Part 45 (1/2)
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.”