'Tink we have a lot, Misser Davie,' said Jong, looking, for the first time since our hero had known him, a little anxious. 'Not like it to snow when we out here. Cold bitee oh so velly muchee. Not like de snow. Look as if wind comee wid him.'
They had just finished a mid-day meal when a gust of cold wind swept past them, causing David to look up. The sky was black in one direction, while the sand all around was distinctly disturbed. The flakes of snow were also more frequent, so that Jong's prophecy of more was likely to come about.
'Tink we better get along quick, sar,' he said, nervously. 'Not do to be caughtee out here in de open. Dat bad for us and de animals.'
By the time they had packed the few odds and ends that they had taken from their saddle-bags for the meal, it was snowing heavily, while the gusts of wind had increased in frequency and violence. Sand was whirling everywhere, while the falling snow had drawn a species of curtain across the landscape, blotting out all surroundings.
'We're in for a scrape, I fear,' cried David, as he jumped into his saddle. 'I don't like things at all, and as we must have shelter I shall make over there to the left where I caught sight of some hilly ground. In this open part a tent would never stand, and consequently we should soon be frozen.'
In less than ten minutes the threatening storm had burst, and David, with his experience of England, could hardly believe that snow could fall so heavily. It came whirling everywhere in thick flakes, that soon powdered the ground white, and then began to pile in ridges. He and his comrades were smothered in less time than it takes to record that fact, while the force of the wind was so great that the ponies could not face it. It was fortunate, therefore, that the hilly ground which David had located was in the opposite direction.
'Tell the men to ride in close to us, Jong,' he ordered. 'The snow is so thick that though they are only a few paces to one side I can scarcely see them. A man might easily stray away without himself or his comrades being the wiser.'
For a quarter of an hour the party plodded along, their heads down, and collars drawn up close to their caps. By then they could not see more than a dozen feet before them, and for all they knew might have been travelling in a circle.
'Wouldn't be difficult to do that,' thought David. 'But the wind helps; when we face it one can scarcely breathe. If we keep it astern all the while we must be going in the right direction.'
He was already deadly cold and frozen almost to the marrow before a shout from Chu-Li announced that he had made a discovery. He pointed to the front, and peering between the snowflakes David saw a mass of white barring their progress.