into view of the spot in which the stock
had been tethered, they came upon a spectacle which, for a moment,
caused them to recoil as abruptly as if a deep canyon had suddenly
opened up before them.

CHAPTER VII.

WHAT CAME ACROSS THE DESERT.

That which brought the two--the plainsman and the lad--to such an
amazed halt was nothing more nor less than the sight of the huge forms
which had appeared to Jack in the sand-storm and which had given them
such an alarm the night before, and which doubtless, as they now viewed
it in a flash of intuition, had almost stampeded the stock while their
owners were exploring the top of the mesa. But Coyote Pete was not the
man to remain long rooted in astonishment.

With one quick jerk, he raised his rifle, and a vivid spatter of fire
followed. As the report died out, one of the great forms sank to the
ground with a scream that sounded almost human. The others glided off
in the same direction as they had the night before, and vanished in the
same mysterious way, before the thunderstruck Jack could get a shot at
them.

"They're real, at any rate," exclaimed Coyote Pete, showing in his tone
of relief, that until the great shadowy mass had sunk before his
bullet, he had had some doubts of that fact.

"W-w-w-w-what is it?" came a frightened voice at their elbows, and,
looking around, they saw the professor, in pajamas striped like a
barber's pole, gazing apprehensively about him. Close behind him came
Ralph Stetson and Walt, their weapons clasped determinedly, and
evidently ready to face whatever emergency the sudden shot had
betokened.

"Yes, what is it--Indians or bears?" demanded Ralph, entirely forgetful
of the fact that bears are not wont, as a rule, to roam the barren
desert.

"Dunno, but we'll see in a minute," said the cow-puncher, in answer to
the excited questions. Followed by the rest, he made his way forward
to where the great bulk that he had shot lay still and motionless on
the ground. Even Jack owned to a slight feeling of apprehension as
they neared the great form,--harmless as, whatever it might be, it had
now become.

As for the stock, they were still plunging wildly about and snorting in
a terrified fashion, and, had it not been for their stout raw-hide
tethers, they would undoubtedly have stampeded.

Drawing a match, Pete held it high as he neared the stricken bulk
outstretched before them. The next minute he gave an astonished cry:

"A camel!