets here +we'll stock you up with enough fodder to last you the rest of your +natural lives." + +"A schooner, did you say?" questioned Stacy, edging closer to the +cowboy. + +"Yep; schooner." + +"Where's the water?" + +"Say, moon-face, didn't you ever hear tell of a prairie schooner!" + +Chunky shook his head. + +"Well, you've got something coming to you, then," replied Bud, turning +to the others again. + +"When do you start your horse-hunt? I presume that's the purpose of +your visit here?" asked the Professor. + +"Yep. Soon as the wagon gets here with the trappings. After breakfast +we'll look around a bit. Been some of them through here to-day, I see." + +"Yes, how did you know that!" questioned Tad. + +"We crossed the trail just at the edge of the camp here when we came +in. Didn't you see them?" + +"We saw one of them and the tracks of the rest----" + +"Yes, we--we--we saw the white horse----" + +"The Angel?" demanded Bud, interested at once. + +"I don't know whether you'd call it an angel or not. It struck me that +it was quite the opposite," laughed Tad. "It was a white stallion, and +when I got in its way it just bowled me over and rolled me down the +hill----" + +"The white stallion, fellows," nodded Bud. "I told you so. Come +along, kiddie, and show me that trail. I'll tell you in a minute if +he's the one." + +Tad took the horse-hunter to the trail that he had followed up the +mountain side. Bud lighted match after match, by the light of which he +ran over the confusion of hoofprints. Finally he paused over one +particular spot, and with a frown peered down upon it. + +"That's him. That's the Angel," he emphasized. + +"Why do you call him that?" + +"Because of two things," answered Bud. "First place, he's white. +That's the color angels is supposed to be, most of 'em says. Then, if +you'll look at his hoof-mark, you'll see the frog is shaped like a +heart. More angel. Then again--that's three times, ain't it?--he's +got a temper like angels ain't supposed to have." + +"So I have observed," agreed Tad, with a laugh. + +"And that's why we call him the Angel. We'll get the old gentleman +this time or break every cinch strap in the outfit." + +There was rejoicing among the horse-hunters when they heard that it was +indeed the Angel himself whose trail they had come upon. + +"He's got the finest bunch of horse flesh with him that you'll find +anywhere on the desert," averred another. "Old Angel won't travel with +any scarecrows in his band. He's proud as a peacock with a new spread +of tail feathers." + +"S'pose you don't know how many there are in the band, eh, kiddie?" +questioned Bud. + +"Twenty-one and a colt," answered Tad promptly. + +"Oho! So--but Tom Parry told you, of course." + +"Tom Parry didn't," objected the guide. "Master Tad read the trail +himself." + +"Shake," glowed Bud, extending his hand to Tad. "You're the right sort +for this outfit. We'll let you help point the bunch into the corral +when we get them going. You'll see stars before you get through with +that job--stars that ain't down on the sky-pilot's chart." + +"It won't be the first time, Mr. Stevens. I've seen enough of them to +make a Fourth of July celebration, already." + +Just after breakfast, to which the camp had sat down at break of day, +the horse-hunters began their preliminary work. Bud directed two of +his men to work south, two more to ride north, while he would take the +center of the range. + +"What I want," he explained to the boys, "is to find where the wild +horses are waterin' these days. They've been around these parts for +more than two weeks, so we know they've got a nice cold water hole +somewhere." + +"What were they doing on the desert?" asked Walter. "I thought they +had just come across." + +"No; they were out for a play. That shows they had had plenty to eat +and drink. Professor, I think I'll take the kiddie along with me," +announced Bud, much to Tad's surprise, and, judging from the expression +of the lad's face, pleasure, as well. + +Professor Zepplin glanced at the guide inquiringly. Parry nodded his +head. + +"He'll be all right." + +"Yes, you may go, Tad. But be careful. Don't let him get into any +difficulties, Mr. Stevens. He's a venturesome lad." + +"Guess he's able to wiggle out of anything he gets into," grinned the +horse-hunter. "Come along; take a hunch on your cinch straps, a chunk +of grub in your pocket; then we're ready to find where the Angel washes +his face every morning and night." + +Tad lost no time in getting ready for the trip to trail the wild horses +to their lair, and in a few moments the horse-hunters rode from the +camp, followed by the envious glances of the Pony Rider Boys. + +"Wish I were going along," muttered Chunky ruefully, as he turned his +back on them and gazed off across the desert. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT + +The horse-hunter and his young companion laid their course at right +angles to the reach of the range. + +The trail rose slowly to pass between low buttes, leading on under the +great spreading Joshua trees that capped the range itself. Off to the +east and south of them, plainly exposed to view, lay the yellow stretch +of the Ralston Valley that went on and on until it eventually +terminated in Death Valley. The dry lake beds in the desert, looked, +with the sun shining on them, like great pearls set in the Desert Maze. +Tad thought they were water, but Bud Stevens informed him that they +were filled with water only after a heavy thunderstorm, or in the early +spring. + +"You ought to have come down here earlier in the season," he told the +lad. "It's a pretty bad time to cross the desert now." + +"Yes, we know that. But we are not looking for easy trips," laughed +the lad. + +As they moved slowly along, the cowboy horse-hunter explained many of +the secrets of the trail to his young companion, as well as describing +horse-hunts in which he had taken part in the past. + +"But I don't understand why they have come all the way across the +desert to get into this range?" said Tad. "Why did they not remain on +the other side where, I understand, there is plenty of forage?" + +"It's a peculiar thing, kiddie, but hosses, wild or tame are like human +beings in some ways. They like to get back home." + +"What do you mean?" + +"Wild horses always will go back to the range where they were born. +Sometimes they run away from the range ahead of a storm; sometimes they +are captured and taken away. But if they ever get the chance, back +they go to the place where they were born. Angel was born in this +range, and so were most of the mares and others that have come over +with him. When a halfbreed Cherokee came into camp and told us the +band of horses was seen stretched out on the mesa on the other side, I +knew they were getting ready to hike across the desert, so we prepared +to come here." + +Tad was listening intently. All this was new to him and much of it not +entirely understandable. + +"Did you ever notice how animals act before a big storm?" asked Bud. + +"No; I can't say that I have." + +"Next time you see a lot of horses stretched out on the ground on their +sides, heads close to the ground, all looking as if they were asleep, +you'll know there's a big storm coming." + +"Why do they do that?" + +"I don't know, unless it is to rest themselves thoroughly before +running away from the storm that they know is coming." + +"How do they know a storm is coming, unless they can see it?" marveled +the boy. + +"Kiddie, you'll have to ask the horses. Bud Stevens don't know--nobody +knows. A fellow with whiskers and wearing spectacles one of--of them +scientific gents--told me once that it was a kind of wireless +telegraph, that newfangled way of sending ghost messages. Said they +got it in the air. Mebby they do; I don't know. They get it. +Sometimes you'll see the colts running up and down. That's another +sign of storm." + +"That's strange. I never heard it before," mused the lad. + +"And speaking of colts, did you ever know that sometimes a band of +horses will take a great fancy to a frisky young colt?" + +"No." + +"Yes. They'll follow the colt for days, with their eyes big and full +of admiration for the awkward critter. And they'll fight for him too. +But 'tisn't often necessary, 'cause very few horses will bother a colt. +Ever see a hoss fight?" + +Tad admitted that he had not. + +"Ought to see one. It's the liveliest scrimmage that you ever set eyes +on. Beats that one back there on the desert, when you plunked me on my +head in a water hole. Jimminy! but you did dump me proper," grinned +the cowboy. + +"Hope you don't lay it up against me," laughed Tad. + +"No. Got all over that. I got what was coming to me--coming on the +run. Say, got the trail on your side there? They seem to have +shuffled over to the northward a bit." + +"Yes, I'm riding on their footprints now." + +"That's all right then. Don't want to let it get away from us." + +"Where do you think they are heading, Mr. Stevens?" + +"For the mesas up the range further. There's plenty of grazing there +and there must be water close by. What we want to do, to-day, is to +locate them and find out just where they go for their water. Then, +when the schooner gets down to your camp, we'll haul our outfit up in +the range and build a corral to drive them into." + +"Do you always make a capture?" + +"Us? No. Sometimes the leaders of the band are too smart for us. +They beat us proper. Why, they're sharper than a Goldfield real estate +man, and those fellows would make you believe an alkali desert was a +pine forest." + +"Look there!" interrupted Tad, pointing. + +"What is it, kiddie?" demanded the horse-hunter, pulling up sharply. + +"One of the horses, I think it must be the leader, seems to have left +the trail here and started off at right angles." + +Stevens rode over to the other side of Tad, and gazed down, his +forehead wrinkling in a frown. + +"Yes, that's the Angel. Don't know what he's side-tracked himself here +for. He can't see far, so it was not an observation that he was about +to take. He's either seen or scented something. Hold my pony while I +take a look." + +The cowboy dismounted, striding rapidly away with gaze fixed on the +trail ahead of him. A few moments later he returned. + +"Find anything?" asked Tad. + +"The big one scented something, or thought he did." + +"But where did he go?" + +"Turned just beyond here and followed along the same way the others +were going. You'll find his trail joining ours after we get on a +piece. I'd like to know what he thought he smelled," mused Bud. + +"I didn't know horses could scent a person or thing like that." + +"What, horses? Wild horses have got a scent that's keener than a +coyote's." + +"There's the white stallion's trail again," exclaimed the lad. + +Bud nodded. "Told you he'd come back." + +For the next hour they rode along without anything of incident +occurring, Tad constantly adding to his store of knowledge regarding +mountain and plain. The lad was himself a natural plainsman and proved +himself an apt pupil. + +All at once Bud pulled up his pony sharply and studied the ground. + +"What is it?" questioned Tad. + +"We've struck luck for sure. Boy, I'll show you something that'll make +your eyes stick out so you can hang your hat on them," cried the cowboy +exultingly. + +"You--you mean we have come upon the wild horses?" asked the lad. + +"Yes, and more. Come this way and I'll show you. See this trail?" + +Tad nodded. + +"Well, it was made by another band of horses." + +The announcement did not strike Tad as especially significant. + +"They headed for the mesas, too?" + +"Looks that way," grinned Bud. "And they're headed for trouble at the +same time. There's going to be music in the air pretty soon, kiddie, +and you and I want to be on hand to hear the first tune." + +Tad gazed at him questioningly. + +"This second bunch of horses is led by a big black stallion known to +the hunters as Satan. He's up to his name too. He's one of the most +vicious cayuses on the open range. Don't you see what this trail +means?" + +The lad confessed that he did not. + +"It means that Satan is on the trail of the Angel. When Satan and the +Angel meet there'll be the worst scrap you ever heard of, kiddie." + +"Will they fight?" + +"Will they fight?" scoffed Bud Stevens. "Guess you never saw two wild +stallions mix it up." + +"No." + +"There's bad blood between Satan and the Angel and there has been for a +long time. The black stallion has been on the white one's trail for +more than a year. I don't know what it's all about, but I know that, +if they come up with each other, there is going to be trouble. If they +don't look out we'll bag the whole bunch. I wish our outfit was here. +I suppose we ought to hustle back and get ready for the drive, but I'm +going to see Satan and the Angel meet, if it's the last thing I ever +do. Come on--we'll have to ride fast." + +Putting spurs to their ponies, they set off at a fast pace over the +uneven, rugged trail. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS + +The trail grew hotter as they advanced. + +"See, Satan's running now." + +The pursuers increased their speed, although they could not hope to +travel as rapidly as the black stallion and his followers. The wild +horses' trot had by this time become leaps, as the followers could +plainly see from the trail that had been left behind. Satan and his +band were traveling in single file, their whole attention being +centered on running down the Angel. + +"Do you think Satan scented the others?" asked Tad, when they struck a +level piece of ground so that they could relax their vigilance a little. + +"No doubt of it at all. But he didn't know it was just then. He only +knew it was a horse. He knows now that the other bunch is ahead of +him." + +"How do you know that?" queried Tad. + +"By the trail," replied Stevens. "Don't you see, the Angel is going +faster. They are both on a run now." + +"Then the Angel must be afraid. Is that it?" + +"Not much. He wants to find a better place in which to fight. This +place is bad medicine for a horse battle. They're all heading for the +mesas, just as I thought first." + +The cowboy was leaning well forward in his saddle, eyes on the trail, +instead of looking ahead. Tad, on the contrary, was straining his +eyes, hoping to catch sight of the two bands of fleeing horses; but not +a sign of them did he see. Bud was the first to inform him that they +were nearing the object of their chase. + +"Satan's going slower. He is coming up with the others. Let up a +little, and don't talk in a loud tone. We don't want to disturb them +nor let either of the bands get an idea they are followed. They might +race off to some other part of the range. We want to catch them all +later, if we can." + +Their ponies were slowed down to a trot, with Bud Stevens leading. + +All at once he held up his hand for a halt. Tad pulled up shortly. + +"What is it? Do you see them?" he whispered. + +Bud shook his head. + +"Not yet. We're close to them, though. Jump off and tether your nag. +We've got to go on afoot. They'll smell our ponies if we ride any +further." + +Moving rapidly, the man and the boy, led their mounts in among the +trees, where they made them fast with the stake ropes. Then both +started on a jog-trot along the trail. + +"How far do we have to go do you think?" + +"Don't know. Hope it's not far or we're liable to miss the show." + +"I can run as fast as you can if you want to go faster." + +"Hark! Hear that?" exclaimed Bud. + +"Yes, what was it?" + +"They're lining up for the battle. That was a stallion's scream of +defiance. It is a challenge for battle. There goes the other one. +That's the Angel telling Satan to come on and fight. Now Satan's +answering him." + +It was all just so much noise to Tad Butler. The meaning of the harsh +sounds conveyed nothing to him, but to Bud Stevens they were full of +meaning. + +"Careful, now. We're getting near." + +Both men sped along as fast as their feet would carry them, but without +making a sound that might have been heard a dozen yards away. + +"Hist!" warned Bud, crouching low. + +Grasping his companion by the arm, he crept to the right, finally +emerging from behind a rise of ground which had shielded their progress. + +"Look there," he whispered. + +Tad looked. Below him lay a broad, open mesa, its upper end within a +stone's throw of where he stood. But that was not what attracted his +attention. A band of horses of many colors and sizes stood arrayed on +each side of the little plain. + +Advanced a few yards from the band on the right, was a magnificent +black stallion, pawing the earth and uttering shrill challenges. On +the other side of the field was the Angel. He was not pawing the +earth. Instead he was standing proudly, his curving neck beautifully +arched, his pink nostrils distended and held high. + +"What a wonderful animal!" said Tad under his breath. "And that black! +I can understand why he is called Satan. What are they going to do?" + +"Fight! Don't you understand? They're getting ready to settle their +old score, and a merry mix-up it'll be," replied the cowboy in a +whisper. + +"Yes, yes," breathed Tad, scarcely able to curb his excitement. + +"There they go!" + +With a wild scream Satan and the Angel bounded into the center of the +field. As they neared it each swerved to his right and dashed by, +avoiding his opponent. + +"Act as if they were afraid of each other," said Tad. + +"They're not. They're trying each other out--sparring for an opening +as it were. You'll see in a minute." + +The fighters returned to the charge. They did not flinch this time. +With a rush they came together, rearing in the air, jaws wide apart. +Their fore-feet struck out. Both stallions broke, wheeled and kicked +viciously. + +Neither had landed a blow. + +Next time they came at each other walking on their hind feet. They +were sparring with their fore feet like fighters in the ring, their +hoofs making such rapid thrusts that the eye could scarcely follow +them. Satan reached for the head of his antagonist with a quick sweep. +The white stallion blocked the blow cleverly. + +[Illustration: They Were Sparring with Their Fore Feet like Fighters in +the Ring.] + +Yet, in doing so, he had left an opening. Satan took instant advantage +of it. The black stallion's head shot forward. It reminded Tad of a +serpent striking at its victim. + +"Ah! He landed!" exclaimed the cowboy. + +A fleck of crimson on the creamy neck of the Angel showed where the +vicious teeth of the black stallion had reached him. Yet, no sooner +had the wound been inflicted than the Angel whirled. It was like a +flash of light. + +A white hoof shot out catching the black on the side of the head, +sending him staggering to his haunches. + +The white animal was upon him with a scream of triumph. Just as it +seemed that the Angel was about to run him down, the black sprang to +his feet, leaping to one side, and as the Angel passed, the hind hoofs +of Satan were driven into his side. + +The Angel uttered a cry of pain; it was returned by one of triumph from +his antagonist. + +"Oh, what a pity to see two such magnificent animals seeking to kill +each other! Do you think one of them will be killed, Mr. Stevens?" + +"They may. You can't tell. Hope there won't be a knock-out, 'cause we +want both of those fellows and we'll get them too. I tell you, we're +in luck this trip. We'll make a haul that will be worth a few thousand +dollars, you bet. There they go again." + +Changing their method of attack, the fighters began rushing, whirling, +kicking and so timing their blows that their hind feet met with a crash +that might have been heard a long distance away. The shiny coat of the +black did not show that he had been wounded, but the watchers knew he +had, for they had seen the teeth of the white animal buried in his side +at least once. + +A vicious charge of Satan's, threw the Angel from his feet. He struck +the hard ground with a mighty snort, but was on his feet in an instant, +returning to the charge, mouth open, feet pawing the air. + +The two men could see the eyes of the desperate antagonists fairly +blaze, while their shrill cries thrilled Tad through and through. +Never in his life had he gazed upon such a scene--two giants of the +equine world engaged in mortal combat. It was a scene calculated to +make the blood course more rapidly through the veins of the boy, who, +himself, possessed so much courage. And it did, in this case, though +as a lover of horses his heart was filled with pity for the one who was +to lose the battle. As yet there was no indication as to which this +would be. They seemed equally matched, and thus far honors had been +about even. + +"Think the black can whip him?" he asked. + +"Don't know, kiddie. I'll make a bet with you; take your choice." + +"Thank you, I don't bet," answered the lad. "If I did, I couldn't +bring myself to lay a wager on those two beautiful creatures that are +trying to kill each other. Ah! There goes the black flat on his back!" + +Before Satan could rise, the hoofs of the white one had been driven +against him with unerring aim. Yet, the blow while it must have hurt, +served to assist Satan to roll over. As a matter of fact he was kicked +over, and thus helped to spring to his feet. + +Each animal fastened his teeth in the flanks of the other at the same +instant, and, when they tore themselves apart, each was limping. + +On each side of the field the other members of the two bands of horses, +stood stolidly observing the conflict. Neither side made an effort to +participate in the battle. + +Here and there a colt would break away and gambol out into the field, +only to be recalled by a sharp whinny from its mother. + +"It's queer they do not take a hand," marveled Tad. + +"No; they never do. They look to their leader to fight their battles +for them. When the battle is ended you will notice something else that +will interest you." + +"What?" + +"You'll see when the time comes. Now watch them go at it." + +And they did. It appeared as if each of the combatants was determined +to put a quick end to the conflict. There was no lost time now. It +was give and take. Blow after blow resounded from their hoofs. Now, +one of the contestants would stagger and fall, only to be up and at his +adversary, while their lithe, supple bodies flashed in the bright +sunlight till the watchers' eyes were dizzy from following their rapid +evolutions. + +"I wish the boys might see this," breathed Tad, fascinated by the sight +in spite of himself. + +"So do I," grinned Bud. + +"Did you ever see a battle of this kind?" asked the lad. + +"Not like this. I've seen stallions fight, yes, but never such a scrap +as this. Looks as if they'd be fighting all day. But they won't." + +"Why not? They seem as strong as when they began." + +"They are, but they're getting careless. They're taking longer chances +every round. First thing you know, one of them will get kicked into +the middle of next week. Whoop! That was a dandy!" + +The Angel had planted both hind hoofs fairly on the side of Satan's +head. + +Satan had gone down. But when the white stallion made a leap, with the +intention of springing upon his prostrate victim, the black rolled to +one side, and in a twinkling had fastened his teeth upon his +adversary's leg. + +Only for a brief second did he cling there, then throwing himself out +of the way sprang to his feet. The two animals met with a terrific +crash, head-on. + +Biting, kicking, screaming out their wild challenges of defiance the +battle waxed hotter, faster and more furious. + +The mares in the herds showed signs of uneasiness. They might have +been observed tossing their heads and shifting almost nervously on +their feet, but making no effort to move away or out into the field. + +"Are the mares getting excited?" asked Tad in wonder. + +"No. They see one of the stallions is going to get his knock-out in a +minute." + +"Which one?" + +"I don't know." + +"But how can they tell that, if we are unable to see either one of them +weakening?" + +"More ghost telegraphy, I guess," answered Bud, not for an instant +removing his gaze from the fascinating scene before him. He, too, was +becoming excited. He could scarcely restrain himself. + +All at once, despite his caution, Bud Stevens uttered a whoop. + +"The black's got him!" + +"No, the Angel's got him!" shouted Tad Butler excitedly. + +"No, he hasn't! It's the black, I tell you. See! There, he's kicked +the Angel halfway across the mesa." + +Now it was the Angel's turn to do some kicking. He did, and with +terrific effect. Both hind hoofs were planted in the black's abdomen. +Not once, but again and again. Yet the black was not thus easily +defeated. With the sledge-hammer blows raining all over him, he +struggled to his feet, and, with a desperate lunge, fastened himself +upon the neck of his adversary. + +Back and forth struggled the black and the white now, like a pair of +wrestlers. + +"Now, who do you think's got him, hey?" laughed Bud. "Why, the +black'll eat his head off." + +"I said Angel was going to win, and I think he is," retorted Tad. The +white with a mighty toss of his powerful neck, threw Satan off, the +fore feet of the Angel smiting and knocking Satan down. + +Then followed a series of Gatling-gun-like reports as the Angel's hind +hoofs beat a tattoo on the head of his prostrate victim. + +The black was conquered. + +Satan had been knocked out by the Angel, in the greatest equine battle +that human eyes ever had gazed on. + +"Aren't you glad I don't bet?" laughed Tad, his eyes flashing with the +excitement of it all. + +"I'd been willing to lose on that fight," grunted the cowboy. + +"Is he killed, do you think?" asked the lad. + +"No; he's just dizzy after the wallops he got on the head. You'll see +him get up in a minute." + +The Angel had backed off a few paces and there he stood, head erect, +waiting as motionless as a statue until the moment when his fallen +adversary should rise, if at all. + +Slowly the black pulled himself to his feet. His head came up. He +eyed the now calm white stallion half hesitatingly. + +The watchers fairly held their breath, for it was a dramatic moment. + +"They're going to fight again," muttered Tad. + +"He's licked! He's got enough!" exclaimed Bud. + +The black turned his back upon the white stallion, and with lowered +head, dejection and humiliation apparent in every line, every movement +of his body, walked slowly back to his own band. + +The Angel followed at a distance, almost to the lines of the enemy. +Then he paused, galloped back to the center of the field, and throwing +up his head uttered a long, shrill scream of triumph. + +One by one the mares of Satan's band detached themselves from his +ranks, and, with their colts, trotted across the field to join the +Angel's band. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT + +A corral, constructed partially of brush on its wing ends, and of +canvas for the corral proper, had been erected in one of the wide +sage-covered draws of the San Antonio range. Across the opening of the +corral, which resembled a pair of great tongs, the distance was fully +half a mile. + +Bud Stevens had decided to place the trap for the wild horses here in +this open space in preference to laying it in the mountains. There was +more room for operations in the open, he said. + +Then again, the wild horses, as he knew from personal observation, were +strong and full of fight. + +"I guess we'll have to tire them all out before we can hope to get them +in the corral," he told his men after they had finished their work of +preparation. + +The wagon with the horse-hunters' outfit had driven in late on the +night following the battle of the stallions, and early next morning the +horse-hunters, accompanied by the Pony Rider Boys and their own party, +started out to make camp in the mountains, where they were to remain +while the hunt lasted. + +The battle which Tad and Bud had seen furnished a fruitful topic for +discussion, and the two were kept busy relating the story of the fight +until long after midnight. + +But, while watching the battle, Bud Stevens had not lost sight of the +object, of his trip into the mountains. He had calculated exactly +where the stock had found a mountain spring, and it was from that point +that the hunters were to start the animals on their trip to the corral. + +The plan of operation was laid out with as much care and attention to +details as a general would employ in planning a battle. The Pony Rider +Boys were to participate in the chase. They could scarcely wait for +the moment to arrive when they would be given an opportunity to show +their horsemanship. + +In the camp in the mountains they were told with great detail just what +they were expected to do. + +"I think you had better leave Chunky at home," warned Ned. "He'll +stampede the whole bunch just as you are ready to drive them into the +corral." + +Chunky protested loudly. + +"Guess I can stick on a pony as well as you can," he retorted. + +"I'll vouch for that," smiled Tom Parry. + +"He'll do," decided Bud. "Now, you fellows are all to string out in +single file, following me until we have circled the herd. We should +have them pretty well surrounded by noon. At that time they'll be at +the spring filling up. When I'm ready to close in, I'll fire a shot. +Each of you will fire in turn so that every one in line may be +notified. If the critters refuse to drive, then we'll have to whip +them into a circle and tire them out. But first, we must get them out +on the open, no matter which way they go, then work them into the draw +as fast as we can." + +The horse-hunters nodded. They understood perfectly what they were +expected to do. And the boys were to be scattered among the men at +intervals instead of traveling together. It seemed very simple to +them, but they were to learn that wild-horse hunting was a man's task. + +"Are we allowed to rope if we get the chance?" questioned Tad. + +"Not during the run. Of course, if you see an animal escaping after we +have rounded them up, and you can do so without losing any of the +others, rope if you want to. I reckon you'll have your hands full if +you try it," concluded the horse-hunter. + +"Are you going out, Professor?" smiled the guide. + +"No, thank you. I think I shall remain close to camp and collect +geological specimens. The boys will get into just as much trouble if I +go with them as they would were I to remain at home. I suppose there +is more or less peril in these wild hunts?" + +"Yes, it's going some," laughed Bud. "But I guess none of them will +get very badly knocked out if they obey orders and don't get in the way +of a stampede. Those wild critters won't stop for nothing." + +A scout came in late with the news that the herd was less than five +miles from where the hunters' camp was located. + +"That makes it all the easier. We'll start at daylight," said Stevens. +"The plans will work out just right. Now you'd better all turn in and +be ready for the hurry call in the morning." + +Next morning all ate breakfast before the first hot wave trembled over +the crest of the mountains across the broad desert. There was bustle +and excitement in the camp. + +When ponies had been saddled, ropes coiled and final preparations made, +Bud Stevens looked his outfit over carefully, nodded his head and +mounted. + +"You boys don't want to do any shouting after we get out on the trail, +you understand," he said. "We have to work quietly until we get them +surrounded; then you may make all the racket you want. The more the +better." + +The Pony Riders nodded their understanding of the orders, and the +company of horsemen set out across the mountains. + +They made a wide detour so as not to alarm any of the stragglers who +might not have followed the main body of horses to the watering place +for their noon drink. A careful examination of the trail showed that +the Angel and his band, as well as Satan and his few faithful +followers, were well within the circle. + +"We've got the whole bunch inside," exulted Bud, turning to Tad. "Now, +boy, do your prettiest. We want to bag 'em all. If we do, I'll make +you a present of any horse in the outfit." + +"How about the Angel?" questioned Tad, with a twinkle in his eyes. + +Bud hesitated. + +"What Bud Stevens says goes," replied the cowboy. "The one who catches +the stallion on these hunts, however, usually has the right to keep him +if he wants to. If you want the Angel you've got to rope and take him +after we get them rounded up." + +"No, I wouldn't do anything like that," laughed Tad. "If I catch the +Angel I'll make you a present of him." + +At twelve o'clock, by the watch, they had completed the circle, or +rather three-quarters of a circle, about the band of wild horses, +leaving an opening toward the broad draw where the hidden corral had +been located to trap the unsuspecting wild animals. + +Stevens drew his gun, and, holding it above his head, fired two shots. + +The signal was answered, almost instantly, by two shots some distance +to their rear. Like the rattle of a skirmish line, guns popped in +quick succession, the sounds growing further and further away as they +ran down the long, slender line of horsemen to the eastward. + +"Close in!" commanded the leader quietly. "Ride straight ahead; never +mind me. I shall move further on before I turn. Good luck. Don't try +to get in the way of a stampede. You can't stop them if they try it +altogether." + +"I'll look out," smiled Tad. Then they separated. + +Tad could not hear a sound, save the light footfalls of his own pony. +The mountain ranges might have been deserted for all the disturbance +there was about him. + +He had ridden on some distance when a loud snort suddenly called his +attention to the right and ahead of him. There stood the Angel, facing +him angrily. + +Tad was so surprised at the suddenness of the meeting that he pulled +his pony up shortly. For a moment they stood facing each other, then +the wild animal with a loud scream of alarm, turned and went crashing +through the brush. From the sound, a few seconds later, the lad knew +that the stallion had gathered his band and that they were sweeping +away from him at a lively pace. + +"Here's where I must get busy," laughed the lad, the spirit of the +chase suddenly taking strong hold upon him. + +He touched his pony lightly with the spurs, drawing in on the reins. +The little animal leaped away, Tad uttering a shrill yell, to warn any +of the other hunters who might be within reach of his voice, that he +had started on the trail of the wild band. + +He heard a similar cry far off to his right and knew that Bud Stevens +had heard and understood. + +"I believe they're coming back," said the lad, realizing that the sound +of galloping was plainer than it had been a few moments before. "I +wonder what I ought to do. I'm going to try to head them off if they +come this way," he decided. + +All at once he saw the wild horses first from behind a huge rocky pile. +Uttering a series of wild yells and whoops, swinging his quirt and +sombrero above his head, the lad rode straight at the herd, his pony +seeming to enter into the full spirit of the fun. + +To Tad's surprise the leader of the herd deflected to the northward, +running along a line almost parallel to that which the boy was +following. Tad pressed in the rowels of his spurs a little harder, +uttering a chorus of shrill yells. + +"They mustn't get through," he fairly groaned. "They shan't get +through! No, not if I ride my head off!" + +Suddenly a volley of shots sounded some distance ahead of him, followed +by a series of yells as if the mountains were alive with savage +redskins. + +It was Bud Stevens. The wild herd had come upon him just as they were +about to turn northward and dive into the fastnesses of the mountains. +Observing him they turned slightly to the west and continued on their +mad course. + +"Good boy!" Bud shrieked. "Draw up on 'em! Draw up on 'em!" + +Tad did. It was a race, but a most perilous one. To the boy it seemed +as if the feet of his pony were off the ground most of the time, his +run having merged into a series of long, curving leaps as it reached +from rock to rock. + +Down a steep slope suddenly plunged the herd. Tad saw the flying pony +of Bud Stevens directly abreast of them. The lad, apparently feeling +no fear, brought his quirt down sharply on the flanks of his mount. +The pony hesitated, rose and took a flying leap fully ten feet down the +mountain side before its feet braced sharply and thus saved pony and +rider from plunging on over. + +Now Tad was yelling at the top of his voice, as that seemed the proper +thing to do under the circumstances. + +The wild band was heading for the open, just as Bud Stevens had +planned. But the fleeing horses were seeking to get out on the open +plain where they might soon outdistance their pursuers. + +Tad and his pony went down that rugged mountain side as if the pony +were a mountain goat. The boy never had experienced such a thrilling +ride, and the jolts he got made his head dizzy. + +"M-m-my, this is going some!" he gasped. + +Tad was shouting for pure joy now. When his mount landed on all fours +among the foothills he was not more than two minutes behind Bud Stevens +himself. + +"Great! Great!" floated back the voice of the horse-hunter, who, +turning in his saddle, had observed Tad's leaping, flying descent of +the mountain. + +Tad admitted to himself that this was riding, and he compared it with +the day he first rode his own pony up the main street in Chillicothe, +Missouri. That ride, at the time, seemed a very exciting one. Since +then he had acquired more skill, else he never would have been able to +shoot down the rugged mountain at almost express train speed. + +They were now out on the desert prairie. Bud was trying to point the +leaders in to send them to the southward. Now that Tad was on level +ground he was able to put on more speed. Very slowly, indeed, his pony +straightening out to its full length, he drew up on the racing herd. + +"Guess I'd better not yell any more till I get abreast of them," he +decided, which was good judgment, as Bud Stevens said to him afterwards. + +"Lay back a little!" shouted Bud when the boy got too close. "They're +liable to dodge behind me at any second and break through our line." + +Tad slackened his speed, at which the wild band drew away from him +almost as if he were standing still. Then, he put spurs to his mount +again, and drew up abreast of the trailers. + +At the head of the line the horse-hunter was fighting with the leaders, +trying to turn them toward the place where the great corral was hidden. + +Suddenly that which Bud Stevens had feared occurred. The white +stallion's forefeet plowed the earth. Cowboy and pony shot by him, and +the wily stallion slipped behind them. Followed by his band, the Angel +headed off across the desert in the very direction that the hunters did +not want him to go. + +"Nail him!" bellowed Bud. + +Tad needed no further command. Already his keen eyes had noted the +move. Putting spurs to his pony he raced to the white stallion's side, +leaving Bud far to their rear. + +The Angel sought, in every way in its power, to shake off the boy who +so persistently hung at its side. All at once the stallion reached +over, fastening its teeth in the neck of Tad Butler's pony. Tad, +however had been quick enough to foresee the move and had jerked his +little mount to one side. Yet, he had not done so quickly enough to +save the broncho from a slight flesh wound. + +Slackening its speed, the Angel then made a vicious lunge at the lad's +left leg, biting right through the heavy chaps with which his legs were +protected. + +The boy swung his quirt, bringing it down again and again on the +stallion's pink and white nose, until the beast, unable to stand the +punishment longer, uttered a snort, changing its course more to the +southward. + +"I've turned him! I've turned him!" shouted Tad. + +He had accomplished what the leader of the horse-hunters had been +unable to do. + +Bud Stevens, far to the rear on the desert, tossed his sombrero in the +air, uttering a long, far-reaching yell of approval. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS + +Tad replied with an exulting yell. + +The band of wild horses was headed toward the corral. Yet they refused +to enter, just when they were upon the point of heading in between the +hidden wings. Some instinct, it seemed, warned them to beware. The +line straightened out, and a few minutes later the animals began racing +in a circle four miles wide. + +"I'm afraid my pony never'll be able to stand this grilling. But we'll +keep going as long as we've got a leg left to stand on," laughed the +plucky lad. + +"Drop out and let me take a round with them. We've got to tire them +out," shouted Bud, putting spurs to his pony and dashing up beside Tad. + +The lad regretfully pulled his mount down to a walk, then rode out on +the desert some distance, so as to be out of the way when the circle +once more came his way. + +"Guess it's just as well," he muttered. "The pony couldn't have stood +up much longer. My, those wild animals can travel!" + +A heavy coating of gray dust covered both boy and horse, except where +here and there the gray was furrowed with streaks of perspiration. Tad +gave his mount the reins, and sat idly watching the cloud of dust +rolling over the desert, showing where Bud Stevens was driving the +wild-horse band in an effort to tire them, so that they might be easily +headed into the great corral. + +They soon swept by Tad, and on out over white alkali desert once more. + +On the next round Bud motioned to Tad to take up his end of the relay. + +"Give it to 'em. Drive 'em till they can't stand up!" bellowed Bud. + +But the lad scarcely heard the horse-hunter's voice. Already he had +been swallowed up in the great yellow cloud and was riding hard by the +white stallion. + +Discovering that he had another rider beside him, the Angel made a +desperate effort to run the lad and his pony down that he might break +the line and head off to the northwest. Tad beat him over the nose +with his quirt again, and the stallion promptly changed its mind, for +the pink nose was still tender from the drubbing Tad had given it a +short time before. + +"The men are lining up for a drive," warned Stevens when the herd +thundered by him again. "I'll keep behind you. We're going to try to +drive them in this time. They're weakening fast." + +"You want me to hold the leader?" asked the boy. + +"Yes. Keep him up. Don't give him a second's leeway. The rest will +follow him; don't worry about them." + +"Where are the other fellows?" + +"Over to the east. They're hiding until the herd gets close enough; +then they'll appear, raising a big noise. That's the time you and I +will have our hands full." + +"Strikes me our hands have been pretty full," answered the lad, his +face wrinkling into a forced grin. + +Bud Stevens slackened the speed of his pony, dropping back and +disappearing in the dust cloud. + +"After all, I guess the other fellows will have the hardest work," +mused the lad. "They've got to stop the rush while all I have to do is +to keep on going, following that big, white stallion. I wish I could +rope him, but I guess he would have the broncho and myself on our backs +in no time." + +Tad turned his attention to the work in hand. He did not know just +where the other horse-hunters were secreted, but his eyes were fixed on +a low-lying butte some distance to the eastward. He saw no other place +from which they could carry out the manoeuvre successfully. + +Tad grew a bit anxious as the wild horses curved more and more to the +eastward. In a few moments they would be too far to the left to permit +of heading them toward the hidden corral. + +"I guess they must be going to let us drive them around the circle once +more," he decided, "No! There they come!" + +With a yell, followed by a rattling fire of revolver shots, a dozen +ponies shot from behind the low-lying butte. The horse-hunters hurled +their bronchos right against the wall of fleeing animals. + +Volley after volley was fired into the ground right under the very feet +of the wild horses. Here and there a rider was unseated in a sudden +collision in the dust cloud with a charging wild horse. + +"They've turned them!" bellowed Bud Stevens. + +The Pony Rider Boy now began to realize the truth of this, for the +Angel came bounding toward him, crowding right up against the side of +Tad's pony. Tad was using foot and quirt, yelling like a wild Indian +to frighten the big, white stallion into keeping to the left. + +So successful were his efforts that the animal did give way a little. + +"I've headed him!" shouted the lad in wild glee. Never had he had such +an exciting day as this one was proving itself to be. He gave no +thought to the danger of the chase. And now that he heard and +recognized the shouts of his companions he was spurred to even greater +efforts than before. Why this post of honor had been given to him he +did not know. But Bud Stevens was not far behind. Bud was ready to +stop the stampede that he momentarily expected, but which did not come. + +"Give way a little!" came the command. + +Tad recognized that he had, in his enthusiasm, been crowding the white +stallion a bit too much. He drew off a little, not, however, +decreasing his speed. + +Already the band of wild horses had entered the wide-spreading wings of +the corral, but because of the dust that enveloped him, Tad was unaware +of this. He continued at his same terrific pace, with the tough little +broncho rising and falling under him as he fairly flew over the uneven +ground. + +The horse-hunters had fallen into a triangle formation with the apex to +the rear. They were driving the wild horses before them, using their +guns in what appeared to be a most reckless fashion, shouting as if the +whole band had gone suddenly mad. + +On down between the brush barriers, that were now apparently rising out +of the ground, sped the frightened band of wild horses. The white +stallion began to understand that they were trapped. + +Angel whirled suddenly and made a desperate effort to take the back +trail. Tad and his pony dashing down the slight incline like a +projectile, hit the stallion broadside. The collision was so sudden +that the lad had a narrow escape from being hurled over the head of his +own pony. It was only the convulsive grip of legs to the broncho's +side that saved him from a bad spill. + +With quick instinct he brought his quirt down on the broad back of the +Angel. Smarting under the stinging blow and the surprise of the +collision the white stallion whirled about again, heading right into +the yawning corral. + +The lad was now in the very midst of the crowding, fighting animals. +He was battling every whit as desperately as were they. Bud Stevens +had fallen back. He knew Tad was somewhere ahead in the mix-up, but he +was powerless to get to him at that moment, nor could his voice reach +the lad. + +It was then that the boy realized where he was. + +"I'm in the corral!" he cried, discovering that he was hemmed in by the +canvas walls of the main enclosure itself. "And I guess I'm in a +mix-up that will be hard to get out of." + +The wild horses were charging about, screaming with anger and fear, +rearing, biting, kicking, bowling each other over in their desperate +efforts to escape. On every side, they found themselves met by the +canvas walls, which none thus far had had the courage to assail. + +"There's the black stallion--there's Satan," cried Tad in surprise. "I +didn't know he was here." + +The black's eyes were gleaming with anger. His lost courage was slowly +returning to him. Satan was now ready to give battle to man or beast. +All at once he dashed straight at the canvas wall, rose to it and +cleared it in a long, curving leap, his rear feet ripping the cloth +down a short distance as the hoofs caught it. + +The keen eyes of the white stallion were upon him. In another instant +his glistening body had flashed over the enclosing walls. + +"Oh, that's too bad!" groaned Tad. + +At that moment half a dozen horsemen appeared in the enclosure; as if +by magic they threw themselves across the opening made by the two +stallions, and thus made an impassable barrier. Tad had seem them +coming, and divined their purpose. A daring plan suddenly flashed into +his mind. + +With a shrill yell, he dug in the rowels of his spurs. The broncho, +understanding what was wanted of him, rose to the canvas well, clearing +it without so much as touching it with his hoofs. + +But while this was going on another scene was being enacted just +outside the barrier. A few horse-hunters had been sent around there to +head off just such an attempt at escape as had been made. With them +was Stacy Brown. He was sitting on his pony, rope in hand when Satan +cleared the wall. + +He saw the dark body of the stallion plunge over. Instinctively the +fat boy rose in his stirrups. His lariat whirled twice over his head, +then shot out. + +It sped true to the mark, catching Satan by the left hind foot just as +he was finishing his leap. + +"Yeow!" yelled Chunky. + +The black stallion ploughed the ground with his nose, as the boy took a +quick hitch of the rope about his saddle pommel. + +That was where Chunky came to grief once more. His pony's feet were +jerked out from under it by the mighty lurch of Satan when he went +down. Stacy Brown and his broncho were thrown flat on the ground in a +twinkling. The lad's right leg was pinned under the pony, but the boy, +with great presence of mind, held the rope fast to the pommel. + +Ropes flew from all directions, now that the stallion was down. In a +moment more they had Satan entangled in a maze of them. The +horse-hunters were shouting and yelling in triumph at the fat boy's +splendid capture. So busily engaged were they in subduing the black +that, for the moment, they lost sight of the fact that the Angel, +followed by Tad Butler on his broncho, had cleared the barrier too. + +Nor did Tad give heed to them. + +With rope unslung he was stretching through the foothills at a +breakneck pace, on the trail of the Angel. + +"There goes the Angel, with the kid after him!" bellowed a cowboy. + +Three men leaped into their saddles and were off like a shot. + +Tad Butler slowly, but surely, drew up on the racing stallion. The +pursuers saw him unsling his rope, holding the coil easily at his side. + +"He's going to cast," cried the cowboys in amazement that the slender +lad would undertake alone to capture the powerful animal. + +"He'll be dragged to death!" warned one. + +"Don't try it, kiddie!" shouted another at the top of his voice. + +A chorus of warning yells were hurled after the intrepid Tad, to all of +which he gave no heed. His eyes were fixed on the flashing body of the +white stallion ahead of him, every nerve tense for the shock that would +come a moment later. + +All at once the pursuers saw Tad's right arm describe the familiar +circle in the air. Then his lariat squirmed out. The Angel, running +ahead of the boy could not see the rope in time to dodge it. The loop +of the lariat dropped neatly over his head and suddenly drew taut. + +The proud stallion which for years had defied the skill of the +wild-horse hunters, went down to an inglorious defeat. But he was up +like a flash. Then began a battle between the slender Pony Rider Boy +and wild stallion that is talked of among the wild-horse hunters of the +desert to this day. + +Three times had Tad thrown the Angel before the others caught up with +him, the lad's arms being well-nigh pulled from his body in the +terrific lunges of the fighting Angel. + +The ropes of the cowboys reached out for the maddened animal the +instant they were within reach. + +Such a shout went up as had probably never been heard on the range +before when finally they had the white fighter securely roped down. + +The Pony Rider Boys had distinguished themselves this day. + +Tricing up one of the stallion's forward legs, so that he hobbled along +like a lame dog, the hunters started back to the corral, shouting, +singing and firing their revolvers, with Tad Butler proudly sitting his +broncho at the head of the procession. + +Not an animal had escaped from the other hunters. It had been a +magnificent round-up. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +WINNING THEIR REWARD + +The horse-hunters had bound the black and left him, while they entered +the corral to assist in roping the rest of the herd that were dashing +wildly about. Every time a rope swung above a broad-brimmed sombrero, +and shot out, a wild horse came down. + +"I fell in, but I got him," greeted Chunky Brown, triumphantly, as Tad +Butler rode up to him. + +Tad laughed heartily when he saw his companion, Stacy Brown, proudly +sitting on the head of the angry, snorting black stallion. + +"You did, indeed, Chunky. How did you ever do it?" + +"Just like any other experienced man would," replied the fat boy, in an +important tone. "We got them both, didn't we, Tad!" + +"Yes." + +"And we'll keep 'em, eh!" + +"Oh, no, Chunky. We couldn't do that. These horses belong to the +hunters. They spend a great deal of money in preparing to capture +them. It would not be right for us to expect to keep these two. We've +been well paid for our labor in the fun we have had. Don't you think +so?" + +"Well, yes," decided Stacy a little ruefully. + +"Let's see if we can help them," concluded Tad, riding up to the edge +of the corral. + +"Orders?" he called, as soon as he could attract Bud Stevens' attention. + +"Yes; you might ride around to the entrance and come in. You can help +us rope and hobble the stock if you want to." + +Tad did as directed. There was no sport of the range that he took a +keener enjoyment in than he did in roping, and by this time there were +few men who could handle a rope more skillfully than he. + +Ned and Walter were assisting in guarding the narrow entrance to the +canvas corral when Tad finally rode through, entering the enclosure, +where the excited animals were charging back and forth and round and +round. + +Bud was sitting on his pony in the center of the milling animals, +directing the operations. First the hunters would rope and throw an +animal; then they would bind up one of the front legs at the elbow, +after which the horse was released. When the animals had staggered +about the enclosure a few times trying to throw off the leg-binders, +they were quite willing to stand still and nurse their anger. + +"Sail in, boy!" called Bud. + +Tad picked out a little bay that was kicking and squealing, dodging +every lariat that was thrown at it. His first shot missed. The lad +coiled his rope deliberately. + +"I'll see that you don't dodge me this time, Mr. Bay," Tad muttered, +and began slowly following the animal about the ring. The instant the +bay's head was turned away from him Tad let go the rope, and the next +second the stubborn animal lay on its side, another cowboy having made +a successful cast over its kicking hind legs the moment it struck the +ground. + +Tad released his rope, then started for another cast. So he went on +from one to another, and with as much coolness as if he had been roping +wild horses all his life. + +After half an hour's work young Butler saw Bud motioning to him. Tad +rode up. The boy was bare-headed, having lost his sombrero somewhere +in the enclosure, and not having thought to look for it, even if he had +realized its loss. + +"Take a rest," directed the horseman. + +"I'm not tired." + +"Yes, you are, but you don't know it. First thing you know, you'll +tumble off your pony with a bad case of heat knock-out. Your face is +as red as a lobster. Too bad the stallions got away," added Bud, who +had been so thoroughly occupied in the corral that he had given no heed +to what had been taking place outside. + +"Lost the stallions?" questioned Tad, elevating his eyebrows. + +"Yes, Satan and the Angel." + +"Why, Mr. Stevens, we didn't lose them." + +"I know, we got them in the corral all right, but that isn't getting +them. They always manage to give us the slip somehow." + +Tad's eyes danced. + +"Then you've got a surprise coming to you, Mr. Stevens. Both stallions +are lying outside the corral at this minute, tied up so tightly that +they won't get away again." + +"What! You're joking." + +"No, I'm not. I mean it," laughed the lad in high glee. + +Bud bent a steady look upon the boy. He saw that Tad was speaking the +truth. + +"How did it happen, kiddie?" + +"Chunky roped the black by one of its hind feet just as the animal was +taking the jump. Chunky got a bad fall, but he held fast to the black +till the others could get their ropes on it." + +"Hurray!" shouted Bud, carried away by his enthusiasm. "But what about +the Angel, eh? Get him too, did you say?" + +"Yes." + +"How?" + +"I jumped the fence after him, and ran a race with him out into the +foothills, where I managed to get my lariat over his head and pulled +him down. We had quite a scrimmage, but I should have lost him if I +hadn't had help. The boys came to my rescue just in time." + +"Huh!" grunted the cowboy, observing his companion with twinkling eyes. +"You've got anything roped and hobbled that I ever saw." + +That was Bud's only comment at the moment, but it carried with it a +world of praise, causing Tad to blush. + +All the rest of the afternoon was devoted to securing the animals that +they had captured. Not a horse had escaped. Shortly after sunset the +task was completed and the horse-hunters gave utterance to their +feelings in a series of triumphant yells. + +In the meantime three of the men had been sent back to bring over the +camp outfit, which, owing to the fact that it had to follow a +round-about trail, did not get in until some time after dark. Ned and +Walter had accompanied the men back to camp to assist in packing their +own outfit, Tad and Stacy remaining to keep watch over the prizes that +they had captured. + +Dinner that night, though a late one, was an occasion of boisterous +good-fellowship, the two happy Pony Rider Boys coming in for much +good-natured raillery. + +"Don't want to join us, do you, kiddie?" asked Bud quizzically. + +"I'd like to, of course. But it is not possible," answered Tad. + +"We'll be off in the morning with our stock, you know. Better come +along. You'll dry up and blow away down on the desert. It's had +medicine where you're headed for." + +"We're used to taking our medicine," laughed Tom Parry. "You probably +have noticed as much in the short time you've known our bunch." + +"You bet I have," laughed Bud. "And you take it in big doses, too." + +"Allopathic doses," interjected the Professor. + +"Don't know what they might be," answered Bud. "Sounds as though it +might be something hard to swallow, though." + +This bit of pleasantry caused a general laugh. The fun continued until +late in the evening. Next morning the camp was astir at an early hour. + +The captured horses were found to be considerably subdued after being +roped all night. Bud's first work in the morning, after breakfast, was +to take the two stallions in hand. They were freed of their bonds, and +after a battle during which nearly every member of the party had been +more or less mauled by the spirited beasts, the horse hunters succeeded +in saddling and bridling Satan and the Angel. + +Bud Stevens rode them about in turn, to the delight of the Pony Rider +Boys who had never seen such bucking. + +"Let me ride now," begged Stacy, after Stevens had to some extent +subdued Satan. + +The horseman permitted the lad to take to the saddle, but no sooner had +Chunky done so, than Satan hurled him clear over the corral. Chunky, +nothing daunted, came back smiling and tried it again, this time with +entire success. Satan did not again succeed in unseating him. + +Tad mastered the Angel without being thrown, and amid the cheers of the +cowboys, who shouted their approval of his horsemanship. + +All was now in readiness for the start of the cowboy band and their +great herd of horses. Stevens had directed his men to take the two +stallions outside the corral and stake them down securely. Then the +men began driving the rest of the captured stock from the canvas +prison. At first the animals evinced an inclination to run away. But +with one leg in a sling this was not an easy task, and the horsemen +rounded up the bunch with little difficulty. + +"Here, here!" cried Tad. "You're forgetting the stallions, Mr. +Stevens. You've left them staked down out back of the corral." + +"Have I?" grinned Bud. "What did you want me to do with them?" + +"Take them with you, of course," answered Tad, as yet failing to +understand the horse-hunter's plan. + +"Don't you want them, kiddie?" + +"Want them--want them?" stammered Tad. + +"Yes. They're yours, yours and the fat boy's." + +"Oh, no, no, Mr. Stevens! I couldn't think of such a thing." + +"Master Tad is right," approved the Professor. "We have not the least +claim in the world on those animals. We----" + +"Say, Professor, who's running this side show?" demanded Bud. + +"Why--why, of course it's your hunt, but----" + +"All right then, seeing as it's my outfit, I've decided that I don't +want the stallions. Look here! We'd have lost part of that bunch, at +least, if it hadn't been for your kids. Master Tad alone saved the +herd from scattering all over the Ralston Desert. No, sir, I'm getting +off cheaply. The stallions belong to the boys, and that's all there is +to be said. S'long everybody. Come up to Eureka on your way out, and +if I don't cut the town wide open for you, my name ain't Bud Stevens." + +With a wave of his sombrero, Bud put spurs to his mount and galloped +away to join his companions, who had started the herd on its way to +Eureka, where the animals were to be shipped East. + +Tad and Stacy were too full of surprise to express their feelings. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +VISITED BY A HALO + +The Pony Rider Boys turned again to the Desert Maze. A week had +elapsed since Bud Stevens and his party had left them. One evening, +after a hard day in the saddle, the guide was sitting thoughtfully in +his tent, when Professor Zepplin entered. + +"Sit down?" asked the guide. + +"For a moment only," answered the Professor. + +"Weather's fine to-night." + +"Yes, even though we have no water to speak of. Do you consider our +situation at all serious, Mr. Parry?" + +"Same old story, Professor. Sage brush and alkali. Tanks full one +day, dry the next. There's no accounting for the desert. Every time I +get out of the Desert Maze, as somebody has called it, I chalk down a +mark on the wall." + +"I am beginning to understand that it does hold perils of its own," +answered Professor Zepplin, thoughtfully. + +"Traveling over the desert is no picnic--that's a fact. Got to take it +as it comes, though. If we go dry one day, most likely we fill up the +next, or the day after that. Don't pay to get down in the mouth and +fret." + +"Yes, I understand all that. But I don't wish to take any great +chances on account of the boys." + +"The boys?" Tom Parry laughed. "Don't you worry about them. Those +boys would thrive where a coyote would die at sight of his own eternal +starvation shadow." + +The Professor shook his head doubtfully. + +"Turn 'em loose on the desert and they'd swim ashore somehow. +Especially young Butler. He's quiet--he doesn't say much, but when he +gets busy there's something doing. For sheer pluck he's got it over +anything I ever saw--like a circus tent. Well, don't lose any sleep +worrying about water. We'll catch a drop or two of dew out of a cactus +plant some of these nights. See you in the morning. Good night," +concluded the guide, rising and knocking the ashes from his pipe on his +boot heel. + +They had been working slowly toward the Death Valley region, and water +was becoming more and more scarce as they proceeded. Indeed, the +problem of where to find sufficient water for their needs had become a +serious one. For the last three days all the water holes that the +guide had depended upon to replenish their supply had failed them. +What lay before them none knew. + +When the camp awakened, late the next morning, the guide was nowhere to +be seen. His pony likewise had disappeared. But they did not trouble +themselves over Parry's absence, knowing that he had not left them +without good reason and with many a sharp joke at each other's expense +proceeded to get the breakfast ready. They had just sat down to the +table when Tom Parry came riding in, covered with dust. + +"Morning, boys. Fine day," he greeted, with his usual inscrutable +smile, which might indicate either good or bad tidings. + +"Prospecting?" questioned Tad. + +"Taking my morning constitutional. Going to be hot enough to singe the +pin feathers off a bald-headed sage hen to-day," he informed them, +slipping from his saddle. After beating a cloud of alkali dust from +his clothes he joined the party at the breakfast table. + +"Find any?" asked Tad, eyeing him inquiringly, for Tad had an idea as +to the object of the guide's early morning ride. + +"Nary," was the comprehensive reply. "Have to take a dry shampoo +to-day, I reckon." + +"I suppose there is no water in sight yet?" asked the Professor, he not +having caught the meaning of the brief dialogue between Tad and Tom +Parry. + +"No, sir. Not yet. We'll be moving as soon as possible after +breakfast. Better use sparingly what little water you have left in +your canteens. You may need it before we strike another water hole," +he advised. + +As usual, however, the spirits of the Pony Rider Boys were in no way +affected by the shortage of water. Time enough to worry when their +canteens were dry. These days, Tad and Stacy were occupying all their +spare time in working with the two stallions they had captured. The +Angel, under Tad's kind but determined training, was advancing rapidly +and already had been taught to do a few simple tricks. Stacy, on his +part, was not doing quite so well with Satan. The latter, like his +namesake, was inclined to be vicious, biting and kicking whenever the +evil spirit moved. + +Ahead, on all sides of them as the sun rose that morning, lay wide +stretches of gray, dusty soil, blotches of alkali alternating with huge +patches of scattering sage brush, with no living thing in sight. + +Overhead burned the blue of a cloudless sky; about them the suffocating +atmosphere of the alkali desert. + +It was not a cheerful vista that spread out before the lads. The +ponies, suffering for want of water, took up the day's journey with +evident reluctance. With heads hanging low they dragged themselves +along wearily, half in protest, now and then evincing a sudden desire +to turn about and head for the mountains. + +"What ails these bronchos?" grumbled Ned Rector. + +"Guess they're afraid of heat prostration," replied Chunky. "Don't +blame them. I'm half baked myself." + +"Glad you know what ails you," laughed Ned. "You ought not to feel bad +about that, seeing it's your natural condition." + +As they plodded on the guide's eyes were roaming over the plain in +search of telltale marks that would reveal the presence of that of +which they were in most urgent need--water. The landscape, by this +time, had become a white glare, and the blue flannel shirts of the Pony +Riders had changed to a dirty gray as if they had been sprinkled with a +cloud of fine powder. + +Their hair, too, was tinged, below the rims of their sombreros, with +the same grayish substance, while their faces were streaked where the +perspiration had trickled down, giving them a most grotesque appearance. + +"How do you like it, Chunky?" grinned Ned. + +"Oh, I've seen worse in Chillicothe," answered the fat boy airily. +"The dust in Main Street is worse because it's dirtier." + +"Judging from the appearance of your face at this minute, I'm obliged +to differ with you," interjected the Professor, his own grim, +dust-stained countenance wrinkling into a half smile. "Do we take a +rest at midday, guide?" + +Parry shook his head. + +"Think we'd better keep going. Only be worse off if we stop now. +Hungry, any of you?" + +Stacy made a wry face and felt of his stomach, which action brought a +laugh from the others. + +Just then Stacy stiffened, then uttered a loud sneeze that shook him to +his very foundations, causing Satan to jump so suddenly that he nearly +unseated his rider. + +"Whew! Thought my head had blown off. Guess we're all getting the +grippe," he grinned, as the others began sneezing. + +"Alkali," answered Parry. "You'll like that and the sage brush taste +in your mouth more and more as you get to know them better." + +"Excuse me," objected Ned. "I prefer talcum powder for mine, if I've +got to sneeze myself to death on something. What time is it?" + +"Dinner time," answered Stacy promptly. "I'll take ice cream." + +"Dry toast will be more in your line, I'm thinking," suggested Ned. + +"Or a sandwich," added Walter humorously. + +"Hurrah, fellows! Walt Perkins has cracked a joke at last!" shouted +Ned. + +"Yes, it was cracked all right," muttered Chunky maliciously. + +"Put him out! Put 'em both out!" cried Ned and Tad, while Tom Parry's +stolid face relaxed into a broad smile. + +"It appears to me that you young gentlemen are very humorous to-day," +laughed the Professor. + +"It's dry humor, Professor," retorted Ned. + +Tad unslung his lariat. + +"I'll rope the next boy who dares say anything like that again," he +threatened. "See, even the burros are ashamed. They're hanging their +heads, they're so humiliated." + +"I don't blame them. Mine's swimming from the heat," rejoined the +guide. + +"Say, what's that?" demanded Chunky, pointing ahead of him, with a +half-scared expression on his face. + +"I don't see anything," answered the other lads. + +"Chunky's 'seeing things,'" suggested Ned. + +The fat boy was pointing to a bright circle of light that hung over the +desert some five feet from the ground, directly ahead of him. The +peculiar thing about it appeared to be that the circle of light kept +continually moving ahead of him, and at times he caught the colors of +the rainbow in it. + +Stacy looked intently, but the bright light hurt his eyes and he was +forced to lower his eyelids a little. This made the circle seem +brighter than before. + +Now Professor Zepplin had discovered the peculiar thing. + +"What is that--what does it mean, guide?" asked the scientist. + +"That--that ring of light?" asked Parry. + +"Yes." + +"That is a halo, sir." + +"A halo?" chorused the boys. + +"Must be Chunky's then," suggested Walter. + +"I agree with you," added Ned. "But I don't see what right he has to a +halo." + +"That particular halo is a very common thing in the Desert Maze," Tom +Parry informed them. "It is caused by heat refraction, or something of +the sort----" + +"Yes, yes. Oh, yes, I understand," nodded the Professor. "I recall +having heard of something of the kind in hot countries, and----" + +"Is this a hot country?" asked Stacy innocently. + +"No, you ninny; this is a section of Greenland that's been dropped down +here by an earthquake or something," laughed Walter. + +"You're mistaken. It was washed down by the flood," corrected Ned. + +All this helped to pass away the hours as well as to make the boys +forget their troubles for the time being. Perhaps the lads did not +fully realize the extent of their predicament. Not so the guide, +however. He knew that they must find water soon. Not many hours would +pass before the stock, unable to stand the strain longer, would give +out, leaving the party in a serious plight. They would then be without +water, and without horses to take them to water. The wild stallions, +however, were accustomed to going without drink for long periods at a +time, so that they were doing much better than the rest of the stock. + +Tom Parry reasoned that they would be able to go through that day and +part of the next without fresh supply, and that no serious consequences +would result from it. Beyond that, he did not attempt to forecast what +the result would be. + +Late that afternoon, without having informed his charges, Parry varied +his course, turning more to the west of south, eventually picking up a +copper colored butte that rose out of the desert. Reaching it at last, +Parry dismounted, and, bidding the others wait for him, he climbed up +the rocky sides of the miniature mountain, quirt in hand. + +They watched him until he had disappeared around the opposite side of +the butte. When they caught sight of him again Tom had descended to +the desert, and was approaching them along the base of the mountain. + +"Anything encouraging?" called the Professor. + +Parry shook his head. + +"Why can't we all go up there and get a breath of fresh air? There +must be some breeze on the top of the mountain," suggested Ned. + +"No, I couldn't think of it," replied the guide firmly. + +"Why not, please?" asked Walter. + +"Because you might not come back," replied the guide, with a grim +compression of the lips. + +Later, upon being pressed by Tad for his reasons, he confided to the +lad that there were snakes on the butte. He said he did not care to +tell that to the boys, adding that "what they don't know won't hurt +them." + +Camp was made at dusk, some five miles further on, much to the relief +of man and beast, for it had been the most trying day they had +experienced. + +The boys threw off their sombreros, shaking the dust from their heads. +They then removed their clothes, giving them a thorough beating. After +a brisk rub down with dry bath towels, the lads announced themselves as +ready for supper. + +"Our dry spread," Ned Rector called it, for not a drop of anything did +they have to drink. They had drained their canteens of what little +remained in them. + +"It isn't good for one to drink with meals anyway," comforted Stacy. +"That's what my uncle's doctor says," he explained, munching his bacon, +forcing it down his parched throat. + +Chunky was a philosopher, but he was unaware of the fact. + +"That is right. Not until an hour and a half after meals," agreed the +Professor. "I imagine we shall have to wait longer than that this +time." + +"Never mind; we'll pull through somehow. We always have," encouraged +Tad cheerfully. "We've gotten out of some pretty tight places, and I +am sure we'll manage to weather this gale in one way or another." + +"Gale? Huh! I wish we had a gale to weather," murmured Walter. + +"Providing it was a wet one," added Stacy. + +"That's so. Now wouldn't it be fine to have a rainstorm?" agreed Ned, +with enthusiasm. + +"We could cuddle in our tents and listen to the raindrops patter on the +roof," suggested Stacy. + +"No; we'd lie down on our backs outside, open our mouths wide----" + +"Like a nest of young robins," laughed Tad. + +"Yes. Only we'd fill our mouths with water instead of----" + +"Boys, boys!" warned the Professor. "I fear you are drifting into +questionable dinner topics again." + +"Why, we're talking about water, Professor," replied Ned in a tone of +innocent surprise. "Surely you do not object to that?" + +"Not so long as you confine your remarks to the subject of water. That +seems to be our principal need at the present time." + +"Speaking of water----" began Chunky. + +"Hold on; is this a story or a joke?" interrupted Ned. + +"I heard of a case like ours once," continued the fat boy, without +heeding the interruption. "A party of travelers on the desert found +themselves without water. In the party was a bookkeeper. He was from +the East. Well, they were thinking about dying from thirst. But they +didn't. The bookkeeper saved them." + +There was silence in the group for a moment. + +"I'll be the goat. How did he save them?" asked Ned. + +"He had a fountain pen," replied the fat boy sagely. + +"Y-e-o-w!" howled the Pony Rider Boys. "Put him out! Put him out!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +OFF ON A DRY TRAIL + +"We shall have to divide up our forces to-day, Professor. We'll make a +desperate effort to find a water hole," announced Tom Parry. + +"What do you propose doing? You mean you're going to let us help you?" + +"Yes." + +"I'm glad." + +"We'll make a big pull to-day. Should we fail to find water there is +only one thing left for us to do." + +"And that?" + +"Leave the burros to shift for themselves. We'll head hack toward the +San Antonio Range as fast as the bronchos will carry us. I don't know +whether they'll be equal to the strain or not. If they give out we'll +have to walk, that's all." + +"Impossible!" exclaimed the Professor aghast. + +"Nothing's impossible when you're up against it. We'll go through with +this, see if we don't. Just keep your nerve, and----" + +"But the boys," protested the Professor. + +"Look at them," said Parry. "They're somewhat the worse for wear, it's +true, but they're all right, every single one of them. Boys, come over +here!" + +The lads hastened to obey his summons. + +"What is it, Mr. Parry?" questioned Tad. + +"We've got to do some real work to-day, boys, and I want you to take a +hand." + +"We are ready for anything, sir," spoke up Ned. + +"Yes, I know that," replied Parry; then went on: "This is the +situation. We are without a drop of water. All the water holes that I +have been depending upon are dry and there is no certainty that we +shall find any that are not in the same condition if we continue on our +journey. We can go along for another day, perhaps, so far as we are +concerned." + +"But the stock won't," interposed Tad. + +"No." + +"I noticed this morning that some of the ponies were pretty gaunt in +the flanks." + +"Regular scarecrows. We've got to make an organized search for a tank, +and the sooner we begin the better off we'll be--or the worse," added +the guide under his breath. "If we fail, we'll ride all night, taking +the back trail. We ought to hold out long enough to reach the last +water hole we left. Though even that may be dried up by the time we +get to it." + +"Then you want us to spread out, as it were, and cover all the +territory about here?" questioned Tad. + +"That's it. You've caught the idea." + +Professor Zepplin shook his head. + +"I don't like the idea. The boys will be lost." + +"They mustn't, that's all," replied the guide, with a firm setting of +the lips. "I think we can arrange so they will find their way back to +camp all right. Listen! This is my plan. Master Tad will ride west, +due west. Master Ned, on the other hand, will proceed east, and I'll +go south. Each of us will ride as far as he can until noon. If by +then none of us has found any trace of water, we'll all turn about and +hurry hack to camp." + +"Yes, but how do you expect the boys to find their way hack?" demanded +Professor Zepplin. + +"I'm coming to that. To begin with, I'm going to splice the ridge +poles of the tents together, making a flagpole of them. On this we'll +tie a shirt or something, planting the pole on the top of that ridge +there. While the boys will be too far away to see it from where they +should be by twelve o'clock, they can get near enough, by using their +watches as compasses, so they can pick it up. Each one will take a +rifle with him, and in the event of finding water he is to remain +there, firing off the gun at frequent intervals." + +"What'll we be doing here all the time?" interrupted Walter. + +"Starting at twelve o'clock, you will begin firing a rifle to help +guide the boys in. Fire a shot every five minutes. No chance to get +lost at all. Do you think so, Professor?" + +"It would seem not. Did I not know from past experiences how easy it +is for the boys to get into trouble, I should not hesitate an instant." + +"Anyway, we've got to do it. We are at a point where we shall have to +take chances. We are taking some as it is. Now, hurry your breakfast. +I'll fix up the signal pole while you are doing so, then we'll be off +as soon as you have finished." + +Both Tad and Ned were enthusiastic and anxious to show themselves +capable of taking a man's part in the proposed operations. + +"If Chunky only had a fountain pen now all this trouble would be +unnecessary," teased Ned as they were hurrying through their breakfast. + +The fat boy's soulful eyes held an expression of mild protest, but he +made no reply. + +The meal finished, Tad and Ned brought out their rifles, which they +loaded, taking with them a box of cartridges each. The guide did the +same. The flagpole had been planted and from its top fluttered a pair +of pink pajamas belonging to the Professor. + +"That ought to scare all the coyotes off the desert," commented Ned as +the party surveyed the result of the guide's work. + +"It will serve still another purpose," grinned the guide. "Some +traveler may see it. In that event he'll head for it, thinking it's +some one in distress. If he does, you may be able to get a few drops +of water from his canteen, providing it's not as empty as our own." + +"Oh, how dry I am," whistled Ned softly. + +"There doesn't seem to be much probability of our meeting strangers in +this desolate place," commented the Professor. "What time do you think +we shall see you back? Have you any idea?" + +"Somewhere about sunset, in all probability." + +"I'd like to go along with Tad," said Stacy. + +"Why--no, I think you'd better not," said the Professor. + +"Please. I know I shall be able to help him. You do not need two boys +in camp with you, Professor." + +"Yes; he might as well go along, if he wants to," decided the guide. + +"Very well, then. But Walter must remain here." + +"Use your old ponies. Do not take the stallions," advised Parry. "If +the stallions were to get away from you while you are off on the desert +alone it would leave you, and perhaps us as well, in pretty bad shape. +And, by the way, Professor, when you begin firing your signals, go to +the top of the hill yonder and shoot straight up into the air. The +sound will carry further than were you to shoot from here. You've no +idea how perplexing this Desert Maze is to those not familiar with it +and its tricks." + +"I'm learning fast," smiled the Professor. "Furthermore, I am +convinced that I shall know all about it if I live long----" + +"Never," answered Parry promptly. "No man ever lived who knew all +about the desert. I----" + +"If we rough riders don't get started pretty soon we'll be back before +we get started," warned Stacy humorously. + +"You're right. We are wasting time. Now, Masters Tad and Ned, you +understand what you are to do?" + +"We do," answered the boys. + +"Follow my directions to the letter. If you do you will keep out of +trouble. If you do not, there's no telling what may happen." + +"We are to find water. That's what we are going out for," added Tad. + +"Exactly. But the instant you hear a gun fired, turn about and ride +home. That will mean either that the time's up, or that one or the +other of us has found what you are looking for. Keep your eyes clear +for signs and for crusts of alkali that may have a water tank under +them." + +"We'll do our duty, Mr. Parry," answered Tad. + +"I know it. Good-bye and good luck!" + +The three lads swung their hands in parting salute, as they left the +camp at an easy gallop, Tad and Stacy riding side by side, Ned Rector +moving off alone. Ascending the rise of ground where the pajamas were +drooping listlessly from the top of the signal pole, Tad and Stacy +slipped down the opposite side of the hill and disappeared from view. + +The two lads were destined to pass through some exciting experiences +before they rejoined their companions. + +"I hope we don't get lost," said Stacy, apprehensively, as they glided +across the desert. + +"We mustn't!" + +"Yes; but what if we do?" insisted the fat boy. + +"It will be because you disobeyed orders, Chunky. You and I have a +task to perform, and we're going to do it like men. The lives of our +companions may depend upon our own efforts--yours and mine." + +"I can't see the Professor's pajamas," insisted Chunky. "I believe we +are lost already, Tad." + +"Then we'll stay lost," answered Tad shortly. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE + +The conviction that they did not know where they were grew upon Stacy +as they proceeded. Not that Stacy cared particularly whether they were +lost or not, but it gave him something to talk about. + +"Don't talk so much, Chunky," begged Tad, after they had gone on some +distance. "You should keep your eyes out for signs." + +"What kind of signs?" + +"Water signs. Come, be serious for a little while. You can have all +the sport you want when we get back. I think, Chunky, that we can both +work to better advantage if we separate----" + +"What, you want to get rid of me so soon?" + +"No, no! Listen! You ride off there to the right, say half a mile. +Keep within sight of me all the time, and watch carefully for what we +are in search of. We shall be able to do twice as effective work in +that way." + +"I see. I guess that would be a good idea. Got anything to eat in +your pocket?" + +"Some dry bread. I'll divide with you. You should have brought +something." + +The fat boy, well satisfied now, rode away to the north, munching the +dry food that Tad had given him. So long as Chunky had plenty to eat, +nothing else mattered. + +Tad soon espied what appeared to him to be a cloud on the horizon +ahead. After a time he discovered that it was a range of irregular +buttes. On some of them he eventually made out what looked like +scattering trees. Tad increased the speed of his pony as much as he +thought the animal would stand. If there were trees, there surely +should be water as well, he reasoned. After a time he succeeded in +attracting the attention of Stacy, whom he motioned to him. + +The fat boy put spurs to his mount, racing along one side of the +triangle, heading for the range, for which he observed that Tad was +riding. It was now a test of speed to see which one should get there +first. Tad having the shorter distance to travel, made the mark ahead +of his companion, though with little to spare. + +"You started before I knew what you were up to," laughed Stacy. "I can +beat you on an even start." + +"Haven't any doubt of it, Chunky. But let's see what's to be found +here. It looks promising. You hold the horses while I climb up among +the rocks." + +"There's a man up there!" exclaimed Stacy. "What's he doing? I wonder +if he's a hermit? Looks as if he might be." + +"I'll find out. If some one is living here, there's water," cried Tad +triumphantly, leaping from his saddle and tossing the bridle reins to +his companion. + +The lad ran lightly up the rocks toward the point where he saw the +stranger standing, observing them suspiciously. As he drew nearer to +the figure, Tad felt some apprehension. The man was thin and gaunt, a +heavy growth of beard covering his face so completely as to hide +everything except the nose and eyes. + +"I believe he's crazy," muttered the lad, when he got near enough to +note the strange expression in the fellow's eyes. As yet, the man had +not spoken a word. + +"How do you do, sir!" greeted the boy. + +The hermit, for such he proved to be, grunted an unintelligible reply. + +"We are looking for water. My friends are camped off yonder, a dozen +miles or more, and our water is all gone. Please tell me where I can +find some?" + +"Got money?" + +"Yes, yes, I've got money. I will pay you for your trouble if that is +what you want. Let me have a drink first and take some to my +companion; then I will do whatever you wish in the way of paying," +begged the lad. + +The hermit eyed him with a steady, disconcerting gaze that gave Tad a +creepy feeling up and down his spine. + +"You want water?" + +"Yes, yes." + +A moment's hesitation, then the hermit grasped Tad by the arm and +strode rapidly back among the rocks. Pushing aside a growth of tangled +vines he stooped to enable him to enter the opening that was revealed, +dragging Tad in after him. + +[Illustration: The Hermit Grasped Tad by the Arm.] + +"See here, where are you taking me?" demanded the lad, pulling back +instinctively from the dark opening. + +The hermit made no reply, but tightening his grip, which was of +vise-like firmness, jerked the boy into the center of the chamber. Tad +observed by the single ray of light that penetrated the place through +the mat of vines at the entrance that they were in a cave. + +"You want water?" snapped the hermit. + +"Yes, I do want water more than anything else in the world at this +minute, but there is no necessity for dragging me to it. I can walk." + +"Water in there," answered the hermit, thrusting Tad into a dark +recess. No sooner had he done so than the lad heard a heavy wooden +door slammed shut and a bar thrown across it from the outside. + +Tad, instantly realizing that he was being shut in, threw himself +against the barrier with all his strength. But he might as well have +tried to break through the rocks which walled him in on the other three +sides. He shouted at the top of his voice, hoping that Chunky might, +perchance, hear him and come to his rescue. Chunky could use the rifle +that hung in the holster on Tad's saddle and intimidate the hermit if +he understood Tad's predicament. + +At that instant the lad's ears caught the faint trickle of water. The +sound stirred him to sudden action. "Where was it?" he asked himself, +his hands groping over the rocks about him. + +"Here it is!" he cried exultingly. + +What he had found was a tiny stream that was creeping down the side of +the rocks. Tad pressed his lips against the cool stones, enabling him +to lick a few drops of the precious fluid into his parched mouth. +Never had anything tasted so refreshing to him. + +"A-h-h-h-h!" gasped the boy, taking a fresh breath preparatory to +another draught. "It's almost worth being made a prisoner for this. +I'll bet Chunky would wish to be in here if he knew. And I almost wish +he were." + +As if in answer to his expressed wish, the door was suddenly pushed +inward, a heavy body was hurled in, landing in a heap on the rocky +floor. + +The door slammed shut and the bar once more fell into place. + +For the moment Tad could not determine what had happened. + +"I--I fell in," moaned a voice from the heap. + +"Chunky!" cried Tad. "How did you get in here?" + +"I--just dropped in," wailed the fat boy. + +"Get up! Don't be a baby! Come here and have a drink of water----" + +"Water? Water?" fairly shouted Stacy, leaping to his feet, bumping +against a rock in his haste. "Where? Where?" + +"Here. Put your lips against the rock right here. There, you have it. +Does it taste good?" + +"U-m-m-m." + +"Now, you've had enough for the moment. Tell me how you got here? How +did you happen to come up?" questioned Tad. + +"The--the wild man--say, Tad, he looks like a monkey, doesn't he?" + +"I hadn't thought of it in that light. I guess you're right, though, +Chunky." + +"Well, he went out on the rocks and motioned to me. I told him I +couldn't leave the ponies. He said you wanted me right away, and he +came down to help me stake the ponies. He was awful kind," mused +Stacy, as if talking to himself. + +"Go on," urged Tad. "We've got to think about what's going to become +of us." + +"That's all. He just led me up here. Said you were inside getting +water. Then--then he threw me in. Think I hurt the floor when I hit +it, Tad?" + +"I guess not quite so bad as that," laughed the lad. "I want you to +strike a match while I look around the place." + +Stacy did so, taking his time about it. By the dim light thus made, +they discovered a little pool of water in a far corner of the chamber, +where the trickling stream had found it's way. With their drinking +cups, which, with their canteens, the boys always carried, they dipped +the pool almost dry, filling their canteens with the cool, refreshing +water, after having first fully satisfied their thirst. + +"Got anything to eat?" questioned Stacy, his thoughts turning to food. + +"Yes, and I'm going to keep it," answered Tad promptly. + +"That's mean." + +"See here, Chunky. We are prisoners. We don't know when or how we are +going to get out. I have a few crusts of bread left and I propose to +keep them, because we may find ourselves starving later on. You'll be +glad then that I saved the bread. What do you think the hermit intends +to do? Did he say anything that gave you any clue?" + +"Nope." + +"We'll wait a while and if he does not let us out, we'll have to find a +way for ourselves." + +For a time they made the best of their situation, Stacy grumbling now +and then, Tad bright and cheery, though in his heart he felt far from +cheerful. + +"I'm going to try to break the door down," announced Tad finally, after +listening intently. "I can't hear anything. I believe the hermit has +gone away and left us. Get up here beside me. Take hold of my hand +and we'll rush it together." + +They did so, throwing their combined weight against the door. + +"Ouch!" yelled Stacy. + +"Never mind, try it again," encouraged Tad, laughing in spite of +himself. + +Once more they hurled themselves on the obstruction. It resisted all +their efforts. Tad lighted a match, examining the door carefully. The +light revealed a heap of blankets in a corner of the chamber, where the +old hermit slept. + +"Must be his bedroom," decided Chunky. + +"We've got to try something else," announced Tad. "Got your knife!" + +"Yes." + +"Out with it. We're going to whittle. Lucky for us that our knives +are big and sharp. Hold a match while I mark out the spot we're going +to try to cut out." + +Tad had sounded the door with his fist until he found the place where +the bar on the other side held it. He also discovered sockets for an +inner bar, by which the hermit probably locked himself in at night. +Then he began cutting. + +"You start in here and keep to your side so you don't cut my hands," +the lad directed. + +The crunching sound of their knives began immediately, the work going +on more slowly in the darkness than would have been the case had they +had light. Now and then the lads would pause to listen. Not a sound +penetrated to their prison. Tad thought this very strange, unless +perhaps the hermit might be lying in wait to fall upon them in case +they did succeed in freeing themselves. + +"Say, Tad." + +"Well?" + +"I've got an idea." Chunky's knife had been silent for a few moments. + +"What is it?" + +"Let's burn down the old door." + +"How!" + +"I'll show you." + +Stacy scraped industriously for a time, then lighting a match applied +it to the spot on which he had been working. The splinters caught fire +burned up briskly then went out. Stacy repeated the process with a +similar result. + +"I guess that will help a little," decided Tad, running his fingers +over the spot. + +"Just like singeing the pin feathers off an old hen--the feathers burn, +but the hen doesn't," grumbled Stacy. + +"Whew! the smoke's getting thick in here. We've got to stop the +burning or we'll suffocate," warned Tad. "Wish I had an ax. I'd make +short work of the old door." + +They then began working with a grim determination, Stacy ceasing his +joking. At last a tiny ray of light showed through the heavy door. + +"Hurrah!" shouted Tad. "I see daylight." + +"Then give me some bread. I'm hungry." + +"Not yet. We're not out of our prison," laughed Tad. "Keep cutting. +It will take all of an hour to make an opening large enough for me to +get my hand through----" + +"I got my finger through," cried Stacy triumphantly. "Ouch!" he yelled +as a club of some sort was brought against the door on the outside with +terrific force, bruising the end of the lad's finger. + +"The hermit is out there waiting for us!" gasped Tad, with sinking +heart. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE + +A rifle shot sounded from the camp of the Pony Rider Boys. At regular +intervals shot followed shot. + +It was the warning signal agreed upon to notify the others that water +had been found. Ned Rector had ridden into camp with the joyful +tidings that he had discovered a water tank about three miles to the +eastward. Immediately Walter sprang for his rifle, and running to the +top of the little hill began shooting into the air. Ned, in the +meantime, not waiting for the return of the others, had fetched the +water-bags from the burros, and started off at a rapid pace to bring +back water for the stock. His canteen he left for Professor Zepplin +and Walter. + +"It's horrible stuff, but it is water," breathed the Professor as he +swallowed the brown alkali fluid. "If ever I get a drink of real water +again, I know I shall be able to appreciate it." + +In the meantime Walter's rifle was booming its warning over the desert +maze. + +Two hours later, Tom Parry, hot, dusty and well-nigh spent, rode into +camp with the steam rising from his pony in a thin, vaporous cloud. + +"Have you found it?" he called hoarsely. + +"Yes; Ned's found a water hole," the Professor informed him. + +"Give me a drink, quick. The alkali's cutting furrows in my throat," +he begged. "Never got such a hold of me before." + +The Professor pressed his canteen to the guide's lips, and Parry drank +eagerly. A few moments later he pulled himself together sharply. + +"I'm going to take the stock out to the water hole," he announced, +starting the burros off across the desert. "I'll water the stallions +when I return." + +"You had better let me attend to that," protested the Professor. +"You're in no shape to go out in the sun again." + +"That's all right, Professor. But tell me how I am going to get out of +the sun?" begged Parry, with a grim smile. + +"The tent----" + +"Hotter than the sun. No, I guess I can stand it if those boys are +able to. By the way, have you seen anything of the other two?" + +"I'll ascertain if Walter has discovered them yet." + +Walter's straining eyes had failed to make out Tad and Stacy, however, +so the Professor bade him continue firing his rifle. This was a +pleasant occupation for Walter, for, like his companions, next to a +pony he loved a gun. + +Ned had returned with the water-bags, and Parry had finished watering +the stock. It was now near sunset. + +"No signs yet?" questioned the guide, joining Walter on the knoll. + +"Not a thing." + +"That doesn't seem right. Stop your firing and come get some supper. +We must eat and put ourselves in shape or we'll be good for nothing. +Did those boys take any food with them?" + +"I think I saw Tad stowing something in his pockets before he started. +I'm sure I did," spoke up Ned Rector. + +"There's a lad who knows his business," approved Parry, moving toward +the camp with Walter. + +"Why have you discontinued the shooting?" demanded the Professor in +surprise. + +"To eat. Half an hour's intermission will make little difference. If +the lads are on their way, we'll be able to call them in before it gets +dark. If not, then I shall go out to look for them. They're all +right. I think you need feel no concern over them." + +"Must have gone a long way," spoke up Ned. + +"Yes, they undoubtedly followed orders." + +"And perhaps exceeded them," added the Professor. + +It was a real supper that they sat down to that evening, with hot +coffee, fried bacon and other good things, and the party would have +been a jolly one had Tad and Stacy been on hand to participate in it. + +Walter hurried through his meal, then took his position on the hill +once more, where he renewed his signaling with the rifle. + +All at once he uttered a shout, following it with a quick volley of six +shots, thus emptying his magazine. + +"Do you see them!" called Parry, hastening over to the knoll, and +joining Walter. + +"I think I see a cloud of dust approaching over the desert," he made +reply. + +"Where?" + +Walter pointed with his rifle. + +"Yes, that's the boys, I guess. Nothing but a broncho could kick up +the alkali like that. I'll go back and have their supper ready. You +keep on shooting. The light is growing fainter and they won't be able +to find their way in otherwise." + +"Is it the boys?" called the Professor, as they saw Parry hastening +toward them. + +"I think so. Put the coffee on, Master Ned. They'll want to boil the +alkali out of their systems as soon as they get here." + +"That's the time Tad Butler got left," chuckled Ned Rector. "He's +always been around when there was any glory coming. But when it comes +to finding water where there isn't any, I guess they can't beat Ned +Rector." + +"What's that boy shooting so rapidly for?" asked Parry. + +"He's excited about something," answered Ned. "He's dancing around as +if he's suddenly gone crazy. What's that? He's calling and motioning +to us. Guess he wants you, Mr. Parry." + +"What is it!" called the guide, making a megaphone of his hands. + +Unable to make out what it was that Walter was shouting to him, Tom +Parry deserted the camp-fire, where he was assisting to get the second +supper, and hastened to the knoll. + +"What's the trouble, my lad?" + +"Come and see. I want you to take a look at that pony. He's tearing +across the desert as if something were chasing him. But I can't make +out anyone on his back." + +"The light is weak and he's throwing a lot of dust. Of course there's +some one his back, and there must be two horses." + +The guide shaded his hands, gazing off across the plain. + +"What--what----" he stammered. + +"Wasn't I right, Mr. Parry?" + +"That's very strange. I don't understand it at all." + +"That's what I thought." + +"There's only one pony and he's riderless," exclaimed Tom Parry. "I'm +afraid something has happened. It may not be one of our ponies, +however. We'll know in a few minutes." + +The running animal was drawing steadily nearer the camp. Those over by +the camp-fire were busy getting the meal ready for the two missing +lads. The pony reached the foot of the knoll. Observing Parry and +Walter there, the little animal shied, making a wide detour, and +finally galloping up to the camp. + +Walter and the guide hurried down. + +"Hello!" cried the Professor, as he saw the horse dash in. "What does +this mean!" + +"Why, it's Tad's pony!" exclaimed Ned in amazement. + +"Is that Master Tad's mount?" called the guide as he approached them on +the run. + +"Yes. Do you think there's anything wrong?" questioned Ned. + +"Looks that way. Don't let him get away. I want to look the critter +over. Perhaps we may learn something." + +Ned caught the pony without difficulty, and led it to the guide. Parry +went all over the animal, even going through the saddlebags. + +"The rifle and the rope are missing. Everything else seems to be in +order," he announced. + +"Then I'll guarantee that Tad's all right," spoke up Ned. + +"That's what I think," agreed Walter. "He's taken his gun and rope up +into some mountain or other and while he was away the pony got away and +started for home." + +"Is that your opinion, Mr. Parry?" questioned the Professor. + +"What's the use in offering any opinions? I don't know. But I'm going +to find out. Let's see. We have a new moon to-night. I've got about +two hours before it goes down. I want you all to remain right here in +camp until I return. Even if it's until to-morrow. I'm going out to +look for the boys." + +With that Parry hastily filled his canteen, slung one of the bags of +water over the back of his pony, and springing into the saddle dashed +away, following the trail that the returning broncho had left. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +CONCLUSION + +"No use trying to go any further to-night, Chunky." + +"Where'll we stay, then?" + +"Right here, I guess," answered Tad. "It's as good a place as we'll +find." + +But to understand this, we must take up the fortunes of Tad and Stacy, +whom we left imprisoned in the hermit's cave. + +After waiting for a full hour in the cave, following the hermit's blow +on the door, the lads not having heard anything further of him, had +renewed their whittling. After long and arduous effort they had +succeeded in making an opening in the wood sufficiently large to enable +Tad to push his hand through. + +Before doing so, however, he made reasonably sure that the hermit was +not standing there with a club ready to bring it down with crushing +force. + +Being satisfied on this point, Tad thrust a hand through. His upturned +hand had grasped the bar that held the door in place. Pushing upward +with all his strength he felt the bar give. + +Stacy, with ready resourcefulness, began forcing up on Tad's elbow. In +a moment more they had the satisfaction of hearing the bar clatter to +the rocks. Yet one end of it had stuck in its socket, still holding +the barrier in place. + +They tried their former tactics. Backing off, both lads rushed at the +heavy door. It gave way with a suddenness that they had not expected. +The boys tumbled out, each landing on his head and shoulders, then +toppling over to his back. + +There was a lively scramble. They were up in a twinkling, fully +expecting to find the hermit standing over them. To their surprise, +they found themselves entirely alone. To their further surprise, +neither of their ponies was in sight when they stepped out on the rocks. + +Upon examining the hoof prints a few minutes later they discovered that +one animal had set off on the back trail, while the other had +apparently gone in the opposite direction. + +After a brief consultation they decided that they must start back on +foot. Without a moment's hesitation, the lads, laying their course by +Tad's watch, started pluckily toward camp, many miles away. + +After a few hours night overtook them. They still had the moon, +however, and by its light they trudged along for two more weary hours. +Then the moon's light left them and Tad decided that it were worse than +useless to continue. + +Absolute darkness had settled over the Desert Maze as the boys dropped +down, footsore and weary after their long tramp in the stifling heat. + +"Got anything to eat?" asked Stacy. + +"That I have, and a canteen of water besides. We have a lot to be +thankful for yet, Chunky. Haven't we?" + +"I'll tell you after I try the bread," answered the fat boy. + +Tad laughed merrily. + +"Always a humorist, aren't you?" + +"Except when I fall in somewhere," replied Stacy. + +"How does the bread go?" + +"Fine!" + +"Aren't you glad you didn't eat it up back there in the hermit's cave?" + +"Oh, I dunno. If I'd eaten it then, I wouldn't have to eat it now." + +"Oh, Chunky, you're hopeless. I shall have to give you up----" + +"What do you think has become of those ponies?" interrupted the fat boy. + +"Guess they must have gotten away and gone home--at least one of them," +answered Tad. + +"Wrong." + +"Why?" + +"One went one way and the other another, didn't he?" + +"Yes. What of that?" + +"If they'd gotten away they'd both traveled together. One of them was +ridden away and I'm thinking the hermit was on his back. I'll bet he +carried my broncho off." + +"You mean you think your broncho carried him off?" laughed Tad. "I +didn't give you credit for so much sense, Chunky. I guess you are +right at that. The ponies surely would have left together. Seems to +be our luck to lose horses. Guess my gun has gone, too, but I picked +up the rope back by the mountain." + +"Glad I didn't bring my rifle along," chuckled Stacy. "I'll bet I'd be +throwing good-bye kisses after it now if I had." + +"I don't understand what that old man meant by making us prisoners +unless it was that he wanted a horse to get out of the Desert Maze. If +that was his reason, I don't blame him," laughed Tad. "Mr. Parry did +us a real service when he advised us to leave our stallions back in +camp. They surely would have been gone by this time, and we never +could have caught them again." + +"Yes; I can see Satan legging it for the hills," replied Stacy. +"Legging it is his strong point." + +They had finished their slender meal by this time and drunk their fill +of water from the canteens. As a result, they felt better than they +had felt at any time during the past three days. + +"We have a long, hot walk ahead of us to-morrow, unless they come out +to look for us, Chunky," averred Tad. + +"Yes. And I love to walk," replied Stacy, with droll humor. +"Especially when the sun is one hundred and fifty in the shade, or +where the shade ought to be. If ever I come down in this baked country +again, I'm going to bring that sweet apple tree out of uncle's orchard, +even if I have to drag it all over the desert with me." + +"Think we'd better make our beds and turn in?" suggested Tad. + +"I guess. I'll take a drink of water first; then I'm ready." + +In a few moments the plucky lads had stretched out on the still hot +ground, without feeling the least fear. They were too self-reliant to +feel any fear, and they had passed so many nights in the open that the +mysterious darkness of the outside world held no terrors for them. +They knew there was nothing to harm them. + +Tad was beginning to doze off when Stacy nudged him in the ribs. + +"What is it?" asked Tad sharply. + +"I think the girl forgot to put a fresh pillow case on my pillow +to-day. The pillow feels awful rough." + +"Oh, go to sleep. Dream all the funny things you wish to, but don't +bother me till daylight." + +From that moment until long past midnight the boys slept soundly, +neither having moved since he lay down for his night's rest. Even when +the coyotes began to howl, off on the desert, the lads merely stirred, +only half conscious of what the sound meant. But when the howls +gradually drew nearer, Chunky cautiously opened one eye. The night was +so dark that he could not see anything about him. + +The beasts drew nearer. Tad was awake now. + +"Keep still, don't scare them until I give the word," he said in answer +to Stacy's poke. + +Emboldened by the quietness, the coyotes kept creeping closer and +closer, their mournful howls increasing in volume every minute. All at +once Tad reached down for his rope. He lay still for a few minutes +until satisfied that the animals had not observed his movement. +Suddenly the great loop shot from his hand. + +A quick, violent tug at the other end, a wild, frightened howl from the +cowardly beasts, and all but one, with tails between their legs, fled +over the desert. + +"I've got one, Chunky," yelled Tad. "Quick! Help me here, or he'll +get away!" + +It required all the strength of the two boys to hold the animal that +Tad had roped in the dark. Gradually they shortened up on the rope, +Tad standing in front of his companion until he felt the animal +dangerously near. Then he let out a swift kick. By good luck, it laid +the coyote flat. + +Tad was upon the beast before, in its half-dazed condition, it could +rise. Together they tied the animal's feet, its jaws snapping at them +viciously before their task was completed. + +There was no more sleep for the lads that night. They feared the +coyote would gnaw the rope in two, if left alone. All during the night +the boys were obliged continually to jerk on the line about its neck to +keep the beast from doing this very thing. + +Morning came at last. Making a harness from a piece of the rope, they +bound up one of the animal's forefeet, just as Bud Stevens had done +with wild horses. Then they released the hind feet. Mr. Coyote hopped +about like a rabbit for a time, snarling and snapping, to their keen +delight. They felt no fear of him, though Mr. Coyote had several times +expressed a willingness to fight his captors. + +After eating their remaining crumbs of bread, the boys decided to move +on. Tad, believing that he knew the direction to follow, did not wait +for the sun to rise. Yet, although they were not aware of the fact, +they already had strayed far from the trail. + +"I'm afraid the coyote is going to be a drag on us, much as I should +like to take him along," said Tad. + +Stacy begged to keep the animal, and Tad decided to try it. The next +question was, how to move it. It was finally decided that one boy +should lead the coyote while the other prodded it from the rear when +the animal lagged. + +At noon they halted to rest, draining the last drop from their +canteens. Then they started on again, suffering more and more from the +heat as they proceeded. About the middle of the afternoon Tad halted, +gazing helplessly about him. + +"Chunky, we're lost in the Desert Maze. I don't know where I am any +more than if I were in the middle of an ocean. I'm pretty nearly +exhausted, too." + +"So's the coyote," comforted Stacy. + +"But we've got to keep on going. My watch is missing. I must have +lost it where we slept last night. I can only guess at the direction +we ought to take. Have you any idea where we are?" + +Stacy gazed at the sky meditatively. + +"On a rough guess, I should say we were on the Nevada Desert." + +"Oh, come on! Come on!" + +Still clinging to the angry coyote, the lads took up their weary tramp. +The baking alkali burned their feet almost to the blistering point; the +burning, withering heat made their heads whirl; the desert began to +perform strange antics, while the halo that they had seen a few days +before again appeared before them, first whirling like a giant pin +wheel, then oscillating in a way that made them giddy. + +"Chunky, I can't stand this any longer," cried Tad, suddenly sinking to +the ground. "I'm ashamed of myself to give way like this." + +Stacy moved around to the sunny side of his companion, placing his own +body where it would shade Tad's head from the sun. The fat boy took +off his sombrero, unheeding the burning rays that were beating down on +his own head, and began to fan Tad with the hat. + +"I don't believe I can go any further, Chunky. You are still in fairly +good shape and you'll be able to make the camp if you go on. Leave me +and make a try for it." + +"You--you want me to go on without you? Want me to leave you here +to--Say, Tad, do you think I'm that kind of a coyote? I'd thrash you +for that if you weren't already properly done up. You'll feel better +when night comes and your head gets cooled off. In the morning we'll +make another attempt to get out of the Desert Maze. You lie still, +now." + +Thus admonished, Tad closed his eyes. At last the sun went down, and +with its passing, came a breath of refreshing air. They inhaled long +and deeply of it. After a little, Stacy got up. + +"Where you going?" demanded Tad, opening his bloodshot eyes. + +"Going to tie up my dog, then go to bed." + +Five minutes later both were sleeping the sleep that comes from utter +exhaustion of mind and body. + +Stacy awakened first, his eyes opening on the burning blue above him. +After a few moments he rolled over on his stomach to gaze at the +coyote. Instantly something else attracted his attention. What he saw +was a crossed stick on a standard. The whole resembled a cross, +standing barely six inches above the ground. + +The lad eyed the strange object inquiringly, then wriggled over toward +it. + +"Maybe there's water here. I'll see," he muttered. Stacy began +digging industriously with knife and hands. + +After a time the knife struck some hard substance. This, upon further +digging, proved to be a bottle. The boy pulled his find out quickly. + +"There's a piece of paper in it," he exclaimed in surprise. "Guess +somebody must have thrown it off a sinking desert schooner." + +Stacy drew the paper from the bottle. + +"'To the lost on the Desert Maze,'" he read "That's me and the coyote. +'Water ten paces to the east. Grass Peak fifteen miles to the east. +Belted Range about eighteen miles west. Cross piece on stick, points +due east and west. A Traveler.'" + +With a sharp glance at his sleeping companion, Stacy tramped off ten +paces. There being no sign of water, the lad began stamping about with +his heels. Suddenly the alkali crust gave way beneath him. One leg +went through. He felt it plunge into water. + +"Y-e-o-w!" howled Stacy. + +Tad Butler scrambled to his feet, rubbing his eyes. + +"Water! Water! Water! I fell in!" shrieked the fat boy, dancing +about joyously. "I've found a key to the Desert Maze, and I've +unlocked one blind desert alley with my foot." + +The lads drank and drank of the villainous, brown fluid. Then, after +having laved their faces and filled the canteens, they set out on their +journey. Grass Peak was the hill from which the Professor's pajamas +had been unfurled to the idle desert breeze. + +Twilight was descending when two gaunt-eyed, hollow-cheeked lads, each +with an arm thrown about the other's waist for support, were described, +staggering across the Desert Maze. Behind then, at the end of a +lariat, slouched a disconsolate, cowardly coyote. + +A great shout went up from the camp of the Pony Riders. + +They dashed out to meet their exhausted companions. Hoisting the two +boys to their shoulders, they carried them triumphantly to camp. + +Tom Parry, the guide, had been thrown by his pony stepping through a +crust on the alkali, and had lain all night on the desert. Next day he +had staggered back to camp, where he found his pony, and after a few +hours' rest had taken up his fruitless search again. + +Stacy's pony in the meantime had come in. The boys never knew how the +animals got away, though from the fact that Tad's rifle was missing, it +was believed that the hermit had ridden the pony off, turning it adrift +later. + +But the brave lads had found their way through the Desert Maze to camp, +having passed through hardships and perils that would have daunted +stronger and more experienced desert travelers. + +Next morning the Pony Rider Boys struck their tents and broke camp. A +few days later they crossed the line into California, where, after +loading their stock and equipment into a large stock car, they started +for the East. + +Yet, though their summer vacation was rapidly drawing to a close, the +Pony Rider Boys had not seen the end of their thrilling adventures. +Another exciting trip lay before them; one which was destined to linger +in memory for many years to come. The story of this, the end of the +Silver Trail, will be related in a following volume entitled, "THE PONY +RIDER BOYS IN NEW MEXICO." + + + + +THE END + + + + +Dave Darrin Series No. 3 + +By _H. Irving Hancock_ + + 1 Dave Darrin at Vera Cruz + 2 Dave Darrin on Mediterranean Service + 3 Dave Darrin's South American Cruise + 4 Dave Darrin on the Asiatic Station + 5 Dave Darrin and the German Submarines + 6 Dave Darrin after the Mine Layers + + + +Aviator Series No. 3 + +By _Captain Frank Cobb_ + + 1 Battling the Clouds + 2 An Aviator's Luck + 3 Dangerous Deeds + + + +Boy Scout Series No. 3 + +By _George Durston_ + + 1 The Boy Scouts in Camp + 2 The Boy Scouts on the Trail + 3 The Boy Scouts to the Rescue + 4 The Boy Scout Aviators + 5 The Boy Scouts Afloat + 6 The Boy Scouts' Victory + + + +Idle Hour Series No. 3 + + 1 Hilda's Mascot--_Ireland_ + 2 Betty the Scribe--_Turner_ + 3 Peggy-Alone--_Byrne_ + + + +Ivy Hall Series No. 3 + +By _Ruth Alberta Brown_ + + 1 Tabitha at Ivy Hall + 2 Tabitha's Glory + 3 Tabitha's Vacation + + + +Peace Greenfield Series No. 3 + +By _Ruth Alberta Brown_ + + 1 At the Little Brown House + 2 The Lilac Lady + 3 Heart of Gold + + + +Pony Rider Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Frank Gee Patchin_ + + 1 The Pony Rider Boys in the Rockies + 2 The Pony Rider Boys in Texas + 3 The Pony Rider Boys in Montana + 4 The Pony Rider Boys in the Ozarks + 5 The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + 6 The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico + 7 The Pony Rider Boys in the Grand Canyon + 8 The Pony Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers + 9 The Pony Rider Boys on the Blue Ridge + 10 The Pony Rider Boys in New England + 11 The Pony Rider Boys in Louisiana + 12 The Pony Rider Boys in Alaska + + + +Circus Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Edgar B. P. Darlington_ + + 1 The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings + 2 The Circus Boys across the Continent + 3 The Circus Boys in Dixie Land + 4 The Circus Boys on the Mississippi + 5 The Circus Boys on the Plains + + + +The Battleship Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Frank Gee Patchin_ + + 1 The Battleship Boys at Sea + 2 The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward + 3 The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service + 4 The Battleship Boys in the Tropics + 5 The Battleship Boys Under Fire + 6 The Battleship Boys in the Wardroom + + + +The Submarine Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Victor G. Durham_ + + 1 The Submarine Boys on Duty + 2 The Submarine Boys' Trial Trip + 3 The Submarine Boys and the Middies + 4 The Submarine Boys and the Spies + 5 The Submarine Boys' Lightning Cruise + 6 The Submarine Boys for the Flag + + + +Young Engineers Series No. 3 + +By _H. Irving Hancock_ + + 1 The Young Engineers in Colorado + 2 The Young Engineers in Arizona + 3 The Young Engineers in Nevada + 4 The Young Engineers in Mexico + 5 The Young Engineers on the Gulf + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali, by +Frank Gee Patchin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI *** + +***** This file should be named 36423-8.txt or 36423-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/4/2/36423/ + +Produced by Al Haines + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + or, Finding a Key to the Desert Maze + +Author: Frank Gee Patchin + +Release Date: June 13, 2011 [EBook #36423] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI *** + + + + +Produced by Al Haines + + + + + +</pre> + + +<BR><BR> + +<A NAME="img-cover"></A> +<CENTER> +<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-cover.jpg" ALT="Cover art" BORDER=""> +</CENTER> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="img-front"></A> +<CENTER> +<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-front.jpg" ALT="Faster and Faster Danced Ned Rector." BORDER="2"> +<H4 CLASS="h4center"> +Faster and Faster Danced Ned Rector. +</H4> +</CENTER> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t1"> +The Pony Rider Boys <BR>in the Alkali +</P> + +<P CLASS="t4"> +OR +</P> + +<P CLASS="t2"> +Finding a Key to the Desert Maze +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t4"> +By +</P> + +<P CLASS="t3"> +FRANK GEE PATCHIN +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t4"> +Author of The Pony Rider Boys in The Rockies, <BR>The Pony Rider Boys in +Texas, <BR>The Pony Rider Boys in Montana, <BR>The Pony Rider Boys in The +Ozarks, Etc., Etc. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t3"> +Illustrated +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t4"> +THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY +<BR> +Akron, Ohio ———— New York +<BR> +Made in U. S. A. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t4"> +Copyright MCMX +<BR> +By THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="t2"> +CONTENTS +</P> + +<TABLE ALIGN="center" WIDTH="80%"> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">CHAPTER</TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> </TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">I. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap01">THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">II. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap02">THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">III. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap03">TWISTED BY A TWISTER</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">IV. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap04">THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">V. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap05">STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">VI. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap06">BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">VII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap07">CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">VIII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap08">NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">IX. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap09">THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">X. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap10">A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XI. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap11">A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap12">RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XIII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap13">COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XIV. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap14">FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XV. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap15">BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XVI. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap16">THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XVII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap17">ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XVIII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap18">ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XIX. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap19">WINNING THEIR REWARD</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XX. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap20">VISITED BY A HALO</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XXI. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap21">OFF ON A DRY TRAIL</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XXII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap22">IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XXIII. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap23">LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">XXIV. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap24">CONCLUSION</A></TD> +</TR> + +</TABLE> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap01"></A> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali +</H2> + +<BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER I +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL +</H4> + +<P> +"If this is the desert, then I think I prefer mountains," decided Stacy +Brown. +</P> + +<P> +"It is not the desert. We have not reached it yet. This is the +Diamond Range," replied Tom Parry, who was to guide the Pony Rider Boys +across the great Nevada Desert. "We shall soon be there, however." +</P> + +<P> +"You'll know the place when you see it, Chunky," said Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"And feel it, too, I guess," added Tad Butler under his breath. +</P> + +<P> +"We have the desert on each side of us now," continued the guide. +"Were you to fire a rifle to the right or left, your bullet would fall +on the baking alkali of the desert." +</P> + +<P> +"Then, if we're so near, why not get out in the open, instead of +floundering through these hills?" questioned Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm thinking you'll wish you were back in the hills before many days," +laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Mr. Parry has his own reasons for following this trail, Master Stacy," +interposed Professor Zepplin. "We are entirely in his hands and it is +not for us to question the wisdom of his decision." +</P> + +<P> +The guide nodded. +</P> + +<P> +Parry was a splendid type of the plainsman of the great West. Tall, +straight, clear-eyed, his bronzed cheeks fairly glistening in the +sunlight, he would have attracted attention anywhere. At present, he +sat on his pony motionless, the broad sombrero tilted upward above his +forehead as he peered into the amber haze that hung over the western +horizon. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, we shall reach the desert soon enough. We are heading for the +Newark Valley now, and should be there in time to make camp this +afternoon, providing the weather is satisfactory," announced Parry, +more to himself than to the others. +</P> + +<P> +"Weather—weather?" stammered Professor Zepplin. "What's the matter +with the weather?" +</P> + +<P> +"One hundred in the shade. Isn't that matter enough?" grunted Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"How do you know, Chunky? You haven't seen any shade to-day," demanded +Ned Rector. "There isn't a patch of shade as large as a man's hand in +this whole country, so far as I have been able to observe." +</P> + +<P> +"And still less in the country we are about to enter," added the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Tad Butler, however, had been observing the guide keenly. Though the +lad had asked no questions, he had caught a note of anxiety in the +tone, as well as in the apprehensive glances that Parry kept +continually casting to the westward. The guide, catching Tad's +inquiring look, smiled and nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"You should always keep your eyes on the weather in this country, +especially when on the alkali," he told the boy after the party had +started on again. +</P> + +<P> +"Why more there than elsewhere, Mr. Parry?" +</P> + +<P> +"Because storms here are frequently attended with no little peril. +You'll see some of them, no doubt, before we reach the end of our +journey, and you will wish you hadn't." +</P> + +<P> +"But there's no sign of storm now," protested Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps not to you, young man. Do you see that haze settling down +like a fog on the western horizon?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I've been looking at it—a golden fog." +</P> + +<P> +The guide smiled grimly. +</P> + +<P> +"I wouldn't call it exactly golden. I should call it fiery," said the +guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Has it any particular meaning?" +</P> + +<P> +"May mean most anything. Means storm of some kind—perhaps rain, and +maybe wind. If it passes, we'll drop out of here and make camp on the +desert to-night." +</P> + +<P> +"That will be fine," said Tad. "We are all crazy for the desert. +Since we started out on our trips, last spring, we have experienced +almost everything that could happen to us on mountain and plain——" +</P> + +<P> +"But not including the desert?" +</P> + +<P> +"No." +</P> + +<P> +"You'll find it different; very different." +</P> + +<P> +"I suppose you know every foot of it—in fact its every mood, do you +not?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +The guide, for the moment lost in thought, finally turned to the lad +again. +</P> + +<P> +"Moods, did you say? Well, that describes it. The desert is as moody +as an old hen with a brood of chickens. Know the Nevada Desert? +Sometimes I think I do; then again, I know I don't." +</P> + +<P> +"But you could not get lost——" +</P> + +<P> +"I have," smiled the guide. "I've been wandering about the alkali for +days without being able to find my way back. If you are able to read +trails and the droop of the scattering sage brush you will have made a +long stride toward knowing your way about the desert." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't understand," wondered the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"No; of course not. It's a long story, but when we have time I will +initiate you into the mysteries of reading the desert signs. The west +is clearing up. That's good," the guide exclaimed in a relieved tone. +</P> + +<P> +"Which means that we go on?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"Are we turning off into the desert, did you say?" asked Walter +Perkins, with sparkling eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, not just yet, Master Walter. We shall have to refill our +water-bags before leaving the range. I take it, you boys would not +care to be without water?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, I guess not. But where are you going to get it?" asked Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"About a mile further on there should be a mountain stream. There will +not be much water in it just now, but we shall be able to fill our bags +and water the stock, I guess." +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray!" shouted the boys. +</P> + +<P> +"The call of the desert is stronger than ever," averred Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"You are not the first ones who have felt that way, young man. 'The +call of the desert,' as you put it, has lured many a poor victim to his +death. Water is the all important thing when on a journey of this +kind, and we shall have to be vigilant that we do not allow ourselves +to be without it." +</P> + +<P> +As the guide had said, the stream, when they finally came up with it +more than two hours later, was a mere rivulet. +</P> + +<P> +"Call that a stream?" sniffed Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"No, it's a freshet," replied Ned Rector. "You might take a swim in it +were it not for the danger of drowning." +</P> + +<P> +"How are we going to get any water unless we dip it up with a spoon?" +asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll show you," smiled the guide, dismounting. +</P> + +<P> +Already the stock had sniffed the presence of water, even though there +was so little of it. The ponies chafed at their bits and snorted, +while the burros of the pack train tossed their heads in their +impatience. +</P> + +<P> +"I used to have a plaything that worked just like the heads of those +lazy burros," Stacy informed his companions wisely. +</P> + +<P> +"That's about your gait," growled Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"You didn't think so when he saved our lives in the Ruby Mountain," +reminded Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"That's right, Ned," confirmed Walter. "Don't be ungrateful for small +favors." +</P> + +<P> +"I apologize, Master Chunky," announced Ned, removing his sombrero and +unbending in a ceremonious bow to the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"We will now make a water hole. Come along if you wish to know how it +is done," called the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Leading the ponies and pack animals down along the slender water course +until they had reached a natural pocket, the guide halted. With a +rubber blanket he formed a basin in the depression in the rocks through +which the water had been trickling and losing itself far down in the +earth. Two of the Pony Rider Boys held the blanket in place while it +was slowly filling with water. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, Master Stacy, if you will be good enough to fetch one of your +pails we will water the stock first." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy did so. To save time, Walter brought another pail, so that this +could be filled while his companion was giving the water to one of +their animals. +</P> + +<P> +It was a slow process; and, by the time the six ponies and four burros +had drunk their fill, something more than an hour had passed. By this +time the rubber blanket had been thoroughly cleaned by constant rubbing. +</P> + +<P> +"Bring on the canteens and water-bags," directed Tom Parry. "We'll +have water enough to carry us through a few days of desert life, at any +rate. Load the burros down." +</P> + +<P> +The animals now having satisfied their thirst were nibbling gingerly at +the scant growth of sage brush. It was not a tender morsel at any +time, but from that time on they would be obliged to subsist almost +entirely on the bitter stuff. +</P> + +<P> +"Have you boys filled up?" asked Tom, looking about. "Better drink +enough to last you for the rest of the day. We shall have to use our +water sparingly for a time now. Take on a supply while you have the +chance." +</P> + +<P> +"How about you, Chunky?" laughed Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"Think I'm a camel?" demanded Stacy, with an air of indignation. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, will you be good, Ned Rector?" laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Even the stolid face of the guide relaxed in a broad smile of amusement. +</P> + +<P> +"Then, if you are all supplied, we had better be on our way. If we are +going to camp on the alkali to-night we shall have to make time between +this and sundown. It's about three hours high." +</P> + +<P> +With a whoop and a hurrah, the boys swung into their saddles, heading +joyously for the Newark Valley and the silent, mysterious desert that +in the dim, misty past had been a great inland sea. +</P> + +<P> +Readers of the preceding volumes of this series will recall how the +Pony Rider Boys came to spend their summer vacation on horseback, under +the guardianship of Walter Perkins' tutor, Professor Zepplin. With a +capable mountain guide, their first journey was through the wildest +part of the Rocky Mountains, where they met with a series of rousing +adventures and hair-breadth escapes—experiences calculated to try the +stoutest hearts. It was here that the young explorers hunted big +game—here that they discovered a valuable mine that had been the goal +of prospectors for many years past. +</P> + +<P> +All this was outlined in the first volume of the series, "THE PONY +RIDER BOYS IN THE ROCKIES." In the second volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS +IN TEXAS," was narrated how the four lads joined in a cattle drive +across the plains of Texas, becoming real cowboys. Being by this time +well hardened physically, they were able to do men's work in rounding +up the stampeding cattle, which led them into many thrilling +adventures. It will be recalled, too, how, during a visit to the +mysterious church of San Miguel, the Pony Rider Boys solved the veiled +riddle of the plains, which marked the end of the most eventful journey +of their lives. In the third volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN MONTANA," +we find the plucky lads following the old Custer trail over mountain +and plain. It will be remembered how Tad Butler, while chasing a bear +that had disturbed their camp, overheard a plot to stampede and +slaughter the herd of sheep belonging to a rancher whom they knew; how +the lad managed to escape from the men who sought his life; his +eventual capture by the Blackfeet Indians, his escape, and the final +solving of the mystery of the old Custer trail, during which the boys +were in the thick of a battle between cowboys and sheep herders. In +the volume preceding the present one the Pony Rider Boys were once more +in the saddle in search of further adventure. In "THE PONY RIDER BOYS +IN THE OZARKS," they met with a series of disasters and exciting +experiences which tested their courage almost to the breaking point. +They were beset by a band of robbers, who stole their ponies. Nearly +all the party, one by one, was lost in the fastnesses of the Ozark +wilderness. It will be recalled how the boys, during a visit to the +Red Star Mine, were caught in a wreck far underground; how a car of +dynamite exploded, making them prisoners in a rocky tomb, and how, +after being rescued by a mountain girl, they discovered the real secret +of the Ruby Mountain, narrowly escaping with their lives in doing so. +No sooner had they brought this eventful trip to a close than they set +out to face the perils of the great, silent desert of Nevada. +</P> + +<P> +They were almost upon it now. Its spell was upon them and the lads +fell silent as they waited anxiously for the first sight of the land +which they had journeyed so far to gaze upon. +</P> + +<P> +They had not long to wait after leaving the water hole where they had +replenished their supply. +</P> + +<P> +The guide at last rode out upon a rocky promontory, where he halted, +waiting for the others of the party to come up with him. +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the desert—is that it?" demanded Ned, riding up beside him. +</P> + +<P> +The guide raised his hand in a sweeping gesture. +</P> + +<P> +"The desert lies before you," he answered, his eyes traveling +meditatively over the miles of waste and mottled landscape. +</P> + +<P> +A brazen glare lay over the scene, while up from the white alkali flats +rose a wave of heat that was suffocating. Old, dried-up water sinks +lay white and glistening here and there, framed by vast areas of sage +brush, while on beyond in the blue distance lay miles and miles of +monotonous, billowing hills and mountains. +</P> + +<P> +"Whew!" gasped Chunky, mopping the perspiration from his brow. "This +is somewhat hotter than Chillicothe, Missouri. I wish I had a cake of +ice to put under my hat." +</P> + +<P> +"Beautiful! Grand!" murmured Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"Reminds me of a Turkish bath I was in once in St. Louis," added Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Tad Butler was silent. He was too profoundly impressed even to speak; +and even the guide, familiar as he was with the scene, was silent and +thoughtful, too. He understood full well the perils, the pitfalls for +the unwary, that lay along the pathway of those who sought to traverse +that barren waste. +</P> + +<P> +At last he turned to Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"Shall we move?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +The Professor nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"One of you boys get behind the burros and start them along, please," +requested the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy Brown complied gleefully. No more pleasant task could have been +assigned to him than that of prodding the lazy pack-bearers. +</P> + +<P> +"Forward!" commanded Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +The boys clucked to their ponies. +</P> + +<P> +Not an animal moved. +</P> + +<P> +Surprised, the lads brought their spurs against the flanks that they +could feel were trembling a little. +</P> + +<P> +A strange, unlooked for thing occurred. +</P> + +<P> +With whinnies of terror the little animals reared and plunged. Before +their puzzled riders could control them every pony in the outfit had +whirled suddenly and began plunging along on the back trail. +</P> + +<P> +A chorus of "whoa's" rose from the Pony Rider Boys. Quirt and spur +were used freely, and firm hands on the bridle reins quickly checked +the sudden rush. By dint of force and persuasion the boys finally +succeeded in forcing their mounts back. That is, all had done so save +Stacy Brown. His pony was spinning like a top, while Stacy red-faced +and perspiring was uttering loud, angry shouts, driving in spur and +raining quick, short blows on the animal's rump. +</P> + +<P> +The burros had moved just far enough away to be out of reach of Stacy's +plunging animal. +</P> + +<P> +At last it threw itself violently to the ground. Stacy, by a +remarkably lively jump, cleared his falling mount, but not a second too +soon to save himself from being pinned beneath it. +</P> + +<P> +He sat down on the animal's head, puffing from his exertions. After a +minute, during which the other boys laughed so heartily that their own +ponies nearly got the better of them again, Stacy rose and began +prodding his mount with the end of the quirt, urging it to get up again. +</P> + +<P> +But the pony refused to budge. +</P> + +<P> +"He's 'hog-tied,'" nodded the guide, riding up. "Let him stay there +till he gets ready to move. No use trying to hurry the beast. He's +too much scared." +</P> + +<P> +"Scared at what?" questioned Stacy, looking up apprehensively. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; that's what I'd like to know?" agreed Ned. "I don't see anything +that looks like a scare." +</P> + +<P> +The guide was looking down at the animal pityingly, Tad thought. +</P> + +<P> +"What are they so frightened at, Mr. Parry?" asked the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"My boy, they are afraid of the desert," replied the guide solemnly. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap02"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER II +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP +</H4> + +<P> +"The desert?" the Pony Riders gasped in chorus. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. It is not an uncommon thing. They seem to realize instinctively +that there is danger off there. Even in animals that never have been +near the desert you will find the same inborn dread of the alkali +flats. And I don't know that I blame them any." +</P> + +<P> +"But is my broncho going to lie here all day?" queried Chunky. "If +that's his idea I might as well give him another argument that will +make him change his mind." +</P> + +<P> +"Let him alone. He'll be better off if you do not force him. When he +gets up be gentle but firm with him." +</P> + +<P> +"That's the strangest thing I ever saw," said Tad quietly. +</P> + +<P> +"Most remarkable," agreed the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +The faces of the boys were serious. They too began to perceive the +feeling that had stirred the ponies to resist when turned toward the +silent plains that lay spread for mile upon mile before them. +</P> + +<P> +After a few minutes Stacy's pony scrambled to its feet. The lad was in +the saddle in a twinkling. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, I guess you'll go where I want you to. Whoa! Quit that +b-b-b-b-bucking." +</P> + +<P> +The animal had gone into a series of jolting bucks, with back arched +and head well down. The fat boy held his seat well. His face was red +and streaked with perspiration which ran down it in tiny rivulets under +the violent exercise to which he had just been subjected. +</P> + +<P> +The boys forgot the serious side of the incident in their enjoyment of +their companion's discomfiture. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry gazed upon the scene with more than ordinary curiosity. It +was the first opportunity he had had of observing a Pony Rider Boy in +action. At that moment Stacy Brown was most distinctly in action. +Most of the time there was a broad patch of daylight under him, and +when he hit the saddle it was with a jolt that seemed as if it must jar +his head from his body. +</P> + +<P> +"Put some salt on his tail," suggested Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"Y-y-y-you do it," gasped Chunky, which brought a roar of laughter from +the whole party. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, why don't you?" teased Tad. "It's the only way you can make +good." +</P> + +<P> +"Salting down horse is not my business," laughed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +All at once the pony whirled, heading down the mountain side with a +disconcerting rush that nearly brought disaster upon its rider. +</P> + +<P> +With a shout the rest of the boys urged their mounts into a jog-trot +and followed on down the trail as fast as they dared, for the descent +was steep and dangerous. +</P> + +<P> +"He'll break his neck!" cried the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"After that bucking I'm sure Chunky's neck is too well fastened to come +off," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy was out of sight. They could hear him yelling at his broncho, so +they knew he was still in the saddle and right side up. The other +ponies, apparently having forgotten their fear, were following the +leader willingly now. +</P> + +<P> +All at once they saw lad and mount burst into view on the plain below. +</P> + +<P> +"He's on the desert!" shouted Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Laughing and shouting words of encouragement to the fat boy, the Pony +Riders hastened to the base of the hill. Stacy Brown was still busily +engaged trying to subdue his pony, though some of the lads shrewdly +suspected that their companion was urging the animal on in order to +show off his horsemanship. +</P> + +<P> +In a moment more they, too, were in difficulties. No sooner had their +bronchos set foot on the desert than a sudden panic once more possessed +them. Professor Zepplin's pony whirled on its haunches, then began +climbing the rocks, with the agility of a squirrel. +</P> + +<P> +The others, however, had troubles of their own, which saved the +Professor from being laughed at. The animals seemed determined not to +be forced to go on, and it required severe measures to induce them to +take up the desert trail. Tom Parry's mount did not exhibit the same +fear as did the others. Still, it gave him more or less trouble, +appearing to be excited, in spite of itself, by the actions of its +companions. +</P> + +<P> +At last they succeeded in lining the animals up in an orderly +formation. Their next move was to get the burros moving along ahead of +them. The way being open and level there was no necessity for leading +the pack animals now. These could take care of themselves without +danger to the outfit. +</P> + +<P> +"And this is the desert!" marveled the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"It is," smiled the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Looks to me more like a landscape of German measles," averred Stacy, +as they moved along through scattering sage brush and open sandy +stretches. +</P> + +<P> +Now that they had reached the plain itself, they discovered that it was +not one level stretch of land. Instead, the country was rolling; here +and there were wide reaches of whitish desert sands and alkali sinks. +The atmosphere was like an oven. Not a breath of air was stirring. +Already the lads were mopping their brows and fanning their faces with +their sombreros, while spots of dark shining moisture on the ponies' +sides bore evidence that they, too, felt the baking heat. +</P> + +<P> +"I say, fellows, let's find some shade," called Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"All right, go ahead and we'll follow," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll ride up to the top of that knoll and make an observation." +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry smiled appreciatively as the lad galloped up the sharp rise +of ground, where Chunky sat on his pony, shading his eyes as he gazed +off over the cheerless desert. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, how about that shade?" shouted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy turned disconsolately and rode back to his companions. +</P> + +<P> +"There isn't any," he said. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course not," laughed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"But I know how to make some," added the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +Slipping from his pony he cut some sage brush, which he fashioned about +his head in the shape of a hood, so that it gave his perspiring face +some protection from the intense glare of the sun. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, all you need is a strip of mosquito netting," suggested Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"And a little red rocking chair," added Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"With a dish of ice cream," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess you will have to be satisfied with a cup of alkali water," +interjected the Professor, dryly. +</P> + +<P> +"You will find the air much cooler, shortly," the guide advised them. +"The sun is going down now and I think we had better make camp, if the +Professor has no objections." +</P> + +<P> +"Not in the least. In fact, I am quite ready to call it a day's work." +</P> + +<P> +"Where do we camp, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Right here. It is as good a place as any that we shall find. There +is little choice out here." +</P> + +<P> +They were now in a broad valley, the rolling hills covered with a +sparse growth of sage brush rising gradually on each side. +</P> + +<P> +The boys threw themselves from their ponies gladly, stripping the +saddles from the animals' backs. +</P> + +<P> +"Better stake the animals down, for the first two or three nights, so +they won't take French leave," advised the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"How about the burros?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Let them roam. They'll stay as long as the ponies are here. The pack +animals will fill up on sage, after which they will come back to camp +to sleep." +</P> + +<P> +All hands began to unpack. The tents were pitched in record time, cots +unfolded and preparations for the night made with a skill that comes +from long practice in the open. +</P> + +<P> +"What are we to do for a camp-fire?" asked Walter. "There is not a +single stick of wood about here." +</P> + +<P> +"Burn the sage," answered the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"That stuff won't burn," retorted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Try it." +</P> + +<P> +They did. In an incredibly short time a hot fire was blazing up, on +which they piled armfuls of the stunted desert growth. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, get your food ready and I will cook it," said Parry, as the +flames began to die down. +</P> + +<P> +When the fire had settled to a bed of hot ashes Tom thrust the bacon +directly into the ashes, placing the coffee pot near the center, around +and on top of which he heaped the ashes. It was a new method of +preparing a meal, and the lads watched the process with keen interest. +</P> + +<P> +"I shouldn't think that bacon would be fit to eat. However, I presume +you know what you are doing," said the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"It's the only way, sir," replied Parry. "We have to work with the +implements that nature has provided." +</P> + +<P> +"Nature must have been in a stingy mood when she made this country," +laughed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't agree with you," said Tad. "It is the most beautiful and +interesting scene that I have ever looked upon." +</P> + +<P> +Parry nodded approvingly. +</P> + +<P> +"And as fickle as it is beautiful," added the guide. "The supper will +be ready by the time you have the table set, boys." +</P> + +<P> +In spite of the heat the lads realized all at once that their appetites +had not suffered. Bacon, jelly and biscuits, which had been warmed +over the ashes, seemed to them to have reached the proportions of a +banquet. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy helped himself to a large slice of bacon which he proceeded to +munch. No sooner had he begun, however, than he made a wry face. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the matter. Isn't the bacon all right?" asked the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Awful! Somebody's trying to poison me," Chunky shouted, red in the +face. +</P> + +<P> +"Must have a brown taste in your mouth,' laughed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the trouble——" began the Professor. "Good gracious, there is +something the matter with the stuff. Ugh! Never tasted such bitter +stuff. Did you purchase this meat in a reliable place, Mr. Parry!" +</P> + +<P> +The guide smiled good-naturedly. +</P> + +<P> +"The bacon is all right, sir. It's the sage brush taint that you get." +</P> + +<P> +"The what?" +</P> + +<P> +"Sage brush. The same taste will be in everything you eat out in this +country—that and the alkali." +</P> + +<P> +"Then I starve," announced Stacy, firmly, laying down his fork and +folding his arms. +</P> + +<P> +"Any time you starve it'll be because there is nothing to eat," +retorted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"You'll all get used to the taste after you have been out a few days," +comforted the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Never!" shouted Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"I rather like the peculiar taste," smiled Tad Butler. +</P> + +<P> +"Good as a tonic," spoke up Walter. +</P> + +<P> +Thus encouraged Stacy tried it again, at first nibbling gingerly at the +bacon, then attacking it boldly. Even the Professor, after a time, +appeared to forget the bitterness of the food, passing his plate for +more. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry smiled indulgently. +</P> + +<P> +"You'll all like it after a while," he nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sure I'll have to take back some sage brush with me to flavor my +food after we leave the desert," scoffed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Supper finished the dishes were cleared away, after which the party +threw themselves down beside the camp-fire in keen enjoyment of the +hour. The evening was delightfully cool, with not a trace of the +baking heat of the day. +</P> + +<P> +"Doesn't seem possible that there could be such a change in the +temperature in so short a time," marveled the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"It is the mood of the desert," answered the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"What time do we start in the morning?" interrupted Tad, approaching +them at that moment. +</P> + +<P> +"I was just about to suggest that we break camp at daylight, traveling +until the sun gets hot. We can then pitch a tent or two during the +middle of the day, and rest for a few hours." +</P> + +<P> +"Why not keep on all day?" asked the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"It would prove too great a strain—both on man and beast. At noon we +will eat a cold lunch, as too much food in this heat is not good for +us. You will find the temperature rising as you get further south, and +the hardships increasing in proportion." +</P> + +<P> +"We shall not fall by the wayside," laughed the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"No; I am convinced of that. You lads are as tough as pine knots, but +you will need all the endurance you have for this trip." +</P> + +<P> +"If we are going to turn out so early, I think you boys had better go +to bed pretty soon," advised the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"That's why I asked you, sir. I rather thought Mr. Parry would wish to +make an early start in the morning. I'll see to the ponies; then I'll +go to bed." +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind the ponies. I'll look after them," answered Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"That boy is a splendid type," he continued to the Professor, after Tad +had walked away from them to notify his companions of the plans for the +morrow. +</P> + +<P> +"They all are," answered the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I have been observing them all day. To tell the truth I was +rather doubtful about the wisdom of taking a number of boys across the +desert. It's bad enough for men well hardened to the work." +</P> + +<P> +"I trust your apprehension no longer exists," smiled the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Not a trace of it left," replied Parry, with a hearty laugh. "Young +Brown handled that bucking pony splendidly this afternoon. He's a good +horseman for a boy." +</P> + +<P> +"Master Tad is a better one. You'll agree with me if you get an +opportunity to see him in any work that's worth while." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, good night, boys," called the Professor, as he saw the lads +moving toward their tents. +</P> + +<P> +"Good night, Professor, sleep tight," they shouted merrily altogether. +"Good night, Mr. Parry. We'll be up with the birds." +</P> + +<P> +"Birds," sniffed Stacy. "A tough old hen couldn't live out on this +desert." +</P> + +<P> +In a short time the camp settled down to sleep. The guide, with a last +look about and a long, comprehensive study of the sky, sought his own +tent, where in a few moments he, too, was sound asleep. +</P> + +<P> +After a time the moon came up, in the light of which the weather-beaten +tents of the Pony Rider Boys were mere specks on the vast expanse of +desert. +</P> + +<P> +Not a sound disturbed the quiet scene. However, had any of the +occupants of the little tents been awake, they might have observed a +thin, fog-like film drifting across the sky from the southwest. On and +on it came until finally it had blanketed the moon, casting a veil over +the landscape. +</P> + +<P> +Other sheets of film arose from out the southwest, placing layer after +layer over the fast fading moon, until finally it was obliterated +altogether. +</P> + +<P> +The desert was working out another of its mysterious phases, but none +in the camp of the Pony Riders were awake to observe it. +</P> + +<P> +A dense pall of blackness now hovered over the southwest. +</P> + +<P> +All at once a squirming streak of lightning wriggled along the horizon, +like a golden serpent, losing itself by a downward plunge into the +black abyss beyond the desert. +</P> + +<P> +The air grew suddenly hot and depressing, while a gentle breeze stirred +the sage brush on the higher places. The ponies moved restlessly in +their sleep, kicking out a foot now and then, as if in protest at some +disturbing presence. +</P> + +<P> +Tad Butler, ever on the alert, roused himself, and stepping out in his +pajamas took a survey of the heavens. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess we're going to have a storm," he muttered. "I wonder if I +ought to wake Mr. Parry? He thought, this afternoon, that there was a +storm brewing. Still, there's nothing he can do. The tents are staked +down as securely as is possible. No, I guess I'll go back to bed." +</P> + +<P> +The lad did so, and after a few moments of wakefulness, dropped off +into a sound sleep. +</P> + +<P> +A few moments later the breeze increased, picking up little patches of +sand, which it hurled into the air, scattering the particles over a +wide area. Far down to the southwest a low roar might have been heard, +and from the blackness there a funnel-shaped cloud detached itself, +starting slantingly over the desert. It appeared to be following a +northerly course, more or less irregularly, and from its direction, +should pass some miles to the westward of the sleeping camp. +</P> + +<P> +Whirling, diving, swooping here and there, lifting great patches of +sand and hurling them far up into the clouds, the funnel swept on. +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly, when about three miles to the southwest of the camp, it +seemed to pause hesitatingly; and then, as if all at once having +descried the little group of tents, started swaying, tottering toward +them. As it moved the disturbing roar continued to increase in volume. +</P> + +<P> +Tad Butler heard it now. +</P> + +<P> +He slipped from his tent and stood listening apprehensively. +</P> + +<P> +"I think that means trouble," he said to himself. The hot, oppressive +air felt like a blast from an open furnace door. "It's coming this +way," he continued. +</P> + +<P> +The lad bounded to the tent of the guide. Slipping inside he laid a +hand on Parry's shoulder. +</P> + +<P> +The guide was up like a flash. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" he demanded sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"It's I, Tad Butler. I think there is a bad storm coming——" +</P> + +<P> +"I hear it," snapped Parry, springing from his blankets. He was out in +the open in a twinkling, with Tad Butler close upon his heels. +</P> + +<P> +For a moment the guide stood with head inclined, listening intently. +</P> + +<P> +"Bad one, isn't it?" questioned the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"Do you think it is coming this way?" +</P> + +<P> +"I can't be sure. Wait; don't wake them yet," he whispered, raising a +restraining hand. "Yes, here it comes! It's a cyclone. Quick, get +them out of their tents!" +</P> + +<P> +Almost before the words were out of his mouth the funnel swooped down +into the broad sage-sprinkled draw, setting its deadly coils over the +camp of the Pony Rider Boys. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap03"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER III +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +TWISTED BY A TWISTER +</H4> + +<P> +"Turn out!" bellowed the guide, his voice faintly heard above the roar +of the storm. +</P> + +<P> +"Run for your lives!" piped the shrill voice of Tad Butler. +</P> + +<P> +"Flat on the ground, every one of you!" commanded the guide. +</P> + +<P> +All the warnings had come a few seconds too late. Ere the boys had +awakened sufficiently to realize what was wanted of them there sounded +above the roar a report like that of a cannon. +</P> + +<P> +The tents were lifted from over the startled Pony Riders and hurled +high into the air. A cloud of sand swept over the boys like an +avalanche, burying them, suffocating them, while the resistless coils +of the funnel picked them out of the drift and cast them far from the +spot where but a few minutes before they had been sleeping so +peacefully. +</P> + +<P> +Above the roar they heard the shrill voice of Stacy Brown. +</P> + +<P> +"W-o-o-ow!" he shrieked. His voice appeared to be somewhere in the air +over their heads. +</P> + +<P> +Blankets, trappings, together with all the other belongings of the +party, shot up into the black funnel and disappeared, while the ponies +strained at their tethers, floundering, kicking where they had been +hurled on their backs, screaming with fright. +</P> + +<P> +The mad medley continued for only a few seconds, though to the +unfortunate lads it seemed to have been tumbling them about for hours. +</P> + +<P> +As suddenly as it had appeared the funnel tore itself from the camp and +went roaring off into the hills to the northward. +</P> + +<P> +Staggering to his feet, some distance from where he had been caught, +the guide rubbed the sand from his eyes and mouth and stood gasping for +breath. +</P> + +<P> +An impressive silence had settled over the scene. +</P> + +<P> +"Hallo, the camp!" he shouted when he had cleared his mouth +sufficiently to enable him to do so. +</P> + +<P> +"Hello!" answered Tad Butler far to the right. +</P> + +<P> +"Are the others with you?" +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know." +</P> + +<P> +One by one the others of the party straggled to their feet, choking and +coughing. +</P> + +<P> +As if to mock them, the moon suddenly burst forth, shedding a brilliant +light over the scene which a few moments before had been the center of +a whirling, devastating cyclone. +</P> + +<P> +Not a speck of anything save the white, glistening sand of the desert +remained to mark the spot where the camp of the Pony Rider Boys had +stood. +</P> + +<P> +They gathered shivering in their pajamas, looking fearsomely into each +others' eyes, still dazed from the shock and the fright of their +experience. +</P> + +<P> +"Wha—what was it?" stammered Walter Perkins. +</P> + +<P> +"A genuine twister," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Twister?" questioned the Professor. "Cyclone, you mean?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"It was awful," breathed Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"All our things gone, too," mourned Ned ruefully. +</P> + +<P> +"You should be thankful that you are alive," chided the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"How about the ponies?" questioned Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"They're over there. More scared than hurt, I guess." +</P> + +<P> +"But Chunky—where's Chunky? He isn't here!" cried Tad, suddenly +realizing that Stacy Brown was not with them. +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky?" wondered the others. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, I thought he was here a moment ago," said Walter in an alarmed +tone. "What can have become of him?" +</P> + +<P> +"Probably went up with the twister," suggested Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I heard his voice and it seemed to be right over my head," nodded +Tad. "We must look for him." +</P> + +<P> +The lads set up a shout as they started running about +</P> + +<P> +"Better look for him that way," directed the guide, motioning in the +direction that the funnel had taken after wrecking their camp. +</P> + +<P> +The boys spread out, calling and searching excitedly over the sand, +peering into the sage brush and cactus shadows. But not a trace of +Stacy Brown did they find, until they had gone some distance from camp. +</P> + +<P> +A faint call at last answered their hail. +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray! We've got him!" shouted Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Where are you, Chunky?" called Tad, hurrying forward. +</P> + +<P> +"Here." +</P> + +<P> +"Are you all right?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, I'm dead." +</P> + +<P> +The boys could afford to laugh now, and they did, after calling back to +the camp that they had found the missing one. +</P> + +<P> +Half buried in a sand drift they located him. Stacy's head and one +foot were protruding above the sand, the only parts of his anatomy that +were visible above the heap of white sand beneath which he had been +buried. +</P> + +<P> +The Pony Riders could not repress a shout when they came up with young +Brown and understood his predicament. +</P> + +<P> +"Get me out of here." +</P> + +<P> +"No; you're dead. You stay where you are," retorted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Tad, however, grasped the foot that was sticking up through the sand, +and with a mighty tug hauled Chunky right through the heap, choking, +coughing and sputtering angrily, to the accompaniment of roars of +laughter from his companions. +</P> + +<P> +Ned grabbed the boy by the collar, shaking him until the sand flew like +spray. +</P> + +<P> +"Wake up! Wake up! How did you get here?" demanded Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I—I don't know. I—I guess I fell in." +</P> + +<P> +"You fell up this time. That's a new trick you've developed. Well, +it's safer. You won't get hurt falling up, but look out when you +strike the back trail." +</P> + +<P> +"Wha—what happened?" asked the fat boy peevishly. +</P> + +<P> +"Everything," laughed Tad. "We got caught in a cyclone. We don't know +whether you were rolled along with it or carried here. Which was it?" +</P> + +<P> +"I guess I flied," decided Stacy humorously. "But I came down so hard +that it knocked all the breath out of me. Where's the camp?" +</P> + +<P> +The boys laughed. +</P> + +<P> +"Ask the wind," replied Ned. "We don't know. Come! We'd better be +getting back." +</P> + +<P> +"Yee, I reckon there will be plenty for us to do," agreed Tad. "Can +you walk all right, Chunky?" +</P> + +<P> +"I guess so." +</P> + +<P> +"Why not fly? It's easier and quicker. Chunky doesn't need a flying +machine. He's the original human heavier-than-air-machine," averred +Ned. +</P> + +<P> +The guide had by this time gathered a heap of sage brush, to which he +touched a match, that they might the better examine their surroundings. +</P> + +<P> +"Anything left?" called Tad, as with his companions he approached the +camp. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't see anything but the saddles and the rifles." +</P> + +<P> +"What, everything gone?" demanded Professor Zepplin anxiously. +</P> + +<P> +"It certainly looks that way." +</P> + +<P> +"Where's my pants?" wailed Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"All 'pants' have gone up," chuckled Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"And so have provisions and everything else so far as I am able to +observe," added Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Then—then we've got to cross the desert in our pajamas," mourned +Walter. +</P> + +<P> +They looked at each other questioningly; then the entire party burst +out laughing. They were all arrayed in pink night clothes. Not a +stitch of clothing beyond these pajamas did any of them have. +</P> + +<P> +"We must look about and see if we can find any of the stuff," decided +Parry, his mind turning at once to the practical side of their +predicament. "I hope we find the food at least." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I'm hungry," spoke up Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"No wonder, after the shaking up you've had," agreed the Professor. +"Guide, where do you think we'll find our belongings?" +</P> + +<P> +"You are lucky if you find them at all. More than likely they are +scattered over the Diamond Range for half a dozen miles." +</P> + +<P> +"May—maybe it'll come back and bring our pants," suggested Chunky, at +which there was a loud protest. +</P> + +<P> +All hands formed in line, and with the guide to pilot them, started off +in their bare feet, hoping to find some of their belongings. Stacy +made the first find. He picked up a can of tomatoes. Ned Rector +rescued a can of pickled pigs' feet from the shadow of a sage brush, +while their guide discovered a sombrero that belonged to Stacy Brown. +</P> + +<P> +But that was all. They traveled nearly to the foot of the mountains, +yet not a scrap did they discover beyond what they already had picked +up. +</P> + +<P> +"No use going any further," announced the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, this is a fine predicament," decided Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"Nice mess," agreed Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"I want my pants," wailed Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"You'll want more than that. Look at the guide, if you think you are +in difficulties," grinned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +All eyes were turned on Tom Parry. Then they uttered a shout that +might have been heard far off on the silent desert. The guide was clad +only in a blue flannel shirt and a sombrero. He was in an even worse +predicament than the party that he was guiding. +</P> + +<P> +Minutes passed before the boys could control their merriment +sufficiently to permit a discussion of their situation. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry took their joking good-naturedly. He was too old a +campaigner to be greatly disturbed over his own laughable condition. +</P> + +<P> +"Something must be done," announced the Professor, after the laughter +had subsided. "What do you propose, Mr. Parry?" +</P> + +<P> +"Well, in the first place, like our friend, Master Stacy Brown, I want +a pair of pants. I can't very well cross the desert in this rig." +</P> + +<P> +Once more their laughter drowned the voices of the guide and the +Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Is there no town near here where we can get a fresh outfit? I am +thankful that I kept my money belt strapped about me. We should be in +a tight fix, had I lost the funds, too," said the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"I have been considering what is best to be done," replied Parry. "I +see no other way than that we shall have to ride to Eureka. That is a +railroad terminal and quite a town. I am sure we shall be able to get +there all we need for our journey. It will prove a little more +expensive than in a larger city, however." +</P> + +<P> +"No question of expense just now," answered the Professor. "Will it be +necessary for all of us to go?" +</P> + +<P> +"I think it will be best. I don't care to leave any of the party +behind. One never can tell what is going to happen, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"So I have observed," commented the Professor dryly. +</P> + +<P> +"How far is Eureka from here?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Between twenty-five and thirty miles. The town lies to the northwest. +If it were not for the pack train we could make it quickly, but we +shall have to move rather slowly on the burros' account." +</P> + +<P> +"Then why not start at once?" suggested Tad Butler. "The moon is +shining brightly and the air is cool. That is, if you can find the +way?" +</P> + +<P> +"No trouble about that," grinned Parry. "Your suggestion is a good +one. We'll start just as soon as I can get ready." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't see anything left here to get ready," laughed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"You will excuse me, gentlemen, but there is something that I shall +have to get ready," replied the guide with a peculiar smile. +</P> + +<P> +"What's that?" demanded the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"I've got to take a double reef in my shirt before I can go anywhere, +except to bed." +</P> + +<P> +The boys shouted again. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry hurried off beyond the ponies, where he was engaged for +several minutes. When he returned they discovered that he had taken +off his shirt. First he had cut off the sleeves, and by thrusting his +feet through the arm holes had made for himself a very substantial pair +of trunks. This odd outfit he had made fast about his waist with a +thong of leather that he had cut from a bridle rein. This, with the +broad-brimmed sombrero, completed his outfit. +</P> + +<P> +The sight was too much for the Pony Rider Boys. They shouted peal +after peal of merriment, in which the Professor joined, though in a +somewhat more dignified manner. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry's mouth was stretched in a grin as he got busy saddling the +ponies and urging the sleepy burros to their feet. +</P> + +<P> +"I think we are all ready now," the guide called back to the others. +</P> + +<P> +With many a shout and jest the strange procession started off across +the desert, under the brightly shining moon, the cool evening breezes +making their scanty covering none too comfortable. +</P> + +<P> +The boys devoted the greater part of their attention to the Professor +and Tom Parry, both of whom were riding as dignifiedly as if they were +leading a parade at a Fourth of July celebration. Every little while +the boys, unable to contain themselves longer, would burst out into +merry peals of laughter. +</P> + +<P> +"Hope it doesn't snow," said Stacy Brown wisely. +</P> + +<P> +"No," retorted Ned. "The colors in your pajamas might run." +</P> + +<P> +"That's where the guide has the better of us," retorted Tad a little +maliciously, which brought still another laugh from the boys. +</P> + +<P> +"Say, fellows, this saddle is getting harder every minute," called +Chunky, who was riding back and forth behind the pack train, urging on +the burros. +</P> + +<P> +"Stand up in your stirrups now and then," suggested Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"What, in my bare feet?" yelled the fat boy. "Think I want to get +pancake feet?" +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky's getting aristocratic," jeered Ned. "He's so proud of those +high insteps of his that he has to take off his shoes every little +while to look at his feet. He's afraid they'll cave in some time when +he isn't looking." +</P> + +<P> +Daylight came all too soon, and following it the sun burst forth in a +blaze of heat. Ahead of them across the desert they were able to make +out the town of Eureka. +</P> + +<P> +"Say, Mr. Parry, aren't you afraid this sunlight will spoil your +complexion?" called Ned. +</P> + +<P> +The guide grinned good-naturedly. +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," he retorted. "Your turn will come pretty soon, young +man." +</P> + +<P> +Ned Rector did not catch the significance of the remark just then, but +he understood a few hours later. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap04"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER IV +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE +</H4> + +<P> +"You are not going to ride into town in daylight, are you?" demanded +Ned in surprise. +</P> + +<P> +Though they had sighted the town of Eureka early in the morning, it was +well along in the afternoon before they finally came up with it. +Desert distances are deceptive and the further they journeyed the less +headway did they seem to be making. This surprised all save the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Parry explained to them that the clear air brought distant objects much +closer than they really were. +</P> + +<P> +"We are going into town exactly as we are," replied the guide in answer +to Ned's question. "Why not?" +</P> + +<P> +"Well, maybe you are, but I'm not," returned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"It may improve your complexion, young man," retorted Mr. Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll stay out here and hide on the desert while the rest of you go on +in," said Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"No, you don't," shouted the lads all at once. "You go willingly or we +carry you." +</P> + +<P> +They gathered around him threateningly. +</P> + +<P> +"If you want a mix-up, we're here," warned Chunky, pushing his pony up +beside that of Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +Ned, forgetting for the instant that he was in his bare feet, let drive +a kick at the side of Stacy's pony. +</P> + +<P> +"Ouch!" roared Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Jerking the injured toe up to the saddle, he grabbed it with both +hands, rocking back and forth, for his foot had struck the pony with +such violence that it is a wonder every toe on the foot was not broken. +</P> + +<P> +"Did 'oo hurt 'oo little tootsie-wootsies?" cooed Chunky, with a +grimace. +</P> + +<P> +Ned Rector, forgetting the pain for the instant, made a quick grab for +his tormentor. He just barely reached the sleeve of Chunky's pajamas. +But his sudden movement caused the fat boy's pony to leap suddenly to +one side. +</P> + +<P> +Ned landed on his head and shoulders in the desert sand, feet kicking +the air, to the accompaniment of yells of derision from his companions. +</P> + +<P> +With red face and angry eyes, the lad scrambled to his feet and started +limping to his pony, which had sprung to one side, where it stood, +evidently wondering what next was about to happen. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll get even with you, Chunky Brown," Ned growled, as he climbed into +his saddle. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, now, Ned!" warned the boys. "Take your medicine like a man. +Chunky never got mad when you nagged him." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll get even with him. I'll——" +</P> + +<P> +Tad rode up beside the angry lad. +</P> + +<P> +"Ned, you'll do nothing of the sort," said the boy gently. "You're +mad, now, because your toes hurt. When they stop aching your temper +will improve at the same time." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, pshaw! Stop your preaching. Of course it will. I'm a grouch. I +take back all I said just now. Chunky, when these toes get +straightened out—they're all crooked now—I'll come over and hobnob +with you. I deserve all you can give me." +</P> + +<P> +"You bet you do," chorused the lads. +</P> + +<P> +"Stop teasing him," commanded Stacy, with well-feigned indignation. +"Can't you see his toes hurt him?" +</P> + +<P> +The incident was lost sight of in the general laugh that followed. The +others were beginning to appreciate that Stacy Brown possessed a tongue +as sharp as any of them. +</P> + +<P> +Ned now offered no further protest to entering the village, but it was +observed that he dropped back behind the others as they reached the +outskirts of the town. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry and Professor Zepplin were riding ahead, one in pajamas, the +other clad in trunks—which resembled a meal sack—a sombrero hat and a +sardonic grin of defiance. The others trailed along behind. +</P> + +<P> +Not one of the party glanced to the right or left of him, except Stacy +Brown, who could scarcely contain his bubbling spirits. +</P> + +<P> +"They'll think it's some new kind of a menagerie come to town," he +confided to Tad, who was riding beside him. +</P> + +<P> +"Then I hope they don't shoot the animals," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +By this time they had entered the main street, down which they rode at +a pace that the burros could follow. People passing along the street +paused and gazed in unfeigned astonishment at the strange procession +which they saw approaching. +</P> + +<P> +The most conspicuous of them all was Tom Parry. He was a sight to +behold, but not one whit did he care for the amazed stares that greeted +his strange outfit. +</P> + +<P> +Soon the grins of the populace gave place to yells of derision. +</P> + +<P> +"Look at the purty boy with the pink toes there behind," shouted one, +pointing to Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +Ned's face went crimson. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, aren't you glad you didn't lose the tootsie-wootsies?" teased +Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +Ned made no reply, but it boded ill for any of his tormentors who got +within reach of his long arms. Already more than a hundred persons had +turned to follow the strange outfit. This number was being rapidly +added to as they proceeded. +</P> + +<P> +"For goodness' sake, how much further have we to go?" begged Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"The general store is down at the end of the street," the guide +informed him. "I presume you want to get some clothes the first thing?" +</P> + +<P> +"I should say so." +</P> + +<P> +A whoop and a yell sounded far down the street. +</P> + +<P> +"Here's trouble," muttered Tad, instantly recognizing the cowboy yell. +</P> + +<P> +A band of them at that instant swung around a corner, straightening out +in the main street, letting go a volley of revolver shots into the air. +The band had come to town with a shipment of wild horses that had been +captured among the desert ranges. They had been in Eureka for +twenty-four hours and were by this time ready for whatever might turn +up. The horsemen clad in pink pajamas attracted their attention at +once. Here was fair game. +</P> + +<P> +"Who-o-o-o-p-e-e-e!" +</P> + +<P> +The shrill cry sent a shiver to the hearts of the boys. It was not a +shiver of fear, either. +</P> + +<P> +In a moment more the Pony Rider Boys were the center of a ring of +racing ponies, as the horse-hunters dashed round and round, yelling +like mad and firing off their revolvers. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, see that purty boy with the pink toes!" jeered one. +</P> + +<P> +"Give him the tenderfoot dance," yelled another. "He ought to be able +to dance the fairy lancers on them pinkies." +</P> + +<P> +Ned did not dare refuse. He slipped from his pony, and, limping to the +center of the ring which the racing ponies had formed about them, began +to dance as the bullets from the revolvers of the cowboys struck the +ground, sending up little clouds of dust under his feet. Faster and +faster barked the guns, and faster and faster danced Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy Brown was almost beside himself with joy. +</P> + +<P> +"Better look out, or you'll be doing it next," warned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Evidently the cowboys had not recognized Tom Parry as yet. He might be +the next victim. +</P> + +<P> +Finally Tad rode his pony forward, right through the fire of the +skylarking cowboys. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess you've had enough fun with him, fellows," he warned. "Let up +now." +</P> + +<P> +A jeering laugh greeted the lad's command. Their attention was +instantly turned to him. +</P> + +<P> +"Get off that broncho and give us a dance, young fellow," they shouted. +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you, I'm not dancing to-day," smiled Tad Butler. +</P> + +<P> +"Ain't dancing? We'll see about that. Come off that nag." +</P> + +<P> +Tad shook his head. At that instant a rope squirmed through the air +from a moving pony. Butler threw himself to one side just in time to +avoid it. The lad's eyes snapped. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess I'll take a hand in this, too," he growled. +</P> + +<P> +The lad unlimbered his rope in a twinkling and let fly at the cowboy +who had just sought to rope him. With unerring aim Tad's lariat caught +the left hind foot of the cowman's broncho. Pony and rider went down +like a flash. +</P> + +<P> +Instantly there was a loud uproar. The horse-hunters yelled with +delight; at least all of them save the cowboy who had bit the dust, and +he sprang up, bellowing with rage, as he made for the grinning Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry decided that it was time for him to take a hand. +</P> + +<P> +The guide jumped his pony between Tad and the angry cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +"That'll do, Bud! You stop right where you are!" Tom commanded. +</P> + +<P> +"But the miserable coyote roped me." +</P> + +<P> +"You tried to rope him first." +</P> + +<P> +"It's Tom Parry," shouted the cowmen. "Hey, Tom! Them's a fine suit +of clothes you've got on there. Where'd you get them?" +</P> + +<P> +"Call off Bud and I'll tell you," grinned Tom, "He's got no reason to +interfere with my boys here." +</P> + +<P> +Laughing uproariously, the cowboys forced their bronchos between Bud +and the others, cutting him off and bidding him attend to his own +business. Then the cowmen halted their ponies, after closing in about +the Pony Rider Boys, while Tom Parry related the experiences they had +passed through on the previous night. +</P> + +<P> +"Come along. We'll take you to a place where you can get all the pants +you want," shouted the leader of the party, after Tom had finished his +story. +</P> + +<P> +The cowboys wheeled their ponies and the procession moved on down the +street. They had discovered that the Pony Rider Boys were not the band +of tenderfeet that they had at first taken them for. +</P> + +<P> +Arriving at the store, the lads lost no time in leaping from their +ponies, which they tethered at the rail in front, and hurried into the +store. This was a postoffice as well as general trading post. +</P> + +<P> +Half the town, it seemed, had gathered outside the building to get a +look at the nearly naked strangers who had ridden in a short time +before. But once inside the store, the boys did not propose to exhibit +themselves further if it were possible to avoid it. +</P> + +<P> +An entire new outfit was necessary—tents, provisions and all, and to +purchase all these things would occupy the greater part of the rest of +the afternoon. +</P> + +<P> +No sooner had they entered the store and made their wants known, than +the boys became conscious of the presence of ladies. The boys could +not see them plainly, because it was a dim, dingy place at best. +</P> + +<P> +But, all at once Ned felt a cold chill run down his back. One of the +ladies was speaking to him. +</P> + +<P> +"Isn't this Mr. Rector?" asked a pleasant voice. "I am quite sure I am +not mistaken." +</P> + +<P> +Ordinarily Ned would have been glad to meet an old acquaintance, but +when a boy is clad only in a pair of pink pajamas, his feet bare of +covering, he is not particularly anxious to see anyone he knows. +</P> + +<P> +It was so with Ned Rector. At first he pretended not to hear. A hand +was placed lightly on his shoulder. Then he turned, his face flushing +painfully. +</P> + +<P> +"I am Mrs. Colonel McClure from Texas," she informed him. "We had the +pleasure of entertaining you and your companions when you were with the +cattle drive in our state." +</P> + +<P> +Ned bowed and mumbled some unintelligible words. He failed to note the +twinkle in the eyes of Mrs. McClure. +</P> + +<P> +"And this," she continued, "is my niece Miss Courtenay, Miss Barbara +Parks and Miss Long," continued Mrs. McClure mercilessly. +</P> + +<P> +The young women were blushing furiously as they acknowledged the +introduction. Ned failed to observe it, however. His eyes were on his +feet and the pink toes which seemed abnormally large at that moment. +</P> + +<P> +"Where are your companions, Mr. Rector? I thought they were with you a +moment ago?" +</P> + +<P> +"Wh—ye—yes—they are here, they——" +</P> + +<P> +Ned looked about him blankly. No one was in sight. Then he discovered +the grinning face of Stacy Brown peering at him from behind the +postoffice wicket. +</P> + +<P> +At the first alarm Walter Perkins had sunk down behind a cracker barrel +with Tad Butler crouching behind him. Over behind the counter was the +guide, while, behind a pile of horse blankets, Professor Zepplin lay +flat on the floor, shrinking himself into as small a space as possible. +</P> + +<P> +Ned Rector was left to face the enemy alone. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap05"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER V +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT +</H4> + +<P> +The tension of the moment was relieved by a merry laugh from Mrs. +McClure and her friends, in which Ned Rector joined spontaneously. The +situation was too funny for even his offended dignity to resist. +</P> + +<P> +The result was an invitation for the entire party to dine with Mrs. +McClure and her friends that evening. Ned Rector accepted on the spot, +much to the disgust of his companions, who felt a diffidence about +meeting the ladies after the exhibition in the store. +</P> + +<P> +However, after they had properly clothed themselves they felt better, +and the evening passed at the home of Mrs. McClure's friends was one of +the most enjoyable they experienced. +</P> + +<P> +At sunrise next morning the Pony Rider Boys were once more on the +desert, bubbling over with spirits and anticipation. +</P> + +<P> +"I've got another invitation for you boys," announced Tom Parry after +they had halted for the midday rest. +</P> + +<P> +"I hope we'll have some clothes on when it comes off, then," growled +Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"It won't make much difference whether you have or not, so far as this +invitation is concerned." +</P> + +<P> +"What is the invitation?" asked Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"Bud Thomas and the other cowboys are hunting wild horses for market, +you know?" replied the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Wild horses?" marveled Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"I didn't know there were any about here," said Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"It is estimated that there are all of a hundred thousand wild horses +in the different ranges of this state," replied the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"You haven't told us yet what the invitation is," reminded Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"You haven't given me a chance," laughed Tom. "Well, the invitation is +to join in a wild horse hunt." +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray!" shouted the lads. +</P> + +<P> +"Very interesting," agreed the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"And lively, too," added the guide. "The boys took quite a fancy to +you young gentlemen after the roping trick, and said if you would join +in a hunt, you'd get all the fun that was coming to you." +</P> + +<P> +Tad grinned at the recollection of their first meeting with the wild +horse hunters. +</P> + +<P> +"Whe—when do we join them?" asked Chunky enthusiastically. +</P> + +<P> +"It will be a week or more yet before we reach that part of the desert +where the hunts take place—that is, if we have good luck. But if we +have any more such experiences as we have just passed through we shall +not get there this summer," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +By sunset, that day, the town of Eureka had disappeared behind the +copper colored hills, and the Pony Rider Boys were again merely tiny +specks on the great Nevada Desert. +</P> + +<P> +They pitched the new white tents for the first time that night, having +made camp earlier than usual because they were not accustomed to +working with the new outfit. No one knew where to find anything, which +furnished the lads with plenty of amusement. +</P> + +<P> +Ned and Tom Parry cooked the supper over a sage brush fire. They had +brought a few cans of milk with them, but after sampling it all hands +declared their preference for the condensed brand of which they had +purchased a liberal supply. The fresh milk procured in Eureka was +strong with the sage brush taste, as was almost everything else in that +barren country. +</P> + +<P> +The ponies refused the sage brush for their evening meal, having had a +supply of real fodder back in town, so they were staked out near a +growth of sage that they might browse on during the night should they +decide that they were hungry enough. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, I wonder what will happen to-night," said Tad, as they finished +the evening meal. +</P> + +<P> +"Let us hope that it will be nothing more serious than pleasant +dreams," smiled Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"That means you, Chunky," nodded Ned. "You are not to have the +nightmare to-night, remember." +</P> + +<P> +"And you look out for your tootsie-wootsies," retorted Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"We shall have to take a long ride to-morrow," announced the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Why to-morrow?" asked Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"It is all of twenty miles to the next water hole, or where the next +water hole should be. One cannot depend upon anything in this country." +</P> + +<P> +"Haven't we enough water with us?" asked the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Enough to last us through to-morrow—that's all. We shall have to get +water at night; so, if we have no interruptions during the night, we +shall make another early start." +</P> + +<P> +"Stacy, see to it that you do not lose your trousers this time. We +don't wish to be disgraced by you again to-morrow," warned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy merely grimaced, making no reply. He knew that he had not been +the one to get the worst of it, and so did his companions. He was +quite satisfied with the punishment that had been meted out to Ned +Rector. +</P> + +<P> +All hands turned in shortly after dark. They were tired after the long +day's ride in the broiling sun. Besides, they had not yet made up the +sleep they lost two nights before when the "twister" invaded their camp +and wrecked it. +</P> + +<P> +The boys had been asleep only a short time, however, before the entire +camp was startled by a long, thrilling wail. +</P> + +<P> +All the Pony Riders were wide awake in an instant, listening for a +repetition of the sound. It came a moment later. +</P> + +<P> +"K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-k-i!" +</P> + +<P> +The boys leaped from their tents. The sound plainly come from some +wild animal, but what, they did not know. +</P> + +<P> +"Wha—what is it? A lion?" stammered Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"I—I don't know," answered Walter. "Do you, Tad?" +</P> + +<P> +"I certainly do not. It's no lion, though. There are none here?" +</P> + +<P> +"Maybe it's a pack of wolves," suggested Ned. "There must be a lot of +them to make such a howling as that." +</P> + +<P> +"D-d-d-d-do you thi—thi—think they're going to attack us?" stammered +Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"How do we know?" snorted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Neither the Professor nor the guide having made their appearance, the +boys took for granted that the two men were asleep. Such was the case +so far as the Professor was concerned, but Tom Parry was lying on his +bed awake, a quiet smile on his face. +</P> + +<P> +"Are you sure it's a wild animal, Tad?" whispered Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course. What else could it be?" +</P> + +<P> +"Then I'll tell you what let's do." +</P> + +<P> +"What?" demanded Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Let's get our rifles and crawl up to the top of that knoll yonder, +where the sound seems to come from——" +</P> + +<P> +"And take a shot at them," finished Ned. "Good idea. What do you say, +Tad?" +</P> + +<P> +"I guess there will be no harm in it," decided the lad, considering the +question for a minute. +</P> + +<P> +They had moved away from the tents so that the sound of their voices +should not arouse the sleeping men there. +</P> + +<P> +"Two guns will be enough. We're not so liable to hit each other if +only two of us have them." +</P> + +<P> +"Who is going to shoot?" demanded Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the matter with Ned and Chunky?" +</P> + +<P> +That suited all concerned. +</P> + +<P> +"You'd better hurry. The animals have stopped howling," advised Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Ned and Stacy ran lightly to their tents, returning quickly with their +rifles. Stacy bore the handsome telescope rifle that he had won in a +pony race during their exciting trip through the Ozark Mountains. Even +in the moonlight one could see a long distance with the aid of the +telescope on the gun's barrel. +</P> + +<P> +"See the brutes?" asked Stacy, with bated breath. +</P> + +<P> +"No, nor hear them, either," answered Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll tell you what we'd better do," suggested Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," answered Ned anxiously. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll crawl along in the shadow to the south. I think the prowlers +are up there on the ridge to the west. If they are, they'll be +watching the camp-fire. Maybe they have smelled us and run away by +this time, even if they didn't hear us talking." +</P> + +<P> +"Keep still, everybody," warned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +The boys stole along as silently as shadows. After moving some ten +rods to the south, Tad motioned for them to turn west, which they did. +</P> + +<P> +No sooner had they changed their course, however, than Chunky with a +loud "Ouch!" plunged headlong, his rifle falling several feet ahead of +him. With frightful howls he began hugging one foot, rocking back and +forth in great pain. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the matter?" snapped Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"My foot! My foot!" +</P> + +<P> +"What about it——" +</P> + +<P> +"I—I don't know. I——" +</P> + +<P> +Tad grabbed the boy by the collar, jerking him clear of the place. The +first thought that came to him was that Stacy had been bitten by a +snake, though Tad did not even know whether or not there were snakes on +the desert. +</P> + +<P> +"Nice chance we'll have to shoot anything," growled Ned in disgust. +"Stop that wailing." +</P> + +<P> +"It hurts, it hurts——" +</P> + +<P> +"Keep still. I'll find out what the trouble is," warned Tad, dropping +down and examining his companion's injured foot. +</P> + +<P> +"Ouch!" exploded Chunky, jerking his foot away. +</P> + +<P> +"If you want me to help you, you'll have to be quiet." +</P> + +<P> +Butler pressed gently on the bottom of the injured foot with the +fingers of one hand, the other holding Chunky's ankle in a firm grip. +</P> + +<P> +"Humph!" grunted Tad. "He's stepped on a cactus bush with his bare +foot. It's full of prickers. Hold still and I'll pick them out." +</P> + +<P> +"Guess there's no use to keep still any longer. Those animals probably +have run away before this," complained Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"K-i-i-o-o-o-o-! K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-k-i!" +</P> + +<P> +"S-h-h-h!" warned Tad. "They're there yet. Shall I take your rifle, +Chunky? You probably don't feel much like tramping up the hill in your +bare feet." +</P> + +<P> +"No!" exploded the fat boy. "I guess if there's any shooting to be +done, Stacy Brown can do it, even if he's only got one foot to hop +along on." +</P> + +<P> +Scrambling to his feet, Stacy recovered his rifle. He had forgotten +all about his injured foot now. +</P> + +<P> +Cautiously the boys crawled up to the top of the rise of ground. +</P> + +<P> +"Sit down, everybody," directed Tad. "We ought to be able to see them +from here." +</P> + +<P> +Not a thing save clumps of sage brush met peering eyes of the Pony +Rider Boys. +</P> + +<P> +"Lay the barrel of your gun over my shoulder and look through the +telescope," directed Tad softly. +</P> + +<P> +Pointing the gun to the southward, Stacy rested it on his companion's +shoulder, placing an eye to the peep hole. The lads fairly held their +breath for a minute. +</P> + +<P> +"I see him! I see him!" whispered Stacy in an excited tone. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" demanded Ned. "Where?" +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know. I guess it's a wolf." +</P> + +<P> +"How many?" asked Walter, crawling up to him. +</P> + +<P> +"See only one." +</P> + +<P> +"Take your time, Chunky," cautioned Tad in a low voice. "Draw a +careful bead on the fellow and let him have it." +</P> + +<P> +"Over your shoulder?" +</P> + +<P> +"Sure. You never'll hit him without a rest." +</P> + +<P> +Once more they held their breath. +</P> + +<P> +At last Stacy exerted a gentle pressure on the trigger. +</P> + +<P> +There followed a flash and a roar. +</P> + +<P> +"O-u-u-c-h!" yelled the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +The end of the telescope had kicked him violently in the eye as the gun +went off. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap06"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER VI +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS +</H4> + +<P> +"K-I-I-O-O-O-O! K-I-I-I-O-O-O!" +</P> + +<P> +"There he goes!" shouted Walter. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy was picking himself up from the ground where the rifle had kicked +him. +</P> + +<P> +Bang! +</P> + +<P> +Ned Rector had risen to his feet the instant Stacy fired. Throwing his +rifle to shoulder, he fired at an object that he saw bounding down the +opposite side of the hill. +</P> + +<P> +"I got him! I got him!" shouted Ned, dancing about in his glee. +"Chunky Brown, you're no good. All you can do with a rifle is to get +kicked and fall in. Take a lesson from your Uncle Dudley——" +</P> + +<P> +"Good shooting, boys," said a laughing voice behind them. +</P> + +<P> +They whirled around and found themselves facing Tom Parry, who had +crept up to see that the boys got into no trouble. +</P> + +<P> +"You here?" demanded Tad Butler sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"I am that. Think I could let you boys go off with a couple of guns to +hunt wild animals? Not without Tom Parry—no, indeed!" +</P> + +<P> +"I got him, Mr. Parry," glowed Ned. "Did you see me tumble him over?" +</P> + +<P> +The guide nodded good-naturedly. +</P> + +<P> +"And Chunky missed him, even though he had a rest over Tad Butler's +shoulder. Chunky can't shoot." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I can, too," objected the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll see," replied the guide. "I am not sure whether he can shoot or +not." +</P> + +<P> +"What do you mean, Mr. Parry!" asked Walter. "Chunky shot at the +animal and missed it, didn't he?" +</P> + +<P> +"What kind of an animal was it?" interjected Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"A coyote." +</P> + +<P> +"I thought it was a wolf," muttered Stacy Brown. "How many of them was +there?" +</P> + +<P> +"Only one, you ninny. And I shot him," scoffed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll go down the hill and find the one you got, Master Ned," decided +the guide, moving away, followed by the rest of the party. +</P> + +<P> +No sooner had they started than they heard Professor Zepplin, down in +the camp, shouting to know what the shooting meant. +</P> + +<P> +"It's all right, Professor," called the guide. "The boys have been +shooting up some wild game. You'll be surprised when you see what they +got." +</P> + +<P> +Down the hillside sprang the enthusiastic lads. +</P> + +<P> +"Remember, you're all barefooted," warned the guide. "You don't want +to pick up any more cactus thorns." +</P> + +<P> +"Were you here then?" demanded Tad, glancing up sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"I was with you from the time you left the camp." +</P> + +<P> +"Here he is," shouted Ned, who had run on ahead of the others in his +anxiety to learn the result of his shot. "And I caught him on the +wing, too, didn't I?" +</P> + +<P> +"You certainly did." +</P> + +<P> +"Just lift him. He's a whopper," went on the lad enthusiastically. +"I'd like to see any of the others in this outfit make a shot like +that——" +</P> + +<P> +"Chance shot," mumbled Stacy. "Hit a bird once myself a mile up in the +air, but I didn't flap my wings and crow about it. I couldn't have +done it again. Neither could you have hit that—that—what do you call +it!" +</P> + +<P> +"Coyote," replied the guide, but he pronounced it "kiute." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I don't know," grumbled Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Suppose we go up the hill now and see what Master Stacy shot," +suggested the guide, starting away. +</P> + +<P> +"Shot?" sniffed Ned Rector. "Don't you know what he shot?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, we know," interrupted Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"He shot thin air, that's what he did." +</P> + +<P> +"We shall see, we shall see," answered the guide enigmatically. +</P> + +<P> +Though Stacy did not grasp the guide's meaning, he did catch a note in +the tone that filled him with hope. Yet Chunky was unable to see how +he could have hit anything, in view of the fact that Ned had shot the +coyote. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry strode up to the crest of the hill and began looking about, +peering behind sage bush and greasewood. The boys were a little to the +north of him, all hunting for they knew not what. Ned Rector had +seated himself by the side of his dead coyote, stroking its rough coat +proudly. +</P> + +<P> +A sharp whistle from the guide attracted their attention. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" called Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Come over here. I've got a surprise for you." +</P> + +<P> +The boys obeyed on the run. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry stood with a grin on his face, pointing a finger to the +ground. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it? What is it?" demanded the lads in chorus. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, it's a dead animal," marveled Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Then that's what the coyote was doing up here. It was after the meat +on the dead one," announced Ned. "I knew there must be some good +reason for its remaining so near camp all that time." +</P> + +<P> +"Guess again," sniffed Stacy, who had thrown himself down beside his +prize. +</P> + +<P> +"What's that?" asked Tad, who already suspected something of the truth. +</P> + +<P> +"It's my coyote, that's what it is." +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"He's right. He killed the animal the first shot——" +</P> + +<P> +"Then—then——" stammered Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"There were two of them. Master Stacy killed one and you the other, +and for your gratification I'll say that they are a very difficult +animal to kill. One might try a hundred times and never hit one." +</P> + +<P> +"If one knows how to shoot, it isn't," spoke up Stacy pompously. +</P> + +<P> +"Which you certainly do," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"May we take them back to camp and skin them?" asked Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"You may take them in, of course; but I would not advise you to skin +the brutes. The skins are not worth anything in the first place, and +in the second, we should be unable to keep them all the way across the +desert, I am afraid." +</P> + +<P> +"You mean they would spoil?" questioned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"Then we'll take them down to show to the Professor. After that we'll +bury them." +</P> + +<P> +"Not necessary at all," smiled the guide. "The buzzards will attend to +that part of the work. They'll be around in the morning. You'll see +them." +</P> + +<P> +"But how will the buzzards know?" asked Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"That I cannot say. They do know. Instinct, I suppose. All animals +and birds have the instinct necessary for their kind, yet it is all a +mystery to us." +</P> + +<P> +Very proudly the lads dragged their trophies to camp, where, after +heaping fresh sage brush on the fire, the youngsters stretched the +carcasses out full length that Professor Zepplin might see. +</P> + +<P> +"Very fine, young men. You say they were howling and woke you up?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; didn't you hear them!" answered Stacy loudly. +</P> + +<P> +"Indeed I did not. The first thing I heard was the report of a rifle, +and then, in a few seconds, another. I couldn't imagine what was going +on. When I tumbled out and found the camp deserted, I was alarmed. I +feared you boys had gotten into other and more serious trouble. You +should not take the guns out without either myself or the guide being +with you." +</P> + +<P> +"He was with us," interrupted Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"Then that was all right." +</P> + +<P> +"But we didn't know he was with us, Professor," Tad Butler hastened to +explain. "So we were in the wrong, even if he was along. However, it +has turned out all right, and we've bagged two coyotes. Wish we could +take their pictures. Why didn't we think to bring a camera with us?" +</P> + +<P> +"I think I can supply that," laughed the guide. "I always carry one +with me. In the morning I'll take your pictures. I got a new camera +in Eureka yesterday, having lost my old one in the blow-out we had the +other night." +</P> + +<P> +The boys gave three cheers and a tiger for Tom Parry. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap07"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER VII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF +</H4> + +<P> +Breakfast was cooked in the cool of the early dawn, long before the sun +had pushed its burning course up above the desert sands. Though the +boys had but little sleep, they tumbled out at the guide's first hail, +full of joyous enthusiasm for what lay before them that day. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy Brown emerged from his tent rubbing his eyes. The lads uttered a +shout when they saw him. +</P> + +<P> +"Look at him!" yelled Ned. "Look at Chunky's eye!" +</P> + +<P> +The right eye was surrounded by a black ring, the eyelid being of the +same dark shade, where the end of the telescope on his rifle had kicked +him. +</P> + +<P> +"Young man, you are a sight to behold," smiled the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't care. I got the coyote," retorted Stacy, with a grin. +</P> + +<P> +"And the gun got him," added Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Judging from your appearance, I should say that the butt of your rifle +was almost as dangerous as the other end," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Come and get it!" called the guide. +</P> + +<P> +The lads never had to be called twice for meals, and they were in their +places at the breakfast table with a bound. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you know, I'm beginning to like the sage brush taste in the food," +said Walter. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy made up a face. +</P> + +<P> +"I should think you would be ashamed to sit down to a meal with that +countenance of yours, Chunky," declared Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I might with some company." +</P> + +<P> +"See here, Chunky Brown. Do you mean——" +</P> + +<P> +"I mean that my face will get over what ails it, but yours won't," was +the fat boy's keen-edged retort. +</P> + +<P> +"All of which goes to prove," announced Tad wisely, "that you never can +tell, by the looks of a toad, how far it will jump. I guess you'd +better let Chunky alone after this. He's perfectly able to take care +of himself, Ned." +</P> + +<P> +Ned subsided and devoted his further attention to his breakfast. The +meal finished, all hands set briskly to work to strike camp. In half +an hour the burros were loaded ready for the day's journey. The boys +set off singing. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't see how you can tell where you are going," said the Professor. +"There is no sun and you have no compass." +</P> + +<P> +"We are traveling almost due southwest. I never use a compass. It is +not necessary." +</P> + +<P> +"There, I knew I had forgotten to get something," announced Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Forgotten what?" questioned Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"To get a compass." +</P> + +<P> +"You have a watch, have you not?" asked Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, yes; but that's not a compass." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, yes, it is," smiled the guide. "You can get your direction just +as well with that as you could with a tested compass." +</P> + +<P> +"Never heard that before," muttered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Nor I," added Ned, at once keenly interested. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm easy. I'll ask how? What's the answer?" questioned Stacy, gazing +innocently at Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"I am not joking, boys. Every watch is a compass. You can get your +direction from it unerringly whenever you can see the sun." +</P> + +<P> +"Indeed?" marveled the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"The method is very simple," continued Parry. "All you have to do is +to point the hour hand directly at the sun. Half way between the hour +hand and the figure twelve on the watch dial you will find is due +south." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll try it," answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"There comes the sun now," said Ned. +</P> + +<P> +The boys drew out their watches, having halted the ponies and turned +facing the rising sun. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, did you ever!" exclaimed the lads in one voice. +</P> + +<P> +"It is, indeed, the fact," marveled the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"You can depend upon that whenever you have lost your way," said Tom +Parry. "It has helped me out on many occasions." +</P> + +<P> +"But what if there isn't any sun—what if the sky is clouded?" +questioned Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Then you'll have to sit down and wait for it," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +After this brief rest the party continued on its way. They had come +out on the level plain, and before them for several miles stretched the +white alkali of the Nevada Desert. As the sun rose higher, they found +the glare of the glistening plain extremely trying to the eyes. The +guide suggested that they put on their goggles. But the boys would +have none of them. Stacy's right eye was badly swollen, yet he refused +to cover it, though the fine dust of the plain got into it, causing it +to smart until the tears ran down his cheek. +</P> + +<P> +"Where do the wild horses congregate?" asked Tad, riding up beside the +guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Likely to see them anywhere, though they do not, as a rule, go far out +on the desert on account of the scarcity of water. We may see some in +the Little Smoky Valley and the Hot Creek Range when we reach there." +</P> + +<P> +"Is it difficult to catch them?" +</P> + +<P> +"Very. There is one magnificent white stallion that the horse-hunters +have been trying to capture for the past five years." +</P> + +<P> +"Why can't they get him?" +</P> + +<P> +"Too smart for them. He knows what they are up to almost as well as if +the hunters had confided their plans to him. Twice, in the beginning, +the hunters succeeded in getting him in a trap, but he managed to get +away from his would-be captors." +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to get a chance to take him," mused Tad Butler. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm afraid you wouldn't have much luck, but we'll have a hunt when we +get down in the horse country, and I promise you that you will see some +exciting sport. Better than hunting coyotes by moonlight," laughed the +guide. +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to capture and break a real live wild horse," said young +Butler, his eyes sparkling at the thought. "It would be a fine prize +to take away with me, now wouldn't it?" +</P> + +<P> +"If you chanced to capture a good one, yes. The poor stock, however, +has been pretty well taken up, so that the horses on the ranges now are +splendid specimens." +</P> + +<P> +"Anybody want to run a race?" interrupted Stacy, riding up near the +head of the procession. +</P> + +<P> +"Too hot," answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Just the kind of a day for a horse race. I'll run any of you to see +who cooks the supper," persisted Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, go back with the burros. I wouldn't eat any supper that you +cooked, anyway." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll remember that, Ned. Well, if none of you has spunk enough to +race with me, I'll run a race with myself." +</P> + +<P> +"That a dare?" questioned Walter. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy nodded, blinking his blackened eye nervously. +</P> + +<P> +Walter shook out the reins. +</P> + +<P> +"Come on, then. I suppose you won't be satisfied until you've gotten +into more trouble. Where do you want to race to?" +</P> + +<P> +"See that patch of ground whiter than the rest off there?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, we'll race there and back. How far is it from here, Mr. Parry?" +</P> + +<P> +"'Bout half a mile, I should say," answered the guide, measuring the +distance with his eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"Whew! I didn't think it was so far," marveled Stacy. "But we'll run +it, anyway." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll be the starter," announced Ned. "If you break your neck, Chunky, +remember that I am not to blame for it." +</P> + +<P> +"If I break my neck I won't be likely to remember anything, so you're +safe," retorted Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +The others were too busy discussing wild-horse hunting to give heed to +the boys' plan. +</P> + +<P> +"All ready!" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"Go!" +</P> + +<P> +Both lads uttered a sharp yell, at the same time giving their spurs a +gentle pressure, and away they went across the blazing alkali, their +tough little ponies steaming in the intense heat as they straightened +out, entering into the spirit of the contest with evident enthusiasm. +</P> + +<P> +"See those boys ride," laughed the guide, pausing in his argument on +the wild-horse question: "I didn't suppose the fat boy could sit in a +saddle like that." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, yes; he does well. You saw him master the bucker the other day in +the mountains?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I remember. Whoa! Look out, there! There goes one of them! He +took too short a turn." +</P> + +<P> +"Walter's down!" cried Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Hope he isn't hurt." +</P> + +<P> +"No; he's cleared all right. That was a mighty quick move the way he +slipped out of that saddle. It would have broken his leg sure, if the +pony had fallen on it," declared the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy had pulled up his own mount after making the turn safely. Then +he rode slowly back. +</P> + +<P> +"Hurt you any, Walt?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +"Jarred me a little, that's all. Why don't you go on and win the race?" +</P> + +<P> +"Waiting for you," announced the fat boy laconically. +</P> + +<P> +Walter swung into his saddle. +</P> + +<P> +"Come on, then. Gid-ap!" he cried, shaking out the reins. +</P> + +<P> +The two little animals sprang away like projectiles. But Stacy seemed +not to be in his best form. He came in bobbing up and down, several +lengths behind Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"You won the race. I fell off," announced Walter, with his usual +spirit of fairness. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess not," drawled Stacy. "Now I'm going to do some stunts." +</P> + +<P> +With that, the fat boy galloped out over the alkali again, riding off +fully half a mile ahead of the party, where he jogged back and forth +for a time, then began riding in a circle. +</P> + +<P> +After a little they saw him toss his hat into the air ahead of him, and +putting spurs to his pony dart under it, giving it a swift blow with +his quirt, sending it spinning some distance away, at the same time +uttering a shrill whoop. +</P> + +<P> +"Thinks he's having the time of his life," grunted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"For a boy with a black eye, he is particularly cheerful, I should +say," laughed Parry. "What's he going to do now!" +</P> + +<P> +"Pick up his sombrero while at a gallop, I guess," replied Tad, shading +his eyes and gazing off across the plain. "Yes, there he goes at it." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy, with a graceful dip from his saddle, swooped down on the +sombrero, scooping it up with a yell of triumph, then dashing madly +across the desert to the westward. +</P> + +<P> +All at once they saw his pony stumble. +</P> + +<P> +"There he goes!" warned the guide. "He will break his neck!" +</P> + +<P> +Down plunged the broncho, his nose scraping the ground, his hind feet +beating the air wildly. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy kept right on. +</P> + +<P> +"The pony struck a thin crust on the alkali," explained the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Almost before the words were out of his mouth Stacy Brown hit the +desert broadside on. Then, to the amazed watchers, he seemed to +disappear before their very eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"He's gone! What does it mean?" cried the boys. +</P> + +<P> +Where but a few seconds before had been a pony and a boy, there now +remained only a kicking, floundering broncho. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry put spurs to his mount and set off at top speed for the scene +of the accident, followed by the others of the party strung out in +single file. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap08"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER VIII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK +</H4> + +<P> +Tad rapidly drew up on the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"What has happened?" Butler cried as the two now raced along side by +side. +</P> + +<P> +"As I said before, the pony went through a thin crust——" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, but Chunky—what happened to him?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"He went through when he struck the ground." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't understand it at all." +</P> + +<P> +"You will when you get there." +</P> + +<P> +Tad was mystified. The solution of the mystery was beyond him. +</P> + +<P> +"If he isn't drowned, he's in luck," snapped Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"Drowned?" wondered his companion. +</P> + +<P> +They cleared the intervening space that lay between them and the fat +boy's pony in a series of convulsive leaps that the bronchos took under +the urgent pressure of the rowels of their riders' spurs. +</P> + +<P> +As they neared the scene Tad espied a hole in the desert, and began to +understand. Stacy also had struck a thin crust and had broken through. +Yet what had happened to him after that, Tad did not know. +</P> + +<P> +Both would-be rescuers leaped from their ponies and ran to the spot. +</P> + +<P> +With his body submerged, his head barely protruding above the water, +sat Stacy, vigorously rubbing his eyes to get the brown alkali water +out of them sufficiently to enable him to look about and determine what +had happened to him. +</P> + +<P> +The rest of the party dashed up with loud shouts of alarm, hurling a +series of rapid-fire questions at the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Parry and Tad grasped Stacy by the arms and hauled him, dripping, from +the alkali sink into which he had plunged. +</P> + +<P> +They shouted with laughter when they saw that he was not hurt seriously. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, of all the blundering idiots——" began Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"That will do," warned the Professor, hurrying to Stacy's side. "Hurt +you much, lad?" +</P> + +<P> +"I—I fell in," stammered Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"I should say you did. How in the world did it happen?" +</P> + +<P> +The guide explained, that frequently these thin crusts were found on +the desert, covering alkali sinks, some being dry, others having water +in them. +</P> + +<P> +"And of course Chunky had to find one. He's the original hoodoo," +laughed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I don't know," replied the guide. "He has done us a real service +by falling in." +</P> + +<P> +"How's that!" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Master Stacy has found a water hole, just what we need at this +particular moment. The stock needs water, and especially the ponies +that have been racing for the last half hour." +</P> + +<P> +"You don't mean that we are to drink that stuff, do you?" demanded +Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Not now. We still have some fairly good water in the water bags. +Later on you may be glad to drink alkali water. Run up and down if you +feel able. You'll dry off in a few minutes," suggested Parry, turning +to Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"I—I don't want to. Feels nice and cool after my bath. Jump in and +take a swim, fellows." +</P> + +<P> +"No, thank you—not in that dirty water," objected Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll tell you what, boys," suggested Tad. "After the stock has had a +drink we'll take off our shoes and put our feet in. Guess we can stand +that much." +</P> + +<P> +"That's a good idea," agreed Walter. "We'll all take a cold foot bath." +</P> + +<P> +In the meantime, the guide had been busily engaged in breaking the +crust around the sink, so that the stock might more easily get at the +water within it. The animals were impatiently pawing and whinnying, +anxious to get the water. They were now willing to drink any kind of +water after their half day's journey across the burning alkali. +</P> + +<P> +"You might unpack and get a cold lunch together, if you will," +suggested Parry. +</P> + +<P> +The boys soon had one of the tents erected, over which they stretched +the fly, that the interior might be cooler. +</P> + +<P> +Ned opened a can of pickled pigs' feet, which, with some hard rolls +were spread out on a folding table under the tent. Tad, not to be +out-done, dug some lemons from his saddle bag, with which he proceeded +to make a pail of lemonade. +</P> + +<P> +It was the first time they had had any such beverage since they began +their summer trips. Tad had purchased the lemons back in Eureka. The +lemonade made, it lacked only sweetening now. +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the sugar?" he called. +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the sugar?" echoed Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"We don't know," answered Ned and Walter in the same breath. +</P> + +<P> +"Get busy and find it, then. If you don't want this lemonade I'll +drink it myself. I don't care whether it is sweetened or not." +</P> + +<P> +That threat was effective. The other three boys made a dive for the +burros. An examination of the first pack failed to reveal the +sweetening. The same was the case with the next, and before they had +finished, their entire outfit was spread over the ground, tents, canned +goods, cooking utensils, thrown helter-skelter over several rods of +ground. +</P> + +<P> +"Here, boys, boys!" chided the Professor. "This will never do. We +can't afford to use our provisions in that way. Soon we'll have +nothing." +</P> + +<P> +"Regular rough house. Ought to be ashamed of yourselves," agreed +Stacy, surveying the scattered outfit, while he secretly slipped two +lumps of sugar into his mouth. "Here, cook, pick up your kitchen," to +Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"What you got in your mouth?" demanded Ned suspiciously. +</P> + +<P> +"He's eating the sugar," spoke up Walter Perkins. +</P> + +<P> +"Drop 'em!" roared Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy started to run, whereupon the boys fell upon him, and the next +second he was at the bottom of the heap. The boys were rubbing his +face in the sand in an effort to make him give up the sugar. +</P> + +<P> +The Professor took a hand—two hands in fact—about this time. He made +short work of the "goose pile," tossing the boys from the very much +ruffled Stacy, whom he also jerked to his feet. +</P> + +<P> +"What's all this disturbance about?" demanded Professor Zepplin. +"First you strew the outfit all over the desert, then you get to +pummeling each other." +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky's been stealing sugar," volunteered Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Give back that sugar, instantly!" commanded the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy shook his head and grinned. +</P> + +<P> +"Can't," he answered. +</P> + +<P> +"And, why not?" +</P> + +<P> +"'Cause they're inside of me." +</P> + +<P> +"Now, now, now!" warned Ned. "You haven't chewed that hard sugar down +this quick. I know better than that." +</P> + +<P> +"No, I swallowed the lumps whole when you fellows jumped on me. Nearly +choked me to death, 'cause one of 'em got stuck in my throat," Chunky +explained. +</P> + +<P> +Tad, in the meantime, had been busy gathering up the scattered +provisions. +</P> + +<P> +"Get to work, young gentlemen. Straighten up the camp," commanded the +Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't we get any lunch?" begged Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"You're full of sugar. You don't need anything else," replied Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"When you have set the outfit to rights, we'll all sit down and eat +like civilized beings," asserted the Professor, with emphasis. +</P> + +<P> +"Civilized beings making a meal on pigs' feet! Huh!" grumbled Chunky, +picking up a can of tomatoes, then throwing it down again. After this, +he slipped around to the opposite side of the tent. Crawling in under +the fly he promptly went to sleep, the others being so busy that they +had not observed his act. +</P> + +<P> +The next Stacy knew was when he awakened to find himself being hauled +out by one leg. +</P> + +<P> +"Here, what are you doing? Leggo my foot." +</P> + +<P> +"Lunch is ready. You ought to thank us, instead of finding fault +because we woke you up. You might have slept right through the meal; +then you wouldn't have had anything to eat," explained Walter. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"No danger. I wasn't afraid of that!" +</P> + +<P> +"Not afraid of that? Why not?" demanded Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"'Cause I knew you'd haul me out. Left my feet sticking out so you +would." +</P> + +<P> +Everybody roared. There was no resisting Stacy Brown's droll humor. +</P> + +<P> +"Hopeless," averred the Professor, shrugging his shoulders. +</P> + +<P> +"He's a wise one," differed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Another name for laziness," nodded Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"What's that disease they have down south?" asked Walter. "I heard the +Professor and the postmaster talking about it back in Eureka." +</P> + +<P> +"You mean the—the hook-worm disease?" grinned the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"That's it. That's what Chunky's got. When a fellow is too lazy to do +anything but eat, they say he's got the—the——" +</P> + +<P> +"The hook——" finished the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"That's what he ought to get," agreed Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" corrected the Professor. "This is not a seemly +topic for table discussion." +</P> + +<P> +"But we eat pigs' feet," suggested Stacy in wide-eyed innocence. +</P> + +<P> +The meal finished, amid laughter and jest, the party stowed their +belongings, and after a brief rest, pushed on, having decided that they +would feel the heat less in the saddle. +</P> + +<P> +At sundown the travelers were still some distance from the water hole +for which the guide was making. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll have to go on," he said. "We may have to ride some time after +dark." +</P> + +<P> +"Will that be advisable?" questioned the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Not advisable, but necessary. The stock must have their water you +know." +</P> + +<P> +So the party pushed on. The moon came up late in the evening, and the +guide looking about him, discovered that they had borne too far to the +east, which necessitated their covering some four miles more of alkali +than would have been the case had they kept more closely to their +course. +</P> + +<P> +"It can't be helped," he laughed good-naturedly. "I guess the pigs' +feet will last you until we make camp." +</P> + +<P> +"How long will that be, Mr. Parry?" questioned Chunky anxiously. +</P> + +<P> +"All of an hour and a half." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy humorously took up his belt three holes. +</P> + +<P> +"Got two more holes left to take in," he decided after examining the +belt critically. +</P> + +<P> +"That's a new way to measure distance and time, isn't it!" laughed the +guide. +</P> + +<P> +"How?" wondered Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"By the holes in your belt." +</P> + +<P> +At eleven o'clock that night Tom Parry announced that they had arrived +at the end of their day's journey. +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the water? I don't see any water?" said Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"After supper we'll look for it. I presume want something to eat +first, don't you?" questioned the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," shouted the lads in chorus. "We're nearly starved." +</P> + +<P> +Bacon and coffee constituted the bill of fare for their late meal, +which they ate out in the bright moonlight with the crackling camp-fire +near by. +</P> + +<P> +"This is fine," announced Tad, with which sentiment all the boys +agreed. "Wish we could do this every night." +</P> + +<P> +"Your supper would be breakfast after a few days," replied Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"How's that!" questioned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"If you waited for moonlight, I mean. The moon comes up later every +night, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"That's so." +</P> + +<P> +"We'd get hungry, wouldn't we?" chuckled Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"You wouldn't get. You always are," retorted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, I'll show you how I know there is a water hole near here," said +Parry after they had finished their late meal. "When I locate it, you +boys may help me take the stock to it." +</P> + +<P> +They walked back some twenty rods from where they had pitched the camp, +Parry meanwhile hunting about as if in search of something that he had +dropped. +</P> + +<P> +"Nope. No water here," decided Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"You don't know. Ah! Here is what I am looking for." +</P> + +<P> +The guide pointed to a heap of stones that rose some twelve inches +above the ground. On the west side of the heap several stones had been +placed in a row, thus forming an arm that extended or pointed almost +due west. +</P> + +<P> +"Know what that is?" asked Parry. +</P> + +<P> +The lads shook their heads. +</P> + +<P> +"That's a water marker. When a traveler across the desert finds a sink +he indicates it either by a heap of stones, which he sticks in the +ground, or by any other means at his command. For instance, this pile +of stones tells me there is a water hole somewhere near by, and the arm +points the way to it." +</P> + +<P> +"Where is it, then?" wondered Walter. "I don't see any signs of water." +</P> + +<P> +"Nor do I. We'll follow the direction indicated by the arm and see if +we don't come up with a water tank somewhere close by," replied Parry. +</P> + +<P> +With the guide leading the way, the others following in single file, +they trailed away to the westward until, finally, they came to a slight +depression in the ground. +</P> + +<P> +"It should be near here," the guide informed them. "There it is. See +that dark hole?" +</P> + +<P> +The boys bounded forward, dropping on their knees by the opening into +which they peered inquiringly. +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly they uttered a yell, and, springing up, ran back as fast as +their legs would carry them. As they did so, some dark object bounded +from the water tank and leaped away into the sage brush. +</P> + +<P> +"Goodness me, what was that?" cried Walter, after the boys had pulled +up and faced about. +</P> + +<P> +"Come back, come back. That was only a badger," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"In the water?" asked Tad, who had stood his ground. +</P> + +<P> +"No; so much the worse for us! There is no water there. No need to +look. The tank is empty. Some wandering prospector has emptied it to +save his burros and fill his canteen," announced the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"What are we going to do, then!" queried Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Do without it. We shall have to give the stock a very little of our +fresh supply, saving only enough out of it for our own breakfast and a +canteen full apiece to take with us on the morrow. I think I shall be +able to find a river about ten miles below here, providing it has not +changed its course or gone dry. The water here in this country is as +fickle as the desert itself." +</P> + +<P> +"What if we should fail to find any?" breathed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, you know, neither man nor beast can travel far on the desert +without it. But we'll find some to-morrow. Don't worry," soothed the +guide, though in his innermost heart he was troubled. That this water +hole should prove to be dry did not promise well for those that were to +follow. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap09"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER IX +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER +</H4> + +<P> +"Where's that river you were talking about?" demanded the lads when the +outfit pulled up at noon next day. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't you see it?" smiled Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"Not a river," answered Ned, gazing about him, then allowing his glance +to rest on the face of the guide to determine if Parry were making +sport of them. +</P> + +<P> +"I am not sure myself. I know where it should be. Whether it's there +or not is another matter. Fetch the shovels and we'll soon find out." +</P> + +<P> +"Finding a river with shovels!" muttered Stacy. "Huh! Who ever heard +of such a thing?" +</P> + +<P> +But as soon as the boys had returned with the digging implements, Parry +swung the tools over his shoulder and strode confidently to the left of +where they were encamped for the noonday rest. +</P> + +<P> +The boys followed him full of curiosity. +</P> + +<P> +Finally the guide threw down the tools and began to run his hands over +the hot, yellow soil. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess the sun's gone to his head," muttered Ned, as he squatted down +to observe more closely what the guide was doing. The other three lads +followed his example. In a moment they were on all fours, hopping +about like so many quadrupeds. +</P> + +<P> +Parry was shaking with laughter as he observed them. +</P> + +<P> +"Bow! Bow wow!" barked Chunky, jumping on hands and feet, snapping his +teeth together suggestively. +</P> + +<P> +The boys looked at each other and burst out laughing. They had +discovered all at once what a ridiculous figure they were making. +</P> + +<P> +"Sun gone to your head, too, Chunky?" chuckled Ned. "Oh, no, I forgot; +it's dog days," he added maliciously. +</P> + +<P> +"Your master had better get a collar and chain for you, then, Ned," +laughed Stacy, in high good humor with himself. +</P> + +<P> +The guide's voice put a sudden end to their merriment. +</P> + +<P> +"Here's the river," he cried. "There is plenty of water in it, too." +</P> + +<P> +The boys gathered about him quickly. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't see any river," averred Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"There isn't any," answered Ned, in a low voice. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll show you whether there is or not," snapped Parry, who had +overheard the remark. "You boys think I have gone crazy, don't you? +You'll find there is something to learn about this old Nevada +Desert—some things that you never even dreamed of. Hand me a shovel, +please." +</P> + +<P> +All at once Stacy began pushing his companions roughly aside. +</P> + +<P> +"Here, here, Fatty! What are you trying to do?" the others demanded, +beginning to struggle with him to prevent being bowled over. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm saving your lives," cried the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Saving our lives?" cried Ned. "Go shake the alkali out of your eyes." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, you'll fall in and drown." +</P> + +<P> +"In what?" +</P> + +<P> +"In the river. Don't you see the river right there in front of you?" +queried Stacy, his eyes fairly beaming with importance. +</P> + +<P> +"No, I don't. If there was a river there you'd be the first one to +fall in, and don't you forget that." +</P> + +<P> +"What's this? What's this?" inquired the Professor, approaching. +</P> + +<P> +"It's a river," answered Stacy solemnly. +</P> + +<P> +"A river?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, sir. Don't you hear it roar? Wish I had a boat." +</P> + +<P> +"Is it water you are digging for, Mr. Parry?" asked Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +But the guide did not hear the question. He was too busy with his +mining operations at the moment. +</P> + +<P> +"Come on, boys," he urged. "Get busy here." +</P> + +<P> +"At what?" asked Ned. "We're with you, but we don't know what you want +us to do." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; can we help you?" inquired Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course you can. Get those other shovels and dig." +</P> + +<P> +"Where?" +</P> + +<P> +"Right here. Make the dirt fly as fast as you want to. I'll show you +something in a minute." +</P> + +<P> +He did. All at once the sand beneath them gave way, and the Pony Rider +Boys, all except Stacy Brown, uttered a yell as they sank waist deep +into a sink of soft, wet sand. +</P> + +<P> +Parry had felt the sand giving way, and with a warning had leaped from +the hole. The lads had not been quick enough. +</P> + +<P> +"There's no danger. Don't be alarmed. You'll get wet feet, that's +all." +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" asked the Professor in amazement. +</P> + +<P> +"Water, my dear sir. Water in plenty. It's a branch of the Pancake +River. These streams run underground for great distances on the +desert, but they change their course so often that you can't place any +dependence on them. We're lucky, boys." +</P> + +<P> +"Hurrah for the water!" shouted the lads. +</P> + +<P> +"Keep on digging. We haven't got it yet. Master Stacy, will you run +to the camp and bring the folding buckets? We'll soon have the hole +cleaned so we can dip up some water." +</P> + +<P> +"Sure," answered the fat boy, thrusting his hands in his trousers +pockets and strolling off at a leisurely gait as if there were no +necessity for haste. +</P> + +<P> +"That's Chunky's idea of running," laughed Ned Rector, jerking his head +in Stacy's direction. +</P> + +<P> +The three lads finding there was no danger in their position, had made +no attempt to clamber from the hole. Instead, they began digging, +until the dirt flew so fast that the Professor was obliged to withdraw. +Somehow most of the dirt seemed to be flying through the air right in +his direction. +</P> + +<P> +Now the water began to rise above the caved-in sand. It was a dirty +yellow in color and the boys' clothing suffered as a result. But the +youngsters did not care. Besides, they were cooling off. +</P> + +<P> +At last the hole had been cleared sufficiently to enable them to dip up +some water, but Stacy not having returned with the pails, the Professor +was sent to fetch him. He found the lad enjoying himself tickling the +nose of a drowsy burro. +</P> + +<P> +Professor Zepplin led Chunky out to the water sink, by one ear. The +lads now quickly dipped up pailful after pailful, which they passed to +the guide on the bank. He ran with them to the stock, giving each of +the animals a little, so that all might share in the first instalment. +Ponies and burros were wide awake now, expressing their pleasure in +loud whinnies and blatant brays. +</P> + +<P> +"It's foggy on the river," laughed Ned. "The burros have started up +their fog horns." +</P> + +<P> +When Parry returned he brought with him the drinking cups, which he had +taken from the saddles. +</P> + +<P> +"Is it fit to drink?" asked Tad as the cups were passed down to them. +</P> + +<P> +"It's wet." +</P> + +<P> +"So are we," retorted Ned. "But we're dirty. Uh! That's horrible +stuff." +</P> + +<P> +"Strongly alkaline," nodded the Professor, after sipping gingerly at +the brimming cup Parry had passed to him. "Do you not think we had +better wait a little while until it settles?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not a second, if you're thirsty," answered the guide shortly. "This +stream is liable to change its course in the next ten minutes. Don't +you take any chances with a desert stream. Fill the water bags and the +canteens as fast as we can that's what we'll do. Then, if the water +holds out, there will be time enough to empty out our supply and fill +with fresh." +</P> + +<P> +"Hey, Chunky! Haul those water bags over here," called Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Can't," called Stacy. He was sitting on the ground pulling off a shoe. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the trouble now?" snorted Ned. "Got a cramp?" +</P> + +<P> +"No; I've got a sore toe." +</P> + +<P> +"Supposing we duck him," suggested Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll save all the water we have," warned the guide sharply. "No +nonsense about it, either." +</P> + +<P> +The party was in great good humor, now that they had found a water +hole, and the animals had drunk until their sides were distended like +balloons in process of being inflated. +</P> + +<P> +"They've had enough," announced the guide, going to the animals and +glancing over the herd sharply. "No more water for the present." +</P> + +<P> +"Then perhaps we might as well be on our way," suggested the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +Parry did not reply. He was shading his eyes with one hand, gazing +intently off over the desert. The Professor, following the direction +in which the guide was looking, discovered a cloud of dust rising into +the air. The cloud was approaching them at a rapid rate. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap10"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER X +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER +</H4> + +<P> +"What is that?" questioned Professor Zepplin sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"That's what I'm trying to make out," replied the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Looks like horsemen." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, it is. But I can't understand why they can be riding at that +killing pace on a hot afternoon such as this." +</P> + +<P> +About this time the boys' attention had been attracted to the yellow +cloud by Stacy Brown, who, notwithstanding his apparent slowness, had +sharp eyes when there was anything to be seen. +</P> + +<P> +"Somebody's coming," he announced between sips. +</P> + +<P> +"What's that?" demanded Tad, springing from the water hole, followed +closely by Walter and Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Somebody coming to pay us an afternoon call. By the way they're +whooping it up they must be in a hurry about something." +</P> + +<P> +All hands ran to where Mr. Parry and the Professor were standing. +</P> + +<P> +The yellow cloud was rolling toward them at a rapid pace, and ahead of +it the boys discovered half a dozen horsemen, who had evidently +discovered the white tent that the Pony Rider Boys had erected during +their midday stop. +</P> + +<P> +"Know them?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm not sure, but I think it's Bud Stevens and the wild-horse outfit. +Judging from the way they ride they're pretty wild themselves." +</P> + +<P> +With a series of shrill "y-e-o-w-s," the strangers bore down on the +little desert camp. From the gray, alkali-flecked backs of the ponies +clouds of steam were rising, their sides streaked with dust and sweat. +</P> + +<P> +"Whoop! Hooray!" bellowed the newcomers, dashing up to the camp, +letting go a volley of revolver shots right into the ground in front of +the Pony Rider Boys. +</P> + +<P> +Not a boy flinched. +</P> + +<P> +"How!" said Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"How!" roared Bud Stevens, the leader, throwing himself from the back +of his trembling mount. +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the boss?" asked Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"He's gone down Ralston way." +</P> + +<P> +"Thought so. Where you headed?" +</P> + +<P> +"San Antone Range after more hoss flesh. We'll rope the white stallion +this time, and don't you forget it. Eh, kiddie? You're the little +coyote what roped my pony and plunked me into the street back in +Eureka, ain't you?" +</P> + +<P> +Half jokingly, he swung a vicious blow at Tad with the flat of his +hand. Had it landed it would have laid the lad flat. +</P> + +<P> +Tad ducked and came up smiling. +</P> + +<P> +"Wow! The kiddie's a regular little bantam. We'll have to take a fall +out of you. Got to give you the desert initiation like they do in the +secret societies back in Eureka." +</P> + +<P> +He sought to close with Tad, but the boy eluded him easily. +</P> + +<P> +"That'll do, Bud," warned the guide, stepping between them. "No rough +house here. Want some water? We've got a water hole right over there." +</P> + +<P> +"Water? Water? Call the stuff we get out of the ground here water?" +</P> + +<P> +"He—he's had his head in soak already," piped Stacy, noting the +perspiration dripping from the cowboy leader's face. +</P> + +<P> +Parry gave the lad a warning look. +</P> + +<P> +"They're good enough fellows, but they are full of pranks when they are +not at work. No need to stir them up and make them mad." +</P> + +<P> +"Got anything to eat?" demanded Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"How would you like some coffee, sir?" asked Tad politely. +</P> + +<P> +"Coffee?" jeered the cowboy. "Now what d'ye think of that, fellows? +Ain't that right hospitable?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, thank you, young man, I guess that would touch the spot," spoke +up another of the band. "'Course we'll have some coffee." +</P> + +<P> +"All right. Ned, will you and Walt fix something for the boys to eat? +If you will lead your ponies over to the water hole I'll dip up some +water for them in the meantime, gentlemen." +</P> + +<P> +"Kiddie, yer all right," bellowed Bud Stevens. "But I've got to take a +fall out of yer yet." +</P> + +<P> +"Some other time," grinned Tad, who felt no fear of the hulking cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +"See that nose?" demanded Bud, sticking out his head at Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; what's the matter?" +</P> + +<P> +"That's my nose. And that's where I barked it when you roped my pony +tother day. Oh, I've got to take it out of yer hide, kiddie." +</P> + +<P> +"Come along. We'll water the ponies. Chunky, help lead those bronchos +to the water hole, will you?" +</P> + +<P> +The two boys and the noisy plainsmen gathered the tired animals and led +them to the hole that had been dug in the desert. Stacy sprang in and +began dipping out pails of water. +</P> + +<P> +Bud grabbed the first pailful, but instead of offering it to one of the +thirsty animals, he deliberately emptied the contents over the head of +the boy down in the hole. +</P> + +<P> +"Hi, there! Stop that, will you?" howled Stacy Brown. +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy was mad all through. +</P> + +<P> +He scrambled from the hole, dragging a slopping pail of water after +him, while Bud Stevens roared with delight. But his mirth was +short-lived. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy ran around the hole and straight at the cowboy who had soaked him +with the yellow water. Up went the pail. +</P> + +<P> +Splash! +</P> + +<P> +The contents of it were hurled full in the face of the wild cowboy, who +at that moment, having his mouth wide open, got a mouthful of it. +</P> + +<P> +The battle was on instantly. Tad knew it was coming, but he did not +think it would be directed at him this time, though he realized that he +would have to protect his companion at any cost. +</P> + +<P> +Choking and sputtering, Bud made a blind lunge at Tad, his eyes being +so full of muddy water that he could barely make out the slender form +of the Pony Rider Boy. +</P> + +<P> +Tad ducked and dodged, hoping that Stevens would tire of pursuing him +in a moment. The lad might have called to the others over by the camp, +but he was too proud to do that. He would fight his own battles, no +matter what the odds were against him. +</P> + +<P> +"I've got to get in," muttered the lad. "He's seeing clearer every +minute, and the longer I wait the less chance I'll have of getting out +with a whole skin. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm coming, kiddie!" roared Bud. +</P> + +<P> +Tad made no reply. +</P> + +<P> +Stooping as if for a spring, Butler launched himself straight at the +pillar of brawn and muscle before him. Had he hesitated for the +briefest part of a second—had he permitted those muscular arms to +close about him, Tad Butler would have gone down to a quick and +inglorious defeat. +</P> + +<P> +But he did not wait. +</P> + +<P> +The lad's right arm was brought sharply against the neck of his +adversary, while at the same time his left arm was slipped under the +cowboy's right leg. The result was that Stevens lurched to the left. +A quick jerk and Bud was fairly lifted from the ground. +</P> + +<P> +Tad gave a quick, forceful tug. +</P> + +<P> +Bud Stevens landed on his head in the pool of yellow water, his feet +beating the air wildly. +</P> + +<A NAME="img-109"></A> +<CENTER> +<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-109.jpg" ALT="Bud Stevens Landed on His Head in the Pool of Yellow Water" BORDER="2"> +<H4 CLASS="h4center"> +Bud Stevens Landed on His Head in the Pool of Yellow Water +</H4> +</CENTER> + +<P> +"Grab hold of a foot, Chunky!" commanded Tad. "Quick! He'll drown in +a minute in there." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, let 'im drown," drawled Stacy, blinking to get the sand out of his +eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"Get hold, I tell you! I'll thrash you, Stacy Brown, if you don't!" +</P> + +<P> +Stacy reluctantly complied, Tad in the meantime having grasped the +cowboy's foot and began pulling. +</P> + +<P> +"Not that way, Chunky. Do you want to pull him apart?" +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy was trying to get Bud's right leg out from the opposite +side of the water hole. +</P> + +<P> +The disturbance had by this time attracted the attention of the men +over in the camp. They started on the run when they saw Bud turned +head first into the water hole. +</P> + +<P> +By the time they reached the scene Tad and Stacy had succeeded in +hauling the victim from his perilous position. Bud was choking between +roars of rage. His companions went off into shrieks of laughter when +they understood what had happened. They rolled on the ground; they +danced about their fallen companion, and then their revolvers began to +add their vicious voices to the tumult. +</P> + +<P> +Tad paid no attention to the uproar. He was too busy shaking the water +out of his fallen antagonist, to whom he was giving first aid to the +drowning. +</P> + +<P> +Bud staggered to his feet, gasped for breath, while Tad stepped off a +few paces, so as not to be within reach of those long, bony arms, +should Bud decide to stretch them forth and take him in. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess you got all that was coming to you that time, Bud Stevens," +grinned Tom Parry. "Served you right. You'll let those boys alone +after this or you'll have to reckon with me." +</P> + +<P> +Stevens's face was streaked with wet sand, his hair was disheveled and +his clothes stuck to him as if they had been pasted on. +</P> + +<P> +The cowboy's sullen face slowly relaxed into a mirthless grin. +</P> + +<P> +"Say, kiddie, you put it over me like a cactus plant. I owe you two." +</P> + +<P> +"I'd cancel the debt if I were in your place," laughed the boy. "Come +along and have a drink of coffee. It'll warm you up after your swim." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap11"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XI +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER +</H4> + +<P> +An appetizing meal had been spread for the visitors. But every time +the men glanced at their companion they broke out into loud guffaws. +</P> + +<P> +"You're a sight, Bud," jeered one. +</P> + +<P> +"Next time better take a man of your size," said another. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess that's right," grinned the vanquished one. "Ye can't most +always tell what a kid's going to do." +</P> + +<P> +"We know what this one did do to you, though," laughed another. +</P> + +<P> +"Reckon I do myself," admitted Stevens. "Say, kiddie, you come along +with us and try them tricks on the wild hosses we're going to catch. +Mebby I'll forgit to take it out of you. I'll let the white stallion +do that." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you; I'll accept that invitation, with Professor Zepplin's +permission." +</P> + +<P> +"We intended to drop in on your bunch, anyway," interposed Parry. "The +boss has invited us to join a horse hunt with you." +</P> + +<P> +"Better go along with us now, then," suggested Stevens. "We won't have +no more rough house, leastwise till we get to the San Antone Range, eh?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," replied Parry. "We have a pack train to drag along. Besides, +you fellows travel too fast for us. We'll take our time and join you +later." +</P> + +<P> +The bath and the hot coffee had served to quiet Bud Stevens's bubbling +spirits. He was by this time a more rational being. +</P> + +<P> +After they had finished the meal Bud drew Tad Butler aside +confidentially. +</P> + +<P> +"Say, kiddie, I like you," he said, slapping the lad a violent blow +between the shoulders. +</P> + +<P> +"Glad of it," laughed Tad. "But you have a queer way of showing your +affection." +</P> + +<P> +"Say, can you ride?" +</P> + +<P> +"Some," admitted Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"As well as you can fight and throw a rope?" +</P> + +<P> +"I was not aware that I did either one very well." +</P> + +<P> +"Go away! Go away! You're a champeen. I've got a spavined, +ring-boned cayuse over in the range that I'm going to put you up +against when you join us. He'll give you all the exercise you want——" +</P> + +<P> +"Hey, Bud, ain't it 'bout time we were moseying?" called one of +Stevens's companions. +</P> + +<P> +"I reckon. Can't be any hotter than 'tis now. When you going to join +us, Parry?" +</P> + +<P> +"We'll be there in a few days. But come here; I want to talk with you?" +</P> + +<P> +"Sure thing." +</P> + +<P> +"If we go on a hunt with you, remember there's to be no funny business. +These boys, while they're no tenderfeet, are fine fellows and they must +be treated well. I'm responsible for them. What I say goes. +Understand?" +</P> + +<P> +"We'll look out for the kids, don't you get in a hot stew 'bout that." +</P> + +<P> +With a final whoop and a cheer for the members of Tom Parry's party, +the turbulent cowboys put spurs to their ponies. Once more a cloud of +dust rose from the desert, across which it slowly rolled. The boys +watched it for half an hour, until the cloud had dwindled to a mere +speck in the distance. +</P> + +<P> +"Not such a bad lot, after all," was the Professor's conclusion. +</P> + +<P> +"Rough diamonds," smiled the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Are we going on now, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"No; I think we may as well unpack and make camp here until to-morrow +morning. Then the stock will be fresh, and so shall we." +</P> + +<P> +"The stock looks to be in pretty good shape already," answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; but they will be much better to-morrow. A day's water and feed +will do wonders for them. I guess the bunch of horse-hunters made +quite a hole in our fodder, didn't they?" +</P> + +<P> +"There was nothing the matter with their appetites that I observed," +laughed Tad. "But we've got enough to last us for some time. How long +before we shall strike the range where we are to join them?" +</P> + +<P> +Parry glanced off over the desert meditatively. +</P> + +<P> +"If we have no bad luck we ought to make it in three days. The cowboys +will get there some time to-morrow." +</P> + +<P> +"One of them won't," answered Tad, confidently. +</P> + +<P> +"Why not?" +</P> + +<P> +"His pony is wind-broken. Didn't you hear him breathe when they rode +in?" +</P> + +<P> +"What, with the bunch howling like a pack of coyotes? No, I didn't +hear a horse breathe." +</P> + +<P> +"I did," chimed in Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Did what?" queried Ned, turning on him sharply. Rector had not heard +the fat boy approach them. +</P> + +<P> +"Heard the big cowboy breathe. He wheezed like a leaky steam engine." +</P> + +<P> +Tad and the guide burst out laughing. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, boy, we weren't talking about the cowboy. We were speaking of +one of the bronchos. Tad says he is wind-broken." +</P> + +<P> +"Huh!" grunted Stacy, strolling off with hands thrust in his pockets, +chin on his breast. "When I'm not right I'm always wrong," he +muttered. "Mostly wrong." +</P> + +<P> +They did not see the lad again for more than an hour. The rest of the +party gathered under the tent they had first erected, where they now +fell to discussing their late visitors, next turning to their plans for +the morrow. +</P> + +<P> +"Do we follow the same course when we next start?" asked the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Not quite. We veer a little more to the west, until we string the San +Antonio Range. When we leave there, if you conclude to go on, we shall +head southward toward Death Valley. I understand you are willing to +penetrate it a little way." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, if you think it is safe to do so." +</P> + +<P> +Parry shrugged his shoulders. +</P> + +<P> +"Death Valley is no better than its name. If you wish merely to see +it, I think I can gratify your desire." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, yes, we want to see Death Valley," chorused the boys. "Don't be +afraid for us." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll try to get some water bags from the horse-hunters when we join +them; for the further south one goes on the desert the more scarce the +water becomes." +</P> + +<P> +The sun was lying low by this time and the advance guard of the evening +coolness began crowding back the heat of the day. +</P> + +<P> +"I wonder what has become of Chunky?" questioned Tad suddenly, rising +from the ground where he had thrown himself in the shade of the tent. +</P> + +<P> +The others glanced quickly about them. +</P> + +<P> +"Probably find him asleep behind a bunch of sage somewhere," answered +Ned lightly. "Don't trouble yourself about him." +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps over by the water hole," suggested the guide. "I'll stroll +over that way." +</P> + +<P> +Just then a figure topped the ridge beyond them. +</P> + +<P> +It was yelling lustily, leaping into the air, rolling and groveling on +the ground alternately. +</P> + +<P> +"There he is! Something's happened to him," shouted Walter. +</P> + +<P> +All hands started on a run. They could not imagine what had gone wrong +with the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +As they drew nearer to him they discovered that he had taken off all +his clothes. His body was as red as if it had been painted. +</P> + +<P> +The Professor's long legs were covering the alkali at a pace that left +the others behind, until Tad spurted and headed him. +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky, Chunky! What's the matter?" he shouted. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy yelled more lustily than ever. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it? What is it?" shouted the others in chorus. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm burned alive? I'm cremated! Oh, w-o-w!" +</P> + +<P> +"Should think you would he. What on earth have you got your clothes +off for?" +</P> + +<P> +They discovered that something was the matter then, for an expression +of real pain had taken the place of the complacent look they were wont +to see on the face of Stacy Brown. +</P> + +<P> +"He's been boiling himself!" exclaimed the guide, with quick intuition. +</P> + +<P> +Grasping the fat boy, Parry threw him flat on the ground and began +rolling him in the sand. Stacy yelled more lustily than before. +</P> + +<P> +"Run to my saddlebags. Fetch the black bottle you will find there!" +commanded the guide. "It's oil, yes. Hurry, before his skin all peels +off." +</P> + +<P> +Tad was back with the black bottle in no time. Tom Parry spread the +oil over the blistered flesh of the fat boy, whose yells grew less and +less explosive as he felt the soothing effects of the grease on his +body. +</P> + +<P> +"Wha—what happened?" stammered Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"I—I fell in." +</P> + +<P> +"In where?" questioned the Professor sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know. It was hot." +</P> + +<P> +"Put your clothes on. You'll be all right in a little while. Where +did you leave them?" +</P> + +<P> +Stacy pointed back on the desert some distance, whereat Parry +laughingly said he would go in search of the clothing. +</P> + +<P> +"Now if you will be good enough to tell me what all this uproar is +about, I shall be obliged to you," requested the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, the boy found a boiling spring——" +</P> + +<P> +"And he fell in," added Ned solemnly. +</P> + +<P> +"He did," agreed the guide, without the suspicion of a smile. +</P> + +<P> +"Is that it, Master Stacy?" +</P> + +<P> +Stacy nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"Tell me about it." +</P> + +<P> +"I—I was walking along with my hands in my pockets——" +</P> + +<P> +"Thinking," interjected Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"What'd you suppose I was doing! Ain't I always thinking when I'm not +asleep?" +</P> + +<P> +"Go on, go on," urged Ned unsympathetically. +</P> + +<P> +"All at once something slipped. I went right through the ground. At +first I thought I was a pond of ice water, it felt so cold. Next thing +I knew I was burning up." +</P> + +<P> +"But your clothes? What did you have them off for?" urged the +Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"I took them off when I thought I was burning up. Say, fellows, that +was the hottest ice water I ever took a bath in my life." +</P> + +<P> +The boys could barely resist their inclination to laugh. +</P> + +<P> +"Why don't you laugh if you want to? Never mind me. I don't count," +growled Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +Parry explained that these boiling springs were not infrequent on the +desert. They were found, generally, further north, he said. This one +must have worked its way up through the alkali until only a thin crust +covered it, and this crust the boy had had the misfortune to step on +and break through. +</P> + +<P> +"You wouldn't think there were so many pitfalls under this baked +desert, would you?" questioned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I look like a piece of human sandpaper, don't I?" muttered Stacy +ruefully, as he carefully drew on his clothes. "Every time I sit down +I'll remember that hot ice water." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap12"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL +</H4> + +<P> +"Thank goodness, we're in the foothills," sighed Tad, when three days +later they came to a halt at the base of the San Antonio Range far down +on the Nevada Desert. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, it is a relief to see some real rocks once more," agreed Walter. +"Chunky, look out that you don't step into any more ice water. You'll +miss the horse-hunt if you do." +</P> + +<P> +"No danger of that up here," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Behind them lay the desert maze, to the right and left, mountain +ranges, high plateaux, mesas and buttes. Giant yucca trees, short, +spreading piñon and spindling cedars clothed the higher peaks of the +San Antonio Range. +</P> + +<P> +Trees, too, were scattered about in the foothills, and though they gave +little shade it was a relief to every sense of the Pony Riders to feel +the hills and trees about them. +</P> + +<P> +There, with what little shade they could get, the lads made camp. As +yet they had found no water, though Parry said there would be springs +in plenty further up in the mountains. The bags still held enough to +last them until the following day, so no effort was made to locate +fresh water that afternoon. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy had thrown himself down under one of the yucca trees, but the +late afternoon sun filtered through the branches, making his face look +red and heated. +</P> + +<P> +"You don't seem to be getting much shade from that tree," laughed the +guide. +</P> + +<P> +"'Bout as much as I would from a barbed wire fence," frowned Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"What do you know about barbed-wire fences?" demanded Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Me? Know all 'bout them. One night I had a falling out with one, +when I was taking a short cut across the fields to get home." +</P> + +<P> +"How about the apples? Did you get them?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Apples? What do you know 'bout it? Were you there, too?" +</P> + +<P> +A laugh greeted the fat boy's reply. +</P> + +<P> +"Come, come, young men. Are you going to make camp?" urged the +Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Didn't know we were going to remain here to-night," replied Walter. +"Of course we're going to make camp if that's the case. It'll be a +good time to shake the alkali dust out of our belongings and from +ourselves." +</P> + +<P> +"I haven't got any dust," piped Stacy. "I—I had a bath—a hot bath." +</P> + +<P> +"Are we anywhere near the horse-hunters, Mr. Parry?" inquired Tad, as +the boys began unpacking the burros, some devoting their attention to +the kitchen outfit, the rest spreading the canvas on the ground +preparatory to erecting the tents. +</P> + +<P> +"They are supposed to be further up the range. They will be down this +way to-morrow, probably, to pick us up. They were not certain where +they would make their permanent camp, Stevens said. All depends upon +where the wild horses are grazing." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't see any wild horses, nor any other wild anything," objected +Ned. +</P> + +<P> +The guide dropped the ridge pole that he was about to carry to the +place where the cook tent had been laid out ready to be raised. +</P> + +<P> +"Come with me," he said, taking Ned by the arm and leading him to the +left of their camping place. "Do you see that?" +</P> + +<P> +"What?" +</P> + +<P> +"Use your eyes. If you're going to be a plainsman you'll have to +depend on your sense of sight. Take the desert for instance. It's a +desert maze if you are unable to read its signs; no maze at all if you +do." +</P> + +<P> +"What is it you were going to show Ned?" asked the rest of the boys, +who had followed them out. +</P> + +<P> +"See if you can tell, Master Tad." +</P> + +<P> +But Master Tad had already been using his eyes. He nodded as he caught +the guide's eye. +</P> + +<P> +"There has been a bunch of unshod ponies along here, if that is what +you mean," he said. +</P> + +<P> +"How do you know?" demanded Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"I see their tracks there. Saw them the minute I got over here." +</P> + +<P> +"Maybe that's the crowd that called at our camp the other day," +suggested Walter. +</P> + +<P> +The guide shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"There was no one on these horses," said Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Right," emphasized the guide. "That's observation, young men. You +will notice, by examining these hoofprints carefully, that the weight +of the animal is thrown more on the toe——" +</P> + +<P> +"How do you know that?" cut in Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Because the toe sinks into the soil more than it would if the animals +were loaded. In the latter event, the heels would dig deeper. Now if +you will follow along a little further I may be able to show you the +hoofprints of the leader of the band of wild horses, for that is what +they are——" +</P> + +<P> +"Wild horses?" marveled the boys. +</P> + +<P> +"Wish we could see them," said Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll wager they have seen us already, for they surely are in this +neighborhood," replied Parry. "But a wild horse is as sharp as an old +fox. The herd have been down in the foothills and, by the hoofprints, +you will observe that they have returned to the mountain fastness." +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps they saw us coming," suggested Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"More than likely," agreed the guide. "They were in a hurry and moving +rapidly—there! There's the leader's trail. Look carefully and you +will see where he leaped up to this little butte here. Reaching it, he +turned about and took a quick, comprehensive look at the desert." +</P> + +<P> +"And at us," added Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I think so. Come up here. You see this little ridge gave him a +very good view of the desert maze. See if you can tell how many wild +horses there were in the bunch," suggested Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +Instantly the boys went down on all fours, crawling along the trail +seeking to read the story that it told. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, how many?" queried the guide, after they had finished their +inspection. +</P> + +<P> +"Fifty!" shouted Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Forty-five!" answered Ned and Walter at the same time. +</P> + +<P> +"What do you say, Master Tad?" +</P> + +<P> +"I am afraid I must have missed some, then. I only make out twenty-one +old ones and a colt. I take it the old mare was with the colt, for the +prints show that the little animal was hugging the other closely," was +Tad's decision. +</P> + +<P> +"Very good. Very good," nodded Parry. "There were twenty-two. You +didn't get the trailer, probably an old mare. She traveled along off +to the right yonder a little. But I should like to know how you made +fifty, Master Stacy!" twinkled the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Counted 'em," answered the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Show me?" +</P> + +<P> +Stacy did so, going over the hoofprints carefully, pointing to them +with his index finger as he did so, the guide making mental +calculations at the same time. +</P> + +<P> +"And that makes fifty—fifty—fifty-four this time. There's more of +them than I thought." +</P> + +<P> +Parry laughed softly. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm afraid you'd make a poor Indian, young man. You not only have +counted the hoof-prints, but you have counted the foot marks of +yourself and your companions as well. Master Tad, let me see if you +can run the trail up the mountain side a little way. It will be good +practice. I want you boys to be able to follow a trail as keenly as +the best of them before you have finished this trip. You never know +when it's going to be useful—when it's going to get you out of serious +difficulties, even to the extent of saving your lives." +</P> + +<P> +Tad was off on a trot, stooping well over, with eyes fixed on the foot +marks. +</P> + +<P> +"Tad could hunt jack rabbits without a dog, couldn't he?" questioned +Stacy innocently. His companions laughed. +</P> + +<P> +"Is that a joke?" asked Ned. "If it is, I'll cry. Your jokes would +make a Texas steer weep." +</P> + +<P> +Tad was picking his way up the rough mountain side, now losing the +trail, then picking it up again. The marks left by the wild horses +were almost indistinguishable after the animals had reached the rocks, +but here and there a broken twig told the lad they had passed that way. +</P> + +<P> +Once he appeared to leave the trail, moving sharply to the right, where +on a shelving ridge, he straightened up and looked down into the valley. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry nodded encouragingly. +</P> + +<P> +"Know what you've found?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, this is where the leader came to make another observation," +answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"That's right. He's a plainsman already, boys. Go on. Run the trail +up to the top of this first ridge. It will not be a bad idea for us to +know which way they've gone. If the hunters don't show up by to-morrow +we can take a little run after the herd on our own hook." +</P> + +<P> +Tad obeyed gladly. Every sense was on the alert. The rest of the boys +were all impatience to take part in the hunt. But the guide said no. +He feared that, if all were to start up the mountain side, their +enthusiasm might lead them too far from camp, resulting in their losing +their way. He knew how tricky the trail of a band of wild horses was, +the clever animals leaving no ruse untried that would tend to mix up +and lose their pursuers. +</P> + +<P> +Tad's figure was growing smaller as he ascended higher and higher. +</P> + +<P> +"You don't mean to say that horses climbed up the way he is going!" +questioned Walter incredulously. +</P> + +<P> +"That's the way they went, my boy. They 're regular goats when it +comes to mountain climbing. They'll go where a man could not, +oftentimes." +</P> + +<P> +Tad crept, cautiously on, now finding little to guide him, save his own +instinct. He finally disappeared behind the rocks and trees of the +low-lying range. +</P> + +<P> +The lad was moving almost noiselessly now. A sound a short distance +beyond him caused him to prick up his ears sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"I believe I am near them," he breathed, as he glanced about him. "Why +did I not think to bring my rope?" +</P> + +<P> +It was just as well for his own well-being, that he had not brought +along that part of his saddle equipment. He was following the trail +with the skill of a trained mountaineer. An Indian himself could have +done it no better. +</P> + +<P> +Perhaps the guide understood, better than did Tad himself, why he had +started the lad on the trail, for a quiet smile hung about the lips of +Tom Parry. All at once his twinkling eyes lit up with a new expression. +</P> + +<P> +"Look! Look!" gasped Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Where? Where?" demanded Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Walter pointed to a pyramid-shaped rock far above their heads. +</P> + +<P> +At first they could scarcely believe their senses. There poised in the +air, feet doubled into a bunch, stood a splendid specimen of +horse-flesh, resting, it seemed, fairly on the sharp point of the rock, +gazing down into and across the valley. +</P> + +<P> +"The white stallion," breathed the lads all in the same breath. +</P> + +<P> +The magnificent animal was a creamy white. Its head was held high, +nostrils distended as if to catch the scent of those for whom it was +looking. Beneath the rays of the low lying sun, its coat glistened and +shone with a luster that no brush or comb could bring to it. +</P> + +<P> +The lads gazed upon the beautiful statue almost in awe. +</P> + +<P> +They were standing quite close up under the shadow of the mountain at +that moment. +</P> + +<P> +"Why doesn't he run?" whispered Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you think he sees us?" asked Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"No. Stand perfectly still." +</P> + +<P> +"Why doesn't he? All he would have to do would be to look down?" +questioned Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"He scents us. He knows we are somewhere near. But, if you will +observe him closely, you will notice that he is looking at the camp. +He sees the Professor moving about," explained Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"Do—do you think we could catch him?" asked Ned eagerly. +</P> + +<P> +"The most skillful men in this part of the country have been trying to +do that very thing for the last five years, my boy," answered the guide +in a low tone. "No, you couldn't catch him. He's the finest animal to +be found in the entire Nevada Desert district. Wouldn't mind owning +him myself." +</P> + +<P> +In the meantime Tad had been creeping nearer and nearer. He soon +discovered that the leader of the band had swerved to the left. He +concluded to follow, to see where the solitary animal had gone to. But +so quietly did the lad move that the stallion neither heard nor scented +him. +</P> + +<P> +All at once the wonderful sight unfolded before the eyes of Tad Butler. +He flattened himself on the ground, within thirty yards of the splendid +animal. +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly the stallion whirled. Tad rose to his feet, The two stood +facing each other, Tad with head thrust forward, the stallion with +nostrils held high in the air. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, my rope, my rope!" breathed the boy. "If I had my rope!" +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap13"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XIII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS +</H4> + +<P> +Those down in the foothills saw the animal whirl and face the other way. +</P> + +<P> +"He sees something," cried Walter, forgetting in his excitement that +they were trying to keep quiet. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, he has probably scented Master Tad," explained the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Think he'll try to catch the horse?" asked Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Hope not. Those wild horses are bad medicine. No, of course, he has +no rope with him. But he'll be wise if he keeps out of the way of the +beast." +</P> + +<P> +Tad had no thought of doing either. He stood perfectly still, gazing +in awe and wonder at the handsomest horse he had ever seen. +</P> + +<P> +The stallion's eyes blazed. He uttered a loud snort, then rose right +up into the air on his hind feet. One bound brought him many feet +nearer the boy who was observing him. It was the only direction in +which the stallion could go without plunging into a chasm. +</P> + +<P> +"Whoa!" commanded Tad sharply. +</P> + +<P> +The white horse never having been trained, failed to understand the +word, but he halted just the same, gazing angrily at the bold boy +standing there, who, it appeared, was defying him. +</P> + +<P> +Uttering another snort, this time full of menace, the animal leaped +straight toward the lad in long, graceful bounds. +</P> + +<P> +Tad threw up his hands to frighten the stallion aside. The animal, +however, refused to be swerved from its course. +</P> + +<P> +"He's going to run over me," cried the boy, as he noted that the horse +was rising for another leap. +</P> + +<P> +Tad ducked just as the beast sprang clear of the ground. He felt the +rush of air as the gleaming body was lifted over his head, the boy at +the instant uttering a shrill yell to hasten the stallion's movements. +</P> + +<P> +The front hoofs caught the rim of the Pony Rider Boy's sombrero, +snipping it from his head. The hind feet came closer. They raked +Tad's head, bowling him completely over, rolling him from the knoll on +which he had been standing. +</P> + +<P> +He brought up with a jolt some ten feet further down. Tad scrambled to +his feet a little dizzy from the blow and the fall. +</P> + +<P> +"Whew! That was a close call," he muttered, feeling his head to learn +if it had been injured. +</P> + +<P> +"No; the skin isn't broken, but I'm going to have a beautiful goose egg +there," he concluded. "It's swelling already. If I'd had my rope I +could have roped him easily when he rose at me that last time." +</P> + +<P> +Scrambling up the bank, Tad found his hat. Then he picked his way to +the pyramid-shaped rock on which he had first discovered the stallion. +</P> + +<P> +Poising himself, he swung his sombrero to his companions down in the +foothills. +</P> + +<P> +"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I met the enemy. I've seen the white stallion, +fellows!" +</P> + +<P> +"Is the enemy yours?" jeered Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"No; I rather think I was his," laughed Tad, turning back and hurrying +down the rocks to rejoin his companions. +</P> + +<P> +He was met by a volley of questions the moment he reached the +foothills. With his companions gathered about him, Tad told them how +he had followed the trail, finally coming upon the handsome animal +while the latter was taking an observation from the pyramid-shaped rock. +</P> + +<P> +"It's a wonder he didn't attack you," said the guide after the lad had +finished his narration. "Those wild stallions are very savage when +aroused." +</P> + +<P> +"I guess he tried to do so all right," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I knew he was up there somewhere, watching us, but I did not think for +a minute that you would get close enough to him to be in any danger," +announced Tom Parry, with a disapproving shake of his head. +</P> + +<P> +"I could have roped him easily," said the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"Lucky for you that you didn't try it. It's getting late now. I +presume the Professor is beginning to think we are not going to finish +pitching our camp. Come, we'll go back and get to work." +</P> + +<P> +The work went rather slowly, however, for the lads were too full of the +subject of the wild stallion to devote their whole attention to putting +their camp to rights for the night. Then again, they had to go all +over the story for the Professor's benefit. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you think we could catch one of these wild ones to take back East +with us?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"You couldn't catch one yourself, but you might be able to buy one for +a small sum from the horse-hunters," the guide informed him. +</P> + +<P> +"How much?" +</P> + +<P> +"Depends on the animal. Perhaps twenty or twenty-five dollars." +</P> + +<P> +"Then, I'll do it. I could get him home for as much more, and he'd be +worth at least two hundred dollars. Perhaps I might take two of them +along, providing I can get what I want." +</P> + +<P> +"You ought to be a horseman," laughed the guide. "You've got the +horseman's instinct." +</P> + +<P> +"He is a horseman," volunteered Stacy. "There aren't any better." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you," glowed Tad. "I'll pull you out next time you fall in, for +that." +</P> + +<P> +They were very jolly at supper that night. They had nothing to trouble +them. Water was near by and they were soon to participate in the most +exciting event in their lives, a wild-horse hunt. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you think they will be able to find us!" questioned Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Who, the horses?" returned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I hope they do," laughed the guide. "No; Master Walter means Bud +Stevens and the gang. Find us? Why, those fellows could trail a cat +across the Desert Maze if they happened to take a notion to do so." +</P> + +<P> +There being plenty of dry stuff about, the boys built up a blazing +camp-fire as soon as night came on. Gathering about it they told +stories and sang songs. +</P> + +<P> +"I move that Stacy Chunky Brown favor us with a selection," suggested +Ned. "He has a very rare voice—an underdone voice some might call it." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, Chunky," urged Walter. "You haven't sung for us since we +started." +</P> + +<P> +"Me? I can't sing. Besides it might scare the wild horses," protested +Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess there's no doubt about that. But we'll take the chances." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, do sing, Chunky," added Walter. "It may soften Ned's hard heart." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy cocked an impish eye at Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"All right, I'll sing," decided the fat boy, clearing his throat. +</P> + +<P> +"Stand up," thundered Ned. "Have some respect for the audience." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy stood up. +</P> + +<P> +"What are you going to favor us with?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"It's a little thing of my own," grinned Stacy. "Hope you'll like it." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, we'll like it all right," chuckled Ned. "The audience will please +refrain from applauding until the performer finishes." +</P> + +<P> +"What's the name of the piece?" demanded Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Hasn't been named. You can name it if you wish." +</P> + +<P> +"Go ahead, go ahead. Never mind the name," chorused the lads. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy surveyed the upturned, laughing faces of his companions and then +launched out in a shrill soprano: +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +It's all day long on the alka-li,<BR> +Where the coyotes howl and the wells run dry,<BR> +Where the badgers badge in the water holes,<BR> +And the twisters twist the old tent poles—<BR> + Right up from the alka-li.<BR> +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +"Yeow!" shrieked the Pony Rider Boys. +</P> + +<P> +"It's a new poet. Hurrah for the poet lariat!" shouted Ned Rector, +jumping up and down, slapping his thighs in his amusement. +</P> + +<P> +"Go on, give us another verse," laughed the guide. "That's real po'try +that is." +</P> + +<P> +"Is there another verse?" cried Walter. +</P> + +<P> +Chunky nodded solemnly. +</P> + +<P> +"Hush! He is going to sing some more," cautioned Tad Butler, holding +up his hand for silence. +</P> + +<P> +"Ahem," began Stacy. Throwing back his head he began again: +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When the wind blows high o'er the Desert Maze,<BR> +And sand in your eyes interferes with your gaze,<BR> +Then the Pony Rider Boys they lose their pants;<BR> +Don't dare sit down for fear of the ants—<BR> + That hide in the alka-li.<BR> +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +Stacy sat down blinking, solemn as an owl. But if he was solemn his +companions were quite the opposite. The boys formed a ring about him, +and between their yells of appreciation, began dancing around in a +circle shouting out in chorus the last two lines of the second verse: +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Don't dare sit down for fear of the ants—<BR> + That hide in the alka-li.<BR> +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +Professor Zepplin and Tom Parry were laughing immoderately, but their +voices could not be heard above the uproar made by the joyous Pony +Riders. No such carnival of fun probably ever had disturbed the +foothills of the San Antonio range, nor extended so far out over the +maze of the great Nevada Desert. +</P> + +<P> +"Sing it again! Sing it again!" commanded the boys. +</P> + +<P> +They hauled the protesting Chunky to his feet, stood him on a box of +pickled pigs' feet, compelling him to begin the song all over again. +</P> + +<P> +"It's all day long on the alka-li.<BR> +Where the coyotes howl and——"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +</P> + +<P> +"Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o! Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o-ki! K-i-i-i-o-o-ki!" +</P> + +<P> +A long wailing sound—a dismal howl, suddenly cut short the joyous +ditty. +</P> + +<P> +"What's that!" +</P> + +<P> +"Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o! Ki-i-i-i-o-o-ki!" +</P> + +<P> +"Coyotes," laughed the guide. +</P> + +<P> +There seemed to be hundreds of them. From every peak in the range +their mournful voices were protesting. +</P> + +<P> +All at once out in the black maze of the desert another bunch of them +began their weird wailing. +</P> + +<P> +"We're surrounded," announced the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Shall we get the guns?" asked Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"No, they're expressing their indignation at Chunky's song," jeered Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Let 'em howl. I don't care. If they don't stop I'll sing some more," +threatened the fat boy. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap14"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XIV +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS +</H4> + +<P> +The Professor found difficulty even in driving the lads to their beds +that night. When they did finally tumble in and pull the blankets over +them they were unable to sleep, between the howling of the coyotes and +their laughter over Stacy Brown's new-found talent. +</P> + +<P> +"They'll go away when the moon comes up," called the guide when the +boys protested that the beasts kept them awake. +</P> + +<P> +"Why can't we shoot at them?" asked Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"It will alarm the wild horses," said the guide. "We don't want to +chase them off the range. Neither would the horse-hunters like it if +we were to begin shooting." +</P> + +<P> +"Go to sleep!" commanded the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +Then the boys settled down. After a time the moon came up, but instead +of quieting the coyotes it seemed to have urged them on to renewed +efforts. They grew bolder. They approached the camp until a circle of +them surrounded it. +</P> + +<P> +Out of Stacy Brown's tent crept a figure in its night clothes. It was +none other than Stacy himself. In one hand he held a can of condensed +milk that he had smuggled from the commissary department that afternoon. +</P> + +<P> +He wriggled along in the shadow of a slight rise of ground until he had +approached quite near the beasts. He could see them plainly now and +Stacy's eyes looked like two balls. +</P> + +<P> +The animals would elevate their noses in the air, and, as if at a +prearranged signal, all would strike the first note of their mournful +wail at identically the same instant. +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly the figure of the Pony Rider Boy rose up before them, right in +the middle of one of the unearthly wails. +</P> + +<P> +"Boo!" said Stacy explosively, at the same time hurling the can of +condensed milk full in the face of the coyote nearest to him. +</P> + +<P> +His aim was true. The can landed right between the eyes of the animal. +The coyote uttered a grunt of surprise, hesitated an instant, then, +with tail between his legs, bounded away with a howl of fear. +</P> + +<P> +"Yeow! Scat!" shrieked the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +The whole pack turned tail and ran with Stacy after them in full +flight, headed for the desert. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry, aroused by this new note in the midnight medley, tumbled out +just in time to see Stacy disappearing over the ridge. The guide was +followed quickly by the other three boys of the party and Professor +Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"Hey, come back here!" shouted Parry. +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy paid no attention to him. He was too busy chasing coyotes +across the desert at that moment to give heed to anything else. +</P> + +<P> +"Get after him, boys! If he falls they're liable to pile on him and +chew him up before we can get to him!" commanded the guide. +</P> + +<P> +Over the ridge bounded the pajama brigade. The coyotes, frightened +beyond their power of reasoning, if such a faculty was possessed by +them, were now no more than so many black streaks lengthening out +across the desert. +</P> + +<P> +The lads set up a whoop as they started on the chase after their +companion. +</P> + +<P> +"Rope him, somebody!" shouted Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"Haven't any rope," answered Tad, with a muttered "Ouch!" as his +big-toe came in contact with the can of condensed milk. +</P> + +<P> +Laughing and shouting, they soon came up with Stacy, however, because +he could not run as fast as the other boys. Tad caught up with him +first, and the two lads went down together. In another minute the rest +of the party had piled on the heap. +</P> + +<P> +"Get up!" shouted Tad. "Somebody's standing on my neck." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, and—and you've pushed my face into the desert," came the muffled +voice of Chunky Brown. +</P> + +<P> +Laughing and all talking at once, the knot was slowly untied. Two of +them grabbed the fat boy under the arms, while a third got between the +lad's feet and picked them up, much as one would the handles of a +wheelbarrow. In that manner they triumphantly carried Stacy back to +the camp. +</P> + +<P> +Reaching his tent, they threw the fat boy into his bed. +</P> + +<P> +The tall, gaunt figure of the Professor appeared suddenly at the tent +entrance. Some of the boys darted by him, the others crawling out +under the sides of the tent, all making a lively sprint for their own +quarters. +</P> + +<P> +"Young men, the very next one who raises a disturbance in this camp +to-night is going to get a real old-fashioned trouncing. Not having +any slipper, I'll use my shoe. Do you hear?" +</P> + +<P> +Not a voice answered him, but as he strode away the moon-like face of +Stacy Brown might have been seen peering out at him. Quiet reigned in +the camp of the Pony Rider Boys for several hours after that. Yet they +were destined not to pass the night without a further disturbance, +though the Professor did not use his shoe to chastise the noisy ones. +</P> + +<P> +It lacked only a few hours to daylight when the second interruption +occurred. And when it arrived it was even more startling than had been +the fat boy's chase of the cowardly coyotes. +</P> + +<P> +There was a sudden sound of hoof-beats. +</P> + +<P> +"Ki-yi! Ki-yi!" shrieked a chorus of voices. +</P> + +<P> +A volley of shots was fired as an accompaniment to the startling yells. +A moment later and a body of horsemen dashed into camp, which they had +easily located by the smouldering camp-fire. +</P> + +<P> +The Pony Rider Boys were out of their tents in a twinkling. +</P> + +<P> +"Wow!" piped Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +Bang! Bang! +</P> + +<P> +Two bullets flicked the dirt up into his face. Bud Stevens and his +companions were in a playful mood again. +</P> + +<P> +"Hey, you! Better look out where you're shooting to!" warned Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +Bud let go another volley. +</P> + +<P> +"The Professor'll take you over his knee and chastise you with his +shoe, if you don't watch sharp," said Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Come out of that. Where's the kiddie? I want to see my kiddie!" +laughed Bud Stevens. +</P> + +<P> +By this time, with his companions, he had dismounted, turning the +ponies loose to roam where they would. The whole camp, aroused by the +shouting and shooting, had turned out after pulling on their trousers +and shoes. Tom Parry, piling fresh fuel on the embers of the +camp-fire, soon had the scene brightly lighted. There was no more +sleep in camp that night. Professor Zepplin accepted the new +disturbance with good grace. +</P> + +<P> +"We're going to eat breakfast with you," Bud Stevens informed them. +</P> + +<P> +"That's right. What we have is free," answered the Professor +hospitably. +</P> + +<P> +"That's what I was telling the bunch," nodded Bud. "Our chuck wagon'll +be along when it gets here. We've got a schooner with six lazy mules +toting it down along the edge of the foothills. If it ever gets here +we'll stock you up with enough fodder to last you the rest of your +natural lives." +</P> + +<P> +"A schooner, did you say?" questioned Stacy, edging closer to the +cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +"Yep; schooner." +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the water?" +</P> + +<P> +"Say, moon-face, didn't you ever hear tell of a prairie schooner!" +</P> + +<P> +Chunky shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, you've got something coming to you, then," replied Bud, turning +to the others again. +</P> + +<P> +"When do you start your horse-hunt? I presume that's the purpose of +your visit here?" asked the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Yep. Soon as the wagon gets here with the trappings. After breakfast +we'll look around a bit. Been some of them through here to-day, I see." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, how did you know that!" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"We crossed the trail just at the edge of the camp here when we came +in. Didn't you see them?" +</P> + +<P> +"We saw one of them and the tracks of the rest——" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, we—we—we saw the white horse——" +</P> + +<P> +"The Angel?" demanded Bud, interested at once. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know whether you'd call it an angel or not. It struck me that +it was quite the opposite," laughed Tad. "It was a white stallion, and +when I got in its way it just bowled me over and rolled me down the +hill——" +</P> + +<P> +"The white stallion, fellows," nodded Bud. "I told you so. Come +along, kiddie, and show me that trail. I'll tell you in a minute if +he's the one." +</P> + +<P> +Tad took the horse-hunter to the trail that he had followed up the +mountain side. Bud lighted match after match, by the light of which he +ran over the confusion of hoofprints. Finally he paused over one +particular spot, and with a frown peered down upon it. +</P> + +<P> +"That's him. That's the Angel," he emphasized. +</P> + +<P> +"Why do you call him that?" +</P> + +<P> +"Because of two things," answered Bud. "First place, he's white. +That's the color angels is supposed to be, most of 'em says. Then, if +you'll look at his hoof-mark, you'll see the frog is shaped like a +heart. More angel. Then again—that's three times, ain't it?—he's +got a temper like angels ain't supposed to have." +</P> + +<P> +"So I have observed," agreed Tad, with a laugh. +</P> + +<P> +"And that's why we call him the Angel. We'll get the old gentleman +this time or break every cinch strap in the outfit." +</P> + +<P> +There was rejoicing among the horse-hunters when they heard that it was +indeed the Angel himself whose trail they had come upon. +</P> + +<P> +"He's got the finest bunch of horse flesh with him that you'll find +anywhere on the desert," averred another. "Old Angel won't travel with +any scarecrows in his band. He's proud as a peacock with a new spread +of tail feathers." +</P> + +<P> +"S'pose you don't know how many there are in the band, eh, kiddie?" +questioned Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"Twenty-one and a colt," answered Tad promptly. +</P> + +<P> +"Oho! So—but Tom Parry told you, of course." +</P> + +<P> +"Tom Parry didn't," objected the guide. "Master Tad read the trail +himself." +</P> + +<P> +"Shake," glowed Bud, extending his hand to Tad. "You're the right sort +for this outfit. We'll let you help point the bunch into the corral +when we get them going. You'll see stars before you get through with +that job—stars that ain't down on the sky-pilot's chart." +</P> + +<P> +"It won't be the first time, Mr. Stevens. I've seen enough of them to +make a Fourth of July celebration, already." +</P> + +<P> +Just after breakfast, to which the camp had sat down at break of day, +the horse-hunters began their preliminary work. Bud directed two of +his men to work south, two more to ride north, while he would take the +center of the range. +</P> + +<P> +"What I want," he explained to the boys, "is to find where the wild +horses are waterin' these days. They've been around these parts for +more than two weeks, so we know they've got a nice cold water hole +somewhere." +</P> + +<P> +"What were they doing on the desert?" asked Walter. "I thought they +had just come across." +</P> + +<P> +"No; they were out for a play. That shows they had had plenty to eat +and drink. Professor, I think I'll take the kiddie along with me," +announced Bud, much to Tad's surprise, and, judging from the expression +of the lad's face, pleasure, as well. +</P> + +<P> +Professor Zepplin glanced at the guide inquiringly. Parry nodded his +head. +</P> + +<P> +"He'll be all right." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, you may go, Tad. But be careful. Don't let him get into any +difficulties, Mr. Stevens. He's a venturesome lad." +</P> + +<P> +"Guess he's able to wiggle out of anything he gets into," grinned the +horse-hunter. "Come along; take a hunch on your cinch straps, a chunk +of grub in your pocket; then we're ready to find where the Angel washes +his face every morning and night." +</P> + +<P> +Tad lost no time in getting ready for the trip to trail the wild horses +to their lair, and in a few moments the horse-hunters rode from the +camp, followed by the envious glances of the Pony Rider Boys. +</P> + +<P> +"Wish I were going along," muttered Chunky ruefully, as he turned his +back on them and gazed off across the desert. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap15"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XV +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT +</H4> + +<P> +The horse-hunter and his young companion laid their course at right +angles to the reach of the range. +</P> + +<P> +The trail rose slowly to pass between low buttes, leading on under the +great spreading Joshua trees that capped the range itself. Off to the +east and south of them, plainly exposed to view, lay the yellow stretch +of the Ralston Valley that went on and on until it eventually +terminated in Death Valley. The dry lake beds in the desert, looked, +with the sun shining on them, like great pearls set in the Desert Maze. +Tad thought they were water, but Bud Stevens informed him that they +were filled with water only after a heavy thunderstorm, or in the early +spring. +</P> + +<P> +"You ought to have come down here earlier in the season," he told the +lad. "It's a pretty bad time to cross the desert now." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, we know that. But we are not looking for easy trips," laughed +the lad. +</P> + +<P> +As they moved slowly along, the cowboy horse-hunter explained many of +the secrets of the trail to his young companion, as well as describing +horse-hunts in which he had taken part in the past. +</P> + +<P> +"But I don't understand why they have come all the way across the +desert to get into this range?" said Tad. "Why did they not remain on +the other side where, I understand, there is plenty of forage?" +</P> + +<P> +"It's a peculiar thing, kiddie, but hosses, wild or tame are like human +beings in some ways. They like to get back home." +</P> + +<P> +"What do you mean?" +</P> + +<P> +"Wild horses always will go back to the range where they were born. +Sometimes they run away from the range ahead of a storm; sometimes they +are captured and taken away. But if they ever get the chance, back +they go to the place where they were born. Angel was born in this +range, and so were most of the mares and others that have come over +with him. When a halfbreed Cherokee came into camp and told us the +band of horses was seen stretched out on the mesa on the other side, I +knew they were getting ready to hike across the desert, so we prepared +to come here." +</P> + +<P> +Tad was listening intently. All this was new to him and much of it not +entirely understandable. +</P> + +<P> +"Did you ever notice how animals act before a big storm?" asked Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"No; I can't say that I have." +</P> + +<P> +"Next time you see a lot of horses stretched out on the ground on their +sides, heads close to the ground, all looking as if they were asleep, +you'll know there's a big storm coming." +</P> + +<P> +"Why do they do that?" +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know, unless it is to rest themselves thoroughly before +running away from the storm that they know is coming." +</P> + +<P> +"How do they know a storm is coming, unless they can see it?" marveled +the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Kiddie, you'll have to ask the horses. Bud Stevens don't know—nobody +knows. A fellow with whiskers and wearing spectacles one of—of them +scientific gents—told me once that it was a kind of wireless +telegraph, that newfangled way of sending ghost messages. Said they +got it in the air. Mebby they do; I don't know. They get it. +Sometimes you'll see the colts running up and down. That's another +sign of storm." +</P> + +<P> +"That's strange. I never heard it before," mused the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"And speaking of colts, did you ever know that sometimes a band of +horses will take a great fancy to a frisky young colt?" +</P> + +<P> +"No." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. They'll follow the colt for days, with their eyes big and full +of admiration for the awkward critter. And they'll fight for him too. +But 'tisn't often necessary, 'cause very few horses will bother a colt. +Ever see a hoss fight?" +</P> + +<P> +Tad admitted that he had not. +</P> + +<P> +"Ought to see one. It's the liveliest scrimmage that you ever set eyes +on. Beats that one back there on the desert, when you plunked me on my +head in a water hole. Jimminy! but you did dump me proper," grinned +the cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +"Hope you don't lay it up against me," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"No. Got all over that. I got what was coming to me—coming on the +run. Say, got the trail on your side there? They seem to have +shuffled over to the northward a bit." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I'm riding on their footprints now." +</P> + +<P> +"That's all right then. Don't want to let it get away from us." +</P> + +<P> +"Where do you think they are heading, Mr. Stevens?" +</P> + +<P> +"For the mesas up the range further. There's plenty of grazing there +and there must be water close by. What we want to do, to-day, is to +locate them and find out just where they go for their water. Then, +when the schooner gets down to your camp, we'll haul our outfit up in +the range and build a corral to drive them into." +</P> + +<P> +"Do you always make a capture?" +</P> + +<P> +"Us? No. Sometimes the leaders of the band are too smart for us. +They beat us proper. Why, they're sharper than a Goldfield real estate +man, and those fellows would make you believe an alkali desert was a +pine forest." +</P> + +<P> +"Look there!" interrupted Tad, pointing. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it, kiddie?" demanded the horse-hunter, pulling up sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"One of the horses, I think it must be the leader, seems to have left +the trail here and started off at right angles." +</P> + +<P> +Stevens rode over to the other side of Tad, and gazed down, his +forehead wrinkling in a frown. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, that's the Angel. Don't know what he's side-tracked himself here +for. He can't see far, so it was not an observation that he was about +to take. He's either seen or scented something. Hold my pony while I +take a look." +</P> + +<P> +The cowboy dismounted, striding rapidly away with gaze fixed on the +trail ahead of him. A few moments later he returned. +</P> + +<P> +"Find anything?" asked Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"The big one scented something, or thought he did." +</P> + +<P> +"But where did he go?" +</P> + +<P> +"Turned just beyond here and followed along the same way the others +were going. You'll find his trail joining ours after we get on a +piece. I'd like to know what he thought he smelled," mused Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"I didn't know horses could scent a person or thing like that." +</P> + +<P> +"What, horses? Wild horses have got a scent that's keener than a +coyote's." +</P> + +<P> +"There's the white stallion's trail again," exclaimed the lad. +</P> + +<P> +Bud nodded. "Told you he'd come back." +</P> + +<P> +For the next hour they rode along without anything of incident +occurring, Tad constantly adding to his store of knowledge regarding +mountain and plain. The lad was himself a natural plainsman and proved +himself an apt pupil. +</P> + +<P> +All at once Bud pulled up his pony sharply and studied the ground. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"We've struck luck for sure. Boy, I'll show you something that'll make +your eyes stick out so you can hang your hat on them," cried the cowboy +exultingly. +</P> + +<P> +"You—you mean we have come upon the wild horses?" asked the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, and more. Come this way and I'll show you. See this trail?" +</P> + +<P> +Tad nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, it was made by another band of horses." +</P> + +<P> +The announcement did not strike Tad as especially significant. +</P> + +<P> +"They headed for the mesas, too?" +</P> + +<P> +"Looks that way," grinned Bud. "And they're headed for trouble at the +same time. There's going to be music in the air pretty soon, kiddie, +and you and I want to be on hand to hear the first tune." +</P> + +<P> +Tad gazed at him questioningly. +</P> + +<P> +"This second bunch of horses is led by a big black stallion known to +the hunters as Satan. He's up to his name too. He's one of the most +vicious cayuses on the open range. Don't you see what this trail +means?" +</P> + +<P> +The lad confessed that he did not. +</P> + +<P> +"It means that Satan is on the trail of the Angel. When Satan and the +Angel meet there'll be the worst scrap you ever heard of, kiddie." +</P> + +<P> +"Will they fight?" +</P> + +<P> +"Will they fight?" scoffed Bud Stevens. "Guess you never saw two wild +stallions mix it up." +</P> + +<P> +"No." +</P> + +<P> +"There's bad blood between Satan and the Angel and there has been for a +long time. The black stallion has been on the white one's trail for +more than a year. I don't know what it's all about, but I know that, +if they come up with each other, there is going to be trouble. If they +don't look out we'll bag the whole bunch. I wish our outfit was here. +I suppose we ought to hustle back and get ready for the drive, but I'm +going to see Satan and the Angel meet, if it's the last thing I ever +do. Come on—we'll have to ride fast." +</P> + +<P> +Putting spurs to their ponies, they set off at a fast pace over the +uneven, rugged trail. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap16"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XVI +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS +</H4> + +<P> +The trail grew hotter as they advanced. +</P> + +<P> +"See, Satan's running now." +</P> + +<P> +The pursuers increased their speed, although they could not hope to +travel as rapidly as the black stallion and his followers. The wild +horses' trot had by this time become leaps, as the followers could +plainly see from the trail that had been left behind. Satan and his +band were traveling in single file, their whole attention being +centered on running down the Angel. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you think Satan scented the others?" asked Tad, when they struck a +level piece of ground so that they could relax their vigilance a little. +</P> + +<P> +"No doubt of it at all. But he didn't know it was just then. He only +knew it was a horse. He knows now that the other bunch is ahead of +him." +</P> + +<P> +"How do you know that?" queried Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"By the trail," replied Stevens. "Don't you see, the Angel is going +faster. They are both on a run now." +</P> + +<P> +"Then the Angel must be afraid. Is that it?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not much. He wants to find a better place in which to fight. This +place is bad medicine for a horse battle. They're all heading for the +mesas, just as I thought first." +</P> + +<P> +The cowboy was leaning well forward in his saddle, eyes on the trail, +instead of looking ahead. Tad, on the contrary, was straining his +eyes, hoping to catch sight of the two bands of fleeing horses; but not +a sign of them did he see. Bud was the first to inform him that they +were nearing the object of their chase. +</P> + +<P> +"Satan's going slower. He is coming up with the others. Let up a +little, and don't talk in a loud tone. We don't want to disturb them +nor let either of the bands get an idea they are followed. They might +race off to some other part of the range. We want to catch them all +later, if we can." +</P> + +<P> +Their ponies were slowed down to a trot, with Bud Stevens leading. +</P> + +<P> +All at once he held up his hand for a halt. Tad pulled up shortly. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it? Do you see them?" he whispered. +</P> + +<P> +Bud shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"Not yet. We're close to them, though. Jump off and tether your nag. +We've got to go on afoot. They'll smell our ponies if we ride any +further." +</P> + +<P> +Moving rapidly, the man and the boy, led their mounts in among the +trees, where they made them fast with the stake ropes. Then both +started on a jog-trot along the trail. +</P> + +<P> +"How far do we have to go do you think?" +</P> + +<P> +"Don't know. Hope it's not far or we're liable to miss the show." +</P> + +<P> +"I can run as fast as you can if you want to go faster." +</P> + +<P> +"Hark! Hear that?" exclaimed Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, what was it?" +</P> + +<P> +"They're lining up for the battle. That was a stallion's scream of +defiance. It is a challenge for battle. There goes the other one. +That's the Angel telling Satan to come on and fight. Now Satan's +answering him." +</P> + +<P> +It was all just so much noise to Tad Butler. The meaning of the harsh +sounds conveyed nothing to him, but to Bud Stevens they were full of +meaning. +</P> + +<P> +"Careful, now. We're getting near." +</P> + +<P> +Both men sped along as fast as their feet would carry them, but without +making a sound that might have been heard a dozen yards away. +</P> + +<P> +"Hist!" warned Bud, crouching low. +</P> + +<P> +Grasping his companion by the arm, he crept to the right, finally +emerging from behind a rise of ground which had shielded their progress. +</P> + +<P> +"Look there," he whispered. +</P> + +<P> +Tad looked. Below him lay a broad, open mesa, its upper end within a +stone's throw of where he stood. But that was not what attracted his +attention. A band of horses of many colors and sizes stood arrayed on +each side of the little plain. +</P> + +<P> +Advanced a few yards from the band on the right, was a magnificent +black stallion, pawing the earth and uttering shrill challenges. On +the other side of the field was the Angel. He was not pawing the +earth. Instead he was standing proudly, his curving neck beautifully +arched, his pink nostrils distended and held high. +</P> + +<P> +"What a wonderful animal!" said Tad under his breath. "And that black! +I can understand why he is called Satan. What are they going to do?" +</P> + +<P> +"Fight! Don't you understand? They're getting ready to settle their +old score, and a merry mix-up it'll be," replied the cowboy in a +whisper. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, yes," breathed Tad, scarcely able to curb his excitement. +</P> + +<P> +"There they go!" +</P> + +<P> +With a wild scream Satan and the Angel bounded into the center of the +field. As they neared it each swerved to his right and dashed by, +avoiding his opponent. +</P> + +<P> +"Act as if they were afraid of each other," said Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"They're not. They're trying each other out—sparring for an opening +as it were. You'll see in a minute." +</P> + +<P> +The fighters returned to the charge. They did not flinch this time. +With a rush they came together, rearing in the air, jaws wide apart. +Their fore-feet struck out. Both stallions broke, wheeled and kicked +viciously. +</P> + +<P> +Neither had landed a blow. +</P> + +<P> +Next time they came at each other walking on their hind feet. They +were sparring with their fore feet like fighters in the ring, their +hoofs making such rapid thrusts that the eye could scarcely follow +them. Satan reached for the head of his antagonist with a quick sweep. +The white stallion blocked the blow cleverly. +</P> + +<A NAME="img-161"></A> +<CENTER> +<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-161.jpg" ALT="They Were Sparring with Their Fore Feet like Fighters in the Ring." BORDER="2"> +<H4 CLASS="h4center"> +They Were Sparring with Their Fore Feet like Fighters in the Ring. +</H4> +</CENTER> + +<P> +Yet, in doing so, he had left an opening. Satan took instant advantage +of it. The black stallion's head shot forward. It reminded Tad of a +serpent striking at its victim. +</P> + +<P> +"Ah! He landed!" exclaimed the cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +A fleck of crimson on the creamy neck of the Angel showed where the +vicious teeth of the black stallion had reached him. Yet, no sooner +had the wound been inflicted than the Angel whirled. It was like a +flash of light. +</P> + +<P> +A white hoof shot out catching the black on the side of the head, +sending him staggering to his haunches. +</P> + +<P> +The white animal was upon him with a scream of triumph. Just as it +seemed that the Angel was about to run him down, the black sprang to +his feet, leaping to one side, and as the Angel passed, the hind hoofs +of Satan were driven into his side. +</P> + +<P> +The Angel uttered a cry of pain; it was returned by one of triumph from +his antagonist. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, what a pity to see two such magnificent animals seeking to kill +each other! Do you think one of them will be killed, Mr. Stevens?" +</P> + +<P> +"They may. You can't tell. Hope there won't be a knock-out, 'cause we +want both of those fellows and we'll get them too. I tell you, we're +in luck this trip. We'll make a haul that will be worth a few thousand +dollars, you bet. There they go again." +</P> + +<P> +Changing their method of attack, the fighters began rushing, whirling, +kicking and so timing their blows that their hind feet met with a crash +that might have been heard a long distance away. The shiny coat of the +black did not show that he had been wounded, but the watchers knew he +had, for they had seen the teeth of the white animal buried in his side +at least once. +</P> + +<P> +A vicious charge of Satan's, threw the Angel from his feet. He struck +the hard ground with a mighty snort, but was on his feet in an instant, +returning to the charge, mouth open, feet pawing the air. +</P> + +<P> +The two men could see the eyes of the desperate antagonists fairly +blaze, while their shrill cries thrilled Tad through and through. +Never in his life had he gazed upon such a scene—two giants of the +equine world engaged in mortal combat. It was a scene calculated to +make the blood course more rapidly through the veins of the boy, who, +himself, possessed so much courage. And it did, in this case, though +as a lover of horses his heart was filled with pity for the one who was +to lose the battle. As yet there was no indication as to which this +would be. They seemed equally matched, and thus far honors had been +about even. +</P> + +<P> +"Think the black can whip him?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't know, kiddie. I'll make a bet with you; take your choice." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you, I don't bet," answered the lad. "If I did, I couldn't +bring myself to lay a wager on those two beautiful creatures that are +trying to kill each other. Ah! There goes the black flat on his back!" +</P> + +<P> +Before Satan could rise, the hoofs of the white one had been driven +against him with unerring aim. Yet, the blow while it must have hurt, +served to assist Satan to roll over. As a matter of fact he was kicked +over, and thus helped to spring to his feet. +</P> + +<P> +Each animal fastened his teeth in the flanks of the other at the same +instant, and, when they tore themselves apart, each was limping. +</P> + +<P> +On each side of the field the other members of the two bands of horses, +stood stolidly observing the conflict. Neither side made an effort to +participate in the battle. +</P> + +<P> +Here and there a colt would break away and gambol out into the field, +only to be recalled by a sharp whinny from its mother. +</P> + +<P> +"It's queer they do not take a hand," marveled Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"No; they never do. They look to their leader to fight their battles +for them. When the battle is ended you will notice something else that +will interest you." +</P> + +<P> +"What?" +</P> + +<P> +"You'll see when the time comes. Now watch them go at it." +</P> + +<P> +And they did. It appeared as if each of the combatants was determined +to put a quick end to the conflict. There was no lost time now. It +was give and take. Blow after blow resounded from their hoofs. Now, +one of the contestants would stagger and fall, only to be up and at his +adversary, while their lithe, supple bodies flashed in the bright +sunlight till the watchers' eyes were dizzy from following their rapid +evolutions. +</P> + +<P> +"I wish the boys might see this," breathed Tad, fascinated by the sight +in spite of himself. +</P> + +<P> +"So do I," grinned Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"Did you ever see a battle of this kind?" asked the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"Not like this. I've seen stallions fight, yes, but never such a scrap +as this. Looks as if they'd be fighting all day. But they won't." +</P> + +<P> +"Why not? They seem as strong as when they began." +</P> + +<P> +"They are, but they're getting careless. They're taking longer chances +every round. First thing you know, one of them will get kicked into +the middle of next week. Whoop! That was a dandy!" +</P> + +<P> +The Angel had planted both hind hoofs fairly on the side of Satan's +head. +</P> + +<P> +Satan had gone down. But when the white stallion made a leap, with the +intention of springing upon his prostrate victim, the black rolled to +one side, and in a twinkling had fastened his teeth upon his +adversary's leg. +</P> + +<P> +Only for a brief second did he cling there, then throwing himself out +of the way sprang to his feet. The two animals met with a terrific +crash, head-on. +</P> + +<P> +Biting, kicking, screaming out their wild challenges of defiance the +battle waxed hotter, faster and more furious. +</P> + +<P> +The mares in the herds showed signs of uneasiness. They might have +been observed tossing their heads and shifting almost nervously on +their feet, but making no effort to move away or out into the field. +</P> + +<P> +"Are the mares getting excited?" asked Tad in wonder. +</P> + +<P> +"No. They see one of the stallions is going to get his knock-out in a +minute." +</P> + +<P> +"Which one?" +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know." +</P> + +<P> +"But how can they tell that, if we are unable to see either one of them +weakening?" +</P> + +<P> +"More ghost telegraphy, I guess," answered Bud, not for an instant +removing his gaze from the fascinating scene before him. He, too, was +becoming excited. He could scarcely restrain himself. +</P> + +<P> +All at once, despite his caution, Bud Stevens uttered a whoop. +</P> + +<P> +"The black's got him!" +</P> + +<P> +"No, the Angel's got him!" shouted Tad Butler excitedly. +</P> + +<P> +"No, he hasn't! It's the black, I tell you. See! There, he's kicked +the Angel halfway across the mesa." +</P> + +<P> +Now it was the Angel's turn to do some kicking. He did, and with +terrific effect. Both hind hoofs were planted in the black's abdomen. +Not once, but again and again. Yet the black was not thus easily +defeated. With the sledge-hammer blows raining all over him, he +struggled to his feet, and, with a desperate lunge, fastened himself +upon the neck of his adversary. +</P> + +<P> +Back and forth struggled the black and the white now, like a pair of +wrestlers. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, who do you think's got him, hey?" laughed Bud. "Why, the +black'll eat his head off." +</P> + +<P> +"I said Angel was going to win, and I think he is," retorted Tad. The +white with a mighty toss of his powerful neck, threw Satan off, the +fore feet of the Angel smiting and knocking Satan down. +</P> + +<P> +Then followed a series of Gatling-gun-like reports as the Angel's hind +hoofs beat a tattoo on the head of his prostrate victim. +</P> + +<P> +The black was conquered. +</P> + +<P> +Satan had been knocked out by the Angel, in the greatest equine battle +that human eyes ever had gazed on. +</P> + +<P> +"Aren't you glad I don't bet?" laughed Tad, his eyes flashing with the +excitement of it all. +</P> + +<P> +"I'd been willing to lose on that fight," grunted the cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +"Is he killed, do you think?" asked the lad. +</P> + +<P> +"No; he's just dizzy after the wallops he got on the head. You'll see +him get up in a minute." +</P> + +<P> +The Angel had backed off a few paces and there he stood, head erect, +waiting as motionless as a statue until the moment when his fallen +adversary should rise, if at all. +</P> + +<P> +Slowly the black pulled himself to his feet. His head came up. He +eyed the now calm white stallion half hesitatingly. +</P> + +<P> +The watchers fairly held their breath, for it was a dramatic moment. +</P> + +<P> +"They're going to fight again," muttered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"He's licked! He's got enough!" exclaimed Bud. +</P> + +<P> +The black turned his back upon the white stallion, and with lowered +head, dejection and humiliation apparent in every line, every movement +of his body, walked slowly back to his own band. +</P> + +<P> +The Angel followed at a distance, almost to the lines of the enemy. +Then he paused, galloped back to the center of the field, and throwing +up his head uttered a long, shrill scream of triumph. +</P> + +<P> +One by one the mares of Satan's band detached themselves from his +ranks, and, with their colts, trotted across the field to join the +Angel's band. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap17"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XVII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT +</H4> + +<P> +A corral, constructed partially of brush on its wing ends, and of +canvas for the corral proper, had been erected in one of the wide +sage-covered draws of the San Antonio range. Across the opening of the +corral, which resembled a pair of great tongs, the distance was fully +half a mile. +</P> + +<P> +Bud Stevens had decided to place the trap for the wild horses here in +this open space in preference to laying it in the mountains. There was +more room for operations in the open, he said. +</P> + +<P> +Then again, the wild horses, as he knew from personal observation, were +strong and full of fight. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess we'll have to tire them all out before we can hope to get them +in the corral," he told his men after they had finished their work of +preparation. +</P> + +<P> +The wagon with the horse-hunters' outfit had driven in late on the +night following the battle of the stallions, and early next morning the +horse-hunters, accompanied by the Pony Rider Boys and their own party, +started out to make camp in the mountains, where they were to remain +while the hunt lasted. +</P> + +<P> +The battle which Tad and Bud had seen furnished a fruitful topic for +discussion, and the two were kept busy relating the story of the fight +until long after midnight. +</P> + +<P> +But, while watching the battle, Bud Stevens had not lost sight of the +object, of his trip into the mountains. He had calculated exactly +where the stock had found a mountain spring, and it was from that point +that the hunters were to start the animals on their trip to the corral. +</P> + +<P> +The plan of operation was laid out with as much care and attention to +details as a general would employ in planning a battle. The Pony Rider +Boys were to participate in the chase. They could scarcely wait for +the moment to arrive when they would be given an opportunity to show +their horsemanship. +</P> + +<P> +In the camp in the mountains they were told with great detail just what +they were expected to do. +</P> + +<P> +"I think you had better leave Chunky at home," warned Ned. "He'll +stampede the whole bunch just as you are ready to drive them into the +corral." +</P> + +<P> +Chunky protested loudly. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess I can stick on a pony as well as you can," he retorted. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll vouch for that," smiled Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"He'll do," decided Bud. "Now, you fellows are all to string out in +single file, following me until we have circled the herd. We should +have them pretty well surrounded by noon. At that time they'll be at +the spring filling up. When I'm ready to close in, I'll fire a shot. +Each of you will fire in turn so that every one in line may be +notified. If the critters refuse to drive, then we'll have to whip +them into a circle and tire them out. But first, we must get them out +on the open, no matter which way they go, then work them into the draw +as fast as we can." +</P> + +<P> +The horse-hunters nodded. They understood perfectly what they were +expected to do. And the boys were to be scattered among the men at +intervals instead of traveling together. It seemed very simple to +them, but they were to learn that wild-horse hunting was a man's task. +</P> + +<P> +"Are we allowed to rope if we get the chance?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Not during the run. Of course, if you see an animal escaping after we +have rounded them up, and you can do so without losing any of the +others, rope if you want to. I reckon you'll have your hands full if +you try it," concluded the horse-hunter. +</P> + +<P> +"Are you going out, Professor?" smiled the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"No, thank you. I think I shall remain close to camp and collect +geological specimens. The boys will get into just as much trouble if I +go with them as they would were I to remain at home. I suppose there +is more or less peril in these wild hunts?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, it's going some," laughed Bud. "But I guess none of them will +get very badly knocked out if they obey orders and don't get in the way +of a stampede. Those wild critters won't stop for nothing." +</P> + +<P> +A scout came in late with the news that the herd was less than five +miles from where the hunters' camp was located. +</P> + +<P> +"That makes it all the easier. We'll start at daylight," said Stevens. +"The plans will work out just right. Now you'd better all turn in and +be ready for the hurry call in the morning." +</P> + +<P> +Next morning all ate breakfast before the first hot wave trembled over +the crest of the mountains across the broad desert. There was bustle +and excitement in the camp. +</P> + +<P> +When ponies had been saddled, ropes coiled and final preparations made, +Bud Stevens looked his outfit over carefully, nodded his head and +mounted. +</P> + +<P> +"You boys don't want to do any shouting after we get out on the trail, +you understand," he said. "We have to work quietly until we get them +surrounded; then you may make all the racket you want. The more the +better." +</P> + +<P> +The Pony Riders nodded their understanding of the orders, and the +company of horsemen set out across the mountains. +</P> + +<P> +They made a wide detour so as not to alarm any of the stragglers who +might not have followed the main body of horses to the watering place +for their noon drink. A careful examination of the trail showed that +the Angel and his band, as well as Satan and his few faithful +followers, were well within the circle. +</P> + +<P> +"We've got the whole bunch inside," exulted Bud, turning to Tad. "Now, +boy, do your prettiest. We want to bag 'em all. If we do, I'll make +you a present of any horse in the outfit." +</P> + +<P> +"How about the Angel?" questioned Tad, with a twinkle in his eyes. +</P> + +<P> +Bud hesitated. +</P> + +<P> +"What Bud Stevens says goes," replied the cowboy. "The one who catches +the stallion on these hunts, however, usually has the right to keep him +if he wants to. If you want the Angel you've got to rope and take him +after we get them rounded up." +</P> + +<P> +"No, I wouldn't do anything like that," laughed Tad. "If I catch the +Angel I'll make you a present of him." +</P> + +<P> +At twelve o'clock, by the watch, they had completed the circle, or +rather three-quarters of a circle, about the band of wild horses, +leaving an opening toward the broad draw where the hidden corral had +been located to trap the unsuspecting wild animals. +</P> + +<P> +Stevens drew his gun, and, holding it above his head, fired two shots. +</P> + +<P> +The signal was answered, almost instantly, by two shots some distance +to their rear. Like the rattle of a skirmish line, guns popped in +quick succession, the sounds growing further and further away as they +ran down the long, slender line of horsemen to the eastward. +</P> + +<P> +"Close in!" commanded the leader quietly. "Ride straight ahead; never +mind me. I shall move further on before I turn. Good luck. Don't try +to get in the way of a stampede. You can't stop them if they try it +altogether." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll look out," smiled Tad. Then they separated. +</P> + +<P> +Tad could not hear a sound, save the light footfalls of his own pony. +The mountain ranges might have been deserted for all the disturbance +there was about him. +</P> + +<P> +He had ridden on some distance when a loud snort suddenly called his +attention to the right and ahead of him. There stood the Angel, facing +him angrily. +</P> + +<P> +Tad was so surprised at the suddenness of the meeting that he pulled +his pony up shortly. For a moment they stood facing each other, then +the wild animal with a loud scream of alarm, turned and went crashing +through the brush. From the sound, a few seconds later, the lad knew +that the stallion had gathered his band and that they were sweeping +away from him at a lively pace. +</P> + +<P> +"Here's where I must get busy," laughed the lad, the spirit of the +chase suddenly taking strong hold upon him. +</P> + +<P> +He touched his pony lightly with the spurs, drawing in on the reins. +The little animal leaped away, Tad uttering a shrill yell, to warn any +of the other hunters who might be within reach of his voice, that he +had started on the trail of the wild band. +</P> + +<P> +He heard a similar cry far off to his right and knew that Bud Stevens +had heard and understood. +</P> + +<P> +"I believe they're coming back," said the lad, realizing that the sound +of galloping was plainer than it had been a few moments before. "I +wonder what I ought to do. I'm going to try to head them off if they +come this way," he decided. +</P> + +<P> +All at once he saw the wild horses first from behind a huge rocky pile. +Uttering a series of wild yells and whoops, swinging his quirt and +sombrero above his head, the lad rode straight at the herd, his pony +seeming to enter into the full spirit of the fun. +</P> + +<P> +To Tad's surprise the leader of the herd deflected to the northward, +running along a line almost parallel to that which the boy was +following. Tad pressed in the rowels of his spurs a little harder, +uttering a chorus of shrill yells. +</P> + +<P> +"They mustn't get through," he fairly groaned. "They shan't get +through! No, not if I ride my head off!" +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly a volley of shots sounded some distance ahead of him, followed +by a series of yells as if the mountains were alive with savage +redskins. +</P> + +<P> +It was Bud Stevens. The wild herd had come upon him just as they were +about to turn northward and dive into the fastnesses of the mountains. +Observing him they turned slightly to the west and continued on their +mad course. +</P> + +<P> +"Good boy!" Bud shrieked. "Draw up on 'em! Draw up on 'em!" +</P> + +<P> +Tad did. It was a race, but a most perilous one. To the boy it seemed +as if the feet of his pony were off the ground most of the time, his +run having merged into a series of long, curving leaps as it reached +from rock to rock. +</P> + +<P> +Down a steep slope suddenly plunged the herd. Tad saw the flying pony +of Bud Stevens directly abreast of them. The lad, apparently feeling +no fear, brought his quirt down sharply on the flanks of his mount. +The pony hesitated, rose and took a flying leap fully ten feet down the +mountain side before its feet braced sharply and thus saved pony and +rider from plunging on over. +</P> + +<P> +Now Tad was yelling at the top of his voice, as that seemed the proper +thing to do under the circumstances. +</P> + +<P> +The wild band was heading for the open, just as Bud Stevens had +planned. But the fleeing horses were seeking to get out on the open +plain where they might soon outdistance their pursuers. +</P> + +<P> +Tad and his pony went down that rugged mountain side as if the pony +were a mountain goat. The boy never had experienced such a thrilling +ride, and the jolts he got made his head dizzy. +</P> + +<P> +"M-m-my, this is going some!" he gasped. +</P> + +<P> +Tad was shouting for pure joy now. When his mount landed on all fours +among the foothills he was not more than two minutes behind Bud Stevens +himself. +</P> + +<P> +"Great! Great!" floated back the voice of the horse-hunter, who, +turning in his saddle, had observed Tad's leaping, flying descent of +the mountain. +</P> + +<P> +Tad admitted to himself that this was riding, and he compared it with +the day he first rode his own pony up the main street in Chillicothe, +Missouri. That ride, at the time, seemed a very exciting one. Since +then he had acquired more skill, else he never would have been able to +shoot down the rugged mountain at almost express train speed. +</P> + +<P> +They were now out on the desert prairie. Bud was trying to point the +leaders in to send them to the southward. Now that Tad was on level +ground he was able to put on more speed. Very slowly, indeed, his pony +straightening out to its full length, he drew up on the racing herd. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess I'd better not yell any more till I get abreast of them," he +decided, which was good judgment, as Bud Stevens said to him afterwards. +</P> + +<P> +"Lay back a little!" shouted Bud when the boy got too close. "They're +liable to dodge behind me at any second and break through our line." +</P> + +<P> +Tad slackened his speed, at which the wild band drew away from him +almost as if he were standing still. Then, he put spurs to his mount +again, and drew up abreast of the trailers. +</P> + +<P> +At the head of the line the horse-hunter was fighting with the leaders, +trying to turn them toward the place where the great corral was hidden. +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly that which Bud Stevens had feared occurred. The white +stallion's forefeet plowed the earth. Cowboy and pony shot by him, and +the wily stallion slipped behind them. Followed by his band, the Angel +headed off across the desert in the very direction that the hunters did +not want him to go. +</P> + +<P> +"Nail him!" bellowed Bud. +</P> + +<P> +Tad needed no further command. Already his keen eyes had noted the +move. Putting spurs to his pony he raced to the white stallion's side, +leaving Bud far to their rear. +</P> + +<P> +The Angel sought, in every way in its power, to shake off the boy who +so persistently hung at its side. All at once the stallion reached +over, fastening its teeth in the neck of Tad Butler's pony. Tad, +however had been quick enough to foresee the move and had jerked his +little mount to one side. Yet, he had not done so quickly enough to +save the broncho from a slight flesh wound. +</P> + +<P> +Slackening its speed, the Angel then made a vicious lunge at the lad's +left leg, biting right through the heavy chaps with which his legs were +protected. +</P> + +<P> +The boy swung his quirt, bringing it down again and again on the +stallion's pink and white nose, until the beast, unable to stand the +punishment longer, uttered a snort, changing its course more to the +southward. +</P> + +<P> +"I've turned him! I've turned him!" shouted Tad. +</P> + +<P> +He had accomplished what the leader of the horse-hunters had been +unable to do. +</P> + +<P> +Bud Stevens, far to the rear on the desert, tossed his sombrero in the +air, uttering a long, far-reaching yell of approval. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap18"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XVIII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS +</H4> + +<P> +Tad replied with an exulting yell. +</P> + +<P> +The band of wild horses was headed toward the corral. Yet they refused +to enter, just when they were upon the point of heading in between the +hidden wings. Some instinct, it seemed, warned them to beware. The +line straightened out, and a few minutes later the animals began racing +in a circle four miles wide. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm afraid my pony never'll be able to stand this grilling. But we'll +keep going as long as we've got a leg left to stand on," laughed the +plucky lad. +</P> + +<P> +"Drop out and let me take a round with them. We've got to tire them +out," shouted Bud, putting spurs to his pony and dashing up beside Tad. +</P> + +<P> +The lad regretfully pulled his mount down to a walk, then rode out on +the desert some distance, so as to be out of the way when the circle +once more came his way. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess it's just as well," he muttered. "The pony couldn't have stood +up much longer. My, those wild animals can travel!" +</P> + +<P> +A heavy coating of gray dust covered both boy and horse, except where +here and there the gray was furrowed with streaks of perspiration. Tad +gave his mount the reins, and sat idly watching the cloud of dust +rolling over the desert, showing where Bud Stevens was driving the +wild-horse band in an effort to tire them, so that they might be easily +headed into the great corral. +</P> + +<P> +They soon swept by Tad, and on out over white alkali desert once more. +</P> + +<P> +On the next round Bud motioned to Tad to take up his end of the relay. +</P> + +<P> +"Give it to 'em. Drive 'em till they can't stand up!" bellowed Bud. +</P> + +<P> +But the lad scarcely heard the horse-hunter's voice. Already he had +been swallowed up in the great yellow cloud and was riding hard by the +white stallion. +</P> + +<P> +Discovering that he had another rider beside him, the Angel made a +desperate effort to run the lad and his pony down that he might break +the line and head off to the northwest. Tad beat him over the nose +with his quirt again, and the stallion promptly changed its mind, for +the pink nose was still tender from the drubbing Tad had given it a +short time before. +</P> + +<P> +"The men are lining up for a drive," warned Stevens when the herd +thundered by him again. "I'll keep behind you. We're going to try to +drive them in this time. They're weakening fast." +</P> + +<P> +"You want me to hold the leader?" asked the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. Keep him up. Don't give him a second's leeway. The rest will +follow him; don't worry about them." +</P> + +<P> +"Where are the other fellows?" +</P> + +<P> +"Over to the east. They're hiding until the herd gets close enough; +then they'll appear, raising a big noise. That's the time you and I +will have our hands full." +</P> + +<P> +"Strikes me our hands have been pretty full," answered the lad, his +face wrinkling into a forced grin. +</P> + +<P> +Bud Stevens slackened the speed of his pony, dropping back and +disappearing in the dust cloud. +</P> + +<P> +"After all, I guess the other fellows will have the hardest work," +mused the lad. "They've got to stop the rush while all I have to do is +to keep on going, following that big, white stallion. I wish I could +rope him, but I guess he would have the broncho and myself on our backs +in no time." +</P> + +<P> +Tad turned his attention to the work in hand. He did not know just +where the other horse-hunters were secreted, but his eyes were fixed on +a low-lying butte some distance to the eastward. He saw no other place +from which they could carry out the manoeuvre successfully. +</P> + +<P> +Tad grew a bit anxious as the wild horses curved more and more to the +eastward. In a few moments they would be too far to the left to permit +of heading them toward the hidden corral. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess they must be going to let us drive them around the circle once +more," he decided, "No! There they come!" +</P> + +<P> +With a yell, followed by a rattling fire of revolver shots, a dozen +ponies shot from behind the low-lying butte. The horse-hunters hurled +their bronchos right against the wall of fleeing animals. +</P> + +<P> +Volley after volley was fired into the ground right under the very feet +of the wild horses. Here and there a rider was unseated in a sudden +collision in the dust cloud with a charging wild horse. +</P> + +<P> +"They've turned them!" bellowed Bud Stevens. +</P> + +<P> +The Pony Rider Boy now began to realize the truth of this, for the +Angel came bounding toward him, crowding right up against the side of +Tad's pony. Tad was using foot and quirt, yelling like a wild Indian +to frighten the big, white stallion into keeping to the left. +</P> + +<P> +So successful were his efforts that the animal did give way a little. +</P> + +<P> +"I've headed him!" shouted the lad in wild glee. Never had he had such +an exciting day as this one was proving itself to be. He gave no +thought to the danger of the chase. And now that he heard and +recognized the shouts of his companions he was spurred to even greater +efforts than before. Why this post of honor had been given to him he +did not know. But Bud Stevens was not far behind. Bud was ready to +stop the stampede that he momentarily expected, but which did not come. +</P> + +<P> +"Give way a little!" came the command. +</P> + +<P> +Tad recognized that he had, in his enthusiasm, been crowding the white +stallion a bit too much. He drew off a little, not, however, +decreasing his speed. +</P> + +<P> +Already the band of wild horses had entered the wide-spreading wings of +the corral, but because of the dust that enveloped him, Tad was unaware +of this. He continued at his same terrific pace, with the tough little +broncho rising and falling under him as he fairly flew over the uneven +ground. +</P> + +<P> +The horse-hunters had fallen into a triangle formation with the apex to +the rear. They were driving the wild horses before them, using their +guns in what appeared to be a most reckless fashion, shouting as if the +whole band had gone suddenly mad. +</P> + +<P> +On down between the brush barriers, that were now apparently rising out +of the ground, sped the frightened band of wild horses. The white +stallion began to understand that they were trapped. +</P> + +<P> +Angel whirled suddenly and made a desperate effort to take the back +trail. Tad and his pony dashing down the slight incline like a +projectile, hit the stallion broadside. The collision was so sudden +that the lad had a narrow escape from being hurled over the head of his +own pony. It was only the convulsive grip of legs to the broncho's +side that saved him from a bad spill. +</P> + +<P> +With quick instinct he brought his quirt down on the broad back of the +Angel. Smarting under the stinging blow and the surprise of the +collision the white stallion whirled about again, heading right into +the yawning corral. +</P> + +<P> +The lad was now in the very midst of the crowding, fighting animals. +He was battling every whit as desperately as were they. Bud Stevens +had fallen back. He knew Tad was somewhere ahead in the mix-up, but he +was powerless to get to him at that moment, nor could his voice reach +the lad. +</P> + +<P> +It was then that the boy realized where he was. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm in the corral!" he cried, discovering that he was hemmed in by the +canvas walls of the main enclosure itself. "And I guess I'm in a +mix-up that will be hard to get out of." +</P> + +<P> +The wild horses were charging about, screaming with anger and fear, +rearing, biting, kicking, bowling each other over in their desperate +efforts to escape. On every side, they found themselves met by the +canvas walls, which none thus far had had the courage to assail. +</P> + +<P> +"There's the black stallion—there's Satan," cried Tad in surprise. "I +didn't know he was here." +</P> + +<P> +The black's eyes were gleaming with anger. His lost courage was slowly +returning to him. Satan was now ready to give battle to man or beast. +All at once he dashed straight at the canvas wall, rose to it and +cleared it in a long, curving leap, his rear feet ripping the cloth +down a short distance as the hoofs caught it. +</P> + +<P> +The keen eyes of the white stallion were upon him. In another instant +his glistening body had flashed over the enclosing walls. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, that's too bad!" groaned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +At that moment half a dozen horsemen appeared in the enclosure; as if +by magic they threw themselves across the opening made by the two +stallions, and thus made an impassable barrier. Tad had seem them +coming, and divined their purpose. A daring plan suddenly flashed into +his mind. +</P> + +<P> +With a shrill yell, he dug in the rowels of his spurs. The broncho, +understanding what was wanted of him, rose to the canvas well, clearing +it without so much as touching it with his hoofs. +</P> + +<P> +But while this was going on another scene was being enacted just +outside the barrier. A few horse-hunters had been sent around there to +head off just such an attempt at escape as had been made. With them +was Stacy Brown. He was sitting on his pony, rope in hand when Satan +cleared the wall. +</P> + +<P> +He saw the dark body of the stallion plunge over. Instinctively the +fat boy rose in his stirrups. His lariat whirled twice over his head, +then shot out. +</P> + +<P> +It sped true to the mark, catching Satan by the left hind foot just as +he was finishing his leap. +</P> + +<P> +"Yeow!" yelled Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +The black stallion ploughed the ground with his nose, as the boy took a +quick hitch of the rope about his saddle pommel. +</P> + +<P> +That was where Chunky came to grief once more. His pony's feet were +jerked out from under it by the mighty lurch of Satan when he went +down. Stacy Brown and his broncho were thrown flat on the ground in a +twinkling. The lad's right leg was pinned under the pony, but the boy, +with great presence of mind, held the rope fast to the pommel. +</P> + +<P> +Ropes flew from all directions, now that the stallion was down. In a +moment more they had Satan entangled in a maze of them. The +horse-hunters were shouting and yelling in triumph at the fat boy's +splendid capture. So busily engaged were they in subduing the black +that, for the moment, they lost sight of the fact that the Angel, +followed by Tad Butler on his broncho, had cleared the barrier too. +</P> + +<P> +Nor did Tad give heed to them. +</P> + +<P> +With rope unslung he was stretching through the foothills at a +breakneck pace, on the trail of the Angel. +</P> + +<P> +"There goes the Angel, with the kid after him!" bellowed a cowboy. +</P> + +<P> +Three men leaped into their saddles and were off like a shot. +</P> + +<P> +Tad Butler slowly, but surely, drew up on the racing stallion. The +pursuers saw him unsling his rope, holding the coil easily at his side. +</P> + +<P> +"He's going to cast," cried the cowboys in amazement that the slender +lad would undertake alone to capture the powerful animal. +</P> + +<P> +"He'll be dragged to death!" warned one. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't try it, kiddie!" shouted another at the top of his voice. +</P> + +<P> +A chorus of warning yells were hurled after the intrepid Tad, to all of +which he gave no heed. His eyes were fixed on the flashing body of the +white stallion ahead of him, every nerve tense for the shock that would +come a moment later. +</P> + +<P> +All at once the pursuers saw Tad's right arm describe the familiar +circle in the air. Then his lariat squirmed out. The Angel, running +ahead of the boy could not see the rope in time to dodge it. The loop +of the lariat dropped neatly over his head and suddenly drew taut. +</P> + +<P> +The proud stallion which for years had defied the skill of the +wild-horse hunters, went down to an inglorious defeat. But he was up +like a flash. Then began a battle between the slender Pony Rider Boy +and wild stallion that is talked of among the wild-horse hunters of the +desert to this day. +</P> + +<P> +Three times had Tad thrown the Angel before the others caught up with +him, the lad's arms being well-nigh pulled from his body in the +terrific lunges of the fighting Angel. +</P> + +<P> +The ropes of the cowboys reached out for the maddened animal the +instant they were within reach. +</P> + +<P> +Such a shout went up as had probably never been heard on the range +before when finally they had the white fighter securely roped down. +</P> + +<P> +The Pony Rider Boys had distinguished themselves this day. +</P> + +<P> +Tricing up one of the stallion's forward legs, so that he hobbled along +like a lame dog, the hunters started back to the corral, shouting, +singing and firing their revolvers, with Tad Butler proudly sitting his +broncho at the head of the procession. +</P> + +<P> +Not an animal had escaped from the other hunters. It had been a +magnificent round-up. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap19"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XIX +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +WINNING THEIR REWARD +</H4> + +<P> +The horse-hunters had bound the black and left him, while they entered +the corral to assist in roping the rest of the herd that were dashing +wildly about. Every time a rope swung above a broad-brimmed sombrero, +and shot out, a wild horse came down. +</P> + +<P> +"I fell in, but I got him," greeted Chunky Brown, triumphantly, as Tad +Butler rode up to him. +</P> + +<P> +Tad laughed heartily when he saw his companion, Stacy Brown, proudly +sitting on the head of the angry, snorting black stallion. +</P> + +<P> +"You did, indeed, Chunky. How did you ever do it?" +</P> + +<P> +"Just like any other experienced man would," replied the fat boy, in an +important tone. "We got them both, didn't we, Tad!" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"And we'll keep 'em, eh!" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, no, Chunky. We couldn't do that. These horses belong to the +hunters. They spend a great deal of money in preparing to capture +them. It would not be right for us to expect to keep these two. We've +been well paid for our labor in the fun we have had. Don't you think +so?" +</P> + +<P> +"Well, yes," decided Stacy a little ruefully. +</P> + +<P> +"Let's see if we can help them," concluded Tad, riding up to the edge +of the corral. +</P> + +<P> +"Orders?" he called, as soon as he could attract Bud Stevens' attention. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; you might ride around to the entrance and come in. You can help +us rope and hobble the stock if you want to." +</P> + +<P> +Tad did as directed. There was no sport of the range that he took a +keener enjoyment in than he did in roping, and by this time there were +few men who could handle a rope more skillfully than he. +</P> + +<P> +Ned and Walter were assisting in guarding the narrow entrance to the +canvas corral when Tad finally rode through, entering the enclosure, +where the excited animals were charging back and forth and round and +round. +</P> + +<P> +Bud was sitting on his pony in the center of the milling animals, +directing the operations. First the hunters would rope and throw an +animal; then they would bind up one of the front legs at the elbow, +after which the horse was released. When the animals had staggered +about the enclosure a few times trying to throw off the leg-binders, +they were quite willing to stand still and nurse their anger. +</P> + +<P> +"Sail in, boy!" called Bud. +</P> + +<P> +Tad picked out a little bay that was kicking and squealing, dodging +every lariat that was thrown at it. His first shot missed. The lad +coiled his rope deliberately. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll see that you don't dodge me this time, Mr. Bay," Tad muttered, +and began slowly following the animal about the ring. The instant the +bay's head was turned away from him Tad let go the rope, and the next +second the stubborn animal lay on its side, another cowboy having made +a successful cast over its kicking hind legs the moment it struck the +ground. +</P> + +<P> +Tad released his rope, then started for another cast. So he went on +from one to another, and with as much coolness as if he had been roping +wild horses all his life. +</P> + +<P> +After half an hour's work young Butler saw Bud motioning to him. Tad +rode up. The boy was bare-headed, having lost his sombrero somewhere +in the enclosure, and not having thought to look for it, even if he had +realized its loss. +</P> + +<P> +"Take a rest," directed the horseman. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm not tired." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, you are, but you don't know it. First thing you know, you'll +tumble off your pony with a bad case of heat knock-out. Your face is +as red as a lobster. Too bad the stallions got away," added Bud, who +had been so thoroughly occupied in the corral that he had given no heed +to what had been taking place outside. +</P> + +<P> +"Lost the stallions?" questioned Tad, elevating his eyebrows. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, Satan and the Angel." +</P> + +<P> +"Why, Mr. Stevens, we didn't lose them." +</P> + +<P> +"I know, we got them in the corral all right, but that isn't getting +them. They always manage to give us the slip somehow." +</P> + +<P> +Tad's eyes danced. +</P> + +<P> +"Then you've got a surprise coming to you, Mr. Stevens. Both stallions +are lying outside the corral at this minute, tied up so tightly that +they won't get away again." +</P> + +<P> +"What! You're joking." +</P> + +<P> +"No, I'm not. I mean it," laughed the lad in high glee. +</P> + +<P> +Bud bent a steady look upon the boy. He saw that Tad was speaking the +truth. +</P> + +<P> +"How did it happen, kiddie?" +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky roped the black by one of its hind feet just as the animal was +taking the jump. Chunky got a bad fall, but he held fast to the black +till the others could get their ropes on it." +</P> + +<P> +"Hurray!" shouted Bud, carried away by his enthusiasm. "But what about +the Angel, eh? Get him too, did you say?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"How?" +</P> + +<P> +"I jumped the fence after him, and ran a race with him out into the +foothills, where I managed to get my lariat over his head and pulled +him down. We had quite a scrimmage, but I should have lost him if I +hadn't had help. The boys came to my rescue just in time." +</P> + +<P> +"Huh!" grunted the cowboy, observing his companion with twinkling eyes. +"You've got anything roped and hobbled that I ever saw." +</P> + +<P> +That was Bud's only comment at the moment, but it carried with it a +world of praise, causing Tad to blush. +</P> + +<P> +All the rest of the afternoon was devoted to securing the animals that +they had captured. Not a horse had escaped. Shortly after sunset the +task was completed and the horse-hunters gave utterance to their +feelings in a series of triumphant yells. +</P> + +<P> +In the meantime three of the men had been sent back to bring over the +camp outfit, which, owing to the fact that it had to follow a +round-about trail, did not get in until some time after dark. Ned and +Walter had accompanied the men back to camp to assist in packing their +own outfit, Tad and Stacy remaining to keep watch over the prizes that +they had captured. +</P> + +<P> +Dinner that night, though a late one, was an occasion of boisterous +good-fellowship, the two happy Pony Rider Boys coming in for much +good-natured raillery. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't want to join us, do you, kiddie?" asked Bud quizzically. +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to, of course. But it is not possible," answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll be off in the morning with our stock, you know. Better come +along. You'll dry up and blow away down on the desert. It's had +medicine where you're headed for." +</P> + +<P> +"We're used to taking our medicine," laughed Tom Parry. "You probably +have noticed as much in the short time you've known our bunch." +</P> + +<P> +"You bet I have," laughed Bud. "And you take it in big doses, too." +</P> + +<P> +"Allopathic doses," interjected the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't know what they might be," answered Bud. "Sounds as though it +might be something hard to swallow, though." +</P> + +<P> +This bit of pleasantry caused a general laugh. The fun continued until +late in the evening. Next morning the camp was astir at an early hour. +</P> + +<P> +The captured horses were found to be considerably subdued after being +roped all night. Bud's first work in the morning, after breakfast, was +to take the two stallions in hand. They were freed of their bonds, and +after a battle during which nearly every member of the party had been +more or less mauled by the spirited beasts, the horse hunters succeeded +in saddling and bridling Satan and the Angel. +</P> + +<P> +Bud Stevens rode them about in turn, to the delight of the Pony Rider +Boys who had never seen such bucking. +</P> + +<P> +"Let me ride now," begged Stacy, after Stevens had to some extent +subdued Satan. +</P> + +<P> +The horseman permitted the lad to take to the saddle, but no sooner had +Chunky done so, than Satan hurled him clear over the corral. Chunky, +nothing daunted, came back smiling and tried it again, this time with +entire success. Satan did not again succeed in unseating him. +</P> + +<P> +Tad mastered the Angel without being thrown, and amid the cheers of the +cowboys, who shouted their approval of his horsemanship. +</P> + +<P> +All was now in readiness for the start of the cowboy band and their +great herd of horses. Stevens had directed his men to take the two +stallions outside the corral and stake them down securely. Then the +men began driving the rest of the captured stock from the canvas +prison. At first the animals evinced an inclination to run away. But +with one leg in a sling this was not an easy task, and the horsemen +rounded up the bunch with little difficulty. +</P> + +<P> +"Here, here!" cried Tad. "You're forgetting the stallions, Mr. +Stevens. You've left them staked down out back of the corral." +</P> + +<P> +"Have I?" grinned Bud. "What did you want me to do with them?" +</P> + +<P> +"Take them with you, of course," answered Tad, as yet failing to +understand the horse-hunter's plan. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't you want them, kiddie?" +</P> + +<P> +"Want them—want them?" stammered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. They're yours, yours and the fat boy's." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, no, no, Mr. Stevens! I couldn't think of such a thing." +</P> + +<P> +"Master Tad is right," approved the Professor. "We have not the least +claim in the world on those animals. We——" +</P> + +<P> +"Say, Professor, who's running this side show?" demanded Bud. +</P> + +<P> +"Why—why, of course it's your hunt, but——" +</P> + +<P> +"All right then, seeing as it's my outfit, I've decided that I don't +want the stallions. Look here! We'd have lost part of that bunch, at +least, if it hadn't been for your kids. Master Tad alone saved the +herd from scattering all over the Ralston Desert. No, sir, I'm getting +off cheaply. The stallions belong to the boys, and that's all there is +to be said. S'long everybody. Come up to Eureka on your way out, and +if I don't cut the town wide open for you, my name ain't Bud Stevens." +</P> + +<P> +With a wave of his sombrero, Bud put spurs to his mount and galloped +away to join his companions, who had started the herd on its way to +Eureka, where the animals were to be shipped East. +</P> + +<P> +Tad and Stacy were too full of surprise to express their feelings. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap20"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XX +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +VISITED BY A HALO +</H4> + +<P> +The Pony Rider Boys turned again to the Desert Maze. A week had +elapsed since Bud Stevens and his party had left them. One evening, +after a hard day in the saddle, the guide was sitting thoughtfully in +his tent, when Professor Zepplin entered. +</P> + +<P> +"Sit down?" asked the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"For a moment only," answered the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Weather's fine to-night." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, even though we have no water to speak of. Do you consider our +situation at all serious, Mr. Parry?" +</P> + +<P> +"Same old story, Professor. Sage brush and alkali. Tanks full one +day, dry the next. There's no accounting for the desert. Every time I +get out of the Desert Maze, as somebody has called it, I chalk down a +mark on the wall." +</P> + +<P> +"I am beginning to understand that it does hold perils of its own," +answered Professor Zepplin, thoughtfully. +</P> + +<P> +"Traveling over the desert is no picnic—that's a fact. Got to take it +as it comes, though. If we go dry one day, most likely we fill up the +next, or the day after that. Don't pay to get down in the mouth and +fret." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I understand all that. But I don't wish to take any great +chances on account of the boys." +</P> + +<P> +"The boys?" Tom Parry laughed. "Don't you worry about them. Those +boys would thrive where a coyote would die at sight of his own eternal +starvation shadow." +</P> + +<P> +The Professor shook his head doubtfully. +</P> + +<P> +"Turn 'em loose on the desert and they'd swim ashore somehow. +Especially young Butler. He's quiet—he doesn't say much, but when he +gets busy there's something doing. For sheer pluck he's got it over +anything I ever saw—like a circus tent. Well, don't lose any sleep +worrying about water. We'll catch a drop or two of dew out of a cactus +plant some of these nights. See you in the morning. Good night," +concluded the guide, rising and knocking the ashes from his pipe on his +boot heel. +</P> + +<P> +They had been working slowly toward the Death Valley region, and water +was becoming more and more scarce as they proceeded. Indeed, the +problem of where to find sufficient water for their needs had become a +serious one. For the last three days all the water holes that the +guide had depended upon to replenish their supply had failed them. +What lay before them none knew. +</P> + +<P> +When the camp awakened, late the next morning, the guide was nowhere to +be seen. His pony likewise had disappeared. But they did not trouble +themselves over Parry's absence, knowing that he had not left them +without good reason and with many a sharp joke at each other's expense +proceeded to get the breakfast ready. They had just sat down to the +table when Tom Parry came riding in, covered with dust. +</P> + +<P> +"Morning, boys. Fine day," he greeted, with his usual inscrutable +smile, which might indicate either good or bad tidings. +</P> + +<P> +"Prospecting?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Taking my morning constitutional. Going to be hot enough to singe the +pin feathers off a bald-headed sage hen to-day," he informed them, +slipping from his saddle. After beating a cloud of alkali dust from +his clothes he joined the party at the breakfast table. +</P> + +<P> +"Find any?" asked Tad, eyeing him inquiringly, for Tad had an idea as +to the object of the guide's early morning ride. +</P> + +<P> +"Nary," was the comprehensive reply. "Have to take a dry shampoo +to-day, I reckon." +</P> + +<P> +"I suppose there is no water in sight yet?" asked the Professor, he not +having caught the meaning of the brief dialogue between Tad and Tom +Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"No, sir. Not yet. We'll be moving as soon as possible after +breakfast. Better use sparingly what little water you have left in +your canteens. You may need it before we strike another water hole," +he advised. +</P> + +<P> +As usual, however, the spirits of the Pony Rider Boys were in no way +affected by the shortage of water. Time enough to worry when their +canteens were dry. These days, Tad and Stacy were occupying all their +spare time in working with the two stallions they had captured. The +Angel, under Tad's kind but determined training, was advancing rapidly +and already had been taught to do a few simple tricks. Stacy, on his +part, was not doing quite so well with Satan. The latter, like his +namesake, was inclined to be vicious, biting and kicking whenever the +evil spirit moved. +</P> + +<P> +Ahead, on all sides of them as the sun rose that morning, lay wide +stretches of gray, dusty soil, blotches of alkali alternating with huge +patches of scattering sage brush, with no living thing in sight. +</P> + +<P> +Overhead burned the blue of a cloudless sky; about them the suffocating +atmosphere of the alkali desert. +</P> + +<P> +It was not a cheerful vista that spread out before the lads. The +ponies, suffering for want of water, took up the day's journey with +evident reluctance. With heads hanging low they dragged themselves +along wearily, half in protest, now and then evincing a sudden desire +to turn about and head for the mountains. +</P> + +<P> +"What ails these bronchos?" grumbled Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess they're afraid of heat prostration," replied Chunky. "Don't +blame them. I'm half baked myself." +</P> + +<P> +"Glad you know what ails you," laughed Ned. "You ought not to feel bad +about that, seeing it's your natural condition." +</P> + +<P> +As they plodded on the guide's eyes were roaming over the plain in +search of telltale marks that would reveal the presence of that of +which they were in most urgent need—water. The landscape, by this +time, had become a white glare, and the blue flannel shirts of the Pony +Riders had changed to a dirty gray as if they had been sprinkled with a +cloud of fine powder. +</P> + +<P> +Their hair, too, was tinged, below the rims of their sombreros, with +the same grayish substance, while their faces were streaked where the +perspiration had trickled down, giving them a most grotesque appearance. +</P> + +<P> +"How do you like it, Chunky?" grinned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I've seen worse in Chillicothe," answered the fat boy airily. +"The dust in Main Street is worse because it's dirtier." +</P> + +<P> +"Judging from the appearance of your face at this minute, I'm obliged +to differ with you," interjected the Professor, his own grim, +dust-stained countenance wrinkling into a half smile. "Do we take a +rest at midday, guide?" +</P> + +<P> +Parry shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"Think we'd better keep going. Only be worse off if we stop now. +Hungry, any of you?" +</P> + +<P> +Stacy made a wry face and felt of his stomach, which action brought a +laugh from the others. +</P> + +<P> +Just then Stacy stiffened, then uttered a loud sneeze that shook him to +his very foundations, causing Satan to jump so suddenly that he nearly +unseated his rider. +</P> + +<P> +"Whew! Thought my head had blown off. Guess we're all getting the +grippe," he grinned, as the others began sneezing. +</P> + +<P> +"Alkali," answered Parry. "You'll like that and the sage brush taste +in your mouth more and more as you get to know them better." +</P> + +<P> +"Excuse me," objected Ned. "I prefer talcum powder for mine, if I've +got to sneeze myself to death on something. What time is it?" +</P> + +<P> +"Dinner time," answered Stacy promptly. "I'll take ice cream." +</P> + +<P> +"Dry toast will be more in your line, I'm thinking," suggested Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Or a sandwich," added Walter humorously. +</P> + +<P> +"Hurrah, fellows! Walt Perkins has cracked a joke at last!" shouted +Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, it was cracked all right," muttered Chunky maliciously. +</P> + +<P> +"Put him out! Put 'em both out!" cried Ned and Tad, while Tom Parry's +stolid face relaxed into a broad smile. +</P> + +<P> +"It appears to me that you young gentlemen are very humorous to-day," +laughed the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"It's dry humor, Professor," retorted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +Tad unslung his lariat. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll rope the next boy who dares say anything like that again," he +threatened. "See, even the burros are ashamed. They're hanging their +heads, they're so humiliated." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't blame them. Mine's swimming from the heat," rejoined the +guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Say, what's that?" demanded Chunky, pointing ahead of him, with a +half-scared expression on his face. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't see anything," answered the other lads. +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky's 'seeing things,'" suggested Ned. +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy was pointing to a bright circle of light that hung over the +desert some five feet from the ground, directly ahead of him. The +peculiar thing about it appeared to be that the circle of light kept +continually moving ahead of him, and at times he caught the colors of +the rainbow in it. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy looked intently, but the bright light hurt his eyes and he was +forced to lower his eyelids a little. This made the circle seem +brighter than before. +</P> + +<P> +Now Professor Zepplin had discovered the peculiar thing. +</P> + +<P> +"What is that—what does it mean, guide?" asked the scientist. +</P> + +<P> +"That—that ring of light?" asked Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"That is a halo, sir." +</P> + +<P> +"A halo?" chorused the boys. +</P> + +<P> +"Must be Chunky's then," suggested Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"I agree with you," added Ned. "But I don't see what right he has to a +halo." +</P> + +<P> +"That particular halo is a very common thing in the Desert Maze," Tom +Parry informed them. "It is caused by heat refraction, or something of +the sort——" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, yes. Oh, yes, I understand," nodded the Professor. "I recall +having heard of something of the kind in hot countries, and——" +</P> + +<P> +"Is this a hot country?" asked Stacy innocently. +</P> + +<P> +"No, you ninny; this is a section of Greenland that's been dropped down +here by an earthquake or something," laughed Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"You're mistaken. It was washed down by the flood," corrected Ned. +</P> + +<P> +All this helped to pass away the hours as well as to make the boys +forget their troubles for the time being. Perhaps the lads did not +fully realize the extent of their predicament. Not so the guide, +however. He knew that they must find water soon. Not many hours would +pass before the stock, unable to stand the strain longer, would give +out, leaving the party in a serious plight. They would then be without +water, and without horses to take them to water. The wild stallions, +however, were accustomed to going without drink for long periods at a +time, so that they were doing much better than the rest of the stock. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry reasoned that they would be able to go through that day and +part of the next without fresh supply, and that no serious consequences +would result from it. Beyond that, he did not attempt to forecast what +the result would be. +</P> + +<P> +Late that afternoon, without having informed his charges, Parry varied +his course, turning more to the west of south, eventually picking up a +copper colored butte that rose out of the desert. Reaching it at last, +Parry dismounted, and, bidding the others wait for him, he climbed up +the rocky sides of the miniature mountain, quirt in hand. +</P> + +<P> +They watched him until he had disappeared around the opposite side of +the butte. When they caught sight of him again Tom had descended to +the desert, and was approaching them along the base of the mountain. +</P> + +<P> +"Anything encouraging?" called the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +Parry shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"Why can't we all go up there and get a breath of fresh air? There +must be some breeze on the top of the mountain," suggested Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"No, I couldn't think of it," replied the guide firmly. +</P> + +<P> +"Why not, please?" asked Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Because you might not come back," replied the guide, with a grim +compression of the lips. +</P> + +<P> +Later, upon being pressed by Tad for his reasons, he confided to the +lad that there were snakes on the butte. He said he did not care to +tell that to the boys, adding that "what they don't know won't hurt +them." +</P> + +<P> +Camp was made at dusk, some five miles further on, much to the relief +of man and beast, for it had been the most trying day they had +experienced. +</P> + +<P> +The boys threw off their sombreros, shaking the dust from their heads. +They then removed their clothes, giving them a thorough beating. After +a brisk rub down with dry bath towels, the lads announced themselves as +ready for supper. +</P> + +<P> +"Our dry spread," Ned Rector called it, for not a drop of anything did +they have to drink. They had drained their canteens of what little +remained in them. +</P> + +<P> +"It isn't good for one to drink with meals anyway," comforted Stacy. +"That's what my uncle's doctor says," he explained, munching his bacon, +forcing it down his parched throat. +</P> + +<P> +Chunky was a philosopher, but he was unaware of the fact. +</P> + +<P> +"That is right. Not until an hour and a half after meals," agreed the +Professor. "I imagine we shall have to wait longer than that this +time." +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind; we'll pull through somehow. We always have," encouraged +Tad cheerfully. "We've gotten out of some pretty tight places, and I +am sure we'll manage to weather this gale in one way or another." +</P> + +<P> +"Gale? Huh! I wish we had a gale to weather," murmured Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Providing it was a wet one," added Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"That's so. Now wouldn't it be fine to have a rainstorm?" agreed Ned, +with enthusiasm. +</P> + +<P> +"We could cuddle in our tents and listen to the raindrops patter on the +roof," suggested Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"No; we'd lie down on our backs outside, open our mouths wide——" +</P> + +<P> +"Like a nest of young robins," laughed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. Only we'd fill our mouths with water instead of——" +</P> + +<P> +"Boys, boys!" warned the Professor. "I fear you are drifting into +questionable dinner topics again." +</P> + +<P> +"Why, we're talking about water, Professor," replied Ned in a tone of +innocent surprise. "Surely you do not object to that?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not so long as you confine your remarks to the subject of water. That +seems to be our principal need at the present time." +</P> + +<P> +"Speaking of water——" began Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"Hold on; is this a story or a joke?" interrupted Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"I heard of a case like ours once," continued the fat boy, without +heeding the interruption. "A party of travelers on the desert found +themselves without water. In the party was a bookkeeper. He was from +the East. Well, they were thinking about dying from thirst. But they +didn't. The bookkeeper saved them." +</P> + +<P> +There was silence in the group for a moment. +</P> + +<P> +"I'll be the goat. How did he save them?" asked Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"He had a fountain pen," replied the fat boy sagely. +</P> + +<P> +"Y-e-o-w!" howled the Pony Rider Boys. "Put him out! Put him out!" +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap21"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XXI +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +OFF ON A DRY TRAIL +</H4> + +<P> +"We shall have to divide up our forces to-day, Professor. We'll make a +desperate effort to find a water hole," announced Tom Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"What do you propose doing? You mean you're going to let us help you?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm glad." +</P> + +<P> +"We'll make a big pull to-day. Should we fail to find water there is +only one thing left for us to do." +</P> + +<P> +"And that?" +</P> + +<P> +"Leave the burros to shift for themselves. We'll head hack toward the +San Antonio Range as fast as the bronchos will carry us. I don't know +whether they'll be equal to the strain or not. If they give out we'll +have to walk, that's all." +</P> + +<P> +"Impossible!" exclaimed the Professor aghast. +</P> + +<P> +"Nothing's impossible when you're up against it. We'll go through with +this, see if we don't. Just keep your nerve, and——" +</P> + +<P> +"But the boys," protested the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Look at them," said Parry. "They're somewhat the worse for wear, it's +true, but they're all right, every single one of them. Boys, come over +here!" +</P> + +<P> +The lads hastened to obey his summons. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it, Mr. Parry?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"We've got to do some real work to-day, boys, and I want you to take a +hand." +</P> + +<P> +"We are ready for anything, sir," spoke up Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I know that," replied Parry; then went on: "This is the +situation. We are without a drop of water. All the water holes that I +have been depending upon are dry and there is no certainty that we +shall find any that are not in the same condition if we continue on our +journey. We can go along for another day, perhaps, so far as we are +concerned." +</P> + +<P> +"But the stock won't," interposed Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"No." +</P> + +<P> +"I noticed this morning that some of the ponies were pretty gaunt in +the flanks." +</P> + +<P> +"Regular scarecrows. We've got to make an organized search for a tank, +and the sooner we begin the better off we'll be—or the worse," added +the guide under his breath. "If we fail, we'll ride all night, taking +the back trail. We ought to hold out long enough to reach the last +water hole we left. Though even that may be dried up by the time we +get to it." +</P> + +<P> +"Then you want us to spread out, as it were, and cover all the +territory about here?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"That's it. You've caught the idea." +</P> + +<P> +Professor Zepplin shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't like the idea. The boys will be lost." +</P> + +<P> +"They mustn't, that's all," replied the guide, with a firm setting of +the lips. "I think we can arrange so they will find their way back to +camp all right. Listen! This is my plan. Master Tad will ride west, +due west. Master Ned, on the other hand, will proceed east, and I'll +go south. Each of us will ride as far as he can until noon. If by +then none of us has found any trace of water, we'll all turn about and +hurry hack to camp." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, but how do you expect the boys to find their way hack?" demanded +Professor Zepplin. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm coming to that. To begin with, I'm going to splice the ridge +poles of the tents together, making a flagpole of them. On this we'll +tie a shirt or something, planting the pole on the top of that ridge +there. While the boys will be too far away to see it from where they +should be by twelve o'clock, they can get near enough, by using their +watches as compasses, so they can pick it up. Each one will take a +rifle with him, and in the event of finding water he is to remain +there, firing off the gun at frequent intervals." +</P> + +<P> +"What'll we be doing here all the time?" interrupted Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Starting at twelve o'clock, you will begin firing a rifle to help +guide the boys in. Fire a shot every five minutes. No chance to get +lost at all. Do you think so, Professor?" +</P> + +<P> +"It would seem not. Did I not know from past experiences how easy it +is for the boys to get into trouble, I should not hesitate an instant." +</P> + +<P> +"Anyway, we've got to do it. We are at a point where we shall have to +take chances. We are taking some as it is. Now, hurry your breakfast. +I'll fix up the signal pole while you are doing so, then we'll be off +as soon as you have finished." +</P> + +<P> +Both Tad and Ned were enthusiastic and anxious to show themselves +capable of taking a man's part in the proposed operations. +</P> + +<P> +"If Chunky only had a fountain pen now all this trouble would be +unnecessary," teased Ned as they were hurrying through their breakfast. +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy's soulful eyes held an expression of mild protest, but he +made no reply. +</P> + +<P> +The meal finished, Tad and Ned brought out their rifles, which they +loaded, taking with them a box of cartridges each. The guide did the +same. The flagpole had been planted and from its top fluttered a pair +of pink pajamas belonging to the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"That ought to scare all the coyotes off the desert," commented Ned as +the party surveyed the result of the guide's work. +</P> + +<P> +"It will serve still another purpose," grinned the guide. "Some +traveler may see it. In that event he'll head for it, thinking it's +some one in distress. If he does, you may be able to get a few drops +of water from his canteen, providing it's not as empty as our own." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, how dry I am," whistled Ned softly. +</P> + +<P> +"There doesn't seem to be much probability of our meeting strangers in +this desolate place," commented the Professor. "What time do you think +we shall see you back? Have you any idea?" +</P> + +<P> +"Somewhere about sunset, in all probability." +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to go along with Tad," said Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Why—no, I think you'd better not," said the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"Please. I know I shall be able to help him. You do not need two boys +in camp with you, Professor." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; he might as well go along, if he wants to," decided the guide. +</P> + +<P> +"Very well, then. But Walter must remain here." +</P> + +<P> +"Use your old ponies. Do not take the stallions," advised Parry. "If +the stallions were to get away from you while you are off on the desert +alone it would leave you, and perhaps us as well, in pretty bad shape. +And, by the way, Professor, when you begin firing your signals, go to +the top of the hill yonder and shoot straight up into the air. The +sound will carry further than were you to shoot from here. You've no +idea how perplexing this Desert Maze is to those not familiar with it +and its tricks." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm learning fast," smiled the Professor. "Furthermore, I am +convinced that I shall know all about it if I live long——" +</P> + +<P> +"Never," answered Parry promptly. "No man ever lived who knew all +about the desert. I——" +</P> + +<P> +"If we rough riders don't get started pretty soon we'll be back before +we get started," warned Stacy humorously. +</P> + +<P> +"You're right. We are wasting time. Now, Masters Tad and Ned, you +understand what you are to do?" +</P> + +<P> +"We do," answered the boys. +</P> + +<P> +"Follow my directions to the letter. If you do you will keep out of +trouble. If you do not, there's no telling what may happen." +</P> + +<P> +"We are to find water. That's what we are going out for," added Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Exactly. But the instant you hear a gun fired, turn about and ride +home. That will mean either that the time's up, or that one or the +other of us has found what you are looking for. Keep your eyes clear +for signs and for crusts of alkali that may have a water tank under +them." +</P> + +<P> +"We'll do our duty, Mr. Parry," answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I know it. Good-bye and good luck!" +</P> + +<P> +The three lads swung their hands in parting salute, as they left the +camp at an easy gallop, Tad and Stacy riding side by side, Ned Rector +moving off alone. Ascending the rise of ground where the pajamas were +drooping listlessly from the top of the signal pole, Tad and Stacy +slipped down the opposite side of the hill and disappeared from view. +</P> + +<P> +The two lads were destined to pass through some exciting experiences +before they rejoined their companions. +</P> + +<P> +"I hope we don't get lost," said Stacy, apprehensively, as they glided +across the desert. +</P> + +<P> +"We mustn't!" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; but what if we do?" insisted the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"It will be because you disobeyed orders, Chunky. You and I have a +task to perform, and we're going to do it like men. The lives of our +companions may depend upon our own efforts—yours and mine." +</P> + +<P> +"I can't see the Professor's pajamas," insisted Chunky. "I believe we +are lost already, Tad." +</P> + +<P> +"Then we'll stay lost," answered Tad shortly. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap22"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XXII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE +</H4> + +<P> +The conviction that they did not know where they were grew upon Stacy +as they proceeded. Not that Stacy cared particularly whether they were +lost or not, but it gave him something to talk about. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't talk so much, Chunky," begged Tad, after they had gone on some +distance. "You should keep your eyes out for signs." +</P> + +<P> +"What kind of signs?" +</P> + +<P> +"Water signs. Come, be serious for a little while. You can have all +the sport you want when we get back. I think, Chunky, that we can both +work to better advantage if we separate——" +</P> + +<P> +"What, you want to get rid of me so soon?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, no! Listen! You ride off there to the right, say half a mile. +Keep within sight of me all the time, and watch carefully for what we +are in search of. We shall be able to do twice as effective work in +that way." +</P> + +<P> +"I see. I guess that would be a good idea. Got anything to eat in +your pocket?" +</P> + +<P> +"Some dry bread. I'll divide with you. You should have brought +something." +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy, well satisfied now, rode away to the north, munching the +dry food that Tad had given him. So long as Chunky had plenty to eat, +nothing else mattered. +</P> + +<P> +Tad soon espied what appeared to him to be a cloud on the horizon +ahead. After a time he discovered that it was a range of irregular +buttes. On some of them he eventually made out what looked like +scattering trees. Tad increased the speed of his pony as much as he +thought the animal would stand. If there were trees, there surely +should be water as well, he reasoned. After a time he succeeded in +attracting the attention of Stacy, whom he motioned to him. +</P> + +<P> +The fat boy put spurs to his mount, racing along one side of the +triangle, heading for the range, for which he observed that Tad was +riding. It was now a test of speed to see which one should get there +first. Tad having the shorter distance to travel, made the mark ahead +of his companion, though with little to spare. +</P> + +<P> +"You started before I knew what you were up to," laughed Stacy. "I can +beat you on an even start." +</P> + +<P> +"Haven't any doubt of it, Chunky. But let's see what's to be found +here. It looks promising. You hold the horses while I climb up among +the rocks." +</P> + +<P> +"There's a man up there!" exclaimed Stacy. "What's he doing? I wonder +if he's a hermit? Looks as if he might be." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll find out. If some one is living here, there's water," cried Tad +triumphantly, leaping from his saddle and tossing the bridle reins to +his companion. +</P> + +<P> +The lad ran lightly up the rocks toward the point where he saw the +stranger standing, observing them suspiciously. As he drew nearer to +the figure, Tad felt some apprehension. The man was thin and gaunt, a +heavy growth of beard covering his face so completely as to hide +everything except the nose and eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"I believe he's crazy," muttered the lad, when he got near enough to +note the strange expression in the fellow's eyes. As yet, the man had +not spoken a word. +</P> + +<P> +"How do you do, sir!" greeted the boy. +</P> + +<P> +The hermit, for such he proved to be, grunted an unintelligible reply. +</P> + +<P> +"We are looking for water. My friends are camped off yonder, a dozen +miles or more, and our water is all gone. Please tell me where I can +find some?" +</P> + +<P> +"Got money?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, yes, I've got money. I will pay you for your trouble if that is +what you want. Let me have a drink first and take some to my +companion; then I will do whatever you wish in the way of paying," +begged the lad. +</P> + +<P> +The hermit eyed him with a steady, disconcerting gaze that gave Tad a +creepy feeling up and down his spine. +</P> + +<P> +"You want water?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, yes." +</P> + +<P> +A moment's hesitation, then the hermit grasped Tad by the arm and +strode rapidly back among the rocks. Pushing aside a growth of tangled +vines he stooped to enable him to enter the opening that was revealed, +dragging Tad in after him. +</P> + +<A NAME="img-225"></A> +<CENTER> +<IMG CLASS="imgcenter" SRC="images/img-225.jpg" ALT="The Hermit Grasped Tad by the Arm." BORDER="2"> +<H4 CLASS="h4center"> +The Hermit Grasped Tad by the Arm. +</H4> +</CENTER> + +<P> +"See here, where are you taking me?" demanded the lad, pulling back +instinctively from the dark opening. +</P> + +<P> +The hermit made no reply, but tightening his grip, which was of +vise-like firmness, jerked the boy into the center of the chamber. Tad +observed by the single ray of light that penetrated the place through +the mat of vines at the entrance that they were in a cave. +</P> + +<P> +"You want water?" snapped the hermit. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I do want water more than anything else in the world at this +minute, but there is no necessity for dragging me to it. I can walk." +</P> + +<P> +"Water in there," answered the hermit, thrusting Tad into a dark +recess. No sooner had he done so than the lad heard a heavy wooden +door slammed shut and a bar thrown across it from the outside. +</P> + +<P> +Tad, instantly realizing that he was being shut in, threw himself +against the barrier with all his strength. But he might as well have +tried to break through the rocks which walled him in on the other three +sides. He shouted at the top of his voice, hoping that Chunky might, +perchance, hear him and come to his rescue. Chunky could use the rifle +that hung in the holster on Tad's saddle and intimidate the hermit if +he understood Tad's predicament. +</P> + +<P> +At that instant the lad's ears caught the faint trickle of water. The +sound stirred him to sudden action. "Where was it?" he asked himself, +his hands groping over the rocks about him. +</P> + +<P> +"Here it is!" he cried exultingly. +</P> + +<P> +What he had found was a tiny stream that was creeping down the side of +the rocks. Tad pressed his lips against the cool stones, enabling him +to lick a few drops of the precious fluid into his parched mouth. +Never had anything tasted so refreshing to him. +</P> + +<P> +"A-h-h-h-h!" gasped the boy, taking a fresh breath preparatory to +another draught. "It's almost worth being made a prisoner for this. +I'll bet Chunky would wish to be in here if he knew. And I almost wish +he were." +</P> + +<P> +As if in answer to his expressed wish, the door was suddenly pushed +inward, a heavy body was hurled in, landing in a heap on the rocky +floor. +</P> + +<P> +The door slammed shut and the bar once more fell into place. +</P> + +<P> +For the moment Tad could not determine what had happened. +</P> + +<P> +"I—I fell in," moaned a voice from the heap. +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky!" cried Tad. "How did you get in here?" +</P> + +<P> +"I—just dropped in," wailed the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Get up! Don't be a baby! Come here and have a drink of water——" +</P> + +<P> +"Water? Water?" fairly shouted Stacy, leaping to his feet, bumping +against a rock in his haste. "Where? Where?" +</P> + +<P> +"Here. Put your lips against the rock right here. There, you have it. +Does it taste good?" +</P> + +<P> +"U-m-m-m." +</P> + +<P> +"Now, you've had enough for the moment. Tell me how you got here? How +did you happen to come up?" questioned Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"The—the wild man—say, Tad, he looks like a monkey, doesn't he?" +</P> + +<P> +"I hadn't thought of it in that light. I guess you're right, though, +Chunky." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, he went out on the rocks and motioned to me. I told him I +couldn't leave the ponies. He said you wanted me right away, and he +came down to help me stake the ponies. He was awful kind," mused +Stacy, as if talking to himself. +</P> + +<P> +"Go on," urged Tad. "We've got to think about what's going to become +of us." +</P> + +<P> +"That's all. He just led me up here. Said you were inside getting +water. Then—then he threw me in. Think I hurt the floor when I hit +it, Tad?" +</P> + +<P> +"I guess not quite so bad as that," laughed the lad. "I want you to +strike a match while I look around the place." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy did so, taking his time about it. By the dim light thus made, +they discovered a little pool of water in a far corner of the chamber, +where the trickling stream had found it's way. With their drinking +cups, which, with their canteens, the boys always carried, they dipped +the pool almost dry, filling their canteens with the cool, refreshing +water, after having first fully satisfied their thirst. +</P> + +<P> +"Got anything to eat?" questioned Stacy, his thoughts turning to food. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, and I'm going to keep it," answered Tad promptly. +</P> + +<P> +"That's mean." +</P> + +<P> +"See here, Chunky. We are prisoners. We don't know when or how we are +going to get out. I have a few crusts of bread left and I propose to +keep them, because we may find ourselves starving later on. You'll be +glad then that I saved the bread. What do you think the hermit intends +to do? Did he say anything that gave you any clue?" +</P> + +<P> +"Nope." +</P> + +<P> +"We'll wait a while and if he does not let us out, we'll have to find a +way for ourselves." +</P> + +<P> +For a time they made the best of their situation, Stacy grumbling now +and then, Tad bright and cheery, though in his heart he felt far from +cheerful. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm going to try to break the door down," announced Tad finally, after +listening intently. "I can't hear anything. I believe the hermit has +gone away and left us. Get up here beside me. Take hold of my hand +and we'll rush it together." +</P> + +<P> +They did so, throwing their combined weight against the door. +</P> + +<P> +"Ouch!" yelled Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind, try it again," encouraged Tad, laughing in spite of +himself. +</P> + +<P> +Once more they hurled themselves on the obstruction. It resisted all +their efforts. Tad lighted a match, examining the door carefully. The +light revealed a heap of blankets in a corner of the chamber, where the +old hermit slept. +</P> + +<P> +"Must be his bedroom," decided Chunky. +</P> + +<P> +"We've got to try something else," announced Tad. "Got your knife!" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes." +</P> + +<P> +"Out with it. We're going to whittle. Lucky for us that our knives +are big and sharp. Hold a match while I mark out the spot we're going +to try to cut out." +</P> + +<P> +Tad had sounded the door with his fist until he found the place where +the bar on the other side held it. He also discovered sockets for an +inner bar, by which the hermit probably locked himself in at night. +Then he began cutting. +</P> + +<P> +"You start in here and keep to your side so you don't cut my hands," +the lad directed. +</P> + +<P> +The crunching sound of their knives began immediately, the work going +on more slowly in the darkness than would have been the case had they +had light. Now and then the lads would pause to listen. Not a sound +penetrated to their prison. Tad thought this very strange, unless +perhaps the hermit might be lying in wait to fall upon them in case +they did succeed in freeing themselves. +</P> + +<P> +"Say, Tad." +</P> + +<P> +"Well?" +</P> + +<P> +"I've got an idea." Chunky's knife had been silent for a few moments. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" +</P> + +<P> +"Let's burn down the old door." +</P> + +<P> +"How!" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll show you." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy scraped industriously for a time, then lighting a match applied +it to the spot on which he had been working. The splinters caught fire +burned up briskly then went out. Stacy repeated the process with a +similar result. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess that will help a little," decided Tad, running his fingers +over the spot. +</P> + +<P> +"Just like singeing the pin feathers off an old hen—the feathers burn, +but the hen doesn't," grumbled Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"Whew! the smoke's getting thick in here. We've got to stop the +burning or we'll suffocate," warned Tad. "Wish I had an ax. I'd make +short work of the old door." +</P> + +<P> +They then began working with a grim determination, Stacy ceasing his +joking. At last a tiny ray of light showed through the heavy door. +</P> + +<P> +"Hurrah!" shouted Tad. "I see daylight." +</P> + +<P> +"Then give me some bread. I'm hungry." +</P> + +<P> +"Not yet. We're not out of our prison," laughed Tad. "Keep cutting. +It will take all of an hour to make an opening large enough for me to +get my hand through——" +</P> + +<P> +"I got my finger through," cried Stacy triumphantly. "Ouch!" he yelled +as a club of some sort was brought against the door on the outside with +terrific force, bruising the end of the lad's finger. +</P> + +<P> +"The hermit is out there waiting for us!" gasped Tad, with sinking +heart. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap23"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XXIII +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE +</H4> + +<P> +A rifle shot sounded from the camp of the Pony Rider Boys. At regular +intervals shot followed shot. +</P> + +<P> +It was the warning signal agreed upon to notify the others that water +had been found. Ned Rector had ridden into camp with the joyful +tidings that he had discovered a water tank about three miles to the +eastward. Immediately Walter sprang for his rifle, and running to the +top of the little hill began shooting into the air. Ned, in the +meantime, not waiting for the return of the others, had fetched the +water-bags from the burros, and started off at a rapid pace to bring +back water for the stock. His canteen he left for Professor Zepplin +and Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"It's horrible stuff, but it is water," breathed the Professor as he +swallowed the brown alkali fluid. "If ever I get a drink of real water +again, I know I shall be able to appreciate it." +</P> + +<P> +In the meantime Walter's rifle was booming its warning over the desert +maze. +</P> + +<P> +Two hours later, Tom Parry, hot, dusty and well-nigh spent, rode into +camp with the steam rising from his pony in a thin, vaporous cloud. +</P> + +<P> +"Have you found it?" he called hoarsely. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; Ned's found a water hole," the Professor informed him. +</P> + +<P> +"Give me a drink, quick. The alkali's cutting furrows in my throat," +he begged. "Never got such a hold of me before." +</P> + +<P> +The Professor pressed his canteen to the guide's lips, and Parry drank +eagerly. A few moments later he pulled himself together sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm going to take the stock out to the water hole," he announced, +starting the burros off across the desert. "I'll water the stallions +when I return." +</P> + +<P> +"You had better let me attend to that," protested the Professor. +"You're in no shape to go out in the sun again." +</P> + +<P> +"That's all right, Professor. But tell me how I am going to get out of +the sun?" begged Parry, with a grim smile. +</P> + +<P> +"The tent——" +</P> + +<P> +"Hotter than the sun. No, I guess I can stand it if those boys are +able to. By the way, have you seen anything of the other two?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll ascertain if Walter has discovered them yet." +</P> + +<P> +Walter's straining eyes had failed to make out Tad and Stacy, however, +so the Professor bade him continue firing his rifle. This was a +pleasant occupation for Walter, for, like his companions, next to a +pony he loved a gun. +</P> + +<P> +Ned had returned with the water-bags, and Parry had finished watering +the stock. It was now near sunset. +</P> + +<P> +"No signs yet?" questioned the guide, joining Walter on the knoll. +</P> + +<P> +"Not a thing." +</P> + +<P> +"That doesn't seem right. Stop your firing and come get some supper. +We must eat and put ourselves in shape or we'll be good for nothing. +Did those boys take any food with them?" +</P> + +<P> +"I think I saw Tad stowing something in his pockets before he started. +I'm sure I did," spoke up Ned Rector. +</P> + +<P> +"There's a lad who knows his business," approved Parry, moving toward +the camp with Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"Why have you discontinued the shooting?" demanded the Professor in +surprise. +</P> + +<P> +"To eat. Half an hour's intermission will make little difference. If +the lads are on their way, we'll be able to call them in before it gets +dark. If not, then I shall go out to look for them. They're all +right. I think you need feel no concern over them." +</P> + +<P> +"Must have gone a long way," spoke up Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, they undoubtedly followed orders." +</P> + +<P> +"And perhaps exceeded them," added the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +It was a real supper that they sat down to that evening, with hot +coffee, fried bacon and other good things, and the party would have +been a jolly one had Tad and Stacy been on hand to participate in it. +</P> + +<P> +Walter hurried through his meal, then took his position on the hill +once more, where he renewed his signaling with the rifle. +</P> + +<P> +All at once he uttered a shout, following it with a quick volley of six +shots, thus emptying his magazine. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you see them!" called Parry, hastening over to the knoll, and +joining Walter. +</P> + +<P> +"I think I see a cloud of dust approaching over the desert," he made +reply. +</P> + +<P> +"Where?" +</P> + +<P> +Walter pointed with his rifle. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, that's the boys, I guess. Nothing but a broncho could kick up +the alkali like that. I'll go back and have their supper ready. You +keep on shooting. The light is growing fainter and they won't be able +to find their way in otherwise." +</P> + +<P> +"Is it the boys?" called the Professor, as they saw Parry hastening +toward them. +</P> + +<P> +"I think so. Put the coffee on, Master Ned. They'll want to boil the +alkali out of their systems as soon as they get here." +</P> + +<P> +"That's the time Tad Butler got left," chuckled Ned Rector. "He's +always been around when there was any glory coming. But when it comes +to finding water where there isn't any, I guess they can't beat Ned +Rector." +</P> + +<P> +"What's that boy shooting so rapidly for?" asked Parry. +</P> + +<P> +"He's excited about something," answered Ned. "He's dancing around as +if he's suddenly gone crazy. What's that? He's calling and motioning +to us. Guess he wants you, Mr. Parry." +</P> + +<P> +"What is it!" called the guide, making a megaphone of his hands. +</P> + +<P> +Unable to make out what it was that Walter was shouting to him, Tom +Parry deserted the camp-fire, where he was assisting to get the second +supper, and hastened to the knoll. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the trouble, my lad?" +</P> + +<P> +"Come and see. I want you to take a look at that pony. He's tearing +across the desert as if something were chasing him. But I can't make +out anyone on his back." +</P> + +<P> +"The light is weak and he's throwing a lot of dust. Of course there's +some one his back, and there must be two horses." +</P> + +<P> +The guide shaded his hands, gazing off across the plain. +</P> + +<P> +"What—what——" he stammered. +</P> + +<P> +"Wasn't I right, Mr. Parry?" +</P> + +<P> +"That's very strange. I don't understand it at all." +</P> + +<P> +"That's what I thought." +</P> + +<P> +"There's only one pony and he's riderless," exclaimed Tom Parry. "I'm +afraid something has happened. It may not be one of our ponies, +however. We'll know in a few minutes." +</P> + +<P> +The running animal was drawing steadily nearer the camp. Those over by +the camp-fire were busy getting the meal ready for the two missing +lads. The pony reached the foot of the knoll. Observing Parry and +Walter there, the little animal shied, making a wide detour, and +finally galloping up to the camp. +</P> + +<P> +Walter and the guide hurried down. +</P> + +<P> +"Hello!" cried the Professor, as he saw the horse dash in. "What does +this mean!" +</P> + +<P> +"Why, it's Tad's pony!" exclaimed Ned in amazement. +</P> + +<P> +"Is that Master Tad's mount?" called the guide as he approached them on +the run. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. Do you think there's anything wrong?" questioned Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"Looks that way. Don't let him get away. I want to look the critter +over. Perhaps we may learn something." +</P> + +<P> +Ned caught the pony without difficulty, and led it to the guide. Parry +went all over the animal, even going through the saddlebags. +</P> + +<P> +"The rifle and the rope are missing. Everything else seems to be in +order," he announced. +</P> + +<P> +"Then I'll guarantee that Tad's all right," spoke up Ned. +</P> + +<P> +"That's what I think," agreed Walter. "He's taken his gun and rope up +into some mountain or other and while he was away the pony got away and +started for home." +</P> + +<P> +"Is that your opinion, Mr. Parry?" questioned the Professor. +</P> + +<P> +"What's the use in offering any opinions? I don't know. But I'm going +to find out. Let's see. We have a new moon to-night. I've got about +two hours before it goes down. I want you all to remain right here in +camp until I return. Even if it's until to-morrow. I'm going out to +look for the boys." +</P> + +<P> +With that Parry hastily filled his canteen, slung one of the bags of +water over the back of his pony, and springing into the saddle dashed +away, following the trail that the returning broncho had left. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap24"></A> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER XXIV +</H3> + +<H4 ALIGN="center"> +CONCLUSION +</H4> + +<P> +"No use trying to go any further to-night, Chunky." +</P> + +<P> +"Where'll we stay, then?" +</P> + +<P> +"Right here, I guess," answered Tad. "It's as good a place as we'll +find." +</P> + +<P> +But to understand this, we must take up the fortunes of Tad and Stacy, +whom we left imprisoned in the hermit's cave. +</P> + +<P> +After waiting for a full hour in the cave, following the hermit's blow +on the door, the lads not having heard anything further of him, had +renewed their whittling. After long and arduous effort they had +succeeded in making an opening in the wood sufficiently large to enable +Tad to push his hand through. +</P> + +<P> +Before doing so, however, he made reasonably sure that the hermit was +not standing there with a club ready to bring it down with crushing +force. +</P> + +<P> +Being satisfied on this point, Tad thrust a hand through. His upturned +hand had grasped the bar that held the door in place. Pushing upward +with all his strength he felt the bar give. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy, with ready resourcefulness, began forcing up on Tad's elbow. In +a moment more they had the satisfaction of hearing the bar clatter to +the rocks. Yet one end of it had stuck in its socket, still holding +the barrier in place. +</P> + +<P> +They tried their former tactics. Backing off, both lads rushed at the +heavy door. It gave way with a suddenness that they had not expected. +The boys tumbled out, each landing on his head and shoulders, then +toppling over to his back. +</P> + +<P> +There was a lively scramble. They were up in a twinkling, fully +expecting to find the hermit standing over them. To their surprise, +they found themselves entirely alone. To their further surprise, +neither of their ponies was in sight when they stepped out on the rocks. +</P> + +<P> +Upon examining the hoof prints a few minutes later they discovered that +one animal had set off on the back trail, while the other had +apparently gone in the opposite direction. +</P> + +<P> +After a brief consultation they decided that they must start back on +foot. Without a moment's hesitation, the lads, laying their course by +Tad's watch, started pluckily toward camp, many miles away. +</P> + +<P> +After a few hours night overtook them. They still had the moon, +however, and by its light they trudged along for two more weary hours. +Then the moon's light left them and Tad decided that it were worse than +useless to continue. +</P> + +<P> +Absolute darkness had settled over the Desert Maze as the boys dropped +down, footsore and weary after their long tramp in the stifling heat. +</P> + +<P> +"Got anything to eat?" asked Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"That I have, and a canteen of water besides. We have a lot to be +thankful for yet, Chunky. Haven't we?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll tell you after I try the bread," answered the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +Tad laughed merrily. +</P> + +<P> +"Always a humorist, aren't you?" +</P> + +<P> +"Except when I fall in somewhere," replied Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"How does the bread go?" +</P> + +<P> +"Fine!" +</P> + +<P> +"Aren't you glad you didn't eat it up back there in the hermit's cave?" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I dunno. If I'd eaten it then, I wouldn't have to eat it now." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, Chunky, you're hopeless. I shall have to give you up——" +</P> + +<P> +"What do you think has become of those ponies?" interrupted the fat boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess they must have gotten away and gone home—at least one of them," +answered Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Wrong." +</P> + +<P> +"Why?" +</P> + +<P> +"One went one way and the other another, didn't he?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. What of that?" +</P> + +<P> +"If they'd gotten away they'd both traveled together. One of them was +ridden away and I'm thinking the hermit was on his back. I'll bet he +carried my broncho off." +</P> + +<P> +"You mean you think your broncho carried him off?" laughed Tad. "I +didn't give you credit for so much sense, Chunky. I guess you are +right at that. The ponies surely would have left together. Seems to +be our luck to lose horses. Guess my gun has gone, too, but I picked +up the rope back by the mountain." +</P> + +<P> +"Glad I didn't bring my rifle along," chuckled Stacy. "I'll bet I'd be +throwing good-bye kisses after it now if I had." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't understand what that old man meant by making us prisoners +unless it was that he wanted a horse to get out of the Desert Maze. If +that was his reason, I don't blame him," laughed Tad. "Mr. Parry did +us a real service when he advised us to leave our stallions back in +camp. They surely would have been gone by this time, and we never +could have caught them again." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes; I can see Satan legging it for the hills," replied Stacy. +"Legging it is his strong point." +</P> + +<P> +They had finished their slender meal by this time and drunk their fill +of water from the canteens. As a result, they felt better than they +had felt at any time during the past three days. +</P> + +<P> +"We have a long, hot walk ahead of us to-morrow, unless they come out +to look for us, Chunky," averred Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. And I love to walk," replied Stacy, with droll humor. +"Especially when the sun is one hundred and fifty in the shade, or +where the shade ought to be. If ever I come down in this baked country +again, I'm going to bring that sweet apple tree out of uncle's orchard, +even if I have to drag it all over the desert with me." +</P> + +<P> +"Think we'd better make our beds and turn in?" suggested Tad. +</P> + +<P> +"I guess. I'll take a drink of water first; then I'm ready." +</P> + +<P> +In a few moments the plucky lads had stretched out on the still hot +ground, without feeling the least fear. They were too self-reliant to +feel any fear, and they had passed so many nights in the open that the +mysterious darkness of the outside world held no terrors for them. +They knew there was nothing to harm them. +</P> + +<P> +Tad was beginning to doze off when Stacy nudged him in the ribs. +</P> + +<P> +"What is it?" asked Tad sharply. +</P> + +<P> +"I think the girl forgot to put a fresh pillow case on my pillow +to-day. The pillow feels awful rough." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, go to sleep. Dream all the funny things you wish to, but don't +bother me till daylight." +</P> + +<P> +From that moment until long past midnight the boys slept soundly, +neither having moved since he lay down for his night's rest. Even when +the coyotes began to howl, off on the desert, the lads merely stirred, +only half conscious of what the sound meant. But when the howls +gradually drew nearer, Chunky cautiously opened one eye. The night was +so dark that he could not see anything about him. +</P> + +<P> +The beasts drew nearer. Tad was awake now. +</P> + +<P> +"Keep still, don't scare them until I give the word," he said in answer +to Stacy's poke. +</P> + +<P> +Emboldened by the quietness, the coyotes kept creeping closer and +closer, their mournful howls increasing in volume every minute. All at +once Tad reached down for his rope. He lay still for a few minutes +until satisfied that the animals had not observed his movement. +Suddenly the great loop shot from his hand. +</P> + +<P> +A quick, violent tug at the other end, a wild, frightened howl from the +cowardly beasts, and all but one, with tails between their legs, fled +over the desert. +</P> + +<P> +"I've got one, Chunky," yelled Tad. "Quick! Help me here, or he'll +get away!" +</P> + +<P> +It required all the strength of the two boys to hold the animal that +Tad had roped in the dark. Gradually they shortened up on the rope, +Tad standing in front of his companion until he felt the animal +dangerously near. Then he let out a swift kick. By good luck, it laid +the coyote flat. +</P> + +<P> +Tad was upon the beast before, in its half-dazed condition, it could +rise. Together they tied the animal's feet, its jaws snapping at them +viciously before their task was completed. +</P> + +<P> +There was no more sleep for the lads that night. They feared the +coyote would gnaw the rope in two, if left alone. All during the night +the boys were obliged continually to jerk on the line about its neck to +keep the beast from doing this very thing. +</P> + +<P> +Morning came at last. Making a harness from a piece of the rope, they +bound up one of the animal's forefeet, just as Bud Stevens had done +with wild horses. Then they released the hind feet. Mr. Coyote hopped +about like a rabbit for a time, snarling and snapping, to their keen +delight. They felt no fear of him, though Mr. Coyote had several times +expressed a willingness to fight his captors. +</P> + +<P> +After eating their remaining crumbs of bread, the boys decided to move +on. Tad, believing that he knew the direction to follow, did not wait +for the sun to rise. Yet, although they were not aware of the fact, +they already had strayed far from the trail. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm afraid the coyote is going to be a drag on us, much as I should +like to take him along," said Tad. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy begged to keep the animal, and Tad decided to try it. The next +question was, how to move it. It was finally decided that one boy +should lead the coyote while the other prodded it from the rear when +the animal lagged. +</P> + +<P> +At noon they halted to rest, draining the last drop from their +canteens. Then they started on again, suffering more and more from the +heat as they proceeded. About the middle of the afternoon Tad halted, +gazing helplessly about him. +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky, we're lost in the Desert Maze. I don't know where I am any +more than if I were in the middle of an ocean. I'm pretty nearly +exhausted, too." +</P> + +<P> +"So's the coyote," comforted Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +"But we've got to keep on going. My watch is missing. I must have +lost it where we slept last night. I can only guess at the direction +we ought to take. Have you any idea where we are?" +</P> + +<P> +Stacy gazed at the sky meditatively. +</P> + +<P> +"On a rough guess, I should say we were on the Nevada Desert." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, come on! Come on!" +</P> + +<P> +Still clinging to the angry coyote, the lads took up their weary tramp. +The baking alkali burned their feet almost to the blistering point; the +burning, withering heat made their heads whirl; the desert began to +perform strange antics, while the halo that they had seen a few days +before again appeared before them, first whirling like a giant pin +wheel, then oscillating in a way that made them giddy. +</P> + +<P> +"Chunky, I can't stand this any longer," cried Tad, suddenly sinking to +the ground. "I'm ashamed of myself to give way like this." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy moved around to the sunny side of his companion, placing his own +body where it would shade Tad's head from the sun. The fat boy took +off his sombrero, unheeding the burning rays that were beating down on +his own head, and began to fan Tad with the hat. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't believe I can go any further, Chunky. You are still in fairly +good shape and you'll be able to make the camp if you go on. Leave me +and make a try for it." +</P> + +<P> +"You—you want me to go on without you? Want me to leave you here +to—Say, Tad, do you think I'm that kind of a coyote? I'd thrash you +for that if you weren't already properly done up. You'll feel better +when night comes and your head gets cooled off. In the morning we'll +make another attempt to get out of the Desert Maze. You lie still, +now." +</P> + +<P> +Thus admonished, Tad closed his eyes. At last the sun went down, and +with its passing, came a breath of refreshing air. They inhaled long +and deeply of it. After a little, Stacy got up. +</P> + +<P> +"Where you going?" demanded Tad, opening his bloodshot eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"Going to tie up my dog, then go to bed." +</P> + +<P> +Five minutes later both were sleeping the sleep that comes from utter +exhaustion of mind and body. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy awakened first, his eyes opening on the burning blue above him. +After a few moments he rolled over on his stomach to gaze at the +coyote. Instantly something else attracted his attention. What he saw +was a crossed stick on a standard. The whole resembled a cross, +standing barely six inches above the ground. +</P> + +<P> +The lad eyed the strange object inquiringly, then wriggled over toward +it. +</P> + +<P> +"Maybe there's water here. I'll see," he muttered. Stacy began +digging industriously with knife and hands. +</P> + +<P> +After a time the knife struck some hard substance. This, upon further +digging, proved to be a bottle. The boy pulled his find out quickly. +</P> + +<P> +"There's a piece of paper in it," he exclaimed in surprise. "Guess +somebody must have thrown it off a sinking desert schooner." +</P> + +<P> +Stacy drew the paper from the bottle. +</P> + +<P> +"'To the lost on the Desert Maze,'" he read "That's me and the coyote. +'Water ten paces to the east. Grass Peak fifteen miles to the east. +Belted Range about eighteen miles west. Cross piece on stick, points +due east and west. A Traveler.'" +</P> + +<P> +With a sharp glance at his sleeping companion, Stacy tramped off ten +paces. There being no sign of water, the lad began stamping about with +his heels. Suddenly the alkali crust gave way beneath him. One leg +went through. He felt it plunge into water. +</P> + +<P> +"Y-e-o-w!" howled Stacy. +</P> + +<P> +Tad Butler scrambled to his feet, rubbing his eyes. +</P> + +<P> +"Water! Water! Water! I fell in!" shrieked the fat boy, dancing +about joyously. "I've found a key to the Desert Maze, and I've +unlocked one blind desert alley with my foot." +</P> + +<P> +The lads drank and drank of the villainous, brown fluid. Then, after +having laved their faces and filled the canteens, they set out on their +journey. Grass Peak was the hill from which the Professor's pajamas +had been unfurled to the idle desert breeze. +</P> + +<P> +Twilight was descending when two gaunt-eyed, hollow-cheeked lads, each +with an arm thrown about the other's waist for support, were described, +staggering across the Desert Maze. Behind then, at the end of a +lariat, slouched a disconsolate, cowardly coyote. +</P> + +<P> +A great shout went up from the camp of the Pony Riders. +</P> + +<P> +They dashed out to meet their exhausted companions. Hoisting the two +boys to their shoulders, they carried them triumphantly to camp. +</P> + +<P> +Tom Parry, the guide, had been thrown by his pony stepping through a +crust on the alkali, and had lain all night on the desert. Next day he +had staggered back to camp, where he found his pony, and after a few +hours' rest had taken up his fruitless search again. +</P> + +<P> +Stacy's pony in the meantime had come in. The boys never knew how the +animals got away, though from the fact that Tad's rifle was missing, it +was believed that the hermit had ridden the pony off, turning it adrift +later. +</P> + +<P> +But the brave lads had found their way through the Desert Maze to camp, +having passed through hardships and perils that would have daunted +stronger and more experienced desert travelers. +</P> + +<P> +Next morning the Pony Rider Boys struck their tents and broke camp. A +few days later they crossed the line into California, where, after +loading their stock and equipment into a large stock car, they started +for the East. +</P> + +<P> +Yet, though their summer vacation was rapidly drawing to a close, the +Pony Rider Boys had not seen the end of their thrilling adventures. +Another exciting trip lay before them; one which was destined to linger +in memory for many years to come. The story of this, the end of the +Silver Trail, will be related in a following volume entitled, "THE PONY +RIDER BOYS IN NEW MEXICO." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<P> +THE END +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<HR> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap25"></A> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Dave Darrin Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>H. Irving Hancock</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 Dave Darrin at Vera Cruz<BR> +2 Dave Darrin on Mediterranean Service<BR> +3 Dave Darrin's South American Cruise<BR> +4 Dave Darrin on the Asiatic Station<BR> +5 Dave Darrin and the German Submarines<BR> +6 Dave Darrin after the Mine Layers<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Aviator Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Captain Frank Cobb</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 Battling the Clouds<BR> +2 An Aviator's Luck<BR> +3 Dangerous Deeds<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Boy Scout Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>George Durston</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 The Boy Scouts in Camp<BR> +2 The Boy Scouts on the Trail<BR> +3 The Boy Scouts to the Rescue<BR> +4 The Boy Scout Aviators<BR> +5 The Boy Scouts Afloat<BR> +6 The Boy Scouts' Victory<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Idle Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 Hilda's Mascot—<I>Ireland</I><BR> +2 Betty the Scribe—<I>Turner</I><BR> +3 Peggy-Alone—<I>Byrne</I><BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Ivy Hall Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Ruth Alberta Brown</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 Tabitha at Ivy Hall<BR> +2 Tabitha's Glory<BR> +3 Tabitha's Vacation<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Peace Greenfield Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Ruth Alberta Brown</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 At the Little Brown House<BR> +2 The Lilac Lady<BR> +3 Heart of Gold<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Pony Rider Boys Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Frank Gee Patchin</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> + 1 The Pony Rider Boys in the Rockies<BR> + 2 The Pony Rider Boys in Texas<BR> + 3 The Pony Rider Boys in Montana<BR> + 4 The Pony Rider Boys in the Ozarks<BR> + 5 The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali<BR> + 6 The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico<BR> + 7 The Pony Rider Boys in the Grand Canyon<BR> + 8 The Pony Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers<BR> + 9 The Pony Rider Boys on the Blue Ridge<BR> +10 The Pony Rider Boys in New England<BR> +11 The Pony Rider Boys in Louisiana<BR> +12 The Pony Rider Boys in Alaska<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Circus Boys Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Edgar B. P. Darlington</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings<BR> +2 The Circus Boys across the Continent<BR> +3 The Circus Boys in Dixie Land<BR> +4 The Circus Boys on the Mississippi<BR> +5 The Circus Boys on the Plains<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +The Battleship Boys Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Frank Gee Patchin</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 The Battleship Boys at Sea<BR> +2 The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward<BR> +3 The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service<BR> +4 The Battleship Boys in the Tropics<BR> +5 The Battleship Boys Under Fire<BR> +6 The Battleship Boys in the Wardroom<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +The Submarine Boys Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>Victor G. Durham</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 The Submarine Boys on Duty<BR> +2 The Submarine Boys' Trial Trip<BR> +3 The Submarine Boys and the Middies<BR> +4 The Submarine Boys and the Spies<BR> +5 The Submarine Boys' Lightning Cruise<BR> +6 The Submarine Boys for the Flag<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Young Engineers Series No. 3 +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +By <I>H. Irving Hancock</I> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +1 The Young Engineers in Colorado<BR> +2 The Young Engineers in Arizona<BR> +3 The Young Engineers in Nevada<BR> +4 The Young Engineers in Mexico<BR> +5 The Young Engineers on the Gulf<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR><BR> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali, by +Frank Gee Patchin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI *** + +***** This file should be named 36423-h.htm or 36423-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/4/2/36423/ + +Produced by Al Haines + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + or, Finding a Key to the Desert Maze + +Author: Frank Gee Patchin + +Release Date: June 13, 2011 [EBook #36423] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI *** + + + + +Produced by Al Haines + + + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Cover art] + + + + + +[Frontispiece: Faster and Faster Danced Ned Rector.] + + + + + +The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + +OR + +Finding a Key to the Desert Maze + + + +By + +FRANK GEE PATCHIN + + + +Author of The Pony Rider Boys in The Rockies, The Pony Rider Boys in +Texas, The Pony Rider Boys in Montana, The Pony Rider Boys in The +Ozarks, Etc., Etc. + + + +Illustrated + + + +THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY + +Akron, Ohio -------- New York + +Made in U. S. A. + + + + +Copyright MCMX + +By THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY + + + + +CONTENTS + + +CHAPTER. + + I. THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL + II. THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP + III. TWISTED BY A TWISTER + IV. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE + V. STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT + VI. BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS + VII. CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF + VIII. NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK + IX. THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER + X. A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER + XI. A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER + XII. RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL + XIII. COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS + XIV. FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS + XV. BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT + XVI. THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS + XVII. ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT + XVIII. ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS + XIX. WINNING THEIR REWARD + XX. VISITED BY A HALO + XXI. OFF ON A DRY TRAIL + XXII. IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE + XXIII. LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE + XXIV. CONCLUSION + + + + +The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL + +"If this is the desert, then I think I prefer mountains," decided Stacy +Brown. + +"It is not the desert. We have not reached it yet. This is the +Diamond Range," replied Tom Parry, who was to guide the Pony Rider Boys +across the great Nevada Desert. "We shall soon be there, however." + +"You'll know the place when you see it, Chunky," said Ned Rector. + +"And feel it, too, I guess," added Tad Butler under his breath. + +"We have the desert on each side of us now," continued the guide. +"Were you to fire a rifle to the right or left, your bullet would fall +on the baking alkali of the desert." + +"Then, if we're so near, why not get out in the open, instead of +floundering through these hills?" questioned Stacy. + +"I'm thinking you'll wish you were back in the hills before many days," +laughed the guide. + +"Mr. Parry has his own reasons for following this trail, Master Stacy," +interposed Professor Zepplin. "We are entirely in his hands and it is +not for us to question the wisdom of his decision." + +The guide nodded. + +Parry was a splendid type of the plainsman of the great West. Tall, +straight, clear-eyed, his bronzed cheeks fairly glistening in the +sunlight, he would have attracted attention anywhere. At present, he +sat on his pony motionless, the broad sombrero tilted upward above his +forehead as he peered into the amber haze that hung over the western +horizon. + +"Yes, we shall reach the desert soon enough. We are heading for the +Newark Valley now, and should be there in time to make camp this +afternoon, providing the weather is satisfactory," announced Parry, +more to himself than to the others. + +"Weather--weather?" stammered Professor Zepplin. "What's the matter +with the weather?" + +"One hundred in the shade. Isn't that matter enough?" grunted Stacy. + +"How do you know, Chunky? You haven't seen any shade to-day," demanded +Ned Rector. "There isn't a patch of shade as large as a man's hand in +this whole country, so far as I have been able to observe." + +"And still less in the country we are about to enter," added the guide. + +Tad Butler, however, had been observing the guide keenly. Though the +lad had asked no questions, he had caught a note of anxiety in the +tone, as well as in the apprehensive glances that Parry kept +continually casting to the westward. The guide, catching Tad's +inquiring look, smiled and nodded. + +"You should always keep your eyes on the weather in this country, +especially when on the alkali," he told the boy after the party had +started on again. + +"Why more there than elsewhere, Mr. Parry?" + +"Because storms here are frequently attended with no little peril. +You'll see some of them, no doubt, before we reach the end of our +journey, and you will wish you hadn't." + +"But there's no sign of storm now," protested Tad. + +"Perhaps not to you, young man. Do you see that haze settling down +like a fog on the western horizon?" + +"Yes, I've been looking at it--a golden fog." + +The guide smiled grimly. + +"I wouldn't call it exactly golden. I should call it fiery," said the +guide. + +"Has it any particular meaning?" + +"May mean most anything. Means storm of some kind--perhaps rain, and +maybe wind. If it passes, we'll drop out of here and make camp on the +desert to-night." + +"That will be fine," said Tad. "We are all crazy for the desert. +Since we started out on our trips, last spring, we have experienced +almost everything that could happen to us on mountain and plain----" + +"But not including the desert?" + +"No." + +"You'll find it different; very different." + +"I suppose you know every foot of it--in fact its every mood, do you +not?" questioned Tad. + +The guide, for the moment lost in thought, finally turned to the lad +again. + +"Moods, did you say? Well, that describes it. The desert is as moody +as an old hen with a brood of chickens. Know the Nevada Desert? +Sometimes I think I do; then again, I know I don't." + +"But you could not get lost----" + +"I have," smiled the guide. "I've been wandering about the alkali for +days without being able to find my way back. If you are able to read +trails and the droop of the scattering sage brush you will have made a +long stride toward knowing your way about the desert." + +"I don't understand," wondered the lad. + +"No; of course not. It's a long story, but when we have time I will +initiate you into the mysteries of reading the desert signs. The west +is clearing up. That's good," the guide exclaimed in a relieved tone. + +"Which means that we go on?" + +"Yes." + +"Are we turning off into the desert, did you say?" asked Walter +Perkins, with sparkling eyes. + +"Well, not just yet, Master Walter. We shall have to refill our +water-bags before leaving the range. I take it, you boys would not +care to be without water?" + +"No, I guess not. But where are you going to get it?" asked Ned. + +"About a mile further on there should be a mountain stream. There will +not be much water in it just now, but we shall be able to fill our bags +and water the stock, I guess." + +"Hooray!" shouted the boys. + +"The call of the desert is stronger than ever," averred Tad. + +"You are not the first ones who have felt that way, young man. 'The +call of the desert,' as you put it, has lured many a poor victim to his +death. Water is the all important thing when on a journey of this +kind, and we shall have to be vigilant that we do not allow ourselves +to be without it." + +As the guide had said, the stream, when they finally came up with it +more than two hours later, was a mere rivulet. + +"Call that a stream?" sniffed Stacy. + +"No, it's a freshet," replied Ned Rector. "You might take a swim in it +were it not for the danger of drowning." + +"How are we going to get any water unless we dip it up with a spoon?" +asked Tad. + +"I'll show you," smiled the guide, dismounting. + +Already the stock had sniffed the presence of water, even though there +was so little of it. The ponies chafed at their bits and snorted, +while the burros of the pack train tossed their heads in their +impatience. + +"I used to have a plaything that worked just like the heads of those +lazy burros," Stacy informed his companions wisely. + +"That's about your gait," growled Ned. + +"You didn't think so when he saved our lives in the Ruby Mountain," +reminded Tad. + +"That's right, Ned," confirmed Walter. "Don't be ungrateful for small +favors." + +"I apologize, Master Chunky," announced Ned, removing his sombrero and +unbending in a ceremonious bow to the fat boy. + +"We will now make a water hole. Come along if you wish to know how it +is done," called the guide. + +Leading the ponies and pack animals down along the slender water course +until they had reached a natural pocket, the guide halted. With a +rubber blanket he formed a basin in the depression in the rocks through +which the water had been trickling and losing itself far down in the +earth. Two of the Pony Rider Boys held the blanket in place while it +was slowly filling with water. + +"Now, Master Stacy, if you will be good enough to fetch one of your +pails we will water the stock first." + +Stacy did so. To save time, Walter brought another pail, so that this +could be filled while his companion was giving the water to one of +their animals. + +It was a slow process; and, by the time the six ponies and four burros +had drunk their fill, something more than an hour had passed. By this +time the rubber blanket had been thoroughly cleaned by constant rubbing. + +"Bring on the canteens and water-bags," directed Tom Parry. "We'll +have water enough to carry us through a few days of desert life, at any +rate. Load the burros down." + +The animals now having satisfied their thirst were nibbling gingerly at +the scant growth of sage brush. It was not a tender morsel at any +time, but from that time on they would be obliged to subsist almost +entirely on the bitter stuff. + +"Have you boys filled up?" asked Tom, looking about. "Better drink +enough to last you for the rest of the day. We shall have to use our +water sparingly for a time now. Take on a supply while you have the +chance." + +"How about you, Chunky?" laughed Ned Rector. + +"Think I'm a camel?" demanded Stacy, with an air of indignation. + +"Now, will you be good, Ned Rector?" laughed Tad. + +Even the stolid face of the guide relaxed in a broad smile of amusement. + +"Then, if you are all supplied, we had better be on our way. If we are +going to camp on the alkali to-night we shall have to make time between +this and sundown. It's about three hours high." + +With a whoop and a hurrah, the boys swung into their saddles, heading +joyously for the Newark Valley and the silent, mysterious desert that +in the dim, misty past had been a great inland sea. + +Readers of the preceding volumes of this series will recall how the +Pony Rider Boys came to spend their summer vacation on horseback, under +the guardianship of Walter Perkins' tutor, Professor Zepplin. With a +capable mountain guide, their first journey was through the wildest +part of the Rocky Mountains, where they met with a series of rousing +adventures and hair-breadth escapes--experiences calculated to try the +stoutest hearts. It was here that the young explorers hunted big +game--here that they discovered a valuable mine that had been the goal +of prospectors for many years past. + +All this was outlined in the first volume of the series, "THE PONY +RIDER BOYS IN THE ROCKIES." In the second volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS +IN TEXAS," was narrated how the four lads joined in a cattle drive +across the plains of Texas, becoming real cowboys. Being by this time +well hardened physically, they were able to do men's work in rounding +up the stampeding cattle, which led them into many thrilling +adventures. It will be recalled, too, how, during a visit to the +mysterious church of San Miguel, the Pony Rider Boys solved the veiled +riddle of the plains, which marked the end of the most eventful journey +of their lives. In the third volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN MONTANA," +we find the plucky lads following the old Custer trail over mountain +and plain. It will be remembered how Tad Butler, while chasing a bear +that had disturbed their camp, overheard a plot to stampede and +slaughter the herd of sheep belonging to a rancher whom they knew; how +the lad managed to escape from the men who sought his life; his +eventual capture by the Blackfeet Indians, his escape, and the final +solving of the mystery of the old Custer trail, during which the boys +were in the thick of a battle between cowboys and sheep herders. In +the volume preceding the present one the Pony Rider Boys were once more +in the saddle in search of further adventure. In "THE PONY RIDER BOYS +IN THE OZARKS," they met with a series of disasters and exciting +experiences which tested their courage almost to the breaking point. +They were beset by a band of robbers, who stole their ponies. Nearly +all the party, one by one, was lost in the fastnesses of the Ozark +wilderness. It will be recalled how the boys, during a visit to the +Red Star Mine, were caught in a wreck far underground; how a car of +dynamite exploded, making them prisoners in a rocky tomb, and how, +after being rescued by a mountain girl, they discovered the real secret +of the Ruby Mountain, narrowly escaping with their lives in doing so. +No sooner had they brought this eventful trip to a close than they set +out to face the perils of the great, silent desert of Nevada. + +They were almost upon it now. Its spell was upon them and the lads +fell silent as they waited anxiously for the first sight of the land +which they had journeyed so far to gaze upon. + +They had not long to wait after leaving the water hole where they had +replenished their supply. + +The guide at last rode out upon a rocky promontory, where he halted, +waiting for the others of the party to come up with him. + +"Where's the desert--is that it?" demanded Ned, riding up beside him. + +The guide raised his hand in a sweeping gesture. + +"The desert lies before you," he answered, his eyes traveling +meditatively over the miles of waste and mottled landscape. + +A brazen glare lay over the scene, while up from the white alkali flats +rose a wave of heat that was suffocating. Old, dried-up water sinks +lay white and glistening here and there, framed by vast areas of sage +brush, while on beyond in the blue distance lay miles and miles of +monotonous, billowing hills and mountains. + +"Whew!" gasped Chunky, mopping the perspiration from his brow. "This +is somewhat hotter than Chillicothe, Missouri. I wish I had a cake of +ice to put under my hat." + +"Beautiful! Grand!" murmured Professor Zepplin. + +"Reminds me of a Turkish bath I was in once in St. Louis," added Ned. + +Tad Butler was silent. He was too profoundly impressed even to speak; +and even the guide, familiar as he was with the scene, was silent and +thoughtful, too. He understood full well the perils, the pitfalls for +the unwary, that lay along the pathway of those who sought to traverse +that barren waste. + +At last he turned to Professor Zepplin. + +"Shall we move?" he asked. + +The Professor nodded. + +"One of you boys get behind the burros and start them along, please," +requested the guide. + +Stacy Brown complied gleefully. No more pleasant task could have been +assigned to him than that of prodding the lazy pack-bearers. + +"Forward!" commanded Tom Parry. + +The boys clucked to their ponies. + +Not an animal moved. + +Surprised, the lads brought their spurs against the flanks that they +could feel were trembling a little. + +A strange, unlooked for thing occurred. + +With whinnies of terror the little animals reared and plunged. Before +their puzzled riders could control them every pony in the outfit had +whirled suddenly and began plunging along on the back trail. + +A chorus of "whoa's" rose from the Pony Rider Boys. Quirt and spur +were used freely, and firm hands on the bridle reins quickly checked +the sudden rush. By dint of force and persuasion the boys finally +succeeded in forcing their mounts back. That is, all had done so save +Stacy Brown. His pony was spinning like a top, while Stacy red-faced +and perspiring was uttering loud, angry shouts, driving in spur and +raining quick, short blows on the animal's rump. + +The burros had moved just far enough away to be out of reach of Stacy's +plunging animal. + +At last it threw itself violently to the ground. Stacy, by a +remarkably lively jump, cleared his falling mount, but not a second too +soon to save himself from being pinned beneath it. + +He sat down on the animal's head, puffing from his exertions. After a +minute, during which the other boys laughed so heartily that their own +ponies nearly got the better of them again, Stacy rose and began +prodding his mount with the end of the quirt, urging it to get up again. + +But the pony refused to budge. + +"He's 'hog-tied,'" nodded the guide, riding up. "Let him stay there +till he gets ready to move. No use trying to hurry the beast. He's +too much scared." + +"Scared at what?" questioned Stacy, looking up apprehensively. + +"Yes; that's what I'd like to know?" agreed Ned. "I don't see anything +that looks like a scare." + +The guide was looking down at the animal pityingly, Tad thought. + +"What are they so frightened at, Mr. Parry?" asked the lad. + +"My boy, they are afraid of the desert," replied the guide solemnly. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP + +"The desert?" the Pony Riders gasped in chorus. + +"Yes. It is not an uncommon thing. They seem to realize instinctively +that there is danger off there. Even in animals that never have been +near the desert you will find the same inborn dread of the alkali +flats. And I don't know that I blame them any." + +"But is my broncho going to lie here all day?" queried Chunky. "If +that's his idea I might as well give him another argument that will +make him change his mind." + +"Let him alone. He'll be better off if you do not force him. When he +gets up be gentle but firm with him." + +"That's the strangest thing I ever saw," said Tad quietly. + +"Most remarkable," agreed the Professor. + +The faces of the boys were serious. They too began to perceive the +feeling that had stirred the ponies to resist when turned toward the +silent plains that lay spread for mile upon mile before them. + +After a few minutes Stacy's pony scrambled to its feet. The lad was in +the saddle in a twinkling. + +"Now, I guess you'll go where I want you to. Whoa! Quit that +b-b-b-b-bucking." + +The animal had gone into a series of jolting bucks, with back arched +and head well down. The fat boy held his seat well. His face was red +and streaked with perspiration which ran down it in tiny rivulets under +the violent exercise to which he had just been subjected. + +The boys forgot the serious side of the incident in their enjoyment of +their companion's discomfiture. + +Tom Parry gazed upon the scene with more than ordinary curiosity. It +was the first opportunity he had had of observing a Pony Rider Boy in +action. At that moment Stacy Brown was most distinctly in action. +Most of the time there was a broad patch of daylight under him, and +when he hit the saddle it was with a jolt that seemed as if it must jar +his head from his body. + +"Put some salt on his tail," suggested Ned Rector. + +"Y-y-y-you do it," gasped Chunky, which brought a roar of laughter from +the whole party. + +"Yes, why don't you?" teased Tad. "It's the only way you can make +good." + +"Salting down horse is not my business," laughed Ned. + +All at once the pony whirled, heading down the mountain side with a +disconcerting rush that nearly brought disaster upon its rider. + +With a shout the rest of the boys urged their mounts into a jog-trot +and followed on down the trail as fast as they dared, for the descent +was steep and dangerous. + +"He'll break his neck!" cried the Professor. + +"After that bucking I'm sure Chunky's neck is too well fastened to come +off," laughed Tad. + +Stacy was out of sight. They could hear him yelling at his broncho, so +they knew he was still in the saddle and right side up. The other +ponies, apparently having forgotten their fear, were following the +leader willingly now. + +All at once they saw lad and mount burst into view on the plain below. + +"He's on the desert!" shouted Tad. + +Laughing and shouting words of encouragement to the fat boy, the Pony +Riders hastened to the base of the hill. Stacy Brown was still busily +engaged trying to subdue his pony, though some of the lads shrewdly +suspected that their companion was urging the animal on in order to +show off his horsemanship. + +In a moment more they, too, were in difficulties. No sooner had their +bronchos set foot on the desert than a sudden panic once more possessed +them. Professor Zepplin's pony whirled on its haunches, then began +climbing the rocks, with the agility of a squirrel. + +The others, however, had troubles of their own, which saved the +Professor from being laughed at. The animals seemed determined not to +be forced to go on, and it required severe measures to induce them to +take up the desert trail. Tom Parry's mount did not exhibit the same +fear as did the others. Still, it gave him more or less trouble, +appearing to be excited, in spite of itself, by the actions of its +companions. + +At last they succeeded in lining the animals up in an orderly +formation. Their next move was to get the burros moving along ahead of +them. The way being open and level there was no necessity for leading +the pack animals now. These could take care of themselves without +danger to the outfit. + +"And this is the desert!" marveled the Professor. + +"It is," smiled the guide. + +"Looks to me more like a landscape of German measles," averred Stacy, +as they moved along through scattering sage brush and open sandy +stretches. + +Now that they had reached the plain itself, they discovered that it was +not one level stretch of land. Instead, the country was rolling; here +and there were wide reaches of whitish desert sands and alkali sinks. +The atmosphere was like an oven. Not a breath of air was stirring. +Already the lads were mopping their brows and fanning their faces with +their sombreros, while spots of dark shining moisture on the ponies' +sides bore evidence that they, too, felt the baking heat. + +"I say, fellows, let's find some shade," called Stacy. + +"All right, go ahead and we'll follow," laughed Tad. + +"I'll ride up to the top of that knoll and make an observation." + +Tom Parry smiled appreciatively as the lad galloped up the sharp rise +of ground, where Chunky sat on his pony, shading his eyes as he gazed +off over the cheerless desert. + +"Well, how about that shade?" shouted Ned. + +Stacy turned disconsolately and rode back to his companions. + +"There isn't any," he said. + +"Of course not," laughed Ned. + +"But I know how to make some," added the fat boy. + +Slipping from his pony he cut some sage brush, which he fashioned about +his head in the shape of a hood, so that it gave his perspiring face +some protection from the intense glare of the sun. + +"Now, all you need is a strip of mosquito netting," suggested Walter. + +"And a little red rocking chair," added Ned. + +"With a dish of ice cream," laughed Tad. + +"I guess you will have to be satisfied with a cup of alkali water," +interjected the Professor, dryly. + +"You will find the air much cooler, shortly," the guide advised them. +"The sun is going down now and I think we had better make camp, if the +Professor has no objections." + +"Not in the least. In fact, I am quite ready to call it a day's work." + +"Where do we camp, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. + +"Right here. It is as good a place as any that we shall find. There +is little choice out here." + +They were now in a broad valley, the rolling hills covered with a +sparse growth of sage brush rising gradually on each side. + +The boys threw themselves from their ponies gladly, stripping the +saddles from the animals' backs. + +"Better stake the animals down, for the first two or three nights, so +they won't take French leave," advised the guide. + +"How about the burros?" asked Tad. + +"Let them roam. They'll stay as long as the ponies are here. The pack +animals will fill up on sage, after which they will come back to camp +to sleep." + +All hands began to unpack. The tents were pitched in record time, cots +unfolded and preparations for the night made with a skill that comes +from long practice in the open. + +"What are we to do for a camp-fire?" asked Walter. "There is not a +single stick of wood about here." + +"Burn the sage," answered the guide. + +"That stuff won't burn," retorted Ned. + +"Try it." + +They did. In an incredibly short time a hot fire was blazing up, on +which they piled armfuls of the stunted desert growth. + +"Now, get your food ready and I will cook it," said Parry, as the +flames began to die down. + +When the fire had settled to a bed of hot ashes Tom thrust the bacon +directly into the ashes, placing the coffee pot near the center, around +and on top of which he heaped the ashes. It was a new method of +preparing a meal, and the lads watched the process with keen interest. + +"I shouldn't think that bacon would be fit to eat. However, I presume +you know what you are doing," said the Professor. + +"It's the only way, sir," replied Parry. "We have to work with the +implements that nature has provided." + +"Nature must have been in a stingy mood when she made this country," +laughed Ned. + +"I don't agree with you," said Tad. "It is the most beautiful and +interesting scene that I have ever looked upon." + +Parry nodded approvingly. + +"And as fickle as it is beautiful," added the guide. "The supper will +be ready by the time you have the table set, boys." + +In spite of the heat the lads realized all at once that their appetites +had not suffered. Bacon, jelly and biscuits, which had been warmed +over the ashes, seemed to them to have reached the proportions of a +banquet. + +Stacy helped himself to a large slice of bacon which he proceeded to +munch. No sooner had he begun, however, than he made a wry face. + +"What's the matter. Isn't the bacon all right?" asked the guide. + +"Awful! Somebody's trying to poison me," Chunky shouted, red in the +face. + +"Must have a brown taste in your mouth,' laughed Ned. + +"What's the trouble----" began the Professor. "Good gracious, there is +something the matter with the stuff. Ugh! Never tasted such bitter +stuff. Did you purchase this meat in a reliable place, Mr. Parry!" + +The guide smiled good-naturedly. + +"The bacon is all right, sir. It's the sage brush taint that you get." + +"The what?" + +"Sage brush. The same taste will be in everything you eat out in this +country--that and the alkali." + +"Then I starve," announced Stacy, firmly, laying down his fork and +folding his arms. + +"Any time you starve it'll be because there is nothing to eat," +retorted Ned. + +"You'll all get used to the taste after you have been out a few days," +comforted the guide. + +"Never!" shouted Stacy. + +"I rather like the peculiar taste," smiled Tad Butler. + +"Good as a tonic," spoke up Walter. + +Thus encouraged Stacy tried it again, at first nibbling gingerly at the +bacon, then attacking it boldly. Even the Professor, after a time, +appeared to forget the bitterness of the food, passing his plate for +more. + +Tom Parry smiled indulgently. + +"You'll all like it after a while," he nodded. + +"I'm sure I'll have to take back some sage brush with me to flavor my +food after we leave the desert," scoffed Ned. + +Supper finished the dishes were cleared away, after which the party +threw themselves down beside the camp-fire in keen enjoyment of the +hour. The evening was delightfully cool, with not a trace of the +baking heat of the day. + +"Doesn't seem possible that there could be such a change in the +temperature in so short a time," marveled the Professor. + +"It is the mood of the desert," answered the guide. + +"What time do we start in the morning?" interrupted Tad, approaching +them at that moment. + +"I was just about to suggest that we break camp at daylight, traveling +until the sun gets hot. We can then pitch a tent or two during the +middle of the day, and rest for a few hours." + +"Why not keep on all day?" asked the lad. + +"It would prove too great a strain--both on man and beast. At noon we +will eat a cold lunch, as too much food in this heat is not good for +us. You will find the temperature rising as you get further south, and +the hardships increasing in proportion." + +"We shall not fall by the wayside," laughed the boy. + +"No; I am convinced of that. You lads are as tough as pine knots, but +you will need all the endurance you have for this trip." + +"If we are going to turn out so early, I think you boys had better go +to bed pretty soon," advised the Professor. + +"That's why I asked you, sir. I rather thought Mr. Parry would wish to +make an early start in the morning. I'll see to the ponies; then I'll +go to bed." + +"Never mind the ponies. I'll look after them," answered Parry. + +"That boy is a splendid type," he continued to the Professor, after Tad +had walked away from them to notify his companions of the plans for the +morrow. + +"They all are," answered the Professor. + +"Yes, I have been observing them all day. To tell the truth I was +rather doubtful about the wisdom of taking a number of boys across the +desert. It's bad enough for men well hardened to the work." + +"I trust your apprehension no longer exists," smiled the Professor. + +"Not a trace of it left," replied Parry, with a hearty laugh. "Young +Brown handled that bucking pony splendidly this afternoon. He's a good +horseman for a boy." + +"Master Tad is a better one. You'll agree with me if you get an +opportunity to see him in any work that's worth while." + +"Well, good night, boys," called the Professor, as he saw the lads +moving toward their tents. + +"Good night, Professor, sleep tight," they shouted merrily altogether. +"Good night, Mr. Parry. We'll be up with the birds." + +"Birds," sniffed Stacy. "A tough old hen couldn't live out on this +desert." + +In a short time the camp settled down to sleep. The guide, with a last +look about and a long, comprehensive study of the sky, sought his own +tent, where in a few moments he, too, was sound asleep. + +After a time the moon came up, in the light of which the weather-beaten +tents of the Pony Rider Boys were mere specks on the vast expanse of +desert. + +Not a sound disturbed the quiet scene. However, had any of the +occupants of the little tents been awake, they might have observed a +thin, fog-like film drifting across the sky from the southwest. On and +on it came until finally it had blanketed the moon, casting a veil over +the landscape. + +Other sheets of film arose from out the southwest, placing layer after +layer over the fast fading moon, until finally it was obliterated +altogether. + +The desert was working out another of its mysterious phases, but none +in the camp of the Pony Riders were awake to observe it. + +A dense pall of blackness now hovered over the southwest. + +All at once a squirming streak of lightning wriggled along the horizon, +like a golden serpent, losing itself by a downward plunge into the +black abyss beyond the desert. + +The air grew suddenly hot and depressing, while a gentle breeze stirred +the sage brush on the higher places. The ponies moved restlessly in +their sleep, kicking out a foot now and then, as if in protest at some +disturbing presence. + +Tad Butler, ever on the alert, roused himself, and stepping out in his +pajamas took a survey of the heavens. + +"I guess we're going to have a storm," he muttered. "I wonder if I +ought to wake Mr. Parry? He thought, this afternoon, that there was a +storm brewing. Still, there's nothing he can do. The tents are staked +down as securely as is possible. No, I guess I'll go back to bed." + +The lad did so, and after a few moments of wakefulness, dropped off +into a sound sleep. + +A few moments later the breeze increased, picking up little patches of +sand, which it hurled into the air, scattering the particles over a +wide area. Far down to the southwest a low roar might have been heard, +and from the blackness there a funnel-shaped cloud detached itself, +starting slantingly over the desert. It appeared to be following a +northerly course, more or less irregularly, and from its direction, +should pass some miles to the westward of the sleeping camp. + +Whirling, diving, swooping here and there, lifting great patches of +sand and hurling them far up into the clouds, the funnel swept on. + +Suddenly, when about three miles to the southwest of the camp, it +seemed to pause hesitatingly; and then, as if all at once having +descried the little group of tents, started swaying, tottering toward +them. As it moved the disturbing roar continued to increase in volume. + +Tad Butler heard it now. + +He slipped from his tent and stood listening apprehensively. + +"I think that means trouble," he said to himself. The hot, oppressive +air felt like a blast from an open furnace door. "It's coming this +way," he continued. + +The lad bounded to the tent of the guide. Slipping inside he laid a +hand on Parry's shoulder. + +The guide was up like a flash. + +"What is it?" he demanded sharply. + +"It's I, Tad Butler. I think there is a bad storm coming----" + +"I hear it," snapped Parry, springing from his blankets. He was out in +the open in a twinkling, with Tad Butler close upon his heels. + +For a moment the guide stood with head inclined, listening intently. + +"Bad one, isn't it?" questioned the lad. + +"Yes." + +"Do you think it is coming this way?" + +"I can't be sure. Wait; don't wake them yet," he whispered, raising a +restraining hand. "Yes, here it comes! It's a cyclone. Quick, get +them out of their tents!" + +Almost before the words were out of his mouth the funnel swooped down +into the broad sage-sprinkled draw, setting its deadly coils over the +camp of the Pony Rider Boys. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +TWISTED BY A TWISTER + +"Turn out!" bellowed the guide, his voice faintly heard above the roar +of the storm. + +"Run for your lives!" piped the shrill voice of Tad Butler. + +"Flat on the ground, every one of you!" commanded the guide. + +All the warnings had come a few seconds too late. Ere the boys had +awakened sufficiently to realize what was wanted of them there sounded +above the roar a report like that of a cannon. + +The tents were lifted from over the startled Pony Riders and hurled +high into the air. A cloud of sand swept over the boys like an +avalanche, burying them, suffocating them, while the resistless coils +of the funnel picked them out of the drift and cast them far from the +spot where but a few minutes before they had been sleeping so +peacefully. + +Above the roar they heard the shrill voice of Stacy Brown. + +"W-o-o-ow!" he shrieked. His voice appeared to be somewhere in the air +over their heads. + +Blankets, trappings, together with all the other belongings of the +party, shot up into the black funnel and disappeared, while the ponies +strained at their tethers, floundering, kicking where they had been +hurled on their backs, screaming with fright. + +The mad medley continued for only a few seconds, though to the +unfortunate lads it seemed to have been tumbling them about for hours. + +As suddenly as it had appeared the funnel tore itself from the camp and +went roaring off into the hills to the northward. + +Staggering to his feet, some distance from where he had been caught, +the guide rubbed the sand from his eyes and mouth and stood gasping for +breath. + +An impressive silence had settled over the scene. + +"Hallo, the camp!" he shouted when he had cleared his mouth +sufficiently to enable him to do so. + +"Hello!" answered Tad Butler far to the right. + +"Are the others with you?" + +"I don't know." + +One by one the others of the party straggled to their feet, choking and +coughing. + +As if to mock them, the moon suddenly burst forth, shedding a brilliant +light over the scene which a few moments before had been the center of +a whirling, devastating cyclone. + +Not a speck of anything save the white, glistening sand of the desert +remained to mark the spot where the camp of the Pony Rider Boys had +stood. + +They gathered shivering in their pajamas, looking fearsomely into each +others' eyes, still dazed from the shock and the fright of their +experience. + +"Wha--what was it?" stammered Walter Perkins. + +"A genuine twister," laughed the guide. + +"Twister?" questioned the Professor. "Cyclone, you mean?" + +"Yes." + +"It was awful," breathed Walter. + +"All our things gone, too," mourned Ned ruefully. + +"You should be thankful that you are alive," chided the Professor. + +"How about the ponies?" questioned Walter. + +"They're over there. More scared than hurt, I guess." + +"But Chunky--where's Chunky? He isn't here!" cried Tad, suddenly +realizing that Stacy Brown was not with them. + +"Chunky?" wondered the others. + +"Why, I thought he was here a moment ago," said Walter in an alarmed +tone. "What can have become of him?" + +"Probably went up with the twister," suggested Ned. + +"Yes, I heard his voice and it seemed to be right over my head," nodded +Tad. "We must look for him." + +The lads set up a shout as they started running about + +"Better look for him that way," directed the guide, motioning in the +direction that the funnel had taken after wrecking their camp. + +The boys spread out, calling and searching excitedly over the sand, +peering into the sage brush and cactus shadows. But not a trace of +Stacy Brown did they find, until they had gone some distance from camp. + +A faint call at last answered their hail. + +"Hooray! We've got him!" shouted Walter. + +"Where are you, Chunky?" called Tad, hurrying forward. + +"Here." + +"Are you all right?" + +"No, I'm dead." + +The boys could afford to laugh now, and they did, after calling back to +the camp that they had found the missing one. + +Half buried in a sand drift they located him. Stacy's head and one +foot were protruding above the sand, the only parts of his anatomy that +were visible above the heap of white sand beneath which he had been +buried. + +The Pony Riders could not repress a shout when they came up with young +Brown and understood his predicament. + +"Get me out of here." + +"No; you're dead. You stay where you are," retorted Ned. + +Tad, however, grasped the foot that was sticking up through the sand, +and with a mighty tug hauled Chunky right through the heap, choking, +coughing and sputtering angrily, to the accompaniment of roars of +laughter from his companions. + +Ned grabbed the boy by the collar, shaking him until the sand flew like +spray. + +"Wake up! Wake up! How did you get here?" demanded Ned. + +"I--I don't know. I--I guess I fell in." + +"You fell up this time. That's a new trick you've developed. Well, +it's safer. You won't get hurt falling up, but look out when you +strike the back trail." + +"Wha--what happened?" asked the fat boy peevishly. + +"Everything," laughed Tad. "We got caught in a cyclone. We don't know +whether you were rolled along with it or carried here. Which was it?" + +"I guess I flied," decided Stacy humorously. "But I came down so hard +that it knocked all the breath out of me. Where's the camp?" + +The boys laughed. + +"Ask the wind," replied Ned. "We don't know. Come! We'd better be +getting back." + +"Yee, I reckon there will be plenty for us to do," agreed Tad. "Can +you walk all right, Chunky?" + +"I guess so." + +"Why not fly? It's easier and quicker. Chunky doesn't need a flying +machine. He's the original human heavier-than-air-machine," averred +Ned. + +The guide had by this time gathered a heap of sage brush, to which he +touched a match, that they might the better examine their surroundings. + +"Anything left?" called Tad, as with his companions he approached the +camp. + +"I don't see anything but the saddles and the rifles." + +"What, everything gone?" demanded Professor Zepplin anxiously. + +"It certainly looks that way." + +"Where's my pants?" wailed Chunky. + +"All 'pants' have gone up," chuckled Ned. + +"And so have provisions and everything else so far as I am able to +observe," added Tad. + +"Then--then we've got to cross the desert in our pajamas," mourned +Walter. + +They looked at each other questioningly; then the entire party burst +out laughing. They were all arrayed in pink night clothes. Not a +stitch of clothing beyond these pajamas did any of them have. + +"We must look about and see if we can find any of the stuff," decided +Parry, his mind turning at once to the practical side of their +predicament. "I hope we find the food at least." + +"Yes, I'm hungry," spoke up Stacy. + +"No wonder, after the shaking up you've had," agreed the Professor. +"Guide, where do you think we'll find our belongings?" + +"You are lucky if you find them at all. More than likely they are +scattered over the Diamond Range for half a dozen miles." + +"May--maybe it'll come back and bring our pants," suggested Chunky, at +which there was a loud protest. + +All hands formed in line, and with the guide to pilot them, started off +in their bare feet, hoping to find some of their belongings. Stacy +made the first find. He picked up a can of tomatoes. Ned Rector +rescued a can of pickled pigs' feet from the shadow of a sage brush, +while their guide discovered a sombrero that belonged to Stacy Brown. + +But that was all. They traveled nearly to the foot of the mountains, +yet not a scrap did they discover beyond what they already had picked +up. + +"No use going any further," announced the guide. + +"Well, this is a fine predicament," decided Professor Zepplin. + +"Nice mess," agreed Ned Rector. + +"I want my pants," wailed Stacy. + +"You'll want more than that. Look at the guide, if you think you are +in difficulties," grinned Tad. + +All eyes were turned on Tom Parry. Then they uttered a shout that +might have been heard far off on the silent desert. The guide was clad +only in a blue flannel shirt and a sombrero. He was in an even worse +predicament than the party that he was guiding. + +Minutes passed before the boys could control their merriment +sufficiently to permit a discussion of their situation. + +Tom Parry took their joking good-naturedly. He was too old a +campaigner to be greatly disturbed over his own laughable condition. + +"Something must be done," announced the Professor, after the laughter +had subsided. "What do you propose, Mr. Parry?" + +"Well, in the first place, like our friend, Master Stacy Brown, I want +a pair of pants. I can't very well cross the desert in this rig." + +Once more their laughter drowned the voices of the guide and the +Professor. + +"Is there no town near here where we can get a fresh outfit? I am +thankful that I kept my money belt strapped about me. We should be in +a tight fix, had I lost the funds, too," said the Professor. + +"I have been considering what is best to be done," replied Parry. "I +see no other way than that we shall have to ride to Eureka. That is a +railroad terminal and quite a town. I am sure we shall be able to get +there all we need for our journey. It will prove a little more +expensive than in a larger city, however." + +"No question of expense just now," answered the Professor. "Will it be +necessary for all of us to go?" + +"I think it will be best. I don't care to leave any of the party +behind. One never can tell what is going to happen, you know." + +"So I have observed," commented the Professor dryly. + +"How far is Eureka from here?" questioned Tad. + +"Between twenty-five and thirty miles. The town lies to the northwest. +If it were not for the pack train we could make it quickly, but we +shall have to move rather slowly on the burros' account." + +"Then why not start at once?" suggested Tad Butler. "The moon is +shining brightly and the air is cool. That is, if you can find the +way?" + +"No trouble about that," grinned Parry. "Your suggestion is a good +one. We'll start just as soon as I can get ready." + +"I don't see anything left here to get ready," laughed Ned. + +"You will excuse me, gentlemen, but there is something that I shall +have to get ready," replied the guide with a peculiar smile. + +"What's that?" demanded the Professor. + +"I've got to take a double reef in my shirt before I can go anywhere, +except to bed." + +The boys shouted again. + +Tom Parry hurried off beyond the ponies, where he was engaged for +several minutes. When he returned they discovered that he had taken +off his shirt. First he had cut off the sleeves, and by thrusting his +feet through the arm holes had made for himself a very substantial pair +of trunks. This odd outfit he had made fast about his waist with a +thong of leather that he had cut from a bridle rein. This, with the +broad-brimmed sombrero, completed his outfit. + +The sight was too much for the Pony Rider Boys. They shouted peal +after peal of merriment, in which the Professor joined, though in a +somewhat more dignified manner. + +Tom Parry's mouth was stretched in a grin as he got busy saddling the +ponies and urging the sleepy burros to their feet. + +"I think we are all ready now," the guide called back to the others. + +With many a shout and jest the strange procession started off across +the desert, under the brightly shining moon, the cool evening breezes +making their scanty covering none too comfortable. + +The boys devoted the greater part of their attention to the Professor +and Tom Parry, both of whom were riding as dignifiedly as if they were +leading a parade at a Fourth of July celebration. Every little while +the boys, unable to contain themselves longer, would burst out into +merry peals of laughter. + +"Hope it doesn't snow," said Stacy Brown wisely. + +"No," retorted Ned. "The colors in your pajamas might run." + +"That's where the guide has the better of us," retorted Tad a little +maliciously, which brought still another laugh from the boys. + +"Say, fellows, this saddle is getting harder every minute," called +Chunky, who was riding back and forth behind the pack train, urging on +the burros. + +"Stand up in your stirrups now and then," suggested Tad. + +"What, in my bare feet?" yelled the fat boy. "Think I want to get +pancake feet?" + +"Chunky's getting aristocratic," jeered Ned. "He's so proud of those +high insteps of his that he has to take off his shoes every little +while to look at his feet. He's afraid they'll cave in some time when +he isn't looking." + +Daylight came all too soon, and following it the sun burst forth in a +blaze of heat. Ahead of them across the desert they were able to make +out the town of Eureka. + +"Say, Mr. Parry, aren't you afraid this sunlight will spoil your +complexion?" called Ned. + +The guide grinned good-naturedly. + +"Never mind," he retorted. "Your turn will come pretty soon, young +man." + +Ned Rector did not catch the significance of the remark just then, but +he understood a few hours later. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE + +"You are not going to ride into town in daylight, are you?" demanded +Ned in surprise. + +Though they had sighted the town of Eureka early in the morning, it was +well along in the afternoon before they finally came up with it. +Desert distances are deceptive and the further they journeyed the less +headway did they seem to be making. This surprised all save the guide. + +Parry explained to them that the clear air brought distant objects much +closer than they really were. + +"We are going into town exactly as we are," replied the guide in answer +to Ned's question. "Why not?" + +"Well, maybe you are, but I'm not," returned Ned. + +"It may improve your complexion, young man," retorted Mr. Parry. + +"I'll stay out here and hide on the desert while the rest of you go on +in," said Ned. + +"No, you don't," shouted the lads all at once. "You go willingly or we +carry you." + +They gathered around him threateningly. + +"If you want a mix-up, we're here," warned Chunky, pushing his pony up +beside that of Ned Rector. + +Ned, forgetting for the instant that he was in his bare feet, let drive +a kick at the side of Stacy's pony. + +"Ouch!" roared Ned. + +Jerking the injured toe up to the saddle, he grabbed it with both +hands, rocking back and forth, for his foot had struck the pony with +such violence that it is a wonder every toe on the foot was not broken. + +"Did 'oo hurt 'oo little tootsie-wootsies?" cooed Chunky, with a +grimace. + +Ned Rector, forgetting the pain for the instant, made a quick grab for +his tormentor. He just barely reached the sleeve of Chunky's pajamas. +But his sudden movement caused the fat boy's pony to leap suddenly to +one side. + +Ned landed on his head and shoulders in the desert sand, feet kicking +the air, to the accompaniment of yells of derision from his companions. + +With red face and angry eyes, the lad scrambled to his feet and started +limping to his pony, which had sprung to one side, where it stood, +evidently wondering what next was about to happen. + +"I'll get even with you, Chunky Brown," Ned growled, as he climbed into +his saddle. + +"Now, now, Ned!" warned the boys. "Take your medicine like a man. +Chunky never got mad when you nagged him." + +"I'll get even with him. I'll----" + +Tad rode up beside the angry lad. + +"Ned, you'll do nothing of the sort," said the boy gently. "You're +mad, now, because your toes hurt. When they stop aching your temper +will improve at the same time." + +"Oh, pshaw! Stop your preaching. Of course it will. I'm a grouch. I +take back all I said just now. Chunky, when these toes get +straightened out--they're all crooked now--I'll come over and hobnob +with you. I deserve all you can give me." + +"You bet you do," chorused the lads. + +"Stop teasing him," commanded Stacy, with well-feigned indignation. +"Can't you see his toes hurt him?" + +The incident was lost sight of in the general laugh that followed. The +others were beginning to appreciate that Stacy Brown possessed a tongue +as sharp as any of them. + +Ned now offered no further protest to entering the village, but it was +observed that he dropped back behind the others as they reached the +outskirts of the town. + +Tom Parry and Professor Zepplin were riding ahead, one in pajamas, the +other clad in trunks--which resembled a meal sack--a sombrero hat and a +sardonic grin of defiance. The others trailed along behind. + +Not one of the party glanced to the right or left of him, except Stacy +Brown, who could scarcely contain his bubbling spirits. + +"They'll think it's some new kind of a menagerie come to town," he +confided to Tad, who was riding beside him. + +"Then I hope they don't shoot the animals," laughed Tad. + +By this time they had entered the main street, down which they rode at +a pace that the burros could follow. People passing along the street +paused and gazed in unfeigned astonishment at the strange procession +which they saw approaching. + +The most conspicuous of them all was Tom Parry. He was a sight to +behold, but not one whit did he care for the amazed stares that greeted +his strange outfit. + +Soon the grins of the populace gave place to yells of derision. + +"Look at the purty boy with the pink toes there behind," shouted one, +pointing to Ned Rector. + +Ned's face went crimson. + +"Now, aren't you glad you didn't lose the tootsie-wootsies?" teased +Chunky. + +Ned made no reply, but it boded ill for any of his tormentors who got +within reach of his long arms. Already more than a hundred persons had +turned to follow the strange outfit. This number was being rapidly +added to as they proceeded. + +"For goodness' sake, how much further have we to go?" begged Ned. + +"The general store is down at the end of the street," the guide +informed him. "I presume you want to get some clothes the first thing?" + +"I should say so." + +A whoop and a yell sounded far down the street. + +"Here's trouble," muttered Tad, instantly recognizing the cowboy yell. + +A band of them at that instant swung around a corner, straightening out +in the main street, letting go a volley of revolver shots into the air. +The band had come to town with a shipment of wild horses that had been +captured among the desert ranges. They had been in Eureka for +twenty-four hours and were by this time ready for whatever might turn +up. The horsemen clad in pink pajamas attracted their attention at +once. Here was fair game. + +"Who-o-o-o-p-e-e-e!" + +The shrill cry sent a shiver to the hearts of the boys. It was not a +shiver of fear, either. + +In a moment more the Pony Rider Boys were the center of a ring of +racing ponies, as the horse-hunters dashed round and round, yelling +like mad and firing off their revolvers. + +"Oh, see that purty boy with the pink toes!" jeered one. + +"Give him the tenderfoot dance," yelled another. "He ought to be able +to dance the fairy lancers on them pinkies." + +Ned did not dare refuse. He slipped from his pony, and, limping to the +center of the ring which the racing ponies had formed about them, began +to dance as the bullets from the revolvers of the cowboys struck the +ground, sending up little clouds of dust under his feet. Faster and +faster barked the guns, and faster and faster danced Ned Rector. + +Stacy Brown was almost beside himself with joy. + +"Better look out, or you'll be doing it next," warned Tad. + +Evidently the cowboys had not recognized Tom Parry as yet. He might be +the next victim. + +Finally Tad rode his pony forward, right through the fire of the +skylarking cowboys. + +"I guess you've had enough fun with him, fellows," he warned. "Let up +now." + +A jeering laugh greeted the lad's command. Their attention was +instantly turned to him. + +"Get off that broncho and give us a dance, young fellow," they shouted. + +"Thank you, I'm not dancing to-day," smiled Tad Butler. + +"Ain't dancing? We'll see about that. Come off that nag." + +Tad shook his head. At that instant a rope squirmed through the air +from a moving pony. Butler threw himself to one side just in time to +avoid it. The lad's eyes snapped. + +"Guess I'll take a hand in this, too," he growled. + +The lad unlimbered his rope in a twinkling and let fly at the cowboy +who had just sought to rope him. With unerring aim Tad's lariat caught +the left hind foot of the cowman's broncho. Pony and rider went down +like a flash. + +Instantly there was a loud uproar. The horse-hunters yelled with +delight; at least all of them save the cowboy who had bit the dust, and +he sprang up, bellowing with rage, as he made for the grinning Tad. + +Tom Parry decided that it was time for him to take a hand. + +The guide jumped his pony between Tad and the angry cowboy. + +"That'll do, Bud! You stop right where you are!" Tom commanded. + +"But the miserable coyote roped me." + +"You tried to rope him first." + +"It's Tom Parry," shouted the cowmen. "Hey, Tom! Them's a fine suit +of clothes you've got on there. Where'd you get them?" + +"Call off Bud and I'll tell you," grinned Tom, "He's got no reason to +interfere with my boys here." + +Laughing uproariously, the cowboys forced their bronchos between Bud +and the others, cutting him off and bidding him attend to his own +business. Then the cowmen halted their ponies, after closing in about +the Pony Rider Boys, while Tom Parry related the experiences they had +passed through on the previous night. + +"Come along. We'll take you to a place where you can get all the pants +you want," shouted the leader of the party, after Tom had finished his +story. + +The cowboys wheeled their ponies and the procession moved on down the +street. They had discovered that the Pony Rider Boys were not the band +of tenderfeet that they had at first taken them for. + +Arriving at the store, the lads lost no time in leaping from their +ponies, which they tethered at the rail in front, and hurried into the +store. This was a postoffice as well as general trading post. + +Half the town, it seemed, had gathered outside the building to get a +look at the nearly naked strangers who had ridden in a short time +before. But once inside the store, the boys did not propose to exhibit +themselves further if it were possible to avoid it. + +An entire new outfit was necessary--tents, provisions and all, and to +purchase all these things would occupy the greater part of the rest of +the afternoon. + +No sooner had they entered the store and made their wants known, than +the boys became conscious of the presence of ladies. The boys could +not see them plainly, because it was a dim, dingy place at best. + +But, all at once Ned felt a cold chill run down his back. One of the +ladies was speaking to him. + +"Isn't this Mr. Rector?" asked a pleasant voice. "I am quite sure I am +not mistaken." + +Ordinarily Ned would have been glad to meet an old acquaintance, but +when a boy is clad only in a pair of pink pajamas, his feet bare of +covering, he is not particularly anxious to see anyone he knows. + +It was so with Ned Rector. At first he pretended not to hear. A hand +was placed lightly on his shoulder. Then he turned, his face flushing +painfully. + +"I am Mrs. Colonel McClure from Texas," she informed him. "We had the +pleasure of entertaining you and your companions when you were with the +cattle drive in our state." + +Ned bowed and mumbled some unintelligible words. He failed to note the +twinkle in the eyes of Mrs. McClure. + +"And this," she continued, "is my niece Miss Courtenay, Miss Barbara +Parks and Miss Long," continued Mrs. McClure mercilessly. + +The young women were blushing furiously as they acknowledged the +introduction. Ned failed to observe it, however. His eyes were on his +feet and the pink toes which seemed abnormally large at that moment. + +"Where are your companions, Mr. Rector? I thought they were with you a +moment ago?" + +"Wh--ye--yes--they are here, they----" + +Ned looked about him blankly. No one was in sight. Then he discovered +the grinning face of Stacy Brown peering at him from behind the +postoffice wicket. + +At the first alarm Walter Perkins had sunk down behind a cracker barrel +with Tad Butler crouching behind him. Over behind the counter was the +guide, while, behind a pile of horse blankets, Professor Zepplin lay +flat on the floor, shrinking himself into as small a space as possible. + +Ned Rector was left to face the enemy alone. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT + +The tension of the moment was relieved by a merry laugh from Mrs. +McClure and her friends, in which Ned Rector joined spontaneously. The +situation was too funny for even his offended dignity to resist. + +The result was an invitation for the entire party to dine with Mrs. +McClure and her friends that evening. Ned Rector accepted on the spot, +much to the disgust of his companions, who felt a diffidence about +meeting the ladies after the exhibition in the store. + +However, after they had properly clothed themselves they felt better, +and the evening passed at the home of Mrs. McClure's friends was one of +the most enjoyable they experienced. + +At sunrise next morning the Pony Rider Boys were once more on the +desert, bubbling over with spirits and anticipation. + +"I've got another invitation for you boys," announced Tom Parry after +they had halted for the midday rest. + +"I hope we'll have some clothes on when it comes off, then," growled +Ned. + +"It won't make much difference whether you have or not, so far as this +invitation is concerned." + +"What is the invitation?" asked Professor Zepplin. + +"Bud Thomas and the other cowboys are hunting wild horses for market, +you know?" replied the guide. + +"Wild horses?" marveled Walter. + +"Yes." + +"I didn't know there were any about here," said Tad. + +"It is estimated that there are all of a hundred thousand wild horses +in the different ranges of this state," replied the guide. + +"You haven't told us yet what the invitation is," reminded Stacy. + +"You haven't given me a chance," laughed Tom. "Well, the invitation is +to join in a wild horse hunt." + +"Hooray!" shouted the lads. + +"Very interesting," agreed the Professor. + +"And lively, too," added the guide. "The boys took quite a fancy to +you young gentlemen after the roping trick, and said if you would join +in a hunt, you'd get all the fun that was coming to you." + +Tad grinned at the recollection of their first meeting with the wild +horse hunters. + +"Whe--when do we join them?" asked Chunky enthusiastically. + +"It will be a week or more yet before we reach that part of the desert +where the hunts take place--that is, if we have good luck. But if we +have any more such experiences as we have just passed through we shall +not get there this summer," laughed the guide. + +By sunset, that day, the town of Eureka had disappeared behind the +copper colored hills, and the Pony Rider Boys were again merely tiny +specks on the great Nevada Desert. + +They pitched the new white tents for the first time that night, having +made camp earlier than usual because they were not accustomed to +working with the new outfit. No one knew where to find anything, which +furnished the lads with plenty of amusement. + +Ned and Tom Parry cooked the supper over a sage brush fire. They had +brought a few cans of milk with them, but after sampling it all hands +declared their preference for the condensed brand of which they had +purchased a liberal supply. The fresh milk procured in Eureka was +strong with the sage brush taste, as was almost everything else in that +barren country. + +The ponies refused the sage brush for their evening meal, having had a +supply of real fodder back in town, so they were staked out near a +growth of sage that they might browse on during the night should they +decide that they were hungry enough. + +"Well, I wonder what will happen to-night," said Tad, as they finished +the evening meal. + +"Let us hope that it will be nothing more serious than pleasant +dreams," smiled Professor Zepplin. + +"That means you, Chunky," nodded Ned. "You are not to have the +nightmare to-night, remember." + +"And you look out for your tootsie-wootsies," retorted Chunky. + +"We shall have to take a long ride to-morrow," announced the guide. + +"Why to-morrow?" asked Ned. + +"It is all of twenty miles to the next water hole, or where the next +water hole should be. One cannot depend upon anything in this country." + +"Haven't we enough water with us?" asked the Professor. + +"Enough to last us through to-morrow--that's all. We shall have to get +water at night; so, if we have no interruptions during the night, we +shall make another early start." + +"Stacy, see to it that you do not lose your trousers this time. We +don't wish to be disgraced by you again to-morrow," warned Ned. + +Stacy merely grimaced, making no reply. He knew that he had not been +the one to get the worst of it, and so did his companions. He was +quite satisfied with the punishment that had been meted out to Ned +Rector. + +All hands turned in shortly after dark. They were tired after the long +day's ride in the broiling sun. Besides, they had not yet made up the +sleep they lost two nights before when the "twister" invaded their camp +and wrecked it. + +The boys had been asleep only a short time, however, before the entire +camp was startled by a long, thrilling wail. + +All the Pony Riders were wide awake in an instant, listening for a +repetition of the sound. It came a moment later. + +"K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-k-i!" + +The boys leaped from their tents. The sound plainly come from some +wild animal, but what, they did not know. + +"Wha--what is it? A lion?" stammered Stacy. + +"I--I don't know," answered Walter. "Do you, Tad?" + +"I certainly do not. It's no lion, though. There are none here?" + +"Maybe it's a pack of wolves," suggested Ned. "There must be a lot of +them to make such a howling as that." + +"D-d-d-d-do you thi--thi--think they're going to attack us?" stammered +Stacy. + +"How do we know?" snorted Ned. + +Neither the Professor nor the guide having made their appearance, the +boys took for granted that the two men were asleep. Such was the case +so far as the Professor was concerned, but Tom Parry was lying on his +bed awake, a quiet smile on his face. + +"Are you sure it's a wild animal, Tad?" whispered Walter. + +"Of course. What else could it be?" + +"Then I'll tell you what let's do." + +"What?" demanded Ned. + +"Let's get our rifles and crawl up to the top of that knoll yonder, +where the sound seems to come from----" + +"And take a shot at them," finished Ned. "Good idea. What do you say, +Tad?" + +"I guess there will be no harm in it," decided the lad, considering the +question for a minute. + +They had moved away from the tents so that the sound of their voices +should not arouse the sleeping men there. + +"Two guns will be enough. We're not so liable to hit each other if +only two of us have them." + +"Who is going to shoot?" demanded Walter. + +"What's the matter with Ned and Chunky?" + +That suited all concerned. + +"You'd better hurry. The animals have stopped howling," advised Tad. + +Ned and Stacy ran lightly to their tents, returning quickly with their +rifles. Stacy bore the handsome telescope rifle that he had won in a +pony race during their exciting trip through the Ozark Mountains. Even +in the moonlight one could see a long distance with the aid of the +telescope on the gun's barrel. + +"See the brutes?" asked Stacy, with bated breath. + +"No, nor hear them, either," answered Walter. + +"I'll tell you what we'd better do," suggested Tad. + +"Yes," answered Ned anxiously. + +"We'll crawl along in the shadow to the south. I think the prowlers +are up there on the ridge to the west. If they are, they'll be +watching the camp-fire. Maybe they have smelled us and run away by +this time, even if they didn't hear us talking." + +"Keep still, everybody," warned Ned. + +The boys stole along as silently as shadows. After moving some ten +rods to the south, Tad motioned for them to turn west, which they did. + +No sooner had they changed their course, however, than Chunky with a +loud "Ouch!" plunged headlong, his rifle falling several feet ahead of +him. With frightful howls he began hugging one foot, rocking back and +forth in great pain. + +"What's the matter?" snapped Ned Rector. + +"My foot! My foot!" + +"What about it----" + +"I--I don't know. I----" + +Tad grabbed the boy by the collar, jerking him clear of the place. The +first thought that came to him was that Stacy had been bitten by a +snake, though Tad did not even know whether or not there were snakes on +the desert. + +"Nice chance we'll have to shoot anything," growled Ned in disgust. +"Stop that wailing." + +"It hurts, it hurts----" + +"Keep still. I'll find out what the trouble is," warned Tad, dropping +down and examining his companion's injured foot. + +"Ouch!" exploded Chunky, jerking his foot away. + +"If you want me to help you, you'll have to be quiet." + +Butler pressed gently on the bottom of the injured foot with the +fingers of one hand, the other holding Chunky's ankle in a firm grip. + +"Humph!" grunted Tad. "He's stepped on a cactus bush with his bare +foot. It's full of prickers. Hold still and I'll pick them out." + +"Guess there's no use to keep still any longer. Those animals probably +have run away before this," complained Ned. + +"K-i-i-o-o-o-o-! K-i-i-o-o-o-o! K-i-i-o-o-o-k-i!" + +"S-h-h-h!" warned Tad. "They're there yet. Shall I take your rifle, +Chunky? You probably don't feel much like tramping up the hill in your +bare feet." + +"No!" exploded the fat boy. "I guess if there's any shooting to be +done, Stacy Brown can do it, even if he's only got one foot to hop +along on." + +Scrambling to his feet, Stacy recovered his rifle. He had forgotten +all about his injured foot now. + +Cautiously the boys crawled up to the top of the rise of ground. + +"Sit down, everybody," directed Tad. "We ought to be able to see them +from here." + +Not a thing save clumps of sage brush met peering eyes of the Pony +Rider Boys. + +"Lay the barrel of your gun over my shoulder and look through the +telescope," directed Tad softly. + +Pointing the gun to the southward, Stacy rested it on his companion's +shoulder, placing an eye to the peep hole. The lads fairly held their +breath for a minute. + +"I see him! I see him!" whispered Stacy in an excited tone. + +"What is it?" demanded Ned. "Where?" + +"I don't know. I guess it's a wolf." + +"How many?" asked Walter, crawling up to him. + +"See only one." + +"Take your time, Chunky," cautioned Tad in a low voice. "Draw a +careful bead on the fellow and let him have it." + +"Over your shoulder?" + +"Sure. You never'll hit him without a rest." + +Once more they held their breath. + +At last Stacy exerted a gentle pressure on the trigger. + +There followed a flash and a roar. + +"O-u-u-c-h!" yelled the fat boy. + +The end of the telescope had kicked him violently in the eye as the gun +went off. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS + +"K-I-I-O-O-O-O! K-I-I-I-O-O-O!" + +"There he goes!" shouted Walter. + +Stacy was picking himself up from the ground where the rifle had kicked +him. + +Bang! + +Ned Rector had risen to his feet the instant Stacy fired. Throwing his +rifle to shoulder, he fired at an object that he saw bounding down the +opposite side of the hill. + +"I got him! I got him!" shouted Ned, dancing about in his glee. +"Chunky Brown, you're no good. All you can do with a rifle is to get +kicked and fall in. Take a lesson from your Uncle Dudley----" + +"Good shooting, boys," said a laughing voice behind them. + +They whirled around and found themselves facing Tom Parry, who had +crept up to see that the boys got into no trouble. + +"You here?" demanded Tad Butler sharply. + +"I am that. Think I could let you boys go off with a couple of guns to +hunt wild animals? Not without Tom Parry--no, indeed!" + +"I got him, Mr. Parry," glowed Ned. "Did you see me tumble him over?" + +The guide nodded good-naturedly. + +"And Chunky missed him, even though he had a rest over Tad Butler's +shoulder. Chunky can't shoot." + +"Yes, I can, too," objected the fat boy. + +"We'll see," replied the guide. "I am not sure whether he can shoot or +not." + +"What do you mean, Mr. Parry!" asked Walter. "Chunky shot at the +animal and missed it, didn't he?" + +"What kind of an animal was it?" interjected Ned. + +"A coyote." + +"I thought it was a wolf," muttered Stacy Brown. "How many of them was +there?" + +"Only one, you ninny. And I shot him," scoffed Ned. + +"We'll go down the hill and find the one you got, Master Ned," decided +the guide, moving away, followed by the rest of the party. + +No sooner had they started than they heard Professor Zepplin, down in +the camp, shouting to know what the shooting meant. + +"It's all right, Professor," called the guide. "The boys have been +shooting up some wild game. You'll be surprised when you see what they +got." + +Down the hillside sprang the enthusiastic lads. + +"Remember, you're all barefooted," warned the guide. "You don't want +to pick up any more cactus thorns." + +"Were you here then?" demanded Tad, glancing up sharply. + +"I was with you from the time you left the camp." + +"Here he is," shouted Ned, who had run on ahead of the others in his +anxiety to learn the result of his shot. "And I caught him on the +wing, too, didn't I?" + +"You certainly did." + +"Just lift him. He's a whopper," went on the lad enthusiastically. +"I'd like to see any of the others in this outfit make a shot like +that----" + +"Chance shot," mumbled Stacy. "Hit a bird once myself a mile up in the +air, but I didn't flap my wings and crow about it. I couldn't have +done it again. Neither could you have hit that--that--what do you call +it!" + +"Coyote," replied the guide, but he pronounced it "kiute." + +"Oh, I don't know," grumbled Stacy. + +"Suppose we go up the hill now and see what Master Stacy shot," +suggested the guide, starting away. + +"Shot?" sniffed Ned Rector. "Don't you know what he shot?" + +"Yes, we know," interrupted Walter. + +"He shot thin air, that's what he did." + +"We shall see, we shall see," answered the guide enigmatically. + +Though Stacy did not grasp the guide's meaning, he did catch a note in +the tone that filled him with hope. Yet Chunky was unable to see how +he could have hit anything, in view of the fact that Ned had shot the +coyote. + +Tom Parry strode up to the crest of the hill and began looking about, +peering behind sage bush and greasewood. The boys were a little to the +north of him, all hunting for they knew not what. Ned Rector had +seated himself by the side of his dead coyote, stroking its rough coat +proudly. + +A sharp whistle from the guide attracted their attention. + +"What is it?" called Tad. + +"Come over here. I've got a surprise for you." + +The boys obeyed on the run. + +Tom Parry stood with a grin on his face, pointing a finger to the +ground. + +"What is it? What is it?" demanded the lads in chorus. + +"Why, it's a dead animal," marveled Walter. + +"Then that's what the coyote was doing up here. It was after the meat +on the dead one," announced Ned. "I knew there must be some good +reason for its remaining so near camp all that time." + +"Guess again," sniffed Stacy, who had thrown himself down beside his +prize. + +"What's that?" asked Tad, who already suspected something of the truth. + +"It's my coyote, that's what it is." + +Tom Parry nodded. + +"He's right. He killed the animal the first shot----" + +"Then--then----" stammered Ned. + +"There were two of them. Master Stacy killed one and you the other, +and for your gratification I'll say that they are a very difficult +animal to kill. One might try a hundred times and never hit one." + +"If one knows how to shoot, it isn't," spoke up Stacy pompously. + +"Which you certainly do," laughed the guide. + +"May we take them back to camp and skin them?" asked Ned. + +"You may take them in, of course; but I would not advise you to skin +the brutes. The skins are not worth anything in the first place, and +in the second, we should be unable to keep them all the way across the +desert, I am afraid." + +"You mean they would spoil?" questioned Ned. + +"Yes." + +"Then we'll take them down to show to the Professor. After that we'll +bury them." + +"Not necessary at all," smiled the guide. "The buzzards will attend to +that part of the work. They'll be around in the morning. You'll see +them." + +"But how will the buzzards know?" asked Walter. + +"That I cannot say. They do know. Instinct, I suppose. All animals +and birds have the instinct necessary for their kind, yet it is all a +mystery to us." + +Very proudly the lads dragged their trophies to camp, where, after +heaping fresh sage brush on the fire, the youngsters stretched the +carcasses out full length that Professor Zepplin might see. + +"Very fine, young men. You say they were howling and woke you up?" + +"Yes; didn't you hear them!" answered Stacy loudly. + +"Indeed I did not. The first thing I heard was the report of a rifle, +and then, in a few seconds, another. I couldn't imagine what was going +on. When I tumbled out and found the camp deserted, I was alarmed. I +feared you boys had gotten into other and more serious trouble. You +should not take the guns out without either myself or the guide being +with you." + +"He was with us," interrupted Chunky. + +"Then that was all right." + +"But we didn't know he was with us, Professor," Tad Butler hastened to +explain. "So we were in the wrong, even if he was along. However, it +has turned out all right, and we've bagged two coyotes. Wish we could +take their pictures. Why didn't we think to bring a camera with us?" + +"I think I can supply that," laughed the guide. "I always carry one +with me. In the morning I'll take your pictures. I got a new camera +in Eureka yesterday, having lost my old one in the blow-out we had the +other night." + +The boys gave three cheers and a tiger for Tom Parry. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF + +Breakfast was cooked in the cool of the early dawn, long before the sun +had pushed its burning course up above the desert sands. Though the +boys had but little sleep, they tumbled out at the guide's first hail, +full of joyous enthusiasm for what lay before them that day. + +Stacy Brown emerged from his tent rubbing his eyes. The lads uttered a +shout when they saw him. + +"Look at him!" yelled Ned. "Look at Chunky's eye!" + +The right eye was surrounded by a black ring, the eyelid being of the +same dark shade, where the end of the telescope on his rifle had kicked +him. + +"Young man, you are a sight to behold," smiled the Professor. + +"I don't care. I got the coyote," retorted Stacy, with a grin. + +"And the gun got him," added Walter. + +"Judging from your appearance, I should say that the butt of your rifle +was almost as dangerous as the other end," laughed Tad. + +"Come and get it!" called the guide. + +The lads never had to be called twice for meals, and they were in their +places at the breakfast table with a bound. + +"Do you know, I'm beginning to like the sage brush taste in the food," +said Walter. + +Stacy made up a face. + +"I should think you would be ashamed to sit down to a meal with that +countenance of yours, Chunky," declared Ned. + +"I might with some company." + +"See here, Chunky Brown. Do you mean----" + +"I mean that my face will get over what ails it, but yours won't," was +the fat boy's keen-edged retort. + +"All of which goes to prove," announced Tad wisely, "that you never can +tell, by the looks of a toad, how far it will jump. I guess you'd +better let Chunky alone after this. He's perfectly able to take care +of himself, Ned." + +Ned subsided and devoted his further attention to his breakfast. The +meal finished, all hands set briskly to work to strike camp. In half +an hour the burros were loaded ready for the day's journey. The boys +set off singing. + +"I don't see how you can tell where you are going," said the Professor. +"There is no sun and you have no compass." + +"We are traveling almost due southwest. I never use a compass. It is +not necessary." + +"There, I knew I had forgotten to get something," announced Tad. + +"Forgotten what?" questioned Walter. + +"To get a compass." + +"You have a watch, have you not?" asked Tom Parry. + +"Why, yes; but that's not a compass." + +"Oh, yes, it is," smiled the guide. "You can get your direction just +as well with that as you could with a tested compass." + +"Never heard that before," muttered Tad. + +"Nor I," added Ned, at once keenly interested. + +"I'm easy. I'll ask how? What's the answer?" questioned Stacy, gazing +innocently at Tom Parry. + +"I am not joking, boys. Every watch is a compass. You can get your +direction from it unerringly whenever you can see the sun." + +"Indeed?" marveled the Professor. + +"The method is very simple," continued Parry. "All you have to do is +to point the hour hand directly at the sun. Half way between the hour +hand and the figure twelve on the watch dial you will find is due +south." + +"I'll try it," answered Tad. + +"There comes the sun now," said Ned. + +The boys drew out their watches, having halted the ponies and turned +facing the rising sun. + +"Well, did you ever!" exclaimed the lads in one voice. + +"It is, indeed, the fact," marveled the Professor. + +"You can depend upon that whenever you have lost your way," said Tom +Parry. "It has helped me out on many occasions." + +"But what if there isn't any sun--what if the sky is clouded?" +questioned Stacy. + +"Then you'll have to sit down and wait for it," laughed the guide. + +After this brief rest the party continued on its way. They had come +out on the level plain, and before them for several miles stretched the +white alkali of the Nevada Desert. As the sun rose higher, they found +the glare of the glistening plain extremely trying to the eyes. The +guide suggested that they put on their goggles. But the boys would +have none of them. Stacy's right eye was badly swollen, yet he refused +to cover it, though the fine dust of the plain got into it, causing it +to smart until the tears ran down his cheek. + +"Where do the wild horses congregate?" asked Tad, riding up beside the +guide. + +"Likely to see them anywhere, though they do not, as a rule, go far out +on the desert on account of the scarcity of water. We may see some in +the Little Smoky Valley and the Hot Creek Range when we reach there." + +"Is it difficult to catch them?" + +"Very. There is one magnificent white stallion that the horse-hunters +have been trying to capture for the past five years." + +"Why can't they get him?" + +"Too smart for them. He knows what they are up to almost as well as if +the hunters had confided their plans to him. Twice, in the beginning, +the hunters succeeded in getting him in a trap, but he managed to get +away from his would-be captors." + +"I'd like to get a chance to take him," mused Tad Butler. + +"I'm afraid you wouldn't have much luck, but we'll have a hunt when we +get down in the horse country, and I promise you that you will see some +exciting sport. Better than hunting coyotes by moonlight," laughed the +guide. + +"I'd like to capture and break a real live wild horse," said young +Butler, his eyes sparkling at the thought. "It would be a fine prize +to take away with me, now wouldn't it?" + +"If you chanced to capture a good one, yes. The poor stock, however, +has been pretty well taken up, so that the horses on the ranges now are +splendid specimens." + +"Anybody want to run a race?" interrupted Stacy, riding up near the +head of the procession. + +"Too hot," answered Tad. + +"Just the kind of a day for a horse race. I'll run any of you to see +who cooks the supper," persisted Stacy. + +"Oh, go back with the burros. I wouldn't eat any supper that you +cooked, anyway." + +"I'll remember that, Ned. Well, if none of you has spunk enough to +race with me, I'll run a race with myself." + +"That a dare?" questioned Walter. + +Stacy nodded, blinking his blackened eye nervously. + +Walter shook out the reins. + +"Come on, then. I suppose you won't be satisfied until you've gotten +into more trouble. Where do you want to race to?" + +"See that patch of ground whiter than the rest off there?" + +"Yes." + +"Well, we'll race there and back. How far is it from here, Mr. Parry?" + +"'Bout half a mile, I should say," answered the guide, measuring the +distance with his eyes. + +"Whew! I didn't think it was so far," marveled Stacy. "But we'll run +it, anyway." + +"I'll be the starter," announced Ned. "If you break your neck, Chunky, +remember that I am not to blame for it." + +"If I break my neck I won't be likely to remember anything, so you're +safe," retorted Stacy. + +The others were too busy discussing wild-horse hunting to give heed to +the boys' plan. + +"All ready!" + +"Yes." + +"Go!" + +Both lads uttered a sharp yell, at the same time giving their spurs a +gentle pressure, and away they went across the blazing alkali, their +tough little ponies steaming in the intense heat as they straightened +out, entering into the spirit of the contest with evident enthusiasm. + +"See those boys ride," laughed the guide, pausing in his argument on +the wild-horse question: "I didn't suppose the fat boy could sit in a +saddle like that." + +"Oh, yes; he does well. You saw him master the bucker the other day in +the mountains?" + +"Yes, I remember. Whoa! Look out, there! There goes one of them! He +took too short a turn." + +"Walter's down!" cried Ned. + +"Hope he isn't hurt." + +"No; he's cleared all right. That was a mighty quick move the way he +slipped out of that saddle. It would have broken his leg sure, if the +pony had fallen on it," declared the guide. + +Stacy had pulled up his own mount after making the turn safely. Then +he rode slowly back. + +"Hurt you any, Walt?" he asked. + +"Jarred me a little, that's all. Why don't you go on and win the race?" + +"Waiting for you," announced the fat boy laconically. + +Walter swung into his saddle. + +"Come on, then. Gid-ap!" he cried, shaking out the reins. + +The two little animals sprang away like projectiles. But Stacy seemed +not to be in his best form. He came in bobbing up and down, several +lengths behind Walter. + +"You won the race. I fell off," announced Walter, with his usual +spirit of fairness. + +"I guess not," drawled Stacy. "Now I'm going to do some stunts." + +With that, the fat boy galloped out over the alkali again, riding off +fully half a mile ahead of the party, where he jogged back and forth +for a time, then began riding in a circle. + +After a little they saw him toss his hat into the air ahead of him, and +putting spurs to his pony dart under it, giving it a swift blow with +his quirt, sending it spinning some distance away, at the same time +uttering a shrill whoop. + +"Thinks he's having the time of his life," grunted Ned. + +"For a boy with a black eye, he is particularly cheerful, I should +say," laughed Parry. "What's he going to do now!" + +"Pick up his sombrero while at a gallop, I guess," replied Tad, shading +his eyes and gazing off across the plain. "Yes, there he goes at it." + +Stacy, with a graceful dip from his saddle, swooped down on the +sombrero, scooping it up with a yell of triumph, then dashing madly +across the desert to the westward. + +All at once they saw his pony stumble. + +"There he goes!" warned the guide. "He will break his neck!" + +Down plunged the broncho, his nose scraping the ground, his hind feet +beating the air wildly. + +Stacy kept right on. + +"The pony struck a thin crust on the alkali," explained the guide. + +Almost before the words were out of his mouth Stacy Brown hit the +desert broadside on. Then, to the amazed watchers, he seemed to +disappear before their very eyes. + +"He's gone! What does it mean?" cried the boys. + +Where but a few seconds before had been a pony and a boy, there now +remained only a kicking, floundering broncho. + +Tom Parry put spurs to his mount and set off at top speed for the scene +of the accident, followed by the others of the party strung out in +single file. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK + +Tad rapidly drew up on the guide. + +"What has happened?" Butler cried as the two now raced along side by +side. + +"As I said before, the pony went through a thin crust----" + +"Yes, but Chunky--what happened to him?" asked Tad. + +"He went through when he struck the ground." + +"I don't understand it at all." + +"You will when you get there." + +Tad was mystified. The solution of the mystery was beyond him. + +"If he isn't drowned, he's in luck," snapped Parry. + +"Drowned?" wondered his companion. + +They cleared the intervening space that lay between them and the fat +boy's pony in a series of convulsive leaps that the bronchos took under +the urgent pressure of the rowels of their riders' spurs. + +As they neared the scene Tad espied a hole in the desert, and began to +understand. Stacy also had struck a thin crust and had broken through. +Yet what had happened to him after that, Tad did not know. + +Both would-be rescuers leaped from their ponies and ran to the spot. + +With his body submerged, his head barely protruding above the water, +sat Stacy, vigorously rubbing his eyes to get the brown alkali water +out of them sufficiently to enable him to look about and determine what +had happened to him. + +The rest of the party dashed up with loud shouts of alarm, hurling a +series of rapid-fire questions at the guide. + +Parry and Tad grasped Stacy by the arms and hauled him, dripping, from +the alkali sink into which he had plunged. + +They shouted with laughter when they saw that he was not hurt seriously. + +"Well, of all the blundering idiots----" began Ned. + +"That will do," warned the Professor, hurrying to Stacy's side. "Hurt +you much, lad?" + +"I--I fell in," stammered Chunky. + +"I should say you did. How in the world did it happen?" + +The guide explained, that frequently these thin crusts were found on +the desert, covering alkali sinks, some being dry, others having water +in them. + +"And of course Chunky had to find one. He's the original hoodoo," +laughed Ned. + +"Oh, I don't know," replied the guide. "He has done us a real service +by falling in." + +"How's that!" questioned Tad. + +"Master Stacy has found a water hole, just what we need at this +particular moment. The stock needs water, and especially the ponies +that have been racing for the last half hour." + +"You don't mean that we are to drink that stuff, do you?" demanded +Walter. + +"Not now. We still have some fairly good water in the water bags. +Later on you may be glad to drink alkali water. Run up and down if you +feel able. You'll dry off in a few minutes," suggested Parry, turning +to Chunky. + +"I--I don't want to. Feels nice and cool after my bath. Jump in and +take a swim, fellows." + +"No, thank you--not in that dirty water," objected Ned. + +"I'll tell you what, boys," suggested Tad. "After the stock has had a +drink we'll take off our shoes and put our feet in. Guess we can stand +that much." + +"That's a good idea," agreed Walter. "We'll all take a cold foot bath." + +In the meantime, the guide had been busily engaged in breaking the +crust around the sink, so that the stock might more easily get at the +water within it. The animals were impatiently pawing and whinnying, +anxious to get the water. They were now willing to drink any kind of +water after their half day's journey across the burning alkali. + +"You might unpack and get a cold lunch together, if you will," +suggested Parry. + +The boys soon had one of the tents erected, over which they stretched +the fly, that the interior might be cooler. + +Ned opened a can of pickled pigs' feet, which, with some hard rolls +were spread out on a folding table under the tent. Tad, not to be +out-done, dug some lemons from his saddle bag, with which he proceeded +to make a pail of lemonade. + +It was the first time they had had any such beverage since they began +their summer trips. Tad had purchased the lemons back in Eureka. The +lemonade made, it lacked only sweetening now. + +"Where's the sugar?" he called. + +"Where's the sugar?" echoed Chunky. + +"We don't know," answered Ned and Walter in the same breath. + +"Get busy and find it, then. If you don't want this lemonade I'll +drink it myself. I don't care whether it is sweetened or not." + +That threat was effective. The other three boys made a dive for the +burros. An examination of the first pack failed to reveal the +sweetening. The same was the case with the next, and before they had +finished, their entire outfit was spread over the ground, tents, canned +goods, cooking utensils, thrown helter-skelter over several rods of +ground. + +"Here, boys, boys!" chided the Professor. "This will never do. We +can't afford to use our provisions in that way. Soon we'll have +nothing." + +"Regular rough house. Ought to be ashamed of yourselves," agreed +Stacy, surveying the scattered outfit, while he secretly slipped two +lumps of sugar into his mouth. "Here, cook, pick up your kitchen," to +Ned. + +"What you got in your mouth?" demanded Ned suspiciously. + +"He's eating the sugar," spoke up Walter Perkins. + +"Drop 'em!" roared Ned. + +Stacy started to run, whereupon the boys fell upon him, and the next +second he was at the bottom of the heap. The boys were rubbing his +face in the sand in an effort to make him give up the sugar. + +The Professor took a hand--two hands in fact--about this time. He made +short work of the "goose pile," tossing the boys from the very much +ruffled Stacy, whom he also jerked to his feet. + +"What's all this disturbance about?" demanded Professor Zepplin. +"First you strew the outfit all over the desert, then you get to +pummeling each other." + +"Chunky's been stealing sugar," volunteered Ned. + +"Give back that sugar, instantly!" commanded the Professor. + +The fat boy shook his head and grinned. + +"Can't," he answered. + +"And, why not?" + +"'Cause they're inside of me." + +"Now, now, now!" warned Ned. "You haven't chewed that hard sugar down +this quick. I know better than that." + +"No, I swallowed the lumps whole when you fellows jumped on me. Nearly +choked me to death, 'cause one of 'em got stuck in my throat," Chunky +explained. + +Tad, in the meantime, had been busy gathering up the scattered +provisions. + +"Get to work, young gentlemen. Straighten up the camp," commanded the +Professor. + +"Don't we get any lunch?" begged Stacy. + +"You're full of sugar. You don't need anything else," replied Walter. + +"When you have set the outfit to rights, we'll all sit down and eat +like civilized beings," asserted the Professor, with emphasis. + +"Civilized beings making a meal on pigs' feet! Huh!" grumbled Chunky, +picking up a can of tomatoes, then throwing it down again. After this, +he slipped around to the opposite side of the tent. Crawling in under +the fly he promptly went to sleep, the others being so busy that they +had not observed his act. + +The next Stacy knew was when he awakened to find himself being hauled +out by one leg. + +"Here, what are you doing? Leggo my foot." + +"Lunch is ready. You ought to thank us, instead of finding fault +because we woke you up. You might have slept right through the meal; +then you wouldn't have had anything to eat," explained Walter. + +Stacy shook his head. + +"No danger. I wasn't afraid of that!" + +"Not afraid of that? Why not?" demanded Ned. + +"'Cause I knew you'd haul me out. Left my feet sticking out so you +would." + +Everybody roared. There was no resisting Stacy Brown's droll humor. + +"Hopeless," averred the Professor, shrugging his shoulders. + +"He's a wise one," differed the guide. + +"Another name for laziness," nodded Ned. + +"What's that disease they have down south?" asked Walter. "I heard the +Professor and the postmaster talking about it back in Eureka." + +"You mean the--the hook-worm disease?" grinned the guide. + +"That's it. That's what Chunky's got. When a fellow is too lazy to do +anything but eat, they say he's got the--the----" + +"The hook----" finished the guide. + +"That's what he ought to get," agreed Ned. + +"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" corrected the Professor. "This is not a seemly +topic for table discussion." + +"But we eat pigs' feet," suggested Stacy in wide-eyed innocence. + +The meal finished, amid laughter and jest, the party stowed their +belongings, and after a brief rest, pushed on, having decided that they +would feel the heat less in the saddle. + +At sundown the travelers were still some distance from the water hole +for which the guide was making. + +"We'll have to go on," he said. "We may have to ride some time after +dark." + +"Will that be advisable?" questioned the Professor. + +"Not advisable, but necessary. The stock must have their water you +know." + +So the party pushed on. The moon came up late in the evening, and the +guide looking about him, discovered that they had borne too far to the +east, which necessitated their covering some four miles more of alkali +than would have been the case had they kept more closely to their +course. + +"It can't be helped," he laughed good-naturedly. "I guess the pigs' +feet will last you until we make camp." + +"How long will that be, Mr. Parry?" questioned Chunky anxiously. + +"All of an hour and a half." + +Stacy humorously took up his belt three holes. + +"Got two more holes left to take in," he decided after examining the +belt critically. + +"That's a new way to measure distance and time, isn't it!" laughed the +guide. + +"How?" wondered Stacy. + +"By the holes in your belt." + +At eleven o'clock that night Tom Parry announced that they had arrived +at the end of their day's journey. + +"Where's the water? I don't see any water?" said Walter. + +"After supper we'll look for it. I presume want something to eat +first, don't you?" questioned the guide. + +"Yes," shouted the lads in chorus. "We're nearly starved." + +Bacon and coffee constituted the bill of fare for their late meal, +which they ate out in the bright moonlight with the crackling camp-fire +near by. + +"This is fine," announced Tad, with which sentiment all the boys +agreed. "Wish we could do this every night." + +"Your supper would be breakfast after a few days," replied Parry. + +"How's that!" questioned Ned. + +"If you waited for moonlight, I mean. The moon comes up later every +night, you know." + +"That's so." + +"We'd get hungry, wouldn't we?" chuckled Stacy. + +"You wouldn't get. You always are," retorted Ned. + +"Now, I'll show you how I know there is a water hole near here," said +Parry after they had finished their late meal. "When I locate it, you +boys may help me take the stock to it." + +They walked back some twenty rods from where they had pitched the camp, +Parry meanwhile hunting about as if in search of something that he had +dropped. + +"Nope. No water here," decided Stacy. + +"You don't know. Ah! Here is what I am looking for." + +The guide pointed to a heap of stones that rose some twelve inches +above the ground. On the west side of the heap several stones had been +placed in a row, thus forming an arm that extended or pointed almost +due west. + +"Know what that is?" asked Parry. + +The lads shook their heads. + +"That's a water marker. When a traveler across the desert finds a sink +he indicates it either by a heap of stones, which he sticks in the +ground, or by any other means at his command. For instance, this pile +of stones tells me there is a water hole somewhere near by, and the arm +points the way to it." + +"Where is it, then?" wondered Walter. "I don't see any signs of water." + +"Nor do I. We'll follow the direction indicated by the arm and see if +we don't come up with a water tank somewhere close by," replied Parry. + +With the guide leading the way, the others following in single file, +they trailed away to the westward until, finally, they came to a slight +depression in the ground. + +"It should be near here," the guide informed them. "There it is. See +that dark hole?" + +The boys bounded forward, dropping on their knees by the opening into +which they peered inquiringly. + +Suddenly they uttered a yell, and, springing up, ran back as fast as +their legs would carry them. As they did so, some dark object bounded +from the water tank and leaped away into the sage brush. + +"Goodness me, what was that?" cried Walter, after the boys had pulled +up and faced about. + +"Come back, come back. That was only a badger," laughed the guide. + +"In the water?" asked Tad, who had stood his ground. + +"No; so much the worse for us! There is no water there. No need to +look. The tank is empty. Some wandering prospector has emptied it to +save his burros and fill his canteen," announced the guide. + +"What are we going to do, then!" queried Ned. + +"Do without it. We shall have to give the stock a very little of our +fresh supply, saving only enough out of it for our own breakfast and a +canteen full apiece to take with us on the morrow. I think I shall be +able to find a river about ten miles below here, providing it has not +changed its course or gone dry. The water here in this country is as +fickle as the desert itself." + +"What if we should fail to find any?" breathed Tad. + +"Well, you know, neither man nor beast can travel far on the desert +without it. But we'll find some to-morrow. Don't worry," soothed the +guide, though in his innermost heart he was troubled. That this water +hole should prove to be dry did not promise well for those that were to +follow. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER + +"Where's that river you were talking about?" demanded the lads when the +outfit pulled up at noon next day. + +"Don't you see it?" smiled Parry. + +"Not a river," answered Ned, gazing about him, then allowing his glance +to rest on the face of the guide to determine if Parry were making +sport of them. + +"I am not sure myself. I know where it should be. Whether it's there +or not is another matter. Fetch the shovels and we'll soon find out." + +"Finding a river with shovels!" muttered Stacy. "Huh! Who ever heard +of such a thing?" + +But as soon as the boys had returned with the digging implements, Parry +swung the tools over his shoulder and strode confidently to the left of +where they were encamped for the noonday rest. + +The boys followed him full of curiosity. + +Finally the guide threw down the tools and began to run his hands over +the hot, yellow soil. + +"Guess the sun's gone to his head," muttered Ned, as he squatted down +to observe more closely what the guide was doing. The other three lads +followed his example. In a moment they were on all fours, hopping +about like so many quadrupeds. + +Parry was shaking with laughter as he observed them. + +"Bow! Bow wow!" barked Chunky, jumping on hands and feet, snapping his +teeth together suggestively. + +The boys looked at each other and burst out laughing. They had +discovered all at once what a ridiculous figure they were making. + +"Sun gone to your head, too, Chunky?" chuckled Ned. "Oh, no, I forgot; +it's dog days," he added maliciously. + +"Your master had better get a collar and chain for you, then, Ned," +laughed Stacy, in high good humor with himself. + +The guide's voice put a sudden end to their merriment. + +"Here's the river," he cried. "There is plenty of water in it, too." + +The boys gathered about him quickly. + +"I don't see any river," averred Walter. + +"There isn't any," answered Ned, in a low voice. + +"I'll show you whether there is or not," snapped Parry, who had +overheard the remark. "You boys think I have gone crazy, don't you? +You'll find there is something to learn about this old Nevada +Desert--some things that you never even dreamed of. Hand me a shovel, +please." + +All at once Stacy began pushing his companions roughly aside. + +"Here, here, Fatty! What are you trying to do?" the others demanded, +beginning to struggle with him to prevent being bowled over. + +"I'm saving your lives," cried the fat boy. + +"Saving our lives?" cried Ned. "Go shake the alkali out of your eyes." + +"Yes, you'll fall in and drown." + +"In what?" + +"In the river. Don't you see the river right there in front of you?" +queried Stacy, his eyes fairly beaming with importance. + +"No, I don't. If there was a river there you'd be the first one to +fall in, and don't you forget that." + +"What's this? What's this?" inquired the Professor, approaching. + +"It's a river," answered Stacy solemnly. + +"A river?" + +"Yes, sir. Don't you hear it roar? Wish I had a boat." + +"Is it water you are digging for, Mr. Parry?" asked Professor Zepplin. + +But the guide did not hear the question. He was too busy with his +mining operations at the moment. + +"Come on, boys," he urged. "Get busy here." + +"At what?" asked Ned. "We're with you, but we don't know what you want +us to do." + +"Yes; can we help you?" inquired Tad. + +"Of course you can. Get those other shovels and dig." + +"Where?" + +"Right here. Make the dirt fly as fast as you want to. I'll show you +something in a minute." + +He did. All at once the sand beneath them gave way, and the Pony Rider +Boys, all except Stacy Brown, uttered a yell as they sank waist deep +into a sink of soft, wet sand. + +Parry had felt the sand giving way, and with a warning had leaped from +the hole. The lads had not been quick enough. + +"There's no danger. Don't be alarmed. You'll get wet feet, that's +all." + +"What is it?" asked the Professor in amazement. + +"Water, my dear sir. Water in plenty. It's a branch of the Pancake +River. These streams run underground for great distances on the +desert, but they change their course so often that you can't place any +dependence on them. We're lucky, boys." + +"Hurrah for the water!" shouted the lads. + +"Keep on digging. We haven't got it yet. Master Stacy, will you run +to the camp and bring the folding buckets? We'll soon have the hole +cleaned so we can dip up some water." + +"Sure," answered the fat boy, thrusting his hands in his trousers +pockets and strolling off at a leisurely gait as if there were no +necessity for haste. + +"That's Chunky's idea of running," laughed Ned Rector, jerking his head +in Stacy's direction. + +The three lads finding there was no danger in their position, had made +no attempt to clamber from the hole. Instead, they began digging, +until the dirt flew so fast that the Professor was obliged to withdraw. +Somehow most of the dirt seemed to be flying through the air right in +his direction. + +Now the water began to rise above the caved-in sand. It was a dirty +yellow in color and the boys' clothing suffered as a result. But the +youngsters did not care. Besides, they were cooling off. + +At last the hole had been cleared sufficiently to enable them to dip up +some water, but Stacy not having returned with the pails, the Professor +was sent to fetch him. He found the lad enjoying himself tickling the +nose of a drowsy burro. + +Professor Zepplin led Chunky out to the water sink, by one ear. The +lads now quickly dipped up pailful after pailful, which they passed to +the guide on the bank. He ran with them to the stock, giving each of +the animals a little, so that all might share in the first instalment. +Ponies and burros were wide awake now, expressing their pleasure in +loud whinnies and blatant brays. + +"It's foggy on the river," laughed Ned. "The burros have started up +their fog horns." + +When Parry returned he brought with him the drinking cups, which he had +taken from the saddles. + +"Is it fit to drink?" asked Tad as the cups were passed down to them. + +"It's wet." + +"So are we," retorted Ned. "But we're dirty. Uh! That's horrible +stuff." + +"Strongly alkaline," nodded the Professor, after sipping gingerly at +the brimming cup Parry had passed to him. "Do you not think we had +better wait a little while until it settles?" + +"Not a second, if you're thirsty," answered the guide shortly. "This +stream is liable to change its course in the next ten minutes. Don't +you take any chances with a desert stream. Fill the water bags and the +canteens as fast as we can that's what we'll do. Then, if the water +holds out, there will be time enough to empty out our supply and fill +with fresh." + +"Hey, Chunky! Haul those water bags over here," called Walter. + +"Can't," called Stacy. He was sitting on the ground pulling off a shoe. + +"What's the trouble now?" snorted Ned. "Got a cramp?" + +"No; I've got a sore toe." + +"Supposing we duck him," suggested Ned. + +"We'll save all the water we have," warned the guide sharply. "No +nonsense about it, either." + +The party was in great good humor, now that they had found a water +hole, and the animals had drunk until their sides were distended like +balloons in process of being inflated. + +"They've had enough," announced the guide, going to the animals and +glancing over the herd sharply. "No more water for the present." + +"Then perhaps we might as well be on our way," suggested the Professor. + +Parry did not reply. He was shading his eyes with one hand, gazing +intently off over the desert. The Professor, following the direction +in which the guide was looking, discovered a cloud of dust rising into +the air. The cloud was approaching them at a rapid rate. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER + +"What is that?" questioned Professor Zepplin sharply. + +"That's what I'm trying to make out," replied the guide. + +"Looks like horsemen." + +"Yes, it is. But I can't understand why they can be riding at that +killing pace on a hot afternoon such as this." + +About this time the boys' attention had been attracted to the yellow +cloud by Stacy Brown, who, notwithstanding his apparent slowness, had +sharp eyes when there was anything to be seen. + +"Somebody's coming," he announced between sips. + +"What's that?" demanded Tad, springing from the water hole, followed +closely by Walter and Ned. + +"Somebody coming to pay us an afternoon call. By the way they're +whooping it up they must be in a hurry about something." + +All hands ran to where Mr. Parry and the Professor were standing. + +The yellow cloud was rolling toward them at a rapid pace, and ahead of +it the boys discovered half a dozen horsemen, who had evidently +discovered the white tent that the Pony Rider Boys had erected during +their midday stop. + +"Know them?" asked Tad. + +"I'm not sure, but I think it's Bud Stevens and the wild-horse outfit. +Judging from the way they ride they're pretty wild themselves." + +With a series of shrill "y-e-o-w-s," the strangers bore down on the +little desert camp. From the gray, alkali-flecked backs of the ponies +clouds of steam were rising, their sides streaked with dust and sweat. + +"Whoop! Hooray!" bellowed the newcomers, dashing up to the camp, +letting go a volley of revolver shots right into the ground in front of +the Pony Rider Boys. + +Not a boy flinched. + +"How!" said Tom Parry. + +"How!" roared Bud Stevens, the leader, throwing himself from the back +of his trembling mount. + +"Where's the boss?" asked Parry. + +"He's gone down Ralston way." + +"Thought so. Where you headed?" + +"San Antone Range after more hoss flesh. We'll rope the white stallion +this time, and don't you forget it. Eh, kiddie? You're the little +coyote what roped my pony and plunked me into the street back in +Eureka, ain't you?" + +Half jokingly, he swung a vicious blow at Tad with the flat of his +hand. Had it landed it would have laid the lad flat. + +Tad ducked and came up smiling. + +"Wow! The kiddie's a regular little bantam. We'll have to take a fall +out of you. Got to give you the desert initiation like they do in the +secret societies back in Eureka." + +He sought to close with Tad, but the boy eluded him easily. + +"That'll do, Bud," warned the guide, stepping between them. "No rough +house here. Want some water? We've got a water hole right over there." + +"Water? Water? Call the stuff we get out of the ground here water?" + +"He--he's had his head in soak already," piped Stacy, noting the +perspiration dripping from the cowboy leader's face. + +Parry gave the lad a warning look. + +"They're good enough fellows, but they are full of pranks when they are +not at work. No need to stir them up and make them mad." + +"Got anything to eat?" demanded Bud. + +"How would you like some coffee, sir?" asked Tad politely. + +"Coffee?" jeered the cowboy. "Now what d'ye think of that, fellows? +Ain't that right hospitable?" + +"Yes, thank you, young man, I guess that would touch the spot," spoke +up another of the band. "'Course we'll have some coffee." + +"All right. Ned, will you and Walt fix something for the boys to eat? +If you will lead your ponies over to the water hole I'll dip up some +water for them in the meantime, gentlemen." + +"Kiddie, yer all right," bellowed Bud Stevens. "But I've got to take a +fall out of yer yet." + +"Some other time," grinned Tad, who felt no fear of the hulking cowboy. + +"See that nose?" demanded Bud, sticking out his head at Tad. + +"Yes; what's the matter?" + +"That's my nose. And that's where I barked it when you roped my pony +tother day. Oh, I've got to take it out of yer hide, kiddie." + +"Come along. We'll water the ponies. Chunky, help lead those bronchos +to the water hole, will you?" + +The two boys and the noisy plainsmen gathered the tired animals and led +them to the hole that had been dug in the desert. Stacy sprang in and +began dipping out pails of water. + +Bud grabbed the first pailful, but instead of offering it to one of the +thirsty animals, he deliberately emptied the contents over the head of +the boy down in the hole. + +"Hi, there! Stop that, will you?" howled Stacy Brown. + +The fat boy was mad all through. + +He scrambled from the hole, dragging a slopping pail of water after +him, while Bud Stevens roared with delight. But his mirth was +short-lived. + +Stacy ran around the hole and straight at the cowboy who had soaked him +with the yellow water. Up went the pail. + +Splash! + +The contents of it were hurled full in the face of the wild cowboy, who +at that moment, having his mouth wide open, got a mouthful of it. + +The battle was on instantly. Tad knew it was coming, but he did not +think it would be directed at him this time, though he realized that he +would have to protect his companion at any cost. + +Choking and sputtering, Bud made a blind lunge at Tad, his eyes being +so full of muddy water that he could barely make out the slender form +of the Pony Rider Boy. + +Tad ducked and dodged, hoping that Stevens would tire of pursuing him +in a moment. The lad might have called to the others over by the camp, +but he was too proud to do that. He would fight his own battles, no +matter what the odds were against him. + +"I've got to get in," muttered the lad. "He's seeing clearer every +minute, and the longer I wait the less chance I'll have of getting out +with a whole skin. + +"I'm coming, kiddie!" roared Bud. + +Tad made no reply. + +Stooping as if for a spring, Butler launched himself straight at the +pillar of brawn and muscle before him. Had he hesitated for the +briefest part of a second--had he permitted those muscular arms to +close about him, Tad Butler would have gone down to a quick and +inglorious defeat. + +But he did not wait. + +The lad's right arm was brought sharply against the neck of his +adversary, while at the same time his left arm was slipped under the +cowboy's right leg. The result was that Stevens lurched to the left. +A quick jerk and Bud was fairly lifted from the ground. + +Tad gave a quick, forceful tug. + +Bud Stevens landed on his head in the pool of yellow water, his feet +beating the air wildly. + +[Illustration: Bud Stevens Landed on His Head in the Pool of Yellow +Water] + +"Grab hold of a foot, Chunky!" commanded Tad. "Quick! He'll drown in +a minute in there." + +"Oh, let 'im drown," drawled Stacy, blinking to get the sand out of his +eyes. + +"Get hold, I tell you! I'll thrash you, Stacy Brown, if you don't!" + +Stacy reluctantly complied, Tad in the meantime having grasped the +cowboy's foot and began pulling. + +"Not that way, Chunky. Do you want to pull him apart?" + +The fat boy was trying to get Bud's right leg out from the opposite +side of the water hole. + +The disturbance had by this time attracted the attention of the men +over in the camp. They started on the run when they saw Bud turned +head first into the water hole. + +By the time they reached the scene Tad and Stacy had succeeded in +hauling the victim from his perilous position. Bud was choking between +roars of rage. His companions went off into shrieks of laughter when +they understood what had happened. They rolled on the ground; they +danced about their fallen companion, and then their revolvers began to +add their vicious voices to the tumult. + +Tad paid no attention to the uproar. He was too busy shaking the water +out of his fallen antagonist, to whom he was giving first aid to the +drowning. + +Bud staggered to his feet, gasped for breath, while Tad stepped off a +few paces, so as not to be within reach of those long, bony arms, +should Bud decide to stretch them forth and take him in. + +"Guess you got all that was coming to you that time, Bud Stevens," +grinned Tom Parry. "Served you right. You'll let those boys alone +after this or you'll have to reckon with me." + +Stevens's face was streaked with wet sand, his hair was disheveled and +his clothes stuck to him as if they had been pasted on. + +The cowboy's sullen face slowly relaxed into a mirthless grin. + +"Say, kiddie, you put it over me like a cactus plant. I owe you two." + +"I'd cancel the debt if I were in your place," laughed the boy. "Come +along and have a drink of coffee. It'll warm you up after your swim." + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER + +An appetizing meal had been spread for the visitors. But every time +the men glanced at their companion they broke out into loud guffaws. + +"You're a sight, Bud," jeered one. + +"Next time better take a man of your size," said another. + +"Guess that's right," grinned the vanquished one. "Ye can't most +always tell what a kid's going to do." + +"We know what this one did do to you, though," laughed another. + +"Reckon I do myself," admitted Stevens. "Say, kiddie, you come along +with us and try them tricks on the wild hosses we're going to catch. +Mebby I'll forgit to take it out of you. I'll let the white stallion +do that." + +"Thank you; I'll accept that invitation, with Professor Zepplin's +permission." + +"We intended to drop in on your bunch, anyway," interposed Parry. "The +boss has invited us to join a horse hunt with you." + +"Better go along with us now, then," suggested Stevens. "We won't have +no more rough house, leastwise till we get to the San Antone Range, eh?" + +"No," replied Parry. "We have a pack train to drag along. Besides, +you fellows travel too fast for us. We'll take our time and join you +later." + +The bath and the hot coffee had served to quiet Bud Stevens's bubbling +spirits. He was by this time a more rational being. + +After they had finished the meal Bud drew Tad Butler aside +confidentially. + +"Say, kiddie, I like you," he said, slapping the lad a violent blow +between the shoulders. + +"Glad of it," laughed Tad. "But you have a queer way of showing your +affection." + +"Say, can you ride?" + +"Some," admitted Tad. + +"As well as you can fight and throw a rope?" + +"I was not aware that I did either one very well." + +"Go away! Go away! You're a champeen. I've got a spavined, +ring-boned cayuse over in the range that I'm going to put you up +against when you join us. He'll give you all the exercise you want----" + +"Hey, Bud, ain't it 'bout time we were moseying?" called one of +Stevens's companions. + +"I reckon. Can't be any hotter than 'tis now. When you going to join +us, Parry?" + +"We'll be there in a few days. But come here; I want to talk with you?" + +"Sure thing." + +"If we go on a hunt with you, remember there's to be no funny business. +These boys, while they're no tenderfeet, are fine fellows and they must +be treated well. I'm responsible for them. What I say goes. +Understand?" + +"We'll look out for the kids, don't you get in a hot stew 'bout that." + +With a final whoop and a cheer for the members of Tom Parry's party, +the turbulent cowboys put spurs to their ponies. Once more a cloud of +dust rose from the desert, across which it slowly rolled. The boys +watched it for half an hour, until the cloud had dwindled to a mere +speck in the distance. + +"Not such a bad lot, after all," was the Professor's conclusion. + +"Rough diamonds," smiled the guide. + +"Are we going on now, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. + +"No; I think we may as well unpack and make camp here until to-morrow +morning. Then the stock will be fresh, and so shall we." + +"The stock looks to be in pretty good shape already," answered Tad. + +"Yes; but they will be much better to-morrow. A day's water and feed +will do wonders for them. I guess the bunch of horse-hunters made +quite a hole in our fodder, didn't they?" + +"There was nothing the matter with their appetites that I observed," +laughed Tad. "But we've got enough to last us for some time. How long +before we shall strike the range where we are to join them?" + +Parry glanced off over the desert meditatively. + +"If we have no bad luck we ought to make it in three days. The cowboys +will get there some time to-morrow." + +"One of them won't," answered Tad, confidently. + +"Why not?" + +"His pony is wind-broken. Didn't you hear him breathe when they rode +in?" + +"What, with the bunch howling like a pack of coyotes? No, I didn't +hear a horse breathe." + +"I did," chimed in Stacy. + +"Did what?" queried Ned, turning on him sharply. Rector had not heard +the fat boy approach them. + +"Heard the big cowboy breathe. He wheezed like a leaky steam engine." + +Tad and the guide burst out laughing. + +"Why, boy, we weren't talking about the cowboy. We were speaking of +one of the bronchos. Tad says he is wind-broken." + +"Huh!" grunted Stacy, strolling off with hands thrust in his pockets, +chin on his breast. "When I'm not right I'm always wrong," he +muttered. "Mostly wrong." + +They did not see the lad again for more than an hour. The rest of the +party gathered under the tent they had first erected, where they now +fell to discussing their late visitors, next turning to their plans for +the morrow. + +"Do we follow the same course when we next start?" asked the Professor. + +"Not quite. We veer a little more to the west, until we string the San +Antonio Range. When we leave there, if you conclude to go on, we shall +head southward toward Death Valley. I understand you are willing to +penetrate it a little way." + +"Yes, if you think it is safe to do so." + +Parry shrugged his shoulders. + +"Death Valley is no better than its name. If you wish merely to see +it, I think I can gratify your desire." + +"Yes, yes, we want to see Death Valley," chorused the boys. "Don't be +afraid for us." + +"I'll try to get some water bags from the horse-hunters when we join +them; for the further south one goes on the desert the more scarce the +water becomes." + +The sun was lying low by this time and the advance guard of the evening +coolness began crowding back the heat of the day. + +"I wonder what has become of Chunky?" questioned Tad suddenly, rising +from the ground where he had thrown himself in the shade of the tent. + +The others glanced quickly about them. + +"Probably find him asleep behind a bunch of sage somewhere," answered +Ned lightly. "Don't trouble yourself about him." + +"Perhaps over by the water hole," suggested the guide. "I'll stroll +over that way." + +Just then a figure topped the ridge beyond them. + +It was yelling lustily, leaping into the air, rolling and groveling on +the ground alternately. + +"There he is! Something's happened to him," shouted Walter. + +All hands started on a run. They could not imagine what had gone wrong +with the fat boy. + +As they drew nearer to him they discovered that he had taken off all +his clothes. His body was as red as if it had been painted. + +The Professor's long legs were covering the alkali at a pace that left +the others behind, until Tad spurted and headed him. + +"Chunky, Chunky! What's the matter?" he shouted. + +Stacy yelled more lustily than ever. + +"What is it? What is it?" shouted the others in chorus. + +"I'm burned alive? I'm cremated! Oh, w-o-w!" + +"Should think you would he. What on earth have you got your clothes +off for?" + +They discovered that something was the matter then, for an expression +of real pain had taken the place of the complacent look they were wont +to see on the face of Stacy Brown. + +"He's been boiling himself!" exclaimed the guide, with quick intuition. + +Grasping the fat boy, Parry threw him flat on the ground and began +rolling him in the sand. Stacy yelled more lustily than before. + +"Run to my saddlebags. Fetch the black bottle you will find there!" +commanded the guide. "It's oil, yes. Hurry, before his skin all peels +off." + +Tad was back with the black bottle in no time. Tom Parry spread the +oil over the blistered flesh of the fat boy, whose yells grew less and +less explosive as he felt the soothing effects of the grease on his +body. + +"Wha--what happened?" stammered Walter. + +"I--I fell in." + +"In where?" questioned the Professor sharply. + +"I don't know. It was hot." + +"Put your clothes on. You'll be all right in a little while. Where +did you leave them?" + +Stacy pointed back on the desert some distance, whereat Parry +laughingly said he would go in search of the clothing. + +"Now if you will be good enough to tell me what all this uproar is +about, I shall be obliged to you," requested the Professor. + +"Why, the boy found a boiling spring----" + +"And he fell in," added Ned solemnly. + +"He did," agreed the guide, without the suspicion of a smile. + +"Is that it, Master Stacy?" + +Stacy nodded. + +"Tell me about it." + +"I--I was walking along with my hands in my pockets----" + +"Thinking," interjected Ned. + +"What'd you suppose I was doing! Ain't I always thinking when I'm not +asleep?" + +"Go on, go on," urged Ned unsympathetically. + +"All at once something slipped. I went right through the ground. At +first I thought I was a pond of ice water, it felt so cold. Next thing +I knew I was burning up." + +"But your clothes? What did you have them off for?" urged the +Professor. + +"I took them off when I thought I was burning up. Say, fellows, that +was the hottest ice water I ever took a bath in my life." + +The boys could barely resist their inclination to laugh. + +"Why don't you laugh if you want to? Never mind me. I don't count," +growled Chunky. + +Parry explained that these boiling springs were not infrequent on the +desert. They were found, generally, further north, he said. This one +must have worked its way up through the alkali until only a thin crust +covered it, and this crust the boy had had the misfortune to step on +and break through. + +"You wouldn't think there were so many pitfalls under this baked +desert, would you?" questioned Ned. + +"I look like a piece of human sandpaper, don't I?" muttered Stacy +ruefully, as he carefully drew on his clothes. "Every time I sit down +I'll remember that hot ice water." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL + +"Thank goodness, we're in the foothills," sighed Tad, when three days +later they came to a halt at the base of the San Antonio Range far down +on the Nevada Desert. + +"Yes, it is a relief to see some real rocks once more," agreed Walter. +"Chunky, look out that you don't step into any more ice water. You'll +miss the horse-hunt if you do." + +"No danger of that up here," laughed the guide. + +Behind them lay the desert maze, to the right and left, mountain +ranges, high plateaux, mesas and buttes. Giant yucca trees, short, +spreading pinon and spindling cedars clothed the higher peaks of the +San Antonio Range. + +Trees, too, were scattered about in the foothills, and though they gave +little shade it was a relief to every sense of the Pony Riders to feel +the hills and trees about them. + +There, with what little shade they could get, the lads made camp. As +yet they had found no water, though Parry said there would be springs +in plenty further up in the mountains. The bags still held enough to +last them until the following day, so no effort was made to locate +fresh water that afternoon. + +Stacy had thrown himself down under one of the yucca trees, but the +late afternoon sun filtered through the branches, making his face look +red and heated. + +"You don't seem to be getting much shade from that tree," laughed the +guide. + +"'Bout as much as I would from a barbed wire fence," frowned Stacy. + +"What do you know about barbed-wire fences?" demanded Ned. + +"Me? Know all 'bout them. One night I had a falling out with one, +when I was taking a short cut across the fields to get home." + +"How about the apples? Did you get them?" asked Tad. + +"Apples? What do you know 'bout it? Were you there, too?" + +A laugh greeted the fat boy's reply. + +"Come, come, young men. Are you going to make camp?" urged the +Professor. + +"Didn't know we were going to remain here to-night," replied Walter. +"Of course we're going to make camp if that's the case. It'll be a +good time to shake the alkali dust out of our belongings and from +ourselves." + +"I haven't got any dust," piped Stacy. "I--I had a bath--a hot bath." + +"Are we anywhere near the horse-hunters, Mr. Parry?" inquired Tad, as +the boys began unpacking the burros, some devoting their attention to +the kitchen outfit, the rest spreading the canvas on the ground +preparatory to erecting the tents. + +"They are supposed to be further up the range. They will be down this +way to-morrow, probably, to pick us up. They were not certain where +they would make their permanent camp, Stevens said. All depends upon +where the wild horses are grazing." + +"I don't see any wild horses, nor any other wild anything," objected +Ned. + +The guide dropped the ridge pole that he was about to carry to the +place where the cook tent had been laid out ready to be raised. + +"Come with me," he said, taking Ned by the arm and leading him to the +left of their camping place. "Do you see that?" + +"What?" + +"Use your eyes. If you're going to be a plainsman you'll have to +depend on your sense of sight. Take the desert for instance. It's a +desert maze if you are unable to read its signs; no maze at all if you +do." + +"What is it you were going to show Ned?" asked the rest of the boys, +who had followed them out. + +"See if you can tell, Master Tad." + +But Master Tad had already been using his eyes. He nodded as he caught +the guide's eye. + +"There has been a bunch of unshod ponies along here, if that is what +you mean," he said. + +"How do you know?" demanded Stacy. + +"I see their tracks there. Saw them the minute I got over here." + +"Maybe that's the crowd that called at our camp the other day," +suggested Walter. + +The guide shook his head. + +"There was no one on these horses," said Tad. + +"Right," emphasized the guide. "That's observation, young men. You +will notice, by examining these hoofprints carefully, that the weight +of the animal is thrown more on the toe----" + +"How do you know that?" cut in Stacy. + +"Because the toe sinks into the soil more than it would if the animals +were loaded. In the latter event, the heels would dig deeper. Now if +you will follow along a little further I may be able to show you the +hoofprints of the leader of the band of wild horses, for that is what +they are----" + +"Wild horses?" marveled the boys. + +"Wish we could see them," said Tad. + +"I'll wager they have seen us already, for they surely are in this +neighborhood," replied Parry. "But a wild horse is as sharp as an old +fox. The herd have been down in the foothills and, by the hoofprints, +you will observe that they have returned to the mountain fastness." + +"Perhaps they saw us coming," suggested Tad. + +"More than likely," agreed the guide. "They were in a hurry and moving +rapidly--there! There's the leader's trail. Look carefully and you +will see where he leaped up to this little butte here. Reaching it, he +turned about and took a quick, comprehensive look at the desert." + +"And at us," added Stacy. + +"Yes, I think so. Come up here. You see this little ridge gave him a +very good view of the desert maze. See if you can tell how many wild +horses there were in the bunch," suggested Tom Parry. + +Instantly the boys went down on all fours, crawling along the trail +seeking to read the story that it told. + +"Well, how many?" queried the guide, after they had finished their +inspection. + +"Fifty!" shouted Stacy. + +"Forty-five!" answered Ned and Walter at the same time. + +"What do you say, Master Tad?" + +"I am afraid I must have missed some, then. I only make out twenty-one +old ones and a colt. I take it the old mare was with the colt, for the +prints show that the little animal was hugging the other closely," was +Tad's decision. + +"Very good. Very good," nodded Parry. "There were twenty-two. You +didn't get the trailer, probably an old mare. She traveled along off +to the right yonder a little. But I should like to know how you made +fifty, Master Stacy!" twinkled the guide. + +"Counted 'em," answered the fat boy. + +"Show me?" + +Stacy did so, going over the hoofprints carefully, pointing to them +with his index finger as he did so, the guide making mental +calculations at the same time. + +"And that makes fifty--fifty--fifty-four this time. There's more of +them than I thought." + +Parry laughed softly. + +"I'm afraid you'd make a poor Indian, young man. You not only have +counted the hoof-prints, but you have counted the foot marks of +yourself and your companions as well. Master Tad, let me see if you +can run the trail up the mountain side a little way. It will be good +practice. I want you boys to be able to follow a trail as keenly as +the best of them before you have finished this trip. You never know +when it's going to be useful--when it's going to get you out of serious +difficulties, even to the extent of saving your lives." + +Tad was off on a trot, stooping well over, with eyes fixed on the foot +marks. + +"Tad could hunt jack rabbits without a dog, couldn't he?" questioned +Stacy innocently. His companions laughed. + +"Is that a joke?" asked Ned. "If it is, I'll cry. Your jokes would +make a Texas steer weep." + +Tad was picking his way up the rough mountain side, now losing the +trail, then picking it up again. The marks left by the wild horses +were almost indistinguishable after the animals had reached the rocks, +but here and there a broken twig told the lad they had passed that way. + +Once he appeared to leave the trail, moving sharply to the right, where +on a shelving ridge, he straightened up and looked down into the valley. + +Tom Parry nodded encouragingly. + +"Know what you've found?" + +"Yes, this is where the leader came to make another observation," +answered Tad. + +"That's right. He's a plainsman already, boys. Go on. Run the trail +up to the top of this first ridge. It will not be a bad idea for us to +know which way they've gone. If the hunters don't show up by to-morrow +we can take a little run after the herd on our own hook." + +Tad obeyed gladly. Every sense was on the alert. The rest of the boys +were all impatience to take part in the hunt. But the guide said no. +He feared that, if all were to start up the mountain side, their +enthusiasm might lead them too far from camp, resulting in their losing +their way. He knew how tricky the trail of a band of wild horses was, +the clever animals leaving no ruse untried that would tend to mix up +and lose their pursuers. + +Tad's figure was growing smaller as he ascended higher and higher. + +"You don't mean to say that horses climbed up the way he is going!" +questioned Walter incredulously. + +"That's the way they went, my boy. They 're regular goats when it +comes to mountain climbing. They'll go where a man could not, +oftentimes." + +Tad crept, cautiously on, now finding little to guide him, save his own +instinct. He finally disappeared behind the rocks and trees of the +low-lying range. + +The lad was moving almost noiselessly now. A sound a short distance +beyond him caused him to prick up his ears sharply. + +"I believe I am near them," he breathed, as he glanced about him. "Why +did I not think to bring my rope?" + +It was just as well for his own well-being, that he had not brought +along that part of his saddle equipment. He was following the trail +with the skill of a trained mountaineer. An Indian himself could have +done it no better. + +Perhaps the guide understood, better than did Tad himself, why he had +started the lad on the trail, for a quiet smile hung about the lips of +Tom Parry. All at once his twinkling eyes lit up with a new expression. + +"Look! Look!" gasped Walter. + +"Where? Where?" demanded Ned. + +Walter pointed to a pyramid-shaped rock far above their heads. + +At first they could scarcely believe their senses. There poised in the +air, feet doubled into a bunch, stood a splendid specimen of +horse-flesh, resting, it seemed, fairly on the sharp point of the rock, +gazing down into and across the valley. + +"The white stallion," breathed the lads all in the same breath. + +The magnificent animal was a creamy white. Its head was held high, +nostrils distended as if to catch the scent of those for whom it was +looking. Beneath the rays of the low lying sun, its coat glistened and +shone with a luster that no brush or comb could bring to it. + +The lads gazed upon the beautiful statue almost in awe. + +They were standing quite close up under the shadow of the mountain at +that moment. + +"Why doesn't he run?" whispered Walter. + +"Do you think he sees us?" asked Ned. + +"No. Stand perfectly still." + +"Why doesn't he? All he would have to do would be to look down?" +questioned Stacy. + +"He scents us. He knows we are somewhere near. But, if you will +observe him closely, you will notice that he is looking at the camp. +He sees the Professor moving about," explained Parry. + +"Do--do you think we could catch him?" asked Ned eagerly. + +"The most skillful men in this part of the country have been trying to +do that very thing for the last five years, my boy," answered the guide +in a low tone. "No, you couldn't catch him. He's the finest animal to +be found in the entire Nevada Desert district. Wouldn't mind owning +him myself." + +In the meantime Tad had been creeping nearer and nearer. He soon +discovered that the leader of the band had swerved to the left. He +concluded to follow, to see where the solitary animal had gone to. But +so quietly did the lad move that the stallion neither heard nor scented +him. + +All at once the wonderful sight unfolded before the eyes of Tad Butler. +He flattened himself on the ground, within thirty yards of the splendid +animal. + +Suddenly the stallion whirled. Tad rose to his feet, The two stood +facing each other, Tad with head thrust forward, the stallion with +nostrils held high in the air. + +"Oh, my rope, my rope!" breathed the boy. "If I had my rope!" + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS + +Those down in the foothills saw the animal whirl and face the other way. + +"He sees something," cried Walter, forgetting in his excitement that +they were trying to keep quiet. + +"Yes, he has probably scented Master Tad," explained the guide. + +"Think he'll try to catch the horse?" asked Stacy. + +"Hope not. Those wild horses are bad medicine. No, of course, he has +no rope with him. But he'll be wise if he keeps out of the way of the +beast." + +Tad had no thought of doing either. He stood perfectly still, gazing +in awe and wonder at the handsomest horse he had ever seen. + +The stallion's eyes blazed. He uttered a loud snort, then rose right +up into the air on his hind feet. One bound brought him many feet +nearer the boy who was observing him. It was the only direction in +which the stallion could go without plunging into a chasm. + +"Whoa!" commanded Tad sharply. + +The white horse never having been trained, failed to understand the +word, but he halted just the same, gazing angrily at the bold boy +standing there, who, it appeared, was defying him. + +Uttering another snort, this time full of menace, the animal leaped +straight toward the lad in long, graceful bounds. + +Tad threw up his hands to frighten the stallion aside. The animal, +however, refused to be swerved from its course. + +"He's going to run over me," cried the boy, as he noted that the horse +was rising for another leap. + +Tad ducked just as the beast sprang clear of the ground. He felt the +rush of air as the gleaming body was lifted over his head, the boy at +the instant uttering a shrill yell to hasten the stallion's movements. + +The front hoofs caught the rim of the Pony Rider Boy's sombrero, +snipping it from his head. The hind feet came closer. They raked +Tad's head, bowling him completely over, rolling him from the knoll on +which he had been standing. + +He brought up with a jolt some ten feet further down. Tad scrambled to +his feet a little dizzy from the blow and the fall. + +"Whew! That was a close call," he muttered, feeling his head to learn +if it had been injured. + +"No; the skin isn't broken, but I'm going to have a beautiful goose egg +there," he concluded. "It's swelling already. If I'd had my rope I +could have roped him easily when he rose at me that last time." + +Scrambling up the bank, Tad found his hat. Then he picked his way to +the pyramid-shaped rock on which he had first discovered the stallion. + +Poising himself, he swung his sombrero to his companions down in the +foothills. + +"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I met the enemy. I've seen the white stallion, +fellows!" + +"Is the enemy yours?" jeered Ned Rector. + +"No; I rather think I was his," laughed Tad, turning back and hurrying +down the rocks to rejoin his companions. + +He was met by a volley of questions the moment he reached the +foothills. With his companions gathered about him, Tad told them how +he had followed the trail, finally coming upon the handsome animal +while the latter was taking an observation from the pyramid-shaped rock. + +"It's a wonder he didn't attack you," said the guide after the lad had +finished his narration. "Those wild stallions are very savage when +aroused." + +"I guess he tried to do so all right," laughed Tad. + +"I knew he was up there somewhere, watching us, but I did not think for +a minute that you would get close enough to him to be in any danger," +announced Tom Parry, with a disapproving shake of his head. + +"I could have roped him easily," said the lad. + +"Lucky for you that you didn't try it. It's getting late now. I +presume the Professor is beginning to think we are not going to finish +pitching our camp. Come, we'll go back and get to work." + +The work went rather slowly, however, for the lads were too full of the +subject of the wild stallion to devote their whole attention to putting +their camp to rights for the night. Then again, they had to go all +over the story for the Professor's benefit. + +"Do you think we could catch one of these wild ones to take back East +with us?" asked Tad. + +"You couldn't catch one yourself, but you might be able to buy one for +a small sum from the horse-hunters," the guide informed him. + +"How much?" + +"Depends on the animal. Perhaps twenty or twenty-five dollars." + +"Then, I'll do it. I could get him home for as much more, and he'd be +worth at least two hundred dollars. Perhaps I might take two of them +along, providing I can get what I want." + +"You ought to be a horseman," laughed the guide. "You've got the +horseman's instinct." + +"He is a horseman," volunteered Stacy. "There aren't any better." + +"Thank you," glowed Tad. "I'll pull you out next time you fall in, for +that." + +They were very jolly at supper that night. They had nothing to trouble +them. Water was near by and they were soon to participate in the most +exciting event in their lives, a wild-horse hunt. + +"Do you think they will be able to find us!" questioned Walter. + +"Who, the horses?" returned Ned. + +"I hope they do," laughed the guide. "No; Master Walter means Bud +Stevens and the gang. Find us? Why, those fellows could trail a cat +across the Desert Maze if they happened to take a notion to do so." + +There being plenty of dry stuff about, the boys built up a blazing +camp-fire as soon as night came on. Gathering about it they told +stories and sang songs. + +"I move that Stacy Chunky Brown favor us with a selection," suggested +Ned. "He has a very rare voice--an underdone voice some might call it." + +"Yes, Chunky," urged Walter. "You haven't sung for us since we +started." + +"Me? I can't sing. Besides it might scare the wild horses," protested +Stacy. + +"I guess there's no doubt about that. But we'll take the chances." + +"Yes, do sing, Chunky," added Walter. "It may soften Ned's hard heart." + +Stacy cocked an impish eye at Ned Rector. + +"All right, I'll sing," decided the fat boy, clearing his throat. + +"Stand up," thundered Ned. "Have some respect for the audience." + +Stacy stood up. + +"What are you going to favor us with?" questioned Tad. + +"It's a little thing of my own," grinned Stacy. "Hope you'll like it." + +"Oh, we'll like it all right," chuckled Ned. "The audience will please +refrain from applauding until the performer finishes." + +"What's the name of the piece?" demanded Walter. + +"Hasn't been named. You can name it if you wish." + +"Go ahead, go ahead. Never mind the name," chorused the lads. + +Stacy surveyed the upturned, laughing faces of his companions and then +launched out in a shrill soprano: + + It's all day long on the alka-li, + Where the coyotes howl and the wells run dry, + Where the badgers badge in the water holes, + And the twisters twist the old tent poles-- + Right up from the alka-li. + + +"Yeow!" shrieked the Pony Rider Boys. + +"It's a new poet. Hurrah for the poet lariat!" shouted Ned Rector, +jumping up and down, slapping his thighs in his amusement. + +"Go on, give us another verse," laughed the guide. "That's real po'try +that is." + +"Is there another verse?" cried Walter. + +Chunky nodded solemnly. + +"Hush! He is going to sing some more," cautioned Tad Butler, holding +up his hand for silence. + +"Ahem," began Stacy. Throwing back his head he began again: + + When the wind blows high o'er the Desert Maze, + And sand in your eyes interferes with your gaze, + Then the Pony Rider Boys they lose their pants; + Don't dare sit down for fear of the ants-- + That hide in the alka-li. + + +Stacy sat down blinking, solemn as an owl. But if he was solemn his +companions were quite the opposite. The boys formed a ring about him, +and between their yells of appreciation, began dancing around in a +circle shouting out in chorus the last two lines of the second verse: + + Don't dare sit down for fear of the ants-- + That hide in the alka-li. + + +Professor Zepplin and Tom Parry were laughing immoderately, but their +voices could not be heard above the uproar made by the joyous Pony +Riders. No such carnival of fun probably ever had disturbed the +foothills of the San Antonio range, nor extended so far out over the +maze of the great Nevada Desert. + +"Sing it again! Sing it again!" commanded the boys. + +They hauled the protesting Chunky to his feet, stood him on a box of +pickled pigs' feet, compelling him to begin the song all over again. + + "It's all day long on the alka-li. + Where the coyotes howl and----" + + +"Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o! Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o-ki! K-i-i-i-o-o-ki!" + +A long wailing sound--a dismal howl, suddenly cut short the joyous +ditty. + +"What's that!" + +"Ki-i-i-i-o-o-o! Ki-i-i-i-o-o-ki!" + +"Coyotes," laughed the guide. + +There seemed to be hundreds of them. From every peak in the range +their mournful voices were protesting. + +All at once out in the black maze of the desert another bunch of them +began their weird wailing. + +"We're surrounded," announced the Professor. + +"Shall we get the guns?" asked Walter. + +"No, they're expressing their indignation at Chunky's song," jeered Ned. + +"Let 'em howl. I don't care. If they don't stop I'll sing some more," +threatened the fat boy. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS + +The Professor found difficulty even in driving the lads to their beds +that night. When they did finally tumble in and pull the blankets over +them they were unable to sleep, between the howling of the coyotes and +their laughter over Stacy Brown's new-found talent. + +"They'll go away when the moon comes up," called the guide when the +boys protested that the beasts kept them awake. + +"Why can't we shoot at them?" asked Stacy. + +"It will alarm the wild horses," said the guide. "We don't want to +chase them off the range. Neither would the horse-hunters like it if +we were to begin shooting." + +"Go to sleep!" commanded the Professor. + +Then the boys settled down. After a time the moon came up, but instead +of quieting the coyotes it seemed to have urged them on to renewed +efforts. They grew bolder. They approached the camp until a circle of +them surrounded it. + +Out of Stacy Brown's tent crept a figure in its night clothes. It was +none other than Stacy himself. In one hand he held a can of condensed +milk that he had smuggled from the commissary department that afternoon. + +He wriggled along in the shadow of a slight rise of ground until he had +approached quite near the beasts. He could see them plainly now and +Stacy's eyes looked like two balls. + +The animals would elevate their noses in the air, and, as if at a +prearranged signal, all would strike the first note of their mournful +wail at identically the same instant. + +Suddenly the figure of the Pony Rider Boy rose up before them, right in +the middle of one of the unearthly wails. + +"Boo!" said Stacy explosively, at the same time hurling the can of +condensed milk full in the face of the coyote nearest to him. + +His aim was true. The can landed right between the eyes of the animal. +The coyote uttered a grunt of surprise, hesitated an instant, then, +with tail between his legs, bounded away with a howl of fear. + +"Yeow! Scat!" shrieked the fat boy. + +The whole pack turned tail and ran with Stacy after them in full +flight, headed for the desert. + +Tom Parry, aroused by this new note in the midnight medley, tumbled out +just in time to see Stacy disappearing over the ridge. The guide was +followed quickly by the other three boys of the party and Professor +Zepplin. + +"Hey, come back here!" shouted Parry. + +The fat boy paid no attention to him. He was too busy chasing coyotes +across the desert at that moment to give heed to anything else. + +"Get after him, boys! If he falls they're liable to pile on him and +chew him up before we can get to him!" commanded the guide. + +Over the ridge bounded the pajama brigade. The coyotes, frightened +beyond their power of reasoning, if such a faculty was possessed by +them, were now no more than so many black streaks lengthening out +across the desert. + +The lads set up a whoop as they started on the chase after their +companion. + +"Rope him, somebody!" shouted Parry. + +"Haven't any rope," answered Tad, with a muttered "Ouch!" as his +big-toe came in contact with the can of condensed milk. + +Laughing and shouting, they soon came up with Stacy, however, because +he could not run as fast as the other boys. Tad caught up with him +first, and the two lads went down together. In another minute the rest +of the party had piled on the heap. + +"Get up!" shouted Tad. "Somebody's standing on my neck." + +"Yes, and--and you've pushed my face into the desert," came the muffled +voice of Chunky Brown. + +Laughing and all talking at once, the knot was slowly untied. Two of +them grabbed the fat boy under the arms, while a third got between the +lad's feet and picked them up, much as one would the handles of a +wheelbarrow. In that manner they triumphantly carried Stacy back to +the camp. + +Reaching his tent, they threw the fat boy into his bed. + +The tall, gaunt figure of the Professor appeared suddenly at the tent +entrance. Some of the boys darted by him, the others crawling out +under the sides of the tent, all making a lively sprint for their own +quarters. + +"Young men, the very next one who raises a disturbance in this camp +to-night is going to get a real old-fashioned trouncing. Not having +any slipper, I'll use my shoe. Do you hear?" + +Not a voice answered him, but as he strode away the moon-like face of +Stacy Brown might have been seen peering out at him. Quiet reigned in +the camp of the Pony Rider Boys for several hours after that. Yet they +were destined not to pass the night without a further disturbance, +though the Professor did not use his shoe to chastise the noisy ones. + +It lacked only a few hours to daylight when the second interruption +occurred. And when it arrived it was even more startling than had been +the fat boy's chase of the cowardly coyotes. + +There was a sudden sound of hoof-beats. + +"Ki-yi! Ki-yi!" shrieked a chorus of voices. + +A volley of shots was fired as an accompaniment to the startling yells. +A moment later and a body of horsemen dashed into camp, which they had +easily located by the smouldering camp-fire. + +The Pony Rider Boys were out of their tents in a twinkling. + +"Wow!" piped Stacy. + +Bang! Bang! + +Two bullets flicked the dirt up into his face. Bud Stevens and his +companions were in a playful mood again. + +"Hey, you! Better look out where you're shooting to!" warned Stacy. + +Bud let go another volley. + +"The Professor'll take you over his knee and chastise you with his +shoe, if you don't watch sharp," said Stacy. + +"Come out of that. Where's the kiddie? I want to see my kiddie!" +laughed Bud Stevens. + +By this time, with his companions, he had dismounted, turning the +ponies loose to roam where they would. The whole camp, aroused by the +shouting and shooting, had turned out after pulling on their trousers +and shoes. Tom Parry, piling fresh fuel on the embers of the +camp-fire, soon had the scene brightly lighted. There was no more +sleep in camp that night. Professor Zepplin accepted the new +disturbance with good grace. + +"We're going to eat breakfast with you," Bud Stevens informed them. + +"That's right. What we have is free," answered the Professor +hospitably. + +"That's what I was telling the bunch," nodded Bud. "Our chuck wagon'll +be along when it gets here. We've got a schooner with six lazy mules +toting it down along the edge of the foothills. If it ever gets here +we'll stock you up with enough fodder to last you the rest of your +natural lives." + +"A schooner, did you say?" questioned Stacy, edging closer to the +cowboy. + +"Yep; schooner." + +"Where's the water?" + +"Say, moon-face, didn't you ever hear tell of a prairie schooner!" + +Chunky shook his head. + +"Well, you've got something coming to you, then," replied Bud, turning +to the others again. + +"When do you start your horse-hunt? I presume that's the purpose of +your visit here?" asked the Professor. + +"Yep. Soon as the wagon gets here with the trappings. After breakfast +we'll look around a bit. Been some of them through here to-day, I see." + +"Yes, how did you know that!" questioned Tad. + +"We crossed the trail just at the edge of the camp here when we came +in. Didn't you see them?" + +"We saw one of them and the tracks of the rest----" + +"Yes, we--we--we saw the white horse----" + +"The Angel?" demanded Bud, interested at once. + +"I don't know whether you'd call it an angel or not. It struck me that +it was quite the opposite," laughed Tad. "It was a white stallion, and +when I got in its way it just bowled me over and rolled me down the +hill----" + +"The white stallion, fellows," nodded Bud. "I told you so. Come +along, kiddie, and show me that trail. I'll tell you in a minute if +he's the one." + +Tad took the horse-hunter to the trail that he had followed up the +mountain side. Bud lighted match after match, by the light of which he +ran over the confusion of hoofprints. Finally he paused over one +particular spot, and with a frown peered down upon it. + +"That's him. That's the Angel," he emphasized. + +"Why do you call him that?" + +"Because of two things," answered Bud. "First place, he's white. +That's the color angels is supposed to be, most of 'em says. Then, if +you'll look at his hoof-mark, you'll see the frog is shaped like a +heart. More angel. Then again--that's three times, ain't it?--he's +got a temper like angels ain't supposed to have." + +"So I have observed," agreed Tad, with a laugh. + +"And that's why we call him the Angel. We'll get the old gentleman +this time or break every cinch strap in the outfit." + +There was rejoicing among the horse-hunters when they heard that it was +indeed the Angel himself whose trail they had come upon. + +"He's got the finest bunch of horse flesh with him that you'll find +anywhere on the desert," averred another. "Old Angel won't travel with +any scarecrows in his band. He's proud as a peacock with a new spread +of tail feathers." + +"S'pose you don't know how many there are in the band, eh, kiddie?" +questioned Bud. + +"Twenty-one and a colt," answered Tad promptly. + +"Oho! So--but Tom Parry told you, of course." + +"Tom Parry didn't," objected the guide. "Master Tad read the trail +himself." + +"Shake," glowed Bud, extending his hand to Tad. "You're the right sort +for this outfit. We'll let you help point the bunch into the corral +when we get them going. You'll see stars before you get through with +that job--stars that ain't down on the sky-pilot's chart." + +"It won't be the first time, Mr. Stevens. I've seen enough of them to +make a Fourth of July celebration, already." + +Just after breakfast, to which the camp had sat down at break of day, +the horse-hunters began their preliminary work. Bud directed two of +his men to work south, two more to ride north, while he would take the +center of the range. + +"What I want," he explained to the boys, "is to find where the wild +horses are waterin' these days. They've been around these parts for +more than two weeks, so we know they've got a nice cold water hole +somewhere." + +"What were they doing on the desert?" asked Walter. "I thought they +had just come across." + +"No; they were out for a play. That shows they had had plenty to eat +and drink. Professor, I think I'll take the kiddie along with me," +announced Bud, much to Tad's surprise, and, judging from the expression +of the lad's face, pleasure, as well. + +Professor Zepplin glanced at the guide inquiringly. Parry nodded his +head. + +"He'll be all right." + +"Yes, you may go, Tad. But be careful. Don't let him get into any +difficulties, Mr. Stevens. He's a venturesome lad." + +"Guess he's able to wiggle out of anything he gets into," grinned the +horse-hunter. "Come along; take a hunch on your cinch straps, a chunk +of grub in your pocket; then we're ready to find where the Angel washes +his face every morning and night." + +Tad lost no time in getting ready for the trip to trail the wild horses +to their lair, and in a few moments the horse-hunters rode from the +camp, followed by the envious glances of the Pony Rider Boys. + +"Wish I were going along," muttered Chunky ruefully, as he turned his +back on them and gazed off across the desert. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT + +The horse-hunter and his young companion laid their course at right +angles to the reach of the range. + +The trail rose slowly to pass between low buttes, leading on under the +great spreading Joshua trees that capped the range itself. Off to the +east and south of them, plainly exposed to view, lay the yellow stretch +of the Ralston Valley that went on and on until it eventually +terminated in Death Valley. The dry lake beds in the desert, looked, +with the sun shining on them, like great pearls set in the Desert Maze. +Tad thought they were water, but Bud Stevens informed him that they +were filled with water only after a heavy thunderstorm, or in the early +spring. + +"You ought to have come down here earlier in the season," he told the +lad. "It's a pretty bad time to cross the desert now." + +"Yes, we know that. But we are not looking for easy trips," laughed +the lad. + +As they moved slowly along, the cowboy horse-hunter explained many of +the secrets of the trail to his young companion, as well as describing +horse-hunts in which he had taken part in the past. + +"But I don't understand why they have come all the way across the +desert to get into this range?" said Tad. "Why did they not remain on +the other side where, I understand, there is plenty of forage?" + +"It's a peculiar thing, kiddie, but hosses, wild or tame are like human +beings in some ways. They like to get back home." + +"What do you mean?" + +"Wild horses always will go back to the range where they were born. +Sometimes they run away from the range ahead of a storm; sometimes they +are captured and taken away. But if they ever get the chance, back +they go to the place where they were born. Angel was born in this +range, and so were most of the mares and others that have come over +with him. When a halfbreed Cherokee came into camp and told us the +band of horses was seen stretched out on the mesa on the other side, I +knew they were getting ready to hike across the desert, so we prepared +to come here." + +Tad was listening intently. All this was new to him and much of it not +entirely understandable. + +"Did you ever notice how animals act before a big storm?" asked Bud. + +"No; I can't say that I have." + +"Next time you see a lot of horses stretched out on the ground on their +sides, heads close to the ground, all looking as if they were asleep, +you'll know there's a big storm coming." + +"Why do they do that?" + +"I don't know, unless it is to rest themselves thoroughly before +running away from the storm that they know is coming." + +"How do they know a storm is coming, unless they can see it?" marveled +the boy. + +"Kiddie, you'll have to ask the horses. Bud Stevens don't know--nobody +knows. A fellow with whiskers and wearing spectacles one of--of them +scientific gents--told me once that it was a kind of wireless +telegraph, that newfangled way of sending ghost messages. Said they +got it in the air. Mebby they do; I don't know. They get it. +Sometimes you'll see the colts running up and down. That's another +sign of storm." + +"That's strange. I never heard it before," mused the lad. + +"And speaking of colts, did you ever know that sometimes a band of +horses will take a great fancy to a frisky young colt?" + +"No." + +"Yes. They'll follow the colt for days, with their eyes big and full +of admiration for the awkward critter. And they'll fight for him too. +But 'tisn't often necessary, 'cause very few horses will bother a colt. +Ever see a hoss fight?" + +Tad admitted that he had not. + +"Ought to see one. It's the liveliest scrimmage that you ever set eyes +on. Beats that one back there on the desert, when you plunked me on my +head in a water hole. Jimminy! but you did dump me proper," grinned +the cowboy. + +"Hope you don't lay it up against me," laughed Tad. + +"No. Got all over that. I got what was coming to me--coming on the +run. Say, got the trail on your side there? They seem to have +shuffled over to the northward a bit." + +"Yes, I'm riding on their footprints now." + +"That's all right then. Don't want to let it get away from us." + +"Where do you think they are heading, Mr. Stevens?" + +"For the mesas up the range further. There's plenty of grazing there +and there must be water close by. What we want to do, to-day, is to +locate them and find out just where they go for their water. Then, +when the schooner gets down to your camp, we'll haul our outfit up in +the range and build a corral to drive them into." + +"Do you always make a capture?" + +"Us? No. Sometimes the leaders of the band are too smart for us. +They beat us proper. Why, they're sharper than a Goldfield real estate +man, and those fellows would make you believe an alkali desert was a +pine forest." + +"Look there!" interrupted Tad, pointing. + +"What is it, kiddie?" demanded the horse-hunter, pulling up sharply. + +"One of the horses, I think it must be the leader, seems to have left +the trail here and started off at right angles." + +Stevens rode over to the other side of Tad, and gazed down, his +forehead wrinkling in a frown. + +"Yes, that's the Angel. Don't know what he's side-tracked himself here +for. He can't see far, so it was not an observation that he was about +to take. He's either seen or scented something. Hold my pony while I +take a look." + +The cowboy dismounted, striding rapidly away with gaze fixed on the +trail ahead of him. A few moments later he returned. + +"Find anything?" asked Tad. + +"The big one scented something, or thought he did." + +"But where did he go?" + +"Turned just beyond here and followed along the same way the others +were going. You'll find his trail joining ours after we get on a +piece. I'd like to know what he thought he smelled," mused Bud. + +"I didn't know horses could scent a person or thing like that." + +"What, horses? Wild horses have got a scent that's keener than a +coyote's." + +"There's the white stallion's trail again," exclaimed the lad. + +Bud nodded. "Told you he'd come back." + +For the next hour they rode along without anything of incident +occurring, Tad constantly adding to his store of knowledge regarding +mountain and plain. The lad was himself a natural plainsman and proved +himself an apt pupil. + +All at once Bud pulled up his pony sharply and studied the ground. + +"What is it?" questioned Tad. + +"We've struck luck for sure. Boy, I'll show you something that'll make +your eyes stick out so you can hang your hat on them," cried the cowboy +exultingly. + +"You--you mean we have come upon the wild horses?" asked the lad. + +"Yes, and more. Come this way and I'll show you. See this trail?" + +Tad nodded. + +"Well, it was made by another band of horses." + +The announcement did not strike Tad as especially significant. + +"They headed for the mesas, too?" + +"Looks that way," grinned Bud. "And they're headed for trouble at the +same time. There's going to be music in the air pretty soon, kiddie, +and you and I want to be on hand to hear the first tune." + +Tad gazed at him questioningly. + +"This second bunch of horses is led by a big black stallion known to +the hunters as Satan. He's up to his name too. He's one of the most +vicious cayuses on the open range. Don't you see what this trail +means?" + +The lad confessed that he did not. + +"It means that Satan is on the trail of the Angel. When Satan and the +Angel meet there'll be the worst scrap you ever heard of, kiddie." + +"Will they fight?" + +"Will they fight?" scoffed Bud Stevens. "Guess you never saw two wild +stallions mix it up." + +"No." + +"There's bad blood between Satan and the Angel and there has been for a +long time. The black stallion has been on the white one's trail for +more than a year. I don't know what it's all about, but I know that, +if they come up with each other, there is going to be trouble. If they +don't look out we'll bag the whole bunch. I wish our outfit was here. +I suppose we ought to hustle back and get ready for the drive, but I'm +going to see Satan and the Angel meet, if it's the last thing I ever +do. Come on--we'll have to ride fast." + +Putting spurs to their ponies, they set off at a fast pace over the +uneven, rugged trail. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS + +The trail grew hotter as they advanced. + +"See, Satan's running now." + +The pursuers increased their speed, although they could not hope to +travel as rapidly as the black stallion and his followers. The wild +horses' trot had by this time become leaps, as the followers could +plainly see from the trail that had been left behind. Satan and his +band were traveling in single file, their whole attention being +centered on running down the Angel. + +"Do you think Satan scented the others?" asked Tad, when they struck a +level piece of ground so that they could relax their vigilance a little. + +"No doubt of it at all. But he didn't know it was just then. He only +knew it was a horse. He knows now that the other bunch is ahead of +him." + +"How do you know that?" queried Tad. + +"By the trail," replied Stevens. "Don't you see, the Angel is going +faster. They are both on a run now." + +"Then the Angel must be afraid. Is that it?" + +"Not much. He wants to find a better place in which to fight. This +place is bad medicine for a horse battle. They're all heading for the +mesas, just as I thought first." + +The cowboy was leaning well forward in his saddle, eyes on the trail, +instead of looking ahead. Tad, on the contrary, was straining his +eyes, hoping to catch sight of the two bands of fleeing horses; but not +a sign of them did he see. Bud was the first to inform him that they +were nearing the object of their chase. + +"Satan's going slower. He is coming up with the others. Let up a +little, and don't talk in a loud tone. We don't want to disturb them +nor let either of the bands get an idea they are followed. They might +race off to some other part of the range. We want to catch them all +later, if we can." + +Their ponies were slowed down to a trot, with Bud Stevens leading. + +All at once he held up his hand for a halt. Tad pulled up shortly. + +"What is it? Do you see them?" he whispered. + +Bud shook his head. + +"Not yet. We're close to them, though. Jump off and tether your nag. +We've got to go on afoot. They'll smell our ponies if we ride any +further." + +Moving rapidly, the man and the boy, led their mounts in among the +trees, where they made them fast with the stake ropes. Then both +started on a jog-trot along the trail. + +"How far do we have to go do you think?" + +"Don't know. Hope it's not far or we're liable to miss the show." + +"I can run as fast as you can if you want to go faster." + +"Hark! Hear that?" exclaimed Bud. + +"Yes, what was it?" + +"They're lining up for the battle. That was a stallion's scream of +defiance. It is a challenge for battle. There goes the other one. +That's the Angel telling Satan to come on and fight. Now Satan's +answering him." + +It was all just so much noise to Tad Butler. The meaning of the harsh +sounds conveyed nothing to him, but to Bud Stevens they were full of +meaning. + +"Careful, now. We're getting near." + +Both men sped along as fast as their feet would carry them, but without +making a sound that might have been heard a dozen yards away. + +"Hist!" warned Bud, crouching low. + +Grasping his companion by the arm, he crept to the right, finally +emerging from behind a rise of ground which had shielded their progress. + +"Look there," he whispered. + +Tad looked. Below him lay a broad, open mesa, its upper end within a +stone's throw of where he stood. But that was not what attracted his +attention. A band of horses of many colors and sizes stood arrayed on +each side of the little plain. + +Advanced a few yards from the band on the right, was a magnificent +black stallion, pawing the earth and uttering shrill challenges. On +the other side of the field was the Angel. He was not pawing the +earth. Instead he was standing proudly, his curving neck beautifully +arched, his pink nostrils distended and held high. + +"What a wonderful animal!" said Tad under his breath. "And that black! +I can understand why he is called Satan. What are they going to do?" + +"Fight! Don't you understand? They're getting ready to settle their +old score, and a merry mix-up it'll be," replied the cowboy in a +whisper. + +"Yes, yes," breathed Tad, scarcely able to curb his excitement. + +"There they go!" + +With a wild scream Satan and the Angel bounded into the center of the +field. As they neared it each swerved to his right and dashed by, +avoiding his opponent. + +"Act as if they were afraid of each other," said Tad. + +"They're not. They're trying each other out--sparring for an opening +as it were. You'll see in a minute." + +The fighters returned to the charge. They did not flinch this time. +With a rush they came together, rearing in the air, jaws wide apart. +Their fore-feet struck out. Both stallions broke, wheeled and kicked +viciously. + +Neither had landed a blow. + +Next time they came at each other walking on their hind feet. They +were sparring with their fore feet like fighters in the ring, their +hoofs making such rapid thrusts that the eye could scarcely follow +them. Satan reached for the head of his antagonist with a quick sweep. +The white stallion blocked the blow cleverly. + +[Illustration: They Were Sparring with Their Fore Feet like Fighters in +the Ring.] + +Yet, in doing so, he had left an opening. Satan took instant advantage +of it. The black stallion's head shot forward. It reminded Tad of a +serpent striking at its victim. + +"Ah! He landed!" exclaimed the cowboy. + +A fleck of crimson on the creamy neck of the Angel showed where the +vicious teeth of the black stallion had reached him. Yet, no sooner +had the wound been inflicted than the Angel whirled. It was like a +flash of light. + +A white hoof shot out catching the black on the side of the head, +sending him staggering to his haunches. + +The white animal was upon him with a scream of triumph. Just as it +seemed that the Angel was about to run him down, the black sprang to +his feet, leaping to one side, and as the Angel passed, the hind hoofs +of Satan were driven into his side. + +The Angel uttered a cry of pain; it was returned by one of triumph from +his antagonist. + +"Oh, what a pity to see two such magnificent animals seeking to kill +each other! Do you think one of them will be killed, Mr. Stevens?" + +"They may. You can't tell. Hope there won't be a knock-out, 'cause we +want both of those fellows and we'll get them too. I tell you, we're +in luck this trip. We'll make a haul that will be worth a few thousand +dollars, you bet. There they go again." + +Changing their method of attack, the fighters began rushing, whirling, +kicking and so timing their blows that their hind feet met with a crash +that might have been heard a long distance away. The shiny coat of the +black did not show that he had been wounded, but the watchers knew he +had, for they had seen the teeth of the white animal buried in his side +at least once. + +A vicious charge of Satan's, threw the Angel from his feet. He struck +the hard ground with a mighty snort, but was on his feet in an instant, +returning to the charge, mouth open, feet pawing the air. + +The two men could see the eyes of the desperate antagonists fairly +blaze, while their shrill cries thrilled Tad through and through. +Never in his life had he gazed upon such a scene--two giants of the +equine world engaged in mortal combat. It was a scene calculated to +make the blood course more rapidly through the veins of the boy, who, +himself, possessed so much courage. And it did, in this case, though +as a lover of horses his heart was filled with pity for the one who was +to lose the battle. As yet there was no indication as to which this +would be. They seemed equally matched, and thus far honors had been +about even. + +"Think the black can whip him?" he asked. + +"Don't know, kiddie. I'll make a bet with you; take your choice." + +"Thank you, I don't bet," answered the lad. "If I did, I couldn't +bring myself to lay a wager on those two beautiful creatures that are +trying to kill each other. Ah! There goes the black flat on his back!" + +Before Satan could rise, the hoofs of the white one had been driven +against him with unerring aim. Yet, the blow while it must have hurt, +served to assist Satan to roll over. As a matter of fact he was kicked +over, and thus helped to spring to his feet. + +Each animal fastened his teeth in the flanks of the other at the same +instant, and, when they tore themselves apart, each was limping. + +On each side of the field the other members of the two bands of horses, +stood stolidly observing the conflict. Neither side made an effort to +participate in the battle. + +Here and there a colt would break away and gambol out into the field, +only to be recalled by a sharp whinny from its mother. + +"It's queer they do not take a hand," marveled Tad. + +"No; they never do. They look to their leader to fight their battles +for them. When the battle is ended you will notice something else that +will interest you." + +"What?" + +"You'll see when the time comes. Now watch them go at it." + +And they did. It appeared as if each of the combatants was determined +to put a quick end to the conflict. There was no lost time now. It +was give and take. Blow after blow resounded from their hoofs. Now, +one of the contestants would stagger and fall, only to be up and at his +adversary, while their lithe, supple bodies flashed in the bright +sunlight till the watchers' eyes were dizzy from following their rapid +evolutions. + +"I wish the boys might see this," breathed Tad, fascinated by the sight +in spite of himself. + +"So do I," grinned Bud. + +"Did you ever see a battle of this kind?" asked the lad. + +"Not like this. I've seen stallions fight, yes, but never such a scrap +as this. Looks as if they'd be fighting all day. But they won't." + +"Why not? They seem as strong as when they began." + +"They are, but they're getting careless. They're taking longer chances +every round. First thing you know, one of them will get kicked into +the middle of next week. Whoop! That was a dandy!" + +The Angel had planted both hind hoofs fairly on the side of Satan's +head. + +Satan had gone down. But when the white stallion made a leap, with the +intention of springing upon his prostrate victim, the black rolled to +one side, and in a twinkling had fastened his teeth upon his +adversary's leg. + +Only for a brief second did he cling there, then throwing himself out +of the way sprang to his feet. The two animals met with a terrific +crash, head-on. + +Biting, kicking, screaming out their wild challenges of defiance the +battle waxed hotter, faster and more furious. + +The mares in the herds showed signs of uneasiness. They might have +been observed tossing their heads and shifting almost nervously on +their feet, but making no effort to move away or out into the field. + +"Are the mares getting excited?" asked Tad in wonder. + +"No. They see one of the stallions is going to get his knock-out in a +minute." + +"Which one?" + +"I don't know." + +"But how can they tell that, if we are unable to see either one of them +weakening?" + +"More ghost telegraphy, I guess," answered Bud, not for an instant +removing his gaze from the fascinating scene before him. He, too, was +becoming excited. He could scarcely restrain himself. + +All at once, despite his caution, Bud Stevens uttered a whoop. + +"The black's got him!" + +"No, the Angel's got him!" shouted Tad Butler excitedly. + +"No, he hasn't! It's the black, I tell you. See! There, he's kicked +the Angel halfway across the mesa." + +Now it was the Angel's turn to do some kicking. He did, and with +terrific effect. Both hind hoofs were planted in the black's abdomen. +Not once, but again and again. Yet the black was not thus easily +defeated. With the sledge-hammer blows raining all over him, he +struggled to his feet, and, with a desperate lunge, fastened himself +upon the neck of his adversary. + +Back and forth struggled the black and the white now, like a pair of +wrestlers. + +"Now, who do you think's got him, hey?" laughed Bud. "Why, the +black'll eat his head off." + +"I said Angel was going to win, and I think he is," retorted Tad. The +white with a mighty toss of his powerful neck, threw Satan off, the +fore feet of the Angel smiting and knocking Satan down. + +Then followed a series of Gatling-gun-like reports as the Angel's hind +hoofs beat a tattoo on the head of his prostrate victim. + +The black was conquered. + +Satan had been knocked out by the Angel, in the greatest equine battle +that human eyes ever had gazed on. + +"Aren't you glad I don't bet?" laughed Tad, his eyes flashing with the +excitement of it all. + +"I'd been willing to lose on that fight," grunted the cowboy. + +"Is he killed, do you think?" asked the lad. + +"No; he's just dizzy after the wallops he got on the head. You'll see +him get up in a minute." + +The Angel had backed off a few paces and there he stood, head erect, +waiting as motionless as a statue until the moment when his fallen +adversary should rise, if at all. + +Slowly the black pulled himself to his feet. His head came up. He +eyed the now calm white stallion half hesitatingly. + +The watchers fairly held their breath, for it was a dramatic moment. + +"They're going to fight again," muttered Tad. + +"He's licked! He's got enough!" exclaimed Bud. + +The black turned his back upon the white stallion, and with lowered +head, dejection and humiliation apparent in every line, every movement +of his body, walked slowly back to his own band. + +The Angel followed at a distance, almost to the lines of the enemy. +Then he paused, galloped back to the center of the field, and throwing +up his head uttered a long, shrill scream of triumph. + +One by one the mares of Satan's band detached themselves from his +ranks, and, with their colts, trotted across the field to join the +Angel's band. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT + +A corral, constructed partially of brush on its wing ends, and of +canvas for the corral proper, had been erected in one of the wide +sage-covered draws of the San Antonio range. Across the opening of the +corral, which resembled a pair of great tongs, the distance was fully +half a mile. + +Bud Stevens had decided to place the trap for the wild horses here in +this open space in preference to laying it in the mountains. There was +more room for operations in the open, he said. + +Then again, the wild horses, as he knew from personal observation, were +strong and full of fight. + +"I guess we'll have to tire them all out before we can hope to get them +in the corral," he told his men after they had finished their work of +preparation. + +The wagon with the horse-hunters' outfit had driven in late on the +night following the battle of the stallions, and early next morning the +horse-hunters, accompanied by the Pony Rider Boys and their own party, +started out to make camp in the mountains, where they were to remain +while the hunt lasted. + +The battle which Tad and Bud had seen furnished a fruitful topic for +discussion, and the two were kept busy relating the story of the fight +until long after midnight. + +But, while watching the battle, Bud Stevens had not lost sight of the +object, of his trip into the mountains. He had calculated exactly +where the stock had found a mountain spring, and it was from that point +that the hunters were to start the animals on their trip to the corral. + +The plan of operation was laid out with as much care and attention to +details as a general would employ in planning a battle. The Pony Rider +Boys were to participate in the chase. They could scarcely wait for +the moment to arrive when they would be given an opportunity to show +their horsemanship. + +In the camp in the mountains they were told with great detail just what +they were expected to do. + +"I think you had better leave Chunky at home," warned Ned. "He'll +stampede the whole bunch just as you are ready to drive them into the +corral." + +Chunky protested loudly. + +"Guess I can stick on a pony as well as you can," he retorted. + +"I'll vouch for that," smiled Tom Parry. + +"He'll do," decided Bud. "Now, you fellows are all to string out in +single file, following me until we have circled the herd. We should +have them pretty well surrounded by noon. At that time they'll be at +the spring filling up. When I'm ready to close in, I'll fire a shot. +Each of you will fire in turn so that every one in line may be +notified. If the critters refuse to drive, then we'll have to whip +them into a circle and tire them out. But first, we must get them out +on the open, no matter which way they go, then work them into the draw +as fast as we can." + +The horse-hunters nodded. They understood perfectly what they were +expected to do. And the boys were to be scattered among the men at +intervals instead of traveling together. It seemed very simple to +them, but they were to learn that wild-horse hunting was a man's task. + +"Are we allowed to rope if we get the chance?" questioned Tad. + +"Not during the run. Of course, if you see an animal escaping after we +have rounded them up, and you can do so without losing any of the +others, rope if you want to. I reckon you'll have your hands full if +you try it," concluded the horse-hunter. + +"Are you going out, Professor?" smiled the guide. + +"No, thank you. I think I shall remain close to camp and collect +geological specimens. The boys will get into just as much trouble if I +go with them as they would were I to remain at home. I suppose there +is more or less peril in these wild hunts?" + +"Yes, it's going some," laughed Bud. "But I guess none of them will +get very badly knocked out if they obey orders and don't get in the way +of a stampede. Those wild critters won't stop for nothing." + +A scout came in late with the news that the herd was less than five +miles from where the hunters' camp was located. + +"That makes it all the easier. We'll start at daylight," said Stevens. +"The plans will work out just right. Now you'd better all turn in and +be ready for the hurry call in the morning." + +Next morning all ate breakfast before the first hot wave trembled over +the crest of the mountains across the broad desert. There was bustle +and excitement in the camp. + +When ponies had been saddled, ropes coiled and final preparations made, +Bud Stevens looked his outfit over carefully, nodded his head and +mounted. + +"You boys don't want to do any shouting after we get out on the trail, +you understand," he said. "We have to work quietly until we get them +surrounded; then you may make all the racket you want. The more the +better." + +The Pony Riders nodded their understanding of the orders, and the +company of horsemen set out across the mountains. + +They made a wide detour so as not to alarm any of the stragglers who +might not have followed the main body of horses to the watering place +for their noon drink. A careful examination of the trail showed that +the Angel and his band, as well as Satan and his few faithful +followers, were well within the circle. + +"We've got the whole bunch inside," exulted Bud, turning to Tad. "Now, +boy, do your prettiest. We want to bag 'em all. If we do, I'll make +you a present of any horse in the outfit." + +"How about the Angel?" questioned Tad, with a twinkle in his eyes. + +Bud hesitated. + +"What Bud Stevens says goes," replied the cowboy. "The one who catches +the stallion on these hunts, however, usually has the right to keep him +if he wants to. If you want the Angel you've got to rope and take him +after we get them rounded up." + +"No, I wouldn't do anything like that," laughed Tad. "If I catch the +Angel I'll make you a present of him." + +At twelve o'clock, by the watch, they had completed the circle, or +rather three-quarters of a circle, about the band of wild horses, +leaving an opening toward the broad draw where the hidden corral had +been located to trap the unsuspecting wild animals. + +Stevens drew his gun, and, holding it above his head, fired two shots. + +The signal was answered, almost instantly, by two shots some distance +to their rear. Like the rattle of a skirmish line, guns popped in +quick succession, the sounds growing further and further away as they +ran down the long, slender line of horsemen to the eastward. + +"Close in!" commanded the leader quietly. "Ride straight ahead; never +mind me. I shall move further on before I turn. Good luck. Don't try +to get in the way of a stampede. You can't stop them if they try it +altogether." + +"I'll look out," smiled Tad. Then they separated. + +Tad could not hear a sound, save the light footfalls of his own pony. +The mountain ranges might have been deserted for all the disturbance +there was about him. + +He had ridden on some distance when a loud snort suddenly called his +attention to the right and ahead of him. There stood the Angel, facing +him angrily. + +Tad was so surprised at the suddenness of the meeting that he pulled +his pony up shortly. For a moment they stood facing each other, then +the wild animal with a loud scream of alarm, turned and went crashing +through the brush. From the sound, a few seconds later, the lad knew +that the stallion had gathered his band and that they were sweeping +away from him at a lively pace. + +"Here's where I must get busy," laughed the lad, the spirit of the +chase suddenly taking strong hold upon him. + +He touched his pony lightly with the spurs, drawing in on the reins. +The little animal leaped away, Tad uttering a shrill yell, to warn any +of the other hunters who might be within reach of his voice, that he +had started on the trail of the wild band. + +He heard a similar cry far off to his right and knew that Bud Stevens +had heard and understood. + +"I believe they're coming back," said the lad, realizing that the sound +of galloping was plainer than it had been a few moments before. "I +wonder what I ought to do. I'm going to try to head them off if they +come this way," he decided. + +All at once he saw the wild horses first from behind a huge rocky pile. +Uttering a series of wild yells and whoops, swinging his quirt and +sombrero above his head, the lad rode straight at the herd, his pony +seeming to enter into the full spirit of the fun. + +To Tad's surprise the leader of the herd deflected to the northward, +running along a line almost parallel to that which the boy was +following. Tad pressed in the rowels of his spurs a little harder, +uttering a chorus of shrill yells. + +"They mustn't get through," he fairly groaned. "They shan't get +through! No, not if I ride my head off!" + +Suddenly a volley of shots sounded some distance ahead of him, followed +by a series of yells as if the mountains were alive with savage +redskins. + +It was Bud Stevens. The wild herd had come upon him just as they were +about to turn northward and dive into the fastnesses of the mountains. +Observing him they turned slightly to the west and continued on their +mad course. + +"Good boy!" Bud shrieked. "Draw up on 'em! Draw up on 'em!" + +Tad did. It was a race, but a most perilous one. To the boy it seemed +as if the feet of his pony were off the ground most of the time, his +run having merged into a series of long, curving leaps as it reached +from rock to rock. + +Down a steep slope suddenly plunged the herd. Tad saw the flying pony +of Bud Stevens directly abreast of them. The lad, apparently feeling +no fear, brought his quirt down sharply on the flanks of his mount. +The pony hesitated, rose and took a flying leap fully ten feet down the +mountain side before its feet braced sharply and thus saved pony and +rider from plunging on over. + +Now Tad was yelling at the top of his voice, as that seemed the proper +thing to do under the circumstances. + +The wild band was heading for the open, just as Bud Stevens had +planned. But the fleeing horses were seeking to get out on the open +plain where they might soon outdistance their pursuers. + +Tad and his pony went down that rugged mountain side as if the pony +were a mountain goat. The boy never had experienced such a thrilling +ride, and the jolts he got made his head dizzy. + +"M-m-my, this is going some!" he gasped. + +Tad was shouting for pure joy now. When his mount landed on all fours +among the foothills he was not more than two minutes behind Bud Stevens +himself. + +"Great! Great!" floated back the voice of the horse-hunter, who, +turning in his saddle, had observed Tad's leaping, flying descent of +the mountain. + +Tad admitted to himself that this was riding, and he compared it with +the day he first rode his own pony up the main street in Chillicothe, +Missouri. That ride, at the time, seemed a very exciting one. Since +then he had acquired more skill, else he never would have been able to +shoot down the rugged mountain at almost express train speed. + +They were now out on the desert prairie. Bud was trying to point the +leaders in to send them to the southward. Now that Tad was on level +ground he was able to put on more speed. Very slowly, indeed, his pony +straightening out to its full length, he drew up on the racing herd. + +"Guess I'd better not yell any more till I get abreast of them," he +decided, which was good judgment, as Bud Stevens said to him afterwards. + +"Lay back a little!" shouted Bud when the boy got too close. "They're +liable to dodge behind me at any second and break through our line." + +Tad slackened his speed, at which the wild band drew away from him +almost as if he were standing still. Then, he put spurs to his mount +again, and drew up abreast of the trailers. + +At the head of the line the horse-hunter was fighting with the leaders, +trying to turn them toward the place where the great corral was hidden. + +Suddenly that which Bud Stevens had feared occurred. The white +stallion's forefeet plowed the earth. Cowboy and pony shot by him, and +the wily stallion slipped behind them. Followed by his band, the Angel +headed off across the desert in the very direction that the hunters did +not want him to go. + +"Nail him!" bellowed Bud. + +Tad needed no further command. Already his keen eyes had noted the +move. Putting spurs to his pony he raced to the white stallion's side, +leaving Bud far to their rear. + +The Angel sought, in every way in its power, to shake off the boy who +so persistently hung at its side. All at once the stallion reached +over, fastening its teeth in the neck of Tad Butler's pony. Tad, +however had been quick enough to foresee the move and had jerked his +little mount to one side. Yet, he had not done so quickly enough to +save the broncho from a slight flesh wound. + +Slackening its speed, the Angel then made a vicious lunge at the lad's +left leg, biting right through the heavy chaps with which his legs were +protected. + +The boy swung his quirt, bringing it down again and again on the +stallion's pink and white nose, until the beast, unable to stand the +punishment longer, uttered a snort, changing its course more to the +southward. + +"I've turned him! I've turned him!" shouted Tad. + +He had accomplished what the leader of the horse-hunters had been +unable to do. + +Bud Stevens, far to the rear on the desert, tossed his sombrero in the +air, uttering a long, far-reaching yell of approval. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS + +Tad replied with an exulting yell. + +The band of wild horses was headed toward the corral. Yet they refused +to enter, just when they were upon the point of heading in between the +hidden wings. Some instinct, it seemed, warned them to beware. The +line straightened out, and a few minutes later the animals began racing +in a circle four miles wide. + +"I'm afraid my pony never'll be able to stand this grilling. But we'll +keep going as long as we've got a leg left to stand on," laughed the +plucky lad. + +"Drop out and let me take a round with them. We've got to tire them +out," shouted Bud, putting spurs to his pony and dashing up beside Tad. + +The lad regretfully pulled his mount down to a walk, then rode out on +the desert some distance, so as to be out of the way when the circle +once more came his way. + +"Guess it's just as well," he muttered. "The pony couldn't have stood +up much longer. My, those wild animals can travel!" + +A heavy coating of gray dust covered both boy and horse, except where +here and there the gray was furrowed with streaks of perspiration. Tad +gave his mount the reins, and sat idly watching the cloud of dust +rolling over the desert, showing where Bud Stevens was driving the +wild-horse band in an effort to tire them, so that they might be easily +headed into the great corral. + +They soon swept by Tad, and on out over white alkali desert once more. + +On the next round Bud motioned to Tad to take up his end of the relay. + +"Give it to 'em. Drive 'em till they can't stand up!" bellowed Bud. + +But the lad scarcely heard the horse-hunter's voice. Already he had +been swallowed up in the great yellow cloud and was riding hard by the +white stallion. + +Discovering that he had another rider beside him, the Angel made a +desperate effort to run the lad and his pony down that he might break +the line and head off to the northwest. Tad beat him over the nose +with his quirt again, and the stallion promptly changed its mind, for +the pink nose was still tender from the drubbing Tad had given it a +short time before. + +"The men are lining up for a drive," warned Stevens when the herd +thundered by him again. "I'll keep behind you. We're going to try to +drive them in this time. They're weakening fast." + +"You want me to hold the leader?" asked the boy. + +"Yes. Keep him up. Don't give him a second's leeway. The rest will +follow him; don't worry about them." + +"Where are the other fellows?" + +"Over to the east. They're hiding until the herd gets close enough; +then they'll appear, raising a big noise. That's the time you and I +will have our hands full." + +"Strikes me our hands have been pretty full," answered the lad, his +face wrinkling into a forced grin. + +Bud Stevens slackened the speed of his pony, dropping back and +disappearing in the dust cloud. + +"After all, I guess the other fellows will have the hardest work," +mused the lad. "They've got to stop the rush while all I have to do is +to keep on going, following that big, white stallion. I wish I could +rope him, but I guess he would have the broncho and myself on our backs +in no time." + +Tad turned his attention to the work in hand. He did not know just +where the other horse-hunters were secreted, but his eyes were fixed on +a low-lying butte some distance to the eastward. He saw no other place +from which they could carry out the manoeuvre successfully. + +Tad grew a bit anxious as the wild horses curved more and more to the +eastward. In a few moments they would be too far to the left to permit +of heading them toward the hidden corral. + +"I guess they must be going to let us drive them around the circle once +more," he decided, "No! There they come!" + +With a yell, followed by a rattling fire of revolver shots, a dozen +ponies shot from behind the low-lying butte. The horse-hunters hurled +their bronchos right against the wall of fleeing animals. + +Volley after volley was fired into the ground right under the very feet +of the wild horses. Here and there a rider was unseated in a sudden +collision in the dust cloud with a charging wild horse. + +"They've turned them!" bellowed Bud Stevens. + +The Pony Rider Boy now began to realize the truth of this, for the +Angel came bounding toward him, crowding right up against the side of +Tad's pony. Tad was using foot and quirt, yelling like a wild Indian +to frighten the big, white stallion into keeping to the left. + +So successful were his efforts that the animal did give way a little. + +"I've headed him!" shouted the lad in wild glee. Never had he had such +an exciting day as this one was proving itself to be. He gave no +thought to the danger of the chase. And now that he heard and +recognized the shouts of his companions he was spurred to even greater +efforts than before. Why this post of honor had been given to him he +did not know. But Bud Stevens was not far behind. Bud was ready to +stop the stampede that he momentarily expected, but which did not come. + +"Give way a little!" came the command. + +Tad recognized that he had, in his enthusiasm, been crowding the white +stallion a bit too much. He drew off a little, not, however, +decreasing his speed. + +Already the band of wild horses had entered the wide-spreading wings of +the corral, but because of the dust that enveloped him, Tad was unaware +of this. He continued at his same terrific pace, with the tough little +broncho rising and falling under him as he fairly flew over the uneven +ground. + +The horse-hunters had fallen into a triangle formation with the apex to +the rear. They were driving the wild horses before them, using their +guns in what appeared to be a most reckless fashion, shouting as if the +whole band had gone suddenly mad. + +On down between the brush barriers, that were now apparently rising out +of the ground, sped the frightened band of wild horses. The white +stallion began to understand that they were trapped. + +Angel whirled suddenly and made a desperate effort to take the back +trail. Tad and his pony dashing down the slight incline like a +projectile, hit the stallion broadside. The collision was so sudden +that the lad had a narrow escape from being hurled over the head of his +own pony. It was only the convulsive grip of legs to the broncho's +side that saved him from a bad spill. + +With quick instinct he brought his quirt down on the broad back of the +Angel. Smarting under the stinging blow and the surprise of the +collision the white stallion whirled about again, heading right into +the yawning corral. + +The lad was now in the very midst of the crowding, fighting animals. +He was battling every whit as desperately as were they. Bud Stevens +had fallen back. He knew Tad was somewhere ahead in the mix-up, but he +was powerless to get to him at that moment, nor could his voice reach +the lad. + +It was then that the boy realized where he was. + +"I'm in the corral!" he cried, discovering that he was hemmed in by the +canvas walls of the main enclosure itself. "And I guess I'm in a +mix-up that will be hard to get out of." + +The wild horses were charging about, screaming with anger and fear, +rearing, biting, kicking, bowling each other over in their desperate +efforts to escape. On every side, they found themselves met by the +canvas walls, which none thus far had had the courage to assail. + +"There's the black stallion--there's Satan," cried Tad in surprise. "I +didn't know he was here." + +The black's eyes were gleaming with anger. His lost courage was slowly +returning to him. Satan was now ready to give battle to man or beast. +All at once he dashed straight at the canvas wall, rose to it and +cleared it in a long, curving leap, his rear feet ripping the cloth +down a short distance as the hoofs caught it. + +The keen eyes of the white stallion were upon him. In another instant +his glistening body had flashed over the enclosing walls. + +"Oh, that's too bad!" groaned Tad. + +At that moment half a dozen horsemen appeared in the enclosure; as if +by magic they threw themselves across the opening made by the two +stallions, and thus made an impassable barrier. Tad had seem them +coming, and divined their purpose. A daring plan suddenly flashed into +his mind. + +With a shrill yell, he dug in the rowels of his spurs. The broncho, +understanding what was wanted of him, rose to the canvas well, clearing +it without so much as touching it with his hoofs. + +But while this was going on another scene was being enacted just +outside the barrier. A few horse-hunters had been sent around there to +head off just such an attempt at escape as had been made. With them +was Stacy Brown. He was sitting on his pony, rope in hand when Satan +cleared the wall. + +He saw the dark body of the stallion plunge over. Instinctively the +fat boy rose in his stirrups. His lariat whirled twice over his head, +then shot out. + +It sped true to the mark, catching Satan by the left hind foot just as +he was finishing his leap. + +"Yeow!" yelled Chunky. + +The black stallion ploughed the ground with his nose, as the boy took a +quick hitch of the rope about his saddle pommel. + +That was where Chunky came to grief once more. His pony's feet were +jerked out from under it by the mighty lurch of Satan when he went +down. Stacy Brown and his broncho were thrown flat on the ground in a +twinkling. The lad's right leg was pinned under the pony, but the boy, +with great presence of mind, held the rope fast to the pommel. + +Ropes flew from all directions, now that the stallion was down. In a +moment more they had Satan entangled in a maze of them. The +horse-hunters were shouting and yelling in triumph at the fat boy's +splendid capture. So busily engaged were they in subduing the black +that, for the moment, they lost sight of the fact that the Angel, +followed by Tad Butler on his broncho, had cleared the barrier too. + +Nor did Tad give heed to them. + +With rope unslung he was stretching through the foothills at a +breakneck pace, on the trail of the Angel. + +"There goes the Angel, with the kid after him!" bellowed a cowboy. + +Three men leaped into their saddles and were off like a shot. + +Tad Butler slowly, but surely, drew up on the racing stallion. The +pursuers saw him unsling his rope, holding the coil easily at his side. + +"He's going to cast," cried the cowboys in amazement that the slender +lad would undertake alone to capture the powerful animal. + +"He'll be dragged to death!" warned one. + +"Don't try it, kiddie!" shouted another at the top of his voice. + +A chorus of warning yells were hurled after the intrepid Tad, to all of +which he gave no heed. His eyes were fixed on the flashing body of the +white stallion ahead of him, every nerve tense for the shock that would +come a moment later. + +All at once the pursuers saw Tad's right arm describe the familiar +circle in the air. Then his lariat squirmed out. The Angel, running +ahead of the boy could not see the rope in time to dodge it. The loop +of the lariat dropped neatly over his head and suddenly drew taut. + +The proud stallion which for years had defied the skill of the +wild-horse hunters, went down to an inglorious defeat. But he was up +like a flash. Then began a battle between the slender Pony Rider Boy +and wild stallion that is talked of among the wild-horse hunters of the +desert to this day. + +Three times had Tad thrown the Angel before the others caught up with +him, the lad's arms being well-nigh pulled from his body in the +terrific lunges of the fighting Angel. + +The ropes of the cowboys reached out for the maddened animal the +instant they were within reach. + +Such a shout went up as had probably never been heard on the range +before when finally they had the white fighter securely roped down. + +The Pony Rider Boys had distinguished themselves this day. + +Tricing up one of the stallion's forward legs, so that he hobbled along +like a lame dog, the hunters started back to the corral, shouting, +singing and firing their revolvers, with Tad Butler proudly sitting his +broncho at the head of the procession. + +Not an animal had escaped from the other hunters. It had been a +magnificent round-up. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +WINNING THEIR REWARD + +The horse-hunters had bound the black and left him, while they entered +the corral to assist in roping the rest of the herd that were dashing +wildly about. Every time a rope swung above a broad-brimmed sombrero, +and shot out, a wild horse came down. + +"I fell in, but I got him," greeted Chunky Brown, triumphantly, as Tad +Butler rode up to him. + +Tad laughed heartily when he saw his companion, Stacy Brown, proudly +sitting on the head of the angry, snorting black stallion. + +"You did, indeed, Chunky. How did you ever do it?" + +"Just like any other experienced man would," replied the fat boy, in an +important tone. "We got them both, didn't we, Tad!" + +"Yes." + +"And we'll keep 'em, eh!" + +"Oh, no, Chunky. We couldn't do that. These horses belong to the +hunters. They spend a great deal of money in preparing to capture +them. It would not be right for us to expect to keep these two. We've +been well paid for our labor in the fun we have had. Don't you think +so?" + +"Well, yes," decided Stacy a little ruefully. + +"Let's see if we can help them," concluded Tad, riding up to the edge +of the corral. + +"Orders?" he called, as soon as he could attract Bud Stevens' attention. + +"Yes; you might ride around to the entrance and come in. You can help +us rope and hobble the stock if you want to." + +Tad did as directed. There was no sport of the range that he took a +keener enjoyment in than he did in roping, and by this time there were +few men who could handle a rope more skillfully than he. + +Ned and Walter were assisting in guarding the narrow entrance to the +canvas corral when Tad finally rode through, entering the enclosure, +where the excited animals were charging back and forth and round and +round. + +Bud was sitting on his pony in the center of the milling animals, +directing the operations. First the hunters would rope and throw an +animal; then they would bind up one of the front legs at the elbow, +after which the horse was released. When the animals had staggered +about the enclosure a few times trying to throw off the leg-binders, +they were quite willing to stand still and nurse their anger. + +"Sail in, boy!" called Bud. + +Tad picked out a little bay that was kicking and squealing, dodging +every lariat that was thrown at it. His first shot missed. The lad +coiled his rope deliberately. + +"I'll see that you don't dodge me this time, Mr. Bay," Tad muttered, +and began slowly following the animal about the ring. The instant the +bay's head was turned away from him Tad let go the rope, and the next +second the stubborn animal lay on its side, another cowboy having made +a successful cast over its kicking hind legs the moment it struck the +ground. + +Tad released his rope, then started for another cast. So he went on +from one to another, and with as much coolness as if he had been roping +wild horses all his life. + +After half an hour's work young Butler saw Bud motioning to him. Tad +rode up. The boy was bare-headed, having lost his sombrero somewhere +in the enclosure, and not having thought to look for it, even if he had +realized its loss. + +"Take a rest," directed the horseman. + +"I'm not tired." + +"Yes, you are, but you don't know it. First thing you know, you'll +tumble off your pony with a bad case of heat knock-out. Your face is +as red as a lobster. Too bad the stallions got away," added Bud, who +had been so thoroughly occupied in the corral that he had given no heed +to what had been taking place outside. + +"Lost the stallions?" questioned Tad, elevating his eyebrows. + +"Yes, Satan and the Angel." + +"Why, Mr. Stevens, we didn't lose them." + +"I know, we got them in the corral all right, but that isn't getting +them. They always manage to give us the slip somehow." + +Tad's eyes danced. + +"Then you've got a surprise coming to you, Mr. Stevens. Both stallions +are lying outside the corral at this minute, tied up so tightly that +they won't get away again." + +"What! You're joking." + +"No, I'm not. I mean it," laughed the lad in high glee. + +Bud bent a steady look upon the boy. He saw that Tad was speaking the +truth. + +"How did it happen, kiddie?" + +"Chunky roped the black by one of its hind feet just as the animal was +taking the jump. Chunky got a bad fall, but he held fast to the black +till the others could get their ropes on it." + +"Hurray!" shouted Bud, carried away by his enthusiasm. "But what about +the Angel, eh? Get him too, did you say?" + +"Yes." + +"How?" + +"I jumped the fence after him, and ran a race with him out into the +foothills, where I managed to get my lariat over his head and pulled +him down. We had quite a scrimmage, but I should have lost him if I +hadn't had help. The boys came to my rescue just in time." + +"Huh!" grunted the cowboy, observing his companion with twinkling eyes. +"You've got anything roped and hobbled that I ever saw." + +That was Bud's only comment at the moment, but it carried with it a +world of praise, causing Tad to blush. + +All the rest of the afternoon was devoted to securing the animals that +they had captured. Not a horse had escaped. Shortly after sunset the +task was completed and the horse-hunters gave utterance to their +feelings in a series of triumphant yells. + +In the meantime three of the men had been sent back to bring over the +camp outfit, which, owing to the fact that it had to follow a +round-about trail, did not get in until some time after dark. Ned and +Walter had accompanied the men back to camp to assist in packing their +own outfit, Tad and Stacy remaining to keep watch over the prizes that +they had captured. + +Dinner that night, though a late one, was an occasion of boisterous +good-fellowship, the two happy Pony Rider Boys coming in for much +good-natured raillery. + +"Don't want to join us, do you, kiddie?" asked Bud quizzically. + +"I'd like to, of course. But it is not possible," answered Tad. + +"We'll be off in the morning with our stock, you know. Better come +along. You'll dry up and blow away down on the desert. It's had +medicine where you're headed for." + +"We're used to taking our medicine," laughed Tom Parry. "You probably +have noticed as much in the short time you've known our bunch." + +"You bet I have," laughed Bud. "And you take it in big doses, too." + +"Allopathic doses," interjected the Professor. + +"Don't know what they might be," answered Bud. "Sounds as though it +might be something hard to swallow, though." + +This bit of pleasantry caused a general laugh. The fun continued until +late in the evening. Next morning the camp was astir at an early hour. + +The captured horses were found to be considerably subdued after being +roped all night. Bud's first work in the morning, after breakfast, was +to take the two stallions in hand. They were freed of their bonds, and +after a battle during which nearly every member of the party had been +more or less mauled by the spirited beasts, the horse hunters succeeded +in saddling and bridling Satan and the Angel. + +Bud Stevens rode them about in turn, to the delight of the Pony Rider +Boys who had never seen such bucking. + +"Let me ride now," begged Stacy, after Stevens had to some extent +subdued Satan. + +The horseman permitted the lad to take to the saddle, but no sooner had +Chunky done so, than Satan hurled him clear over the corral. Chunky, +nothing daunted, came back smiling and tried it again, this time with +entire success. Satan did not again succeed in unseating him. + +Tad mastered the Angel without being thrown, and amid the cheers of the +cowboys, who shouted their approval of his horsemanship. + +All was now in readiness for the start of the cowboy band and their +great herd of horses. Stevens had directed his men to take the two +stallions outside the corral and stake them down securely. Then the +men began driving the rest of the captured stock from the canvas +prison. At first the animals evinced an inclination to run away. But +with one leg in a sling this was not an easy task, and the horsemen +rounded up the bunch with little difficulty. + +"Here, here!" cried Tad. "You're forgetting the stallions, Mr. +Stevens. You've left them staked down out back of the corral." + +"Have I?" grinned Bud. "What did you want me to do with them?" + +"Take them with you, of course," answered Tad, as yet failing to +understand the horse-hunter's plan. + +"Don't you want them, kiddie?" + +"Want them--want them?" stammered Tad. + +"Yes. They're yours, yours and the fat boy's." + +"Oh, no, no, Mr. Stevens! I couldn't think of such a thing." + +"Master Tad is right," approved the Professor. "We have not the least +claim in the world on those animals. We----" + +"Say, Professor, who's running this side show?" demanded Bud. + +"Why--why, of course it's your hunt, but----" + +"All right then, seeing as it's my outfit, I've decided that I don't +want the stallions. Look here! We'd have lost part of that bunch, at +least, if it hadn't been for your kids. Master Tad alone saved the +herd from scattering all over the Ralston Desert. No, sir, I'm getting +off cheaply. The stallions belong to the boys, and that's all there is +to be said. S'long everybody. Come up to Eureka on your way out, and +if I don't cut the town wide open for you, my name ain't Bud Stevens." + +With a wave of his sombrero, Bud put spurs to his mount and galloped +away to join his companions, who had started the herd on its way to +Eureka, where the animals were to be shipped East. + +Tad and Stacy were too full of surprise to express their feelings. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +VISITED BY A HALO + +The Pony Rider Boys turned again to the Desert Maze. A week had +elapsed since Bud Stevens and his party had left them. One evening, +after a hard day in the saddle, the guide was sitting thoughtfully in +his tent, when Professor Zepplin entered. + +"Sit down?" asked the guide. + +"For a moment only," answered the Professor. + +"Weather's fine to-night." + +"Yes, even though we have no water to speak of. Do you consider our +situation at all serious, Mr. Parry?" + +"Same old story, Professor. Sage brush and alkali. Tanks full one +day, dry the next. There's no accounting for the desert. Every time I +get out of the Desert Maze, as somebody has called it, I chalk down a +mark on the wall." + +"I am beginning to understand that it does hold perils of its own," +answered Professor Zepplin, thoughtfully. + +"Traveling over the desert is no picnic--that's a fact. Got to take it +as it comes, though. If we go dry one day, most likely we fill up the +next, or the day after that. Don't pay to get down in the mouth and +fret." + +"Yes, I understand all that. But I don't wish to take any great +chances on account of the boys." + +"The boys?" Tom Parry laughed. "Don't you worry about them. Those +boys would thrive where a coyote would die at sight of his own eternal +starvation shadow." + +The Professor shook his head doubtfully. + +"Turn 'em loose on the desert and they'd swim ashore somehow. +Especially young Butler. He's quiet--he doesn't say much, but when he +gets busy there's something doing. For sheer pluck he's got it over +anything I ever saw--like a circus tent. Well, don't lose any sleep +worrying about water. We'll catch a drop or two of dew out of a cactus +plant some of these nights. See you in the morning. Good night," +concluded the guide, rising and knocking the ashes from his pipe on his +boot heel. + +They had been working slowly toward the Death Valley region, and water +was becoming more and more scarce as they proceeded. Indeed, the +problem of where to find sufficient water for their needs had become a +serious one. For the last three days all the water holes that the +guide had depended upon to replenish their supply had failed them. +What lay before them none knew. + +When the camp awakened, late the next morning, the guide was nowhere to +be seen. His pony likewise had disappeared. But they did not trouble +themselves over Parry's absence, knowing that he had not left them +without good reason and with many a sharp joke at each other's expense +proceeded to get the breakfast ready. They had just sat down to the +table when Tom Parry came riding in, covered with dust. + +"Morning, boys. Fine day," he greeted, with his usual inscrutable +smile, which might indicate either good or bad tidings. + +"Prospecting?" questioned Tad. + +"Taking my morning constitutional. Going to be hot enough to singe the +pin feathers off a bald-headed sage hen to-day," he informed them, +slipping from his saddle. After beating a cloud of alkali dust from +his clothes he joined the party at the breakfast table. + +"Find any?" asked Tad, eyeing him inquiringly, for Tad had an idea as +to the object of the guide's early morning ride. + +"Nary," was the comprehensive reply. "Have to take a dry shampoo +to-day, I reckon." + +"I suppose there is no water in sight yet?" asked the Professor, he not +having caught the meaning of the brief dialogue between Tad and Tom +Parry. + +"No, sir. Not yet. We'll be moving as soon as possible after +breakfast. Better use sparingly what little water you have left in +your canteens. You may need it before we strike another water hole," +he advised. + +As usual, however, the spirits of the Pony Rider Boys were in no way +affected by the shortage of water. Time enough to worry when their +canteens were dry. These days, Tad and Stacy were occupying all their +spare time in working with the two stallions they had captured. The +Angel, under Tad's kind but determined training, was advancing rapidly +and already had been taught to do a few simple tricks. Stacy, on his +part, was not doing quite so well with Satan. The latter, like his +namesake, was inclined to be vicious, biting and kicking whenever the +evil spirit moved. + +Ahead, on all sides of them as the sun rose that morning, lay wide +stretches of gray, dusty soil, blotches of alkali alternating with huge +patches of scattering sage brush, with no living thing in sight. + +Overhead burned the blue of a cloudless sky; about them the suffocating +atmosphere of the alkali desert. + +It was not a cheerful vista that spread out before the lads. The +ponies, suffering for want of water, took up the day's journey with +evident reluctance. With heads hanging low they dragged themselves +along wearily, half in protest, now and then evincing a sudden desire +to turn about and head for the mountains. + +"What ails these bronchos?" grumbled Ned Rector. + +"Guess they're afraid of heat prostration," replied Chunky. "Don't +blame them. I'm half baked myself." + +"Glad you know what ails you," laughed Ned. "You ought not to feel bad +about that, seeing it's your natural condition." + +As they plodded on the guide's eyes were roaming over the plain in +search of telltale marks that would reveal the presence of that of +which they were in most urgent need--water. The landscape, by this +time, had become a white glare, and the blue flannel shirts of the Pony +Riders had changed to a dirty gray as if they had been sprinkled with a +cloud of fine powder. + +Their hair, too, was tinged, below the rims of their sombreros, with +the same grayish substance, while their faces were streaked where the +perspiration had trickled down, giving them a most grotesque appearance. + +"How do you like it, Chunky?" grinned Ned. + +"Oh, I've seen worse in Chillicothe," answered the fat boy airily. +"The dust in Main Street is worse because it's dirtier." + +"Judging from the appearance of your face at this minute, I'm obliged +to differ with you," interjected the Professor, his own grim, +dust-stained countenance wrinkling into a half smile. "Do we take a +rest at midday, guide?" + +Parry shook his head. + +"Think we'd better keep going. Only be worse off if we stop now. +Hungry, any of you?" + +Stacy made a wry face and felt of his stomach, which action brought a +laugh from the others. + +Just then Stacy stiffened, then uttered a loud sneeze that shook him to +his very foundations, causing Satan to jump so suddenly that he nearly +unseated his rider. + +"Whew! Thought my head had blown off. Guess we're all getting the +grippe," he grinned, as the others began sneezing. + +"Alkali," answered Parry. "You'll like that and the sage brush taste +in your mouth more and more as you get to know them better." + +"Excuse me," objected Ned. "I prefer talcum powder for mine, if I've +got to sneeze myself to death on something. What time is it?" + +"Dinner time," answered Stacy promptly. "I'll take ice cream." + +"Dry toast will be more in your line, I'm thinking," suggested Ned. + +"Or a sandwich," added Walter humorously. + +"Hurrah, fellows! Walt Perkins has cracked a joke at last!" shouted +Ned. + +"Yes, it was cracked all right," muttered Chunky maliciously. + +"Put him out! Put 'em both out!" cried Ned and Tad, while Tom Parry's +stolid face relaxed into a broad smile. + +"It appears to me that you young gentlemen are very humorous to-day," +laughed the Professor. + +"It's dry humor, Professor," retorted Ned. + +Tad unslung his lariat. + +"I'll rope the next boy who dares say anything like that again," he +threatened. "See, even the burros are ashamed. They're hanging their +heads, they're so humiliated." + +"I don't blame them. Mine's swimming from the heat," rejoined the +guide. + +"Say, what's that?" demanded Chunky, pointing ahead of him, with a +half-scared expression on his face. + +"I don't see anything," answered the other lads. + +"Chunky's 'seeing things,'" suggested Ned. + +The fat boy was pointing to a bright circle of light that hung over the +desert some five feet from the ground, directly ahead of him. The +peculiar thing about it appeared to be that the circle of light kept +continually moving ahead of him, and at times he caught the colors of +the rainbow in it. + +Stacy looked intently, but the bright light hurt his eyes and he was +forced to lower his eyelids a little. This made the circle seem +brighter than before. + +Now Professor Zepplin had discovered the peculiar thing. + +"What is that--what does it mean, guide?" asked the scientist. + +"That--that ring of light?" asked Parry. + +"Yes." + +"That is a halo, sir." + +"A halo?" chorused the boys. + +"Must be Chunky's then," suggested Walter. + +"I agree with you," added Ned. "But I don't see what right he has to a +halo." + +"That particular halo is a very common thing in the Desert Maze," Tom +Parry informed them. "It is caused by heat refraction, or something of +the sort----" + +"Yes, yes. Oh, yes, I understand," nodded the Professor. "I recall +having heard of something of the kind in hot countries, and----" + +"Is this a hot country?" asked Stacy innocently. + +"No, you ninny; this is a section of Greenland that's been dropped down +here by an earthquake or something," laughed Walter. + +"You're mistaken. It was washed down by the flood," corrected Ned. + +All this helped to pass away the hours as well as to make the boys +forget their troubles for the time being. Perhaps the lads did not +fully realize the extent of their predicament. Not so the guide, +however. He knew that they must find water soon. Not many hours would +pass before the stock, unable to stand the strain longer, would give +out, leaving the party in a serious plight. They would then be without +water, and without horses to take them to water. The wild stallions, +however, were accustomed to going without drink for long periods at a +time, so that they were doing much better than the rest of the stock. + +Tom Parry reasoned that they would be able to go through that day and +part of the next without fresh supply, and that no serious consequences +would result from it. Beyond that, he did not attempt to forecast what +the result would be. + +Late that afternoon, without having informed his charges, Parry varied +his course, turning more to the west of south, eventually picking up a +copper colored butte that rose out of the desert. Reaching it at last, +Parry dismounted, and, bidding the others wait for him, he climbed up +the rocky sides of the miniature mountain, quirt in hand. + +They watched him until he had disappeared around the opposite side of +the butte. When they caught sight of him again Tom had descended to +the desert, and was approaching them along the base of the mountain. + +"Anything encouraging?" called the Professor. + +Parry shook his head. + +"Why can't we all go up there and get a breath of fresh air? There +must be some breeze on the top of the mountain," suggested Ned. + +"No, I couldn't think of it," replied the guide firmly. + +"Why not, please?" asked Walter. + +"Because you might not come back," replied the guide, with a grim +compression of the lips. + +Later, upon being pressed by Tad for his reasons, he confided to the +lad that there were snakes on the butte. He said he did not care to +tell that to the boys, adding that "what they don't know won't hurt +them." + +Camp was made at dusk, some five miles further on, much to the relief +of man and beast, for it had been the most trying day they had +experienced. + +The boys threw off their sombreros, shaking the dust from their heads. +They then removed their clothes, giving them a thorough beating. After +a brisk rub down with dry bath towels, the lads announced themselves as +ready for supper. + +"Our dry spread," Ned Rector called it, for not a drop of anything did +they have to drink. They had drained their canteens of what little +remained in them. + +"It isn't good for one to drink with meals anyway," comforted Stacy. +"That's what my uncle's doctor says," he explained, munching his bacon, +forcing it down his parched throat. + +Chunky was a philosopher, but he was unaware of the fact. + +"That is right. Not until an hour and a half after meals," agreed the +Professor. "I imagine we shall have to wait longer than that this +time." + +"Never mind; we'll pull through somehow. We always have," encouraged +Tad cheerfully. "We've gotten out of some pretty tight places, and I +am sure we'll manage to weather this gale in one way or another." + +"Gale? Huh! I wish we had a gale to weather," murmured Walter. + +"Providing it was a wet one," added Stacy. + +"That's so. Now wouldn't it be fine to have a rainstorm?" agreed Ned, +with enthusiasm. + +"We could cuddle in our tents and listen to the raindrops patter on the +roof," suggested Stacy. + +"No; we'd lie down on our backs outside, open our mouths wide----" + +"Like a nest of young robins," laughed Tad. + +"Yes. Only we'd fill our mouths with water instead of----" + +"Boys, boys!" warned the Professor. "I fear you are drifting into +questionable dinner topics again." + +"Why, we're talking about water, Professor," replied Ned in a tone of +innocent surprise. "Surely you do not object to that?" + +"Not so long as you confine your remarks to the subject of water. That +seems to be our principal need at the present time." + +"Speaking of water----" began Chunky. + +"Hold on; is this a story or a joke?" interrupted Ned. + +"I heard of a case like ours once," continued the fat boy, without +heeding the interruption. "A party of travelers on the desert found +themselves without water. In the party was a bookkeeper. He was from +the East. Well, they were thinking about dying from thirst. But they +didn't. The bookkeeper saved them." + +There was silence in the group for a moment. + +"I'll be the goat. How did he save them?" asked Ned. + +"He had a fountain pen," replied the fat boy sagely. + +"Y-e-o-w!" howled the Pony Rider Boys. "Put him out! Put him out!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +OFF ON A DRY TRAIL + +"We shall have to divide up our forces to-day, Professor. We'll make a +desperate effort to find a water hole," announced Tom Parry. + +"What do you propose doing? You mean you're going to let us help you?" + +"Yes." + +"I'm glad." + +"We'll make a big pull to-day. Should we fail to find water there is +only one thing left for us to do." + +"And that?" + +"Leave the burros to shift for themselves. We'll head hack toward the +San Antonio Range as fast as the bronchos will carry us. I don't know +whether they'll be equal to the strain or not. If they give out we'll +have to walk, that's all." + +"Impossible!" exclaimed the Professor aghast. + +"Nothing's impossible when you're up against it. We'll go through with +this, see if we don't. Just keep your nerve, and----" + +"But the boys," protested the Professor. + +"Look at them," said Parry. "They're somewhat the worse for wear, it's +true, but they're all right, every single one of them. Boys, come over +here!" + +The lads hastened to obey his summons. + +"What is it, Mr. Parry?" questioned Tad. + +"We've got to do some real work to-day, boys, and I want you to take a +hand." + +"We are ready for anything, sir," spoke up Ned. + +"Yes, I know that," replied Parry; then went on: "This is the +situation. We are without a drop of water. All the water holes that I +have been depending upon are dry and there is no certainty that we +shall find any that are not in the same condition if we continue on our +journey. We can go along for another day, perhaps, so far as we are +concerned." + +"But the stock won't," interposed Tad. + +"No." + +"I noticed this morning that some of the ponies were pretty gaunt in +the flanks." + +"Regular scarecrows. We've got to make an organized search for a tank, +and the sooner we begin the better off we'll be--or the worse," added +the guide under his breath. "If we fail, we'll ride all night, taking +the back trail. We ought to hold out long enough to reach the last +water hole we left. Though even that may be dried up by the time we +get to it." + +"Then you want us to spread out, as it were, and cover all the +territory about here?" questioned Tad. + +"That's it. You've caught the idea." + +Professor Zepplin shook his head. + +"I don't like the idea. The boys will be lost." + +"They mustn't, that's all," replied the guide, with a firm setting of +the lips. "I think we can arrange so they will find their way back to +camp all right. Listen! This is my plan. Master Tad will ride west, +due west. Master Ned, on the other hand, will proceed east, and I'll +go south. Each of us will ride as far as he can until noon. If by +then none of us has found any trace of water, we'll all turn about and +hurry hack to camp." + +"Yes, but how do you expect the boys to find their way hack?" demanded +Professor Zepplin. + +"I'm coming to that. To begin with, I'm going to splice the ridge +poles of the tents together, making a flagpole of them. On this we'll +tie a shirt or something, planting the pole on the top of that ridge +there. While the boys will be too far away to see it from where they +should be by twelve o'clock, they can get near enough, by using their +watches as compasses, so they can pick it up. Each one will take a +rifle with him, and in the event of finding water he is to remain +there, firing off the gun at frequent intervals." + +"What'll we be doing here all the time?" interrupted Walter. + +"Starting at twelve o'clock, you will begin firing a rifle to help +guide the boys in. Fire a shot every five minutes. No chance to get +lost at all. Do you think so, Professor?" + +"It would seem not. Did I not know from past experiences how easy it +is for the boys to get into trouble, I should not hesitate an instant." + +"Anyway, we've got to do it. We are at a point where we shall have to +take chances. We are taking some as it is. Now, hurry your breakfast. +I'll fix up the signal pole while you are doing so, then we'll be off +as soon as you have finished." + +Both Tad and Ned were enthusiastic and anxious to show themselves +capable of taking a man's part in the proposed operations. + +"If Chunky only had a fountain pen now all this trouble would be +unnecessary," teased Ned as they were hurrying through their breakfast. + +The fat boy's soulful eyes held an expression of mild protest, but he +made no reply. + +The meal finished, Tad and Ned brought out their rifles, which they +loaded, taking with them a box of cartridges each. The guide did the +same. The flagpole had been planted and from its top fluttered a pair +of pink pajamas belonging to the Professor. + +"That ought to scare all the coyotes off the desert," commented Ned as +the party surveyed the result of the guide's work. + +"It will serve still another purpose," grinned the guide. "Some +traveler may see it. In that event he'll head for it, thinking it's +some one in distress. If he does, you may be able to get a few drops +of water from his canteen, providing it's not as empty as our own." + +"Oh, how dry I am," whistled Ned softly. + +"There doesn't seem to be much probability of our meeting strangers in +this desolate place," commented the Professor. "What time do you think +we shall see you back? Have you any idea?" + +"Somewhere about sunset, in all probability." + +"I'd like to go along with Tad," said Stacy. + +"Why--no, I think you'd better not," said the Professor. + +"Please. I know I shall be able to help him. You do not need two boys +in camp with you, Professor." + +"Yes; he might as well go along, if he wants to," decided the guide. + +"Very well, then. But Walter must remain here." + +"Use your old ponies. Do not take the stallions," advised Parry. "If +the stallions were to get away from you while you are off on the desert +alone it would leave you, and perhaps us as well, in pretty bad shape. +And, by the way, Professor, when you begin firing your signals, go to +the top of the hill yonder and shoot straight up into the air. The +sound will carry further than were you to shoot from here. You've no +idea how perplexing this Desert Maze is to those not familiar with it +and its tricks." + +"I'm learning fast," smiled the Professor. "Furthermore, I am +convinced that I shall know all about it if I live long----" + +"Never," answered Parry promptly. "No man ever lived who knew all +about the desert. I----" + +"If we rough riders don't get started pretty soon we'll be back before +we get started," warned Stacy humorously. + +"You're right. We are wasting time. Now, Masters Tad and Ned, you +understand what you are to do?" + +"We do," answered the boys. + +"Follow my directions to the letter. If you do you will keep out of +trouble. If you do not, there's no telling what may happen." + +"We are to find water. That's what we are going out for," added Tad. + +"Exactly. But the instant you hear a gun fired, turn about and ride +home. That will mean either that the time's up, or that one or the +other of us has found what you are looking for. Keep your eyes clear +for signs and for crusts of alkali that may have a water tank under +them." + +"We'll do our duty, Mr. Parry," answered Tad. + +"I know it. Good-bye and good luck!" + +The three lads swung their hands in parting salute, as they left the +camp at an easy gallop, Tad and Stacy riding side by side, Ned Rector +moving off alone. Ascending the rise of ground where the pajamas were +drooping listlessly from the top of the signal pole, Tad and Stacy +slipped down the opposite side of the hill and disappeared from view. + +The two lads were destined to pass through some exciting experiences +before they rejoined their companions. + +"I hope we don't get lost," said Stacy, apprehensively, as they glided +across the desert. + +"We mustn't!" + +"Yes; but what if we do?" insisted the fat boy. + +"It will be because you disobeyed orders, Chunky. You and I have a +task to perform, and we're going to do it like men. The lives of our +companions may depend upon our own efforts--yours and mine." + +"I can't see the Professor's pajamas," insisted Chunky. "I believe we +are lost already, Tad." + +"Then we'll stay lost," answered Tad shortly. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE + +The conviction that they did not know where they were grew upon Stacy +as they proceeded. Not that Stacy cared particularly whether they were +lost or not, but it gave him something to talk about. + +"Don't talk so much, Chunky," begged Tad, after they had gone on some +distance. "You should keep your eyes out for signs." + +"What kind of signs?" + +"Water signs. Come, be serious for a little while. You can have all +the sport you want when we get back. I think, Chunky, that we can both +work to better advantage if we separate----" + +"What, you want to get rid of me so soon?" + +"No, no! Listen! You ride off there to the right, say half a mile. +Keep within sight of me all the time, and watch carefully for what we +are in search of. We shall be able to do twice as effective work in +that way." + +"I see. I guess that would be a good idea. Got anything to eat in +your pocket?" + +"Some dry bread. I'll divide with you. You should have brought +something." + +The fat boy, well satisfied now, rode away to the north, munching the +dry food that Tad had given him. So long as Chunky had plenty to eat, +nothing else mattered. + +Tad soon espied what appeared to him to be a cloud on the horizon +ahead. After a time he discovered that it was a range of irregular +buttes. On some of them he eventually made out what looked like +scattering trees. Tad increased the speed of his pony as much as he +thought the animal would stand. If there were trees, there surely +should be water as well, he reasoned. After a time he succeeded in +attracting the attention of Stacy, whom he motioned to him. + +The fat boy put spurs to his mount, racing along one side of the +triangle, heading for the range, for which he observed that Tad was +riding. It was now a test of speed to see which one should get there +first. Tad having the shorter distance to travel, made the mark ahead +of his companion, though with little to spare. + +"You started before I knew what you were up to," laughed Stacy. "I can +beat you on an even start." + +"Haven't any doubt of it, Chunky. But let's see what's to be found +here. It looks promising. You hold the horses while I climb up among +the rocks." + +"There's a man up there!" exclaimed Stacy. "What's he doing? I wonder +if he's a hermit? Looks as if he might be." + +"I'll find out. If some one is living here, there's water," cried Tad +triumphantly, leaping from his saddle and tossing the bridle reins to +his companion. + +The lad ran lightly up the rocks toward the point where he saw the +stranger standing, observing them suspiciously. As he drew nearer to +the figure, Tad felt some apprehension. The man was thin and gaunt, a +heavy growth of beard covering his face so completely as to hide +everything except the nose and eyes. + +"I believe he's crazy," muttered the lad, when he got near enough to +note the strange expression in the fellow's eyes. As yet, the man had +not spoken a word. + +"How do you do, sir!" greeted the boy. + +The hermit, for such he proved to be, grunted an unintelligible reply. + +"We are looking for water. My friends are camped off yonder, a dozen +miles or more, and our water is all gone. Please tell me where I can +find some?" + +"Got money?" + +"Yes, yes, I've got money. I will pay you for your trouble if that is +what you want. Let me have a drink first and take some to my +companion; then I will do whatever you wish in the way of paying," +begged the lad. + +The hermit eyed him with a steady, disconcerting gaze that gave Tad a +creepy feeling up and down his spine. + +"You want water?" + +"Yes, yes." + +A moment's hesitation, then the hermit grasped Tad by the arm and +strode rapidly back among the rocks. Pushing aside a growth of tangled +vines he stooped to enable him to enter the opening that was revealed, +dragging Tad in after him. + +[Illustration: The Hermit Grasped Tad by the Arm.] + +"See here, where are you taking me?" demanded the lad, pulling back +instinctively from the dark opening. + +The hermit made no reply, but tightening his grip, which was of +vise-like firmness, jerked the boy into the center of the chamber. Tad +observed by the single ray of light that penetrated the place through +the mat of vines at the entrance that they were in a cave. + +"You want water?" snapped the hermit. + +"Yes, I do want water more than anything else in the world at this +minute, but there is no necessity for dragging me to it. I can walk." + +"Water in there," answered the hermit, thrusting Tad into a dark +recess. No sooner had he done so than the lad heard a heavy wooden +door slammed shut and a bar thrown across it from the outside. + +Tad, instantly realizing that he was being shut in, threw himself +against the barrier with all his strength. But he might as well have +tried to break through the rocks which walled him in on the other three +sides. He shouted at the top of his voice, hoping that Chunky might, +perchance, hear him and come to his rescue. Chunky could use the rifle +that hung in the holster on Tad's saddle and intimidate the hermit if +he understood Tad's predicament. + +At that instant the lad's ears caught the faint trickle of water. The +sound stirred him to sudden action. "Where was it?" he asked himself, +his hands groping over the rocks about him. + +"Here it is!" he cried exultingly. + +What he had found was a tiny stream that was creeping down the side of +the rocks. Tad pressed his lips against the cool stones, enabling him +to lick a few drops of the precious fluid into his parched mouth. +Never had anything tasted so refreshing to him. + +"A-h-h-h-h!" gasped the boy, taking a fresh breath preparatory to +another draught. "It's almost worth being made a prisoner for this. +I'll bet Chunky would wish to be in here if he knew. And I almost wish +he were." + +As if in answer to his expressed wish, the door was suddenly pushed +inward, a heavy body was hurled in, landing in a heap on the rocky +floor. + +The door slammed shut and the bar once more fell into place. + +For the moment Tad could not determine what had happened. + +"I--I fell in," moaned a voice from the heap. + +"Chunky!" cried Tad. "How did you get in here?" + +"I--just dropped in," wailed the fat boy. + +"Get up! Don't be a baby! Come here and have a drink of water----" + +"Water? Water?" fairly shouted Stacy, leaping to his feet, bumping +against a rock in his haste. "Where? Where?" + +"Here. Put your lips against the rock right here. There, you have it. +Does it taste good?" + +"U-m-m-m." + +"Now, you've had enough for the moment. Tell me how you got here? How +did you happen to come up?" questioned Tad. + +"The--the wild man--say, Tad, he looks like a monkey, doesn't he?" + +"I hadn't thought of it in that light. I guess you're right, though, +Chunky." + +"Well, he went out on the rocks and motioned to me. I told him I +couldn't leave the ponies. He said you wanted me right away, and he +came down to help me stake the ponies. He was awful kind," mused +Stacy, as if talking to himself. + +"Go on," urged Tad. "We've got to think about what's going to become +of us." + +"That's all. He just led me up here. Said you were inside getting +water. Then--then he threw me in. Think I hurt the floor when I hit +it, Tad?" + +"I guess not quite so bad as that," laughed the lad. "I want you to +strike a match while I look around the place." + +Stacy did so, taking his time about it. By the dim light thus made, +they discovered a little pool of water in a far corner of the chamber, +where the trickling stream had found it's way. With their drinking +cups, which, with their canteens, the boys always carried, they dipped +the pool almost dry, filling their canteens with the cool, refreshing +water, after having first fully satisfied their thirst. + +"Got anything to eat?" questioned Stacy, his thoughts turning to food. + +"Yes, and I'm going to keep it," answered Tad promptly. + +"That's mean." + +"See here, Chunky. We are prisoners. We don't know when or how we are +going to get out. I have a few crusts of bread left and I propose to +keep them, because we may find ourselves starving later on. You'll be +glad then that I saved the bread. What do you think the hermit intends +to do? Did he say anything that gave you any clue?" + +"Nope." + +"We'll wait a while and if he does not let us out, we'll have to find a +way for ourselves." + +For a time they made the best of their situation, Stacy grumbling now +and then, Tad bright and cheery, though in his heart he felt far from +cheerful. + +"I'm going to try to break the door down," announced Tad finally, after +listening intently. "I can't hear anything. I believe the hermit has +gone away and left us. Get up here beside me. Take hold of my hand +and we'll rush it together." + +They did so, throwing their combined weight against the door. + +"Ouch!" yelled Stacy. + +"Never mind, try it again," encouraged Tad, laughing in spite of +himself. + +Once more they hurled themselves on the obstruction. It resisted all +their efforts. Tad lighted a match, examining the door carefully. The +light revealed a heap of blankets in a corner of the chamber, where the +old hermit slept. + +"Must be his bedroom," decided Chunky. + +"We've got to try something else," announced Tad. "Got your knife!" + +"Yes." + +"Out with it. We're going to whittle. Lucky for us that our knives +are big and sharp. Hold a match while I mark out the spot we're going +to try to cut out." + +Tad had sounded the door with his fist until he found the place where +the bar on the other side held it. He also discovered sockets for an +inner bar, by which the hermit probably locked himself in at night. +Then he began cutting. + +"You start in here and keep to your side so you don't cut my hands," +the lad directed. + +The crunching sound of their knives began immediately, the work going +on more slowly in the darkness than would have been the case had they +had light. Now and then the lads would pause to listen. Not a sound +penetrated to their prison. Tad thought this very strange, unless +perhaps the hermit might be lying in wait to fall upon them in case +they did succeed in freeing themselves. + +"Say, Tad." + +"Well?" + +"I've got an idea." Chunky's knife had been silent for a few moments. + +"What is it?" + +"Let's burn down the old door." + +"How!" + +"I'll show you." + +Stacy scraped industriously for a time, then lighting a match applied +it to the spot on which he had been working. The splinters caught fire +burned up briskly then went out. Stacy repeated the process with a +similar result. + +"I guess that will help a little," decided Tad, running his fingers +over the spot. + +"Just like singeing the pin feathers off an old hen--the feathers burn, +but the hen doesn't," grumbled Stacy. + +"Whew! the smoke's getting thick in here. We've got to stop the +burning or we'll suffocate," warned Tad. "Wish I had an ax. I'd make +short work of the old door." + +They then began working with a grim determination, Stacy ceasing his +joking. At last a tiny ray of light showed through the heavy door. + +"Hurrah!" shouted Tad. "I see daylight." + +"Then give me some bread. I'm hungry." + +"Not yet. We're not out of our prison," laughed Tad. "Keep cutting. +It will take all of an hour to make an opening large enough for me to +get my hand through----" + +"I got my finger through," cried Stacy triumphantly. "Ouch!" he yelled +as a club of some sort was brought against the door on the outside with +terrific force, bruising the end of the lad's finger. + +"The hermit is out there waiting for us!" gasped Tad, with sinking +heart. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE + +A rifle shot sounded from the camp of the Pony Rider Boys. At regular +intervals shot followed shot. + +It was the warning signal agreed upon to notify the others that water +had been found. Ned Rector had ridden into camp with the joyful +tidings that he had discovered a water tank about three miles to the +eastward. Immediately Walter sprang for his rifle, and running to the +top of the little hill began shooting into the air. Ned, in the +meantime, not waiting for the return of the others, had fetched the +water-bags from the burros, and started off at a rapid pace to bring +back water for the stock. His canteen he left for Professor Zepplin +and Walter. + +"It's horrible stuff, but it is water," breathed the Professor as he +swallowed the brown alkali fluid. "If ever I get a drink of real water +again, I know I shall be able to appreciate it." + +In the meantime Walter's rifle was booming its warning over the desert +maze. + +Two hours later, Tom Parry, hot, dusty and well-nigh spent, rode into +camp with the steam rising from his pony in a thin, vaporous cloud. + +"Have you found it?" he called hoarsely. + +"Yes; Ned's found a water hole," the Professor informed him. + +"Give me a drink, quick. The alkali's cutting furrows in my throat," +he begged. "Never got such a hold of me before." + +The Professor pressed his canteen to the guide's lips, and Parry drank +eagerly. A few moments later he pulled himself together sharply. + +"I'm going to take the stock out to the water hole," he announced, +starting the burros off across the desert. "I'll water the stallions +when I return." + +"You had better let me attend to that," protested the Professor. +"You're in no shape to go out in the sun again." + +"That's all right, Professor. But tell me how I am going to get out of +the sun?" begged Parry, with a grim smile. + +"The tent----" + +"Hotter than the sun. No, I guess I can stand it if those boys are +able to. By the way, have you seen anything of the other two?" + +"I'll ascertain if Walter has discovered them yet." + +Walter's straining eyes had failed to make out Tad and Stacy, however, +so the Professor bade him continue firing his rifle. This was a +pleasant occupation for Walter, for, like his companions, next to a +pony he loved a gun. + +Ned had returned with the water-bags, and Parry had finished watering +the stock. It was now near sunset. + +"No signs yet?" questioned the guide, joining Walter on the knoll. + +"Not a thing." + +"That doesn't seem right. Stop your firing and come get some supper. +We must eat and put ourselves in shape or we'll be good for nothing. +Did those boys take any food with them?" + +"I think I saw Tad stowing something in his pockets before he started. +I'm sure I did," spoke up Ned Rector. + +"There's a lad who knows his business," approved Parry, moving toward +the camp with Walter. + +"Why have you discontinued the shooting?" demanded the Professor in +surprise. + +"To eat. Half an hour's intermission will make little difference. If +the lads are on their way, we'll be able to call them in before it gets +dark. If not, then I shall go out to look for them. They're all +right. I think you need feel no concern over them." + +"Must have gone a long way," spoke up Ned. + +"Yes, they undoubtedly followed orders." + +"And perhaps exceeded them," added the Professor. + +It was a real supper that they sat down to that evening, with hot +coffee, fried bacon and other good things, and the party would have +been a jolly one had Tad and Stacy been on hand to participate in it. + +Walter hurried through his meal, then took his position on the hill +once more, where he renewed his signaling with the rifle. + +All at once he uttered a shout, following it with a quick volley of six +shots, thus emptying his magazine. + +"Do you see them!" called Parry, hastening over to the knoll, and +joining Walter. + +"I think I see a cloud of dust approaching over the desert," he made +reply. + +"Where?" + +Walter pointed with his rifle. + +"Yes, that's the boys, I guess. Nothing but a broncho could kick up +the alkali like that. I'll go back and have their supper ready. You +keep on shooting. The light is growing fainter and they won't be able +to find their way in otherwise." + +"Is it the boys?" called the Professor, as they saw Parry hastening +toward them. + +"I think so. Put the coffee on, Master Ned. They'll want to boil the +alkali out of their systems as soon as they get here." + +"That's the time Tad Butler got left," chuckled Ned Rector. "He's +always been around when there was any glory coming. But when it comes +to finding water where there isn't any, I guess they can't beat Ned +Rector." + +"What's that boy shooting so rapidly for?" asked Parry. + +"He's excited about something," answered Ned. "He's dancing around as +if he's suddenly gone crazy. What's that? He's calling and motioning +to us. Guess he wants you, Mr. Parry." + +"What is it!" called the guide, making a megaphone of his hands. + +Unable to make out what it was that Walter was shouting to him, Tom +Parry deserted the camp-fire, where he was assisting to get the second +supper, and hastened to the knoll. + +"What's the trouble, my lad?" + +"Come and see. I want you to take a look at that pony. He's tearing +across the desert as if something were chasing him. But I can't make +out anyone on his back." + +"The light is weak and he's throwing a lot of dust. Of course there's +some one his back, and there must be two horses." + +The guide shaded his hands, gazing off across the plain. + +"What--what----" he stammered. + +"Wasn't I right, Mr. Parry?" + +"That's very strange. I don't understand it at all." + +"That's what I thought." + +"There's only one pony and he's riderless," exclaimed Tom Parry. "I'm +afraid something has happened. It may not be one of our ponies, +however. We'll know in a few minutes." + +The running animal was drawing steadily nearer the camp. Those over by +the camp-fire were busy getting the meal ready for the two missing +lads. The pony reached the foot of the knoll. Observing Parry and +Walter there, the little animal shied, making a wide detour, and +finally galloping up to the camp. + +Walter and the guide hurried down. + +"Hello!" cried the Professor, as he saw the horse dash in. "What does +this mean!" + +"Why, it's Tad's pony!" exclaimed Ned in amazement. + +"Is that Master Tad's mount?" called the guide as he approached them on +the run. + +"Yes. Do you think there's anything wrong?" questioned Ned. + +"Looks that way. Don't let him get away. I want to look the critter +over. Perhaps we may learn something." + +Ned caught the pony without difficulty, and led it to the guide. Parry +went all over the animal, even going through the saddlebags. + +"The rifle and the rope are missing. Everything else seems to be in +order," he announced. + +"Then I'll guarantee that Tad's all right," spoke up Ned. + +"That's what I think," agreed Walter. "He's taken his gun and rope up +into some mountain or other and while he was away the pony got away and +started for home." + +"Is that your opinion, Mr. Parry?" questioned the Professor. + +"What's the use in offering any opinions? I don't know. But I'm going +to find out. Let's see. We have a new moon to-night. I've got about +two hours before it goes down. I want you all to remain right here in +camp until I return. Even if it's until to-morrow. I'm going out to +look for the boys." + +With that Parry hastily filled his canteen, slung one of the bags of +water over the back of his pony, and springing into the saddle dashed +away, following the trail that the returning broncho had left. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +CONCLUSION + +"No use trying to go any further to-night, Chunky." + +"Where'll we stay, then?" + +"Right here, I guess," answered Tad. "It's as good a place as we'll +find." + +But to understand this, we must take up the fortunes of Tad and Stacy, +whom we left imprisoned in the hermit's cave. + +After waiting for a full hour in the cave, following the hermit's blow +on the door, the lads not having heard anything further of him, had +renewed their whittling. After long and arduous effort they had +succeeded in making an opening in the wood sufficiently large to enable +Tad to push his hand through. + +Before doing so, however, he made reasonably sure that the hermit was +not standing there with a club ready to bring it down with crushing +force. + +Being satisfied on this point, Tad thrust a hand through. His upturned +hand had grasped the bar that held the door in place. Pushing upward +with all his strength he felt the bar give. + +Stacy, with ready resourcefulness, began forcing up on Tad's elbow. In +a moment more they had the satisfaction of hearing the bar clatter to +the rocks. Yet one end of it had stuck in its socket, still holding +the barrier in place. + +They tried their former tactics. Backing off, both lads rushed at the +heavy door. It gave way with a suddenness that they had not expected. +The boys tumbled out, each landing on his head and shoulders, then +toppling over to his back. + +There was a lively scramble. They were up in a twinkling, fully +expecting to find the hermit standing over them. To their surprise, +they found themselves entirely alone. To their further surprise, +neither of their ponies was in sight when they stepped out on the rocks. + +Upon examining the hoof prints a few minutes later they discovered that +one animal had set off on the back trail, while the other had +apparently gone in the opposite direction. + +After a brief consultation they decided that they must start back on +foot. Without a moment's hesitation, the lads, laying their course by +Tad's watch, started pluckily toward camp, many miles away. + +After a few hours night overtook them. They still had the moon, +however, and by its light they trudged along for two more weary hours. +Then the moon's light left them and Tad decided that it were worse than +useless to continue. + +Absolute darkness had settled over the Desert Maze as the boys dropped +down, footsore and weary after their long tramp in the stifling heat. + +"Got anything to eat?" asked Stacy. + +"That I have, and a canteen of water besides. We have a lot to be +thankful for yet, Chunky. Haven't we?" + +"I'll tell you after I try the bread," answered the fat boy. + +Tad laughed merrily. + +"Always a humorist, aren't you?" + +"Except when I fall in somewhere," replied Stacy. + +"How does the bread go?" + +"Fine!" + +"Aren't you glad you didn't eat it up back there in the hermit's cave?" + +"Oh, I dunno. If I'd eaten it then, I wouldn't have to eat it now." + +"Oh, Chunky, you're hopeless. I shall have to give you up----" + +"What do you think has become of those ponies?" interrupted the fat boy. + +"Guess they must have gotten away and gone home--at least one of them," +answered Tad. + +"Wrong." + +"Why?" + +"One went one way and the other another, didn't he?" + +"Yes. What of that?" + +"If they'd gotten away they'd both traveled together. One of them was +ridden away and I'm thinking the hermit was on his back. I'll bet he +carried my broncho off." + +"You mean you think your broncho carried him off?" laughed Tad. "I +didn't give you credit for so much sense, Chunky. I guess you are +right at that. The ponies surely would have left together. Seems to +be our luck to lose horses. Guess my gun has gone, too, but I picked +up the rope back by the mountain." + +"Glad I didn't bring my rifle along," chuckled Stacy. "I'll bet I'd be +throwing good-bye kisses after it now if I had." + +"I don't understand what that old man meant by making us prisoners +unless it was that he wanted a horse to get out of the Desert Maze. If +that was his reason, I don't blame him," laughed Tad. "Mr. Parry did +us a real service when he advised us to leave our stallions back in +camp. They surely would have been gone by this time, and we never +could have caught them again." + +"Yes; I can see Satan legging it for the hills," replied Stacy. +"Legging it is his strong point." + +They had finished their slender meal by this time and drunk their fill +of water from the canteens. As a result, they felt better than they +had felt at any time during the past three days. + +"We have a long, hot walk ahead of us to-morrow, unless they come out +to look for us, Chunky," averred Tad. + +"Yes. And I love to walk," replied Stacy, with droll humor. +"Especially when the sun is one hundred and fifty in the shade, or +where the shade ought to be. If ever I come down in this baked country +again, I'm going to bring that sweet apple tree out of uncle's orchard, +even if I have to drag it all over the desert with me." + +"Think we'd better make our beds and turn in?" suggested Tad. + +"I guess. I'll take a drink of water first; then I'm ready." + +In a few moments the plucky lads had stretched out on the still hot +ground, without feeling the least fear. They were too self-reliant to +feel any fear, and they had passed so many nights in the open that the +mysterious darkness of the outside world held no terrors for them. +They knew there was nothing to harm them. + +Tad was beginning to doze off when Stacy nudged him in the ribs. + +"What is it?" asked Tad sharply. + +"I think the girl forgot to put a fresh pillow case on my pillow +to-day. The pillow feels awful rough." + +"Oh, go to sleep. Dream all the funny things you wish to, but don't +bother me till daylight." + +From that moment until long past midnight the boys slept soundly, +neither having moved since he lay down for his night's rest. Even when +the coyotes began to howl, off on the desert, the lads merely stirred, +only half conscious of what the sound meant. But when the howls +gradually drew nearer, Chunky cautiously opened one eye. The night was +so dark that he could not see anything about him. + +The beasts drew nearer. Tad was awake now. + +"Keep still, don't scare them until I give the word," he said in answer +to Stacy's poke. + +Emboldened by the quietness, the coyotes kept creeping closer and +closer, their mournful howls increasing in volume every minute. All at +once Tad reached down for his rope. He lay still for a few minutes +until satisfied that the animals had not observed his movement. +Suddenly the great loop shot from his hand. + +A quick, violent tug at the other end, a wild, frightened howl from the +cowardly beasts, and all but one, with tails between their legs, fled +over the desert. + +"I've got one, Chunky," yelled Tad. "Quick! Help me here, or he'll +get away!" + +It required all the strength of the two boys to hold the animal that +Tad had roped in the dark. Gradually they shortened up on the rope, +Tad standing in front of his companion until he felt the animal +dangerously near. Then he let out a swift kick. By good luck, it laid +the coyote flat. + +Tad was upon the beast before, in its half-dazed condition, it could +rise. Together they tied the animal's feet, its jaws snapping at them +viciously before their task was completed. + +There was no more sleep for the lads that night. They feared the +coyote would gnaw the rope in two, if left alone. All during the night +the boys were obliged continually to jerk on the line about its neck to +keep the beast from doing this very thing. + +Morning came at last. Making a harness from a piece of the rope, they +bound up one of the animal's forefeet, just as Bud Stevens had done +with wild horses. Then they released the hind feet. Mr. Coyote hopped +about like a rabbit for a time, snarling and snapping, to their keen +delight. They felt no fear of him, though Mr. Coyote had several times +expressed a willingness to fight his captors. + +After eating their remaining crumbs of bread, the boys decided to move +on. Tad, believing that he knew the direction to follow, did not wait +for the sun to rise. Yet, although they were not aware of the fact, +they already had strayed far from the trail. + +"I'm afraid the coyote is going to be a drag on us, much as I should +like to take him along," said Tad. + +Stacy begged to keep the animal, and Tad decided to try it. The next +question was, how to move it. It was finally decided that one boy +should lead the coyote while the other prodded it from the rear when +the animal lagged. + +At noon they halted to rest, draining the last drop from their +canteens. Then they started on again, suffering more and more from the +heat as they proceeded. About the middle of the afternoon Tad halted, +gazing helplessly about him. + +"Chunky, we're lost in the Desert Maze. I don't know where I am any +more than if I were in the middle of an ocean. I'm pretty nearly +exhausted, too." + +"So's the coyote," comforted Stacy. + +"But we've got to keep on going. My watch is missing. I must have +lost it where we slept last night. I can only guess at the direction +we ought to take. Have you any idea where we are?" + +Stacy gazed at the sky meditatively. + +"On a rough guess, I should say we were on the Nevada Desert." + +"Oh, come on! Come on!" + +Still clinging to the angry coyote, the lads took up their weary tramp. +The baking alkali burned their feet almost to the blistering point; the +burning, withering heat made their heads whirl; the desert began to +perform strange antics, while the halo that they had seen a few days +before again appeared before them, first whirling like a giant pin +wheel, then oscillating in a way that made them giddy. + +"Chunky, I can't stand this any longer," cried Tad, suddenly sinking to +the ground. "I'm ashamed of myself to give way like this." + +Stacy moved around to the sunny side of his companion, placing his own +body where it would shade Tad's head from the sun. The fat boy took +off his sombrero, unheeding the burning rays that were beating down on +his own head, and began to fan Tad with the hat. + +"I don't believe I can go any further, Chunky. You are still in fairly +good shape and you'll be able to make the camp if you go on. Leave me +and make a try for it." + +"You--you want me to go on without you? Want me to leave you here +to--Say, Tad, do you think I'm that kind of a coyote? I'd thrash you +for that if you weren't already properly done up. You'll feel better +when night comes and your head gets cooled off. In the morning we'll +make another attempt to get out of the Desert Maze. You lie still, +now." + +Thus admonished, Tad closed his eyes. At last the sun went down, and +with its passing, came a breath of refreshing air. They inhaled long +and deeply of it. After a little, Stacy got up. + +"Where you going?" demanded Tad, opening his bloodshot eyes. + +"Going to tie up my dog, then go to bed." + +Five minutes later both were sleeping the sleep that comes from utter +exhaustion of mind and body. + +Stacy awakened first, his eyes opening on the burning blue above him. +After a few moments he rolled over on his stomach to gaze at the +coyote. Instantly something else attracted his attention. What he saw +was a crossed stick on a standard. The whole resembled a cross, +standing barely six inches above the ground. + +The lad eyed the strange object inquiringly, then wriggled over toward +it. + +"Maybe there's water here. I'll see," he muttered. Stacy began +digging industriously with knife and hands. + +After a time the knife struck some hard substance. This, upon further +digging, proved to be a bottle. The boy pulled his find out quickly. + +"There's a piece of paper in it," he exclaimed in surprise. "Guess +somebody must have thrown it off a sinking desert schooner." + +Stacy drew the paper from the bottle. + +"'To the lost on the Desert Maze,'" he read "That's me and the coyote. +'Water ten paces to the east. Grass Peak fifteen miles to the east. +Belted Range about eighteen miles west. Cross piece on stick, points +due east and west. A Traveler.'" + +With a sharp glance at his sleeping companion, Stacy tramped off ten +paces. There being no sign of water, the lad began stamping about with +his heels. Suddenly the alkali crust gave way beneath him. One leg +went through. He felt it plunge into water. + +"Y-e-o-w!" howled Stacy. + +Tad Butler scrambled to his feet, rubbing his eyes. + +"Water! Water! Water! I fell in!" shrieked the fat boy, dancing +about joyously. "I've found a key to the Desert Maze, and I've +unlocked one blind desert alley with my foot." + +The lads drank and drank of the villainous, brown fluid. Then, after +having laved their faces and filled the canteens, they set out on their +journey. Grass Peak was the hill from which the Professor's pajamas +had been unfurled to the idle desert breeze. + +Twilight was descending when two gaunt-eyed, hollow-cheeked lads, each +with an arm thrown about the other's waist for support, were described, +staggering across the Desert Maze. Behind then, at the end of a +lariat, slouched a disconsolate, cowardly coyote. + +A great shout went up from the camp of the Pony Riders. + +They dashed out to meet their exhausted companions. Hoisting the two +boys to their shoulders, they carried them triumphantly to camp. + +Tom Parry, the guide, had been thrown by his pony stepping through a +crust on the alkali, and had lain all night on the desert. Next day he +had staggered back to camp, where he found his pony, and after a few +hours' rest had taken up his fruitless search again. + +Stacy's pony in the meantime had come in. The boys never knew how the +animals got away, though from the fact that Tad's rifle was missing, it +was believed that the hermit had ridden the pony off, turning it adrift +later. + +But the brave lads had found their way through the Desert Maze to camp, +having passed through hardships and perils that would have daunted +stronger and more experienced desert travelers. + +Next morning the Pony Rider Boys struck their tents and broke camp. A +few days later they crossed the line into California, where, after +loading their stock and equipment into a large stock car, they started +for the East. + +Yet, though their summer vacation was rapidly drawing to a close, the +Pony Rider Boys had not seen the end of their thrilling adventures. +Another exciting trip lay before them; one which was destined to linger +in memory for many years to come. The story of this, the end of the +Silver Trail, will be related in a following volume entitled, "THE PONY +RIDER BOYS IN NEW MEXICO." + + + + +THE END + + + + +Dave Darrin Series No. 3 + +By _H. Irving Hancock_ + + 1 Dave Darrin at Vera Cruz + 2 Dave Darrin on Mediterranean Service + 3 Dave Darrin's South American Cruise + 4 Dave Darrin on the Asiatic Station + 5 Dave Darrin and the German Submarines + 6 Dave Darrin after the Mine Layers + + + +Aviator Series No. 3 + +By _Captain Frank Cobb_ + + 1 Battling the Clouds + 2 An Aviator's Luck + 3 Dangerous Deeds + + + +Boy Scout Series No. 3 + +By _George Durston_ + + 1 The Boy Scouts in Camp + 2 The Boy Scouts on the Trail + 3 The Boy Scouts to the Rescue + 4 The Boy Scout Aviators + 5 The Boy Scouts Afloat + 6 The Boy Scouts' Victory + + + +Idle Hour Series No. 3 + + 1 Hilda's Mascot--_Ireland_ + 2 Betty the Scribe--_Turner_ + 3 Peggy-Alone--_Byrne_ + + + +Ivy Hall Series No. 3 + +By _Ruth Alberta Brown_ + + 1 Tabitha at Ivy Hall + 2 Tabitha's Glory + 3 Tabitha's Vacation + + + +Peace Greenfield Series No. 3 + +By _Ruth Alberta Brown_ + + 1 At the Little Brown House + 2 The Lilac Lady + 3 Heart of Gold + + + +Pony Rider Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Frank Gee Patchin_ + + 1 The Pony Rider Boys in the Rockies + 2 The Pony Rider Boys in Texas + 3 The Pony Rider Boys in Montana + 4 The Pony Rider Boys in the Ozarks + 5 The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali + 6 The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico + 7 The Pony Rider Boys in the Grand Canyon + 8 The Pony Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers + 9 The Pony Rider Boys on the Blue Ridge + 10 The Pony Rider Boys in New England + 11 The Pony Rider Boys in Louisiana + 12 The Pony Rider Boys in Alaska + + + +Circus Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Edgar B. P. Darlington_ + + 1 The Circus Boys on the Flying Rings + 2 The Circus Boys across the Continent + 3 The Circus Boys in Dixie Land + 4 The Circus Boys on the Mississippi + 5 The Circus Boys on the Plains + + + +The Battleship Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Frank Gee Patchin_ + + 1 The Battleship Boys at Sea + 2 The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward + 3 The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service + 4 The Battleship Boys in the Tropics + 5 The Battleship Boys Under Fire + 6 The Battleship Boys in the Wardroom + + + +The Submarine Boys Series No. 3 + +By _Victor G. Durham_ + + 1 The Submarine Boys on Duty + 2 The Submarine Boys' Trial Trip + 3 The Submarine Boys and the Middies + 4 The Submarine Boys and the Spies + 5 The Submarine Boys' Lightning Cruise + 6 The Submarine Boys for the Flag + + + +Young Engineers Series No. 3 + +By _H. Irving Hancock_ + + 1 The Young Engineers in Colorado + 2 The Young Engineers in Arizona + 3 The Young Engineers in Nevada + 4 The Young Engineers in Mexico + 5 The Young Engineers on the Gulf + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali, by +Frank Gee Patchin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI *** + +***** This file should be named 36423.txt or 36423.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/4/2/36423/ + +Produced by Al Haines + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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