“We’ll start early in the morning,” said Mr. Blender as the boys were getting ready to retire. “I’ll see to filling the water tanks, and the grub you ordered in advance is here. I’ll stack it in the wagon, and we’ll start off as soon as it’s daylight. I’ve got good horses for us all.”
“Horses? Are we going to ride horses?” asked Sam.
“Of course, from now on,” replied Jack. “Didn’t I tell you?”
“There’s so much about this trip, I guess if you did tell us we’d forget some of it,” said Bony. “But traveling on horses will be sport. I wish it was morning. Don’t you, Budge?”
“I’mungry,” was the queer lad’s reply.
“Hungry?” remarked Jack. “Didn’t you eat enough supper?”
“I guess it must be this Western air,” put in Nat. “Salubrious centipedes! but I could eat a bit myself. I wish we had some of that last spread you gave, Jack.”
Then, though it was almost bedtime, the boys went to the dining-room, where they bribed the only waiter to set them out some pie, cheese and glasses of milk, on which they regaled themselves.
Meanwhile, Mr. Blender and Mexican Pete had loaded the freight wagon, which was to start off ahead of the travelers, who were to go on horseback. They would catch up with the vehicle at noon, and have dinner in the shade of it.
Jack aroused his companions next morning, when there was only a faint light in the east.