“Sure thing!” Westy pulled him gently by the arms, meanwhile thinking deep thoughts. Rip’s head sank in his lap and it gave Westy a chance to stretch his legs a bit over on the next limb.
“’S soft snap,” Rip continued in the strange voice. “Tell Unk to bring ’s more that water—nice green water!”
Westy’s hand touched his forehead and face lightly and then felt his burning body. There was no doubt of it, he realized.
Rip was delirious.
CHAPTER XXIX—DESPAIR
Three nights and two days! What was this dawn bringing to them? Rain, hunger and thirst again? Westy wondered.
Where there had been nothing but blackness above and beneath them there were now little faint touches of light in the dark void above the trees.
It grew lighter with Rip’s every second breath. He was turning and twisting his head in Westy’s lap and mumbling incoherently.
Poor Westy was aching in every muscle, feverish from thirst and sickeningly hungry. Also greater than his wants was the despair he felt over Rip’s alarming condition.
He listened as he thought he heard a lull in the falling of the rain. Then it gradually lessened and stopped as the dawn broke clear and promising overhead.