d is
public property. A fellow camped right here one afternoon last
fall. He was out of feed, and took a grain sack on one arm and a
big Winchester rifle on the other, and went over to old Brown's
cornfield. He took the gun along not to shoot anybody, but to
sort of intimidate Brown if he should catch him. Suddenly he saw
an old fellow coming towards him carrying a gun about a foot
longer than his own. The young fellow wilted right down on the
ground and never moved. He happened to go down on a big prickly
cactus, but he never stirred, cactus or no cactus. He thought
Brown had caught him, and that he was done for. The old man kept
coming nearer and nearer. He was almost to him. The young fellow
concluded to make a brave fight. So he jumped up and yelled. The
old man dropped his gun and ran like a scared wolf. Then the
young fellow noticed that the other also had a sack in which he
had been gathering corn. He called him back, they saw that they
were both thieves, shook hands, and went ahead and robbed old
Brown together."

The man got up to go. "Well, good-night, boys," he said.
"Rest as hard as you can tomorrow. You'll strike into the Sand
Hills at about nine o'clock Monday morning. Take three days'
feed, and every drop of water you can carry; and it you waste any
of it washing your hands you're bigger fools than I think you
are."

VII: THROUGH THE SAND HILLS

"Come, stir out of that and get the camels ready for the
desert!"

This was Jack's cheery way of warning Ollie and me that it
was time to get up on the morning of our start into the Sand
Hills.

"Any simooms in sight?" asked Ollie, by way of reply to
Jack's remark.

"Well, I think Old Browny scents one; he has got his nose
buried in the sand like a camel," answered Jack.

It was only just coming daylight, but we were agreed that an
early start was best. It was another Monday morning, and we knew
that it would take three good days' driving to carry us through
the sand country. We had learned that, notwithstanding what our
visitor of the first night had said, there were several places on
the road where we could get water and feed for the horses. We
should have to carry some water along, however, and had got two
large kegs from Valentine, and filled them and all of our jugs
and pails the night before. We also had a good stock of oats and
corn, and a big bundle of hay, which we put in the cabin on the
bed.

"Just as soon as