To the boys’ great joy, they found they had come out of the canyon at a point only twenty miles from the railroad. They determined to hike for it the next day. Before they started the next morning, Bob had an idea.
“Let’s give the old fellow our air mattress. We won’t need it any more and maybe he would like it.”
“Bully,” agreed Jerry and took it over to the old man.
They showed him how to blow it up and then let all the air out and rolled it up into a small parcel. He was as delighted as a child with a new toy and thanked them for it. At last they started out on their hike, carrying with them only enough food for lunch, the transit and as much water as possible. When they were about fifty feet from camp, the old man called out after them.
“I forgot to ask what this here thing you give me might be for.”
“To sleep on.”
“Well, you’d better take it back, then,” he said. “I hain’t slept on nothin’ but the old earth here for forty year and I reckon I won’t sleep on nothin’ else until I sleep in it. This here thing ain’t goin’ to do me no good.”
The boys laughed and Jerry called back, “Well, give it to the burro to sleep on then.”
With a last wave of the hand, the boys started on their long hike.
From the river the country had looked flat. But once faced in the direction the old man had told them to go, they found the way was quite hilly. Perhaps they had been so used during the past days in the canyon to the walls towering straight up on each side of them that the gradual rise did seem flat. But they soon realized it would be quite a climb.