Encouraged by the thought, he put on more steam and spurted ahead; but when, after five minutes’ running, he failed to come to the water, he stopped and looked around.
“I must be going in the wrong direction,” he exclaimed, and turning, began to retrace his tracks.
For nearly ten minutes he kept on his course and then again stopped, pretty well tired out.
“This is something fierce!” he said aloud. “I’m in as bad a fix as that chap you read about in mythology, who was lost in a labyrinth. I used to think that was a pretty fishy story, but here I find myself in the same fix. I wish the stars would come out!”
But the stars failed to appear and Billie stood perplexed.
As he stood thus undecided, his ears caught the sound of a strange little cough and a smile spread itself over his face.
“The prairie dogs are barking at the pinto,” he laughed. “Well, anyway, I know where I am as far as they are concerned. I must have gone pretty
nearly in a circle. That wouldn’t be strange for me, but why should this path go in a circle?”
He took off his sombrero and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“It’s mighty funny,” he continued, still thinking of the path.