lf filled with stagnant water, that the
animals drank eagerly.

That evening, when it was too dark to distinguish the cross-hairs in the
instruments, the weary engineers knocked off work, with a
twenty-one-mile survey to their credit. They were too tired to pitch
tents that night, but spread their blankets anywhere, and fell asleep
almost as soon as they had eaten supper. There was no water, no wood,
and only a scanty supply of sun-dried grass. It was a dry camp.

The next day was a repetition of the first. The tired animals, suffering
from both hunger and thirst, dragged the heavy wagons wearily over the
long undulations of the sun-baked plain. Occasionally they crossed dry
water-courses; but at sunset they had not found a drop of the precious
fluid, and another dry camp was promised for that night.

As the men of the second division drove the last stake of another
twenty-one-mile run, and, leaving the line, moved slowly in the
direction of camp, the mule ridden by Binney Gibbs suddenly threw up its
head, sniffed the air, and, without regard to his rider's efforts to
control him, started off on a run.

"Stop us! We are running away!" shouted Binney; and, without hesitation,
Glen gave spurs to Nettle and dashed away in pursuit.

"What scrape are those young scatter-brains going to get into now?"
growled Mr. Hobart.

"I don't know," answered "Billy" Brackett; "but whatever it is they will
come out of it all right, covered with mud and glory. I suppose I might
as well begin to organize the rescuing-party, though."

Chapter XXVII.

"COVERED WITH MUD AND GLORY."

As "Billy" Brackett predicted they would, the two boys did return to
camp in about fifteen minutes, covered with mud and glory. At least
Binney Gibbs was covered with mud, and they brought the glorious news
that there were several large though shallow pools of water not more
than half a mile away. Binney's mule having scented it, there was no
stopping him until he had rushed to it, and, as usual, flung his rider
over his head into the very middle of one of the shallow ponds. Glen had
reached the place just in time to witness this catastrophe, and to roar
with laughter at the comical sight presented by his companion, as the
latter waded ruefully from the pond, dripping mud and water from every
point.

"You take to water as naturally as a young duck, Binney!" he shouted, as
soon as his laughter gave him a chance for words.

"No, indeed, I don't,