"I am willing," said Bob, and threw another stone, hitting the elk a sharp blow in the skull. Then Mark ran close and discharged the shotgun into the animal's vitals. This finished the elk, and the game gave a final convulsive kick and lay still.
"Now we've got meat as well as water!" cried Mark, when the battle was at an end.
"Load up," said Maybe Dixon, hurriedly. "Those other critters may be around." And Mark did reload. But none of the elk showed themselves, nor did the small deer put in an appearance again.
By their united strength they hoisted the elk's carcass into the branches of a low tree, and then set off on the return to camp. They all felt so happy that the walk back did not bother them, although in the morning Bob complained somewhat of sore feet.
"Water, and all you want!" cried Mark, on entering camp, a little after midnight. "And we've got better news still," he added.
"Did you strike a gold mine?" questioned one of the Socket boys.
"No, we didn't strike a mine, but we struck an elk, and killed him too."
"Then we'll have some fresh meat to-morrow," said Si. "Good enough."
The stars were shining brightly, so it was decided to move on to the spring without delay. Our young friends and the Sockets did so, and were soon followed by at least a score of others. Fortunately the water held out, for which all were thankful. By noon of the next day a hundred pioneers were encamped around the spring, filling their pails and buckets and dishpans. The pool kept filling up steadily, the overflow disappearing in a sink-hole among the trees.
"We must put a sign on the reg'lar trail, pointing to this spring," said Maybe Dixon. "Maybe it will help a whole lot of folks." And the sign was put up before they left that vicinity and remained up all the time that the rush to the gold fields was on.