"Yes, it's me," said the American, "but I'm feeling pretty thin, my lad, I can tell you. May I shake hands?"

"Why, of course!" cried Ned.

"Come away from him now," said the doctor in a whisper. "I'm rather troubled about his head."

"Oh, it don't ache now," said Ned sharply, "and things are not going round now. But you said Chris was better?"

"Yes. He's sleeping under the tent. I kept you here because there is more air."

"Where are we?" asked Ned anxiously.

"Just in the same spot as when we found you, with the mule broken-down under the heavy load of water."

"Of course. I remember it all now," cried Ned excitedly. "I broke down first, and after I got better it was poor old Chris. But he's all right now?"

"He will be soon," said the doctor.

"Can you tell us how far it is to the water, Ned?" said Wilton, making himself heard for the first time.

"No," said Ned thoughtfully, "but I'm afraid it's a long way. Why?"

"Because we've finished one of the barrels and half of the other, my boy," said Bourne. "We must be getting on again, then, doctor?"

"Yes; as soon as they can sit their horses."

"Can't be very far, sir," said Griggs, "because of the time they were away. Say, Ned, my lad, can you tell us when you started back with the water?"

"Yes," said the boy; "directly after sunrise."

"And when did the mule cave in?"

"I don't quite know, because my head felt so thick; but it was when the sun was hottest. I think I could show you the way, though."

"Oh, we can find the way, squire; you have written that down clearly enough in the sand. Tell us one thing more, though," said Griggs.

"What did you find--a rock spring or a pool?"

"A great lake that stretched out as far as we could see."

There was a faint cheer at this, and the boy smiled.

"But there are big 'gators in it."

"I don't care if there are crocodiles in it half-a-mile long," cried Griggs. "We're going to have our share. Then it's beyond the salt desert?"

"Oh yes. Beautiful green country, with mountains and trees."

"Within half-a-day's journey," said the doctor. "Then I think we may give the poor beasts what water there is left."

"Yes, sir," said Griggs. "I'll give 'em my share; but I never grudged parting with it so much before in my life. Shall I begin?"

"Yes, poor things; but they will not have much apiece even now."

Griggs laughed.

"No, sir," he said. "Skeeter would get outside the whole half-barrel if you gave him a chance, and then roll round the whites of his eyes and ask for more."

By the time the water had been given to the beasts, all but a small portion reserved for the two boys, it was dark, with the stars just dimly-seen through the haze. All was ready, and the mules and horses stepped out briskly, the last drink having worked wonders; but probably the wonderful instinct of the mules taught them that they were nearing the end of their horribly toilsome journey. Perhaps it is not too much to say that by some subtle power of communication they had learned the fact from those which had made the journey before. Certainly our dumb friends do communicate good and bad information to one another.

Neither Chris nor Ned seemed much the worse since they had had a light meal, but sat their ponies well enough once more, while there was no need for their guidance, for the mule which had borne the water-barrels, unladen now, having been placed with the bell-bearer in front, started off freely enough, and needed no guidance to keep it to the track.

Naturally enough the two boys rode that night knee to knee with the doctor and Bourne, each giving and receiving a faithful account of their proceedings, and the lads too learning exactly what had taken place on the awakening at the camp, when, utterly worn out and suffering, not one of the four felt in a fit condition to stir, Griggs, naturally the strongest of the party and best able to cope with the arduous work, being by far the worst.

But he was the first to recover upon the discovery being made that the boys were gone. In fact, he took note of everything during the first few minutes, and was able to point out that they had taken with them a mule bearing the two water-barrels, and also found and pointed out the trail the two ponies and the mule had made in the parching sand.

No one felt fit to stir, and the beasts of burden seemed to be in worse plight than their masters.

But the doctor insisted upon a start being made at once, following upon the trail, and all expected to come before long upon the pair lying dead from thirst and exhaustion at the end of the track.

"We never expected to see you alive again, Chris," said the doctor; "and when we came upon you at last, just as we all felt that we could go no farther, we stopped short, no one daring to approach, for we found you lying just as we had pictured you.

"The expedition was to all of us quite at an end, and we approached you at last to lie down by your sides and die, when Griggs saw something that neither I nor Ned's father had noted."

"What was that, father?" asked Chris.

"That the mule's head was pointing in our direction, and that the trail on ahead was blurred, showing that you had been somewhere and were on the way back. The next minute he was shouting frantically for us to come on, and we did, having literally crawled up, to find you both alive and the two casks full of that which saved our lives."

That night camp was made in the midst of plenty, and the sun rose in the morning over the thick desert-heated air to shine upon the dazzling waters of the lake and the rich forest-land spreading upward towards a range of mountains of a vivid blue.

It seemed to be the land of plenty that they had reached, where abundance of game awaited the rifle, fish in shoals were in the lake, and, most attractive of all, away on the horizon, amidst the range of mountains running to right and left, were peaks among any of which the golden city of which they were in search might be waiting to be compared with the unfortunate old prospector's map.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

OFF AGAIN.

A short halt of a day or two only was made by the lake at first, and then an excursion which had been made successfully in search of game having resulted in the discovery of a more suitable spot higher up towards the mountains, a week was spent there in a beautiful little valley, where an abundant stream of crystal purity emptied itself into the wide-spreading lake. Pasturage was there for the horses and mules, and almost without effort food was to be had at the expense of a few cartridges, while very little skill was needed for Griggs and the boys to draw salmon-like and trout-like fish to the banks.

In a day or two the perils and sufferings of the journey across the salt plains were forgotten, and careful searching for signs of Indians having proved that they were the sole occupants of the district, the whole party gave themselves up to the pleasures of the peaceful life they were enjoying. But not for long.

Griggs had entered into the spirit of the chase, the fishing and the search for vegetable food. He was as eager too when the doctor led excursions into gully and up hill-sides of a part of the world that seemed to the adventurers as if it had never before been trodden by the foot of man, and ready to point out fresh flowers, or indications of metal or other minerals where the cliff was bared or splintered by some fall from above. But over the camp-fire at night, in some rocky nook, or beneath the spreading boughs of a gigantic spruce-fir, a hint or a word or two brought him back to the prime motive of their journey.

"I'm ready when you are, gentlemen," he cried. "I don't say this isn't grand, and that we oughtn't to be as happy as the day is long in a place like this, but we didn't come out here only to enjoy a hunting-party.

There's that map, you know."

"Yes," said the doctor gravely, "there's the map. But you don't think this is a likely part of the country?"

"Not down here, sir; but from where we stood to-day after stalking those birds, I could see the mountains opening out in gulch and rift and hollow, beyond which there was peak and point and pa.s.s that looked as much like the sort of country as could be."