“Sand storm, is it?” demanded Billie, trying not to show any apprehension, for he never wanted others to know when his heart was beating faster than its wont.
“Yes, and coming down on us like two-forty,” the other declared. “Watch the nags, and you’ll see that they know what they’re in for. Here’s Wireless been looking over that way every little while for ten minutes past. The wind’s rising, and all around us the sand is stirring, so that the air’s getting thicker all the while. Before half an hour we’ll have the worst of it around us. It’s about noon now, and let’s hope that we get to the hills before night sets in.”
“What’s the programme?” asked Billie, undaunted Billie, carelessly enough.
“Keep as close together as we can travel, and go straight ahead,” answered Donald; “there’ll be all sorts of queer noises around us, so pay no attention to them. Be sure and keep your mouth shut all the time; and have water along with you, every fellow, so that in case one of us did stray away, he
wouldn’t die of thirst before he could be found. Now, let’s push on again.”
His words were more than verified, for presently the wind grew to the proportions of a gale, and the way that fine sand whirled through the air was something that Billie had never expected to experience in all his life.
It was a terrible task to press on, but luckily the prevailing wind was from the southwest now, and so they had the worst of the sand storm to their backs. Only for that they could not have ventured to attempt any progress whatever; but must have camped where they were, to wait for the whirlwind of sand to cease.
Billie, with his head bowed, and drawing his breath with great difficulty, kept steadily moving on. He managed to keep in close touch with his chums for some time, and then, falling into some sort of a dreamy state, possibly brought about by his sufferings, and the effect of the blinding sand with which the air was charged, he forgot to keep constantly on the alert. The consequence was that suddenly Billie aroused to the startling fact that neither to the right nor to the left, nor yet ahead of him could he discover the faintest sign of the others. All about was the whirling, blinding sand; while strange noises made his head ring, and he fancied that he could see tempting pools of cool water close at hand,
which his common sense told him were only the effect of imagination.
And then and there Billie had a cold sensation in the region of his heart that contrasted strangely with his torrid surroundings, for he knew that he was lost!