"No,

there's water, lads," and they

dashed forward to a pool that had not yet been dried

up. They drank long and eagerly before they noticed

that the pool was strongly impregnated with salt. Many

streams in those parts of the prairies are quite salt, but

fortunately this one was not utterly undrinkable, though

it was very unpalatable.

"We'll make it better, lads," said Joe, digging a deep

hole in the sand with his hands, a little below the pool.