“Boys, there’s a man lyin’ beside the door!” exclaimed Mead. “Somebody is either drunk or dead!”
They swung off their horses and rushed to the prostrate figure, which lay almost on its face.
“Great God, boys, it’s Wellesly, and he’s dying of thirst!” cried Mead. “Nick, bring water, lots of it, cold from the pump! Here, Tom, help me put him in the hammock.”
They laid him in the hammock, in the cool shade of the cottonwoods, where he had slept, to his own undoing, three days before. They moistened his black, protruding tongue and let a few drops of the cool liquid trickle down his parched throat. They poured water carefully over his head and neck and on his wrists, and then drenched him from head to foot with pailful after pailful of the fresh, cold water.
The patient moaned and moved his head. “He’s alive, boys. We’ll save him yet,” said Mead.
Through dim, half-awakened consciousness Wellesly heard the swish of the water as it poured over his body, and felt the cool streams trickling down his face. He gasped and his dry, cracked lips drew back wolfishly from his teeth as he threw up his hands and seized the cup from which Mead was carefully pouring the water over his head. Mead’s fingers closed tightly over the handle and his arm stiffened to iron.
“Softly, there, softly,” he said in a gentle voice. “I can’t let you drink any now, because it would kill you. You shall have some soon.”
With a choking yell Wellesly half raised himself and clung to the cup with both hands, trying to force it to his mouth. Nick Ellhorn sprang to his side and took hold of his shoulders.
“Sure, now, Mr. Wellesly,” he began, and the Irish accent was rich and strong in his coaxing, wheedling tones, “sure, now, you don’t want to be killin’ yourself, after you’ve held out this far. Just you-all do as we say and we’ll bring you through all right. Sure, and you shall be after havin’ all the water you want, but you must take it on the outside first. Ah, now, but isn’t this shower bath nice!”
While he talked he gently forced the patient back and as Wellesly lay down again Mead poured a little water into his mouth.