"I haven't got any dust," piped Stacy. "I—I had a bath—a hot bath."
"Are we anywhere near the horse-hunters, Mr. Parry?" inquired Tad, as the boys began unpacking the burros, some devoting their attention to the kitchen outfit, the rest spreading the canvas on the ground preparatory to erecting the tents.
"They are supposed to be further up the range. They will be down this way to-morrow, probably, to pick us up. They were not certain where they would make their permanent camp, Stevens said. All depends upon where the wild horses are grazing."
"I don't see any wild horses, nor any other wild anything," objected Ned.
The guide dropped the ridge pole that he was about to carry to the place where the cook tent had been laid out ready to be raised.
"Come with me," he said, taking Ned by the arm and leading him to the left of their camping place. "Do you see that?"
"What?"
"Use your eyes. If you're going to be a plainsman you'll have to depend on your sense of sight. Take the desert for instance. It's a desert maze if you are unable to read its signs; no maze at all if you do."
"What is it you were going to show Ned?" asked the rest of the boys, who had followed them out.
"See if you can tell, Master Tad."