He figured that he and Rip could make it the next day and reach the shack by mid-afternoon even considering the stop-overs with Rip, so he set to work fixing their rocky berth. The leaves were nice and warm and dry, and Rip sank back in them with a sigh.
That at least was a hopeful sign Westy thought as he watched him and wondered if he’d hold out the rest of the way. He didn’t even ask for water now—nothing but sleep. Was it a good or bad sign? He didn’t know, but Mrs. Redmond would probably know what to do for him to-morrow. He repeated the word to-morrow again and he thought it fairly lilted as he uttered it and laid down contentedly in the warm leaves.
His anxiety about Rip kept him awake and he watched the stars overhead. Cool though it was, he was thankful for the clear windless night of the open in preference to the damp dark forest. Then he piled more leaves on Rip, fearful of him taking more cold along with the fever and left himself uncovered.
He wished, oh, how he wished as he lay there, to have just one drink of water before his eyes closed in sleep. That thought had a distressing effect upon him ever since his thirst began. His throat immediately began to ache and he had all sorts of unpleasant sensations until he overcame them by force of will.
Sleep came to him mercifully, though, and he dreamed that he was drinking large buckets of water out of an old well. Presently Lola and her grandmother came along and Mrs. Redmond called excitedly for him to stop drinking it, that the well was poisoned. Lola screamed a loud piercing shriek and it was so shrill that it awakened him.
He raised his head to look, so realistic was the scream.
There on the edge of the rock were two green eyes, gleaming like darts of flame in the darkness.
CHAPTER XXXIII—JUST A FEW HOURS TO GO
It was too dark to distinguish who the owner of the eyes happened to be. All Westy could see was the outline of a head, shoulders and paws resting on the rock’s edge.
He realized after the first shock passed that whatever kind of an animal it was, it wouldn’t do for him to betray fear.