“Hold your horses, there!” he called out, pulling back on Jupiter’s bridle, although the horse seemed unwilling to mind; “give a fellow a chance, won’t you? Don’t go and hog it all, just because we were considerate enough to let you drink first. Have some manners, can’t you, I say? Drag ’em back, boys, and let’s get a sup ourselves before it’s all gone.”
“No worry, Billie,” said Donald; “because, if you look sharp you’ll see that the spring is running at a lively rate, and the cup’ll fill up with fresh water right off. It creeps away under this rank vegetation, and is lost in the sand beyond. But there’s going to be plenty of water right along. Better let the ponies have all they want while we’re about it.”
“Oh! I s’pose that’s right,” grumbled Billie, “but I was always brought up to say ‘gentlemen first;’ and it kind of goes against the grain to just keep on being thirsty while animals are sucking it all down by barrels full.”
However, when a little later on the pool filled again with fresh water, Billie admitted that it was delightfully cool and refreshing. And then besides, they owed the horses something for showing them that the water was uncontaminated, and good to drink.
“I’m going to propose something that will have to be settled by a majority vote,” said Donald, a short time later, as he looked smilingly at his two chums.
“I can give a guess what it is; but go on,” observed Adrian, nodding.
“What time is it, Billie?” the other continued.
So Billie, consulting the little nickel watch he carried, replied that it wanted just three minutes of four.
“You see, the day is pretty nearly done,” Donald continued, impressively; “and we couldn’t go much farther if we tried. Besides, we won’t find another spring on the trail between here and the edge of the desert, which truth to tell can’t be far from this spot. So I was going to propose that we camp right here tonight.”
“Eureka! count on my vote in favor of that same!” cried Billie, promptly falling in with the scheme, as Donald knew full well he would; because if there was one thing the fat boy liked above all others it was fresh water; and there were times