that the old pack mule’s salute was meant in honor of his coming back from the dead, as it were.
“So this is the country where the Zuni village is located, is it?” Billie asked, later on, when they began to make ready to break camp, and start off once more, this time avoiding the desert, and sticking to the hills.
“Yes, somewhere not a great distance off we can expect to run across the canyon where the rock houses that are really caves, were cut out, hundreds of years ago by the ancient cliff dwellers,” Adrian went on to say.
“And,” added Donald, “it wouldn’t surprise me if we ran across some of the Indians any old time now, because this must be their stamping ground. Get your cayuse, Billie, and we’ll be off. Course you feel rocky after not getting any sleep last night, but it’ll wear away. Don’t I know what it is, after night wrangling the saddle band of horses, when there were cattle rustlers hanging around, ready to stampede the herd, so the boys couldn’t set out after them? All ready to start, Adrian? Then here we go!”
So the three of them set out, with the pack mule bringing up the rear, as unwilling to move as ever, and having to be half dragged along, until the fit of stubbornness wore away.
Donald remembered all that he had been told concerning the ground they were now passing over
and accordingly laid his course toward the northeast.
Sometimes they were surrounded by rocks, and then again trees would add a pleasing change to the landscape.
“There’s the first Indian!” remarked Donald, suddenly, as he reined in Wireless, and pointed ahead.
“Whatever do you s’pose he’s adoing there, a-bending down, and hunting like he’d lost something precious?” Billie wanted to know. “They don’t pick up diamonds around here, now, I shouldn’t think, do they, Donald?”