"I doubt it," said Brown; "these clay formations generally carry salt."

"One of us had better take Billy and a couple of horses packed with water. Let Billy go about twenty miles, then, whoever goes on, give his horse a couple of bags of water and hang the others up on the branch of a tree against his return."

"That's the only safe way," replied Brown. "Who is to go, you or I?"

"You're the lucky one."

"No. You found Lee-lee; let's toss up."

"That's all right, but where's the coin?"

"Rather good," laughed Brown. "Men with a rich reef in their possession and can't raise a copper to toss with."

"We must shake in the hat," replied Morton.

He tore up a leaf of his note-book, made a mark on one scrap, doubled them up and shook them together in his hat.

Brown drew the marked paper, and chose to go.