Once more Don went over to the door, and tried to push it open with his nose. But it was not a swinging door like the one in the house at home. Instead, it slid back and forth. What had happened was this:
When Don was asleep, after having eaten the bone the good lady gave him, a train-man had come along, and closed the door of the freight car. He did not see Don sleeping inside there to keep out of the way of other dogs, or, if he had, the brakeman might have called to Don to get out, before the door was locked. But, as it was, Don was locked in. And now he was being taken away—where, he could not tell.
Don was beginning to feel hungry again, and, worse than this, he was thirsty. He could stand being hungry, for he had had a bone, only a little while before. But oh! how thirsty he was. And there was not a drop of water in the car.
Poor Don put out his tongue, and licked his dry lips. There is not anything quite so bad for an animal as to be thirsty, and if ever you have a dog or cat, I hope you will see to it that they can always get clean, fresh water to drink, especially in hot weather.
Poor Don’s tongue hung out of his mouth, and his breath came fast.
Up and down the freight car ran Don, looking for water in every corner, but there was none. Then he thought to himself:
“I’ll bark and howl. That will let the men know I want a drink, and they’ll bring me some water. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll bark and howl. I ought to have thought of that before.”
So Don sat down in the middle of the car, on his hind legs, and, lifting up his head, he howled. Then he barked, doing both as loudly as he could.