AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
At first poor Billie was almost wild with the fear that swept over him,
when he realized his true condition, and that he was lost in that sand
storm in the heart of an Arizona desert.
He started to shout, but made a sorry mess of it. The fine sand almost
choked him as soon as he opened his mouth; and the fierce wind that was
sending it scurrying all around in little whirlwinds carried his feeble
cry away, so that he knew it could not be heard twenty feet distant.
He sat there on the back of Jupiter, and waited, still hugging the hope
to his heart that his chums would immediately miss him, and come hastily
back on their course to find him. And if that happened, Billie knew that
his chances would be considerably improved did he stay where he was,
rather than start roaming this way and that.
But the minutes lengthened into nearly half an hour, and there was not
the slightest sign of any one being near him. The storm still kept up,
and Donald had said that the probability was it would continue until
sundown, when the wind might lull, so as to allow the choked atmosphere
a chance to rid itself of the floating gritty sand.
By degrees Billie began to get his nerve back. He was far from being a
coward; only he lacked experience; and was moreover hardly fitted either
physically or through education for butting up against these rude
experiences.
"I've just got to do something, and I can't stay here, that's plain," he
told himself; "which means I've got to go on. But I want to be mighty
careful about how I travel. I've heard tell how people are apt to go
round and round in a circle till they're played out, and exhausted. None
of that for me; and why should there be when I'm carrying that precious
little compass."
Thereupon Billie fumbled around in the various pockets of his khaki
hunting coat, meaning to find the said compass, and get his bearings. He
had quite a fright at first, for he failed to find it where he expected;
and was running through all his other pockets wildly, when he happened
to remember placing it in his hat at the time he last looked at the
instrument, which was when one of his chums mentioned the fact that they
would have to depend on the magnetic needle should they be overwhelmed
in just such a storm.
It was a great relief to the fat boy to discover the little brass bound
compass safely lodged in his hat when he hastily looked. Owing to the
air being filled with the flying sand it was only after considerable
difficulty that he could see just which way the indicator pointed. So he
started off, urging the unwilling Jupiter to put his best foot forward,
though the animal gave evidences of being more inclined to stand still,
with his tail toward the storm.
Billie would never be likely to forget that terrible experience. Why,
the worst he had pictured came far short of the reality.
He suffered keenly constantly, and many times thought he could not bear
it any longer; but it is wonderful how much any one can do when they are
compelled to by a merciless fate; and so as the time dragged on poor
Billie kept moving along, always keeping toward the north, as best he
could decide.
When he came to examine his little watch, and saw how late it was
getting, he was ready to throw up his hands, and quit. It looked as
though he was just bound to spend a lonely night out there on the wild
desert, no matter how he fixed it; and that being the case, why not give
in now, and have it done with?
Besides, he was utterly worn out with trying to urge the unwilling
Jupiter on; as well as from his own physical sufferings. Half blinded,
and hardly able to get his breath on account of the fine dust that
settled in both nostrils and throat, Billie was an object of pity to
himself about that time.
When he made up his mind that he must grin and bear it, even if
compelled to camp there all by himself on that dreary waste, Billie
started to dismount. Why, at first he could hardly move, he was so stiff
with sitting there in the saddle so long, and in a cramped position; but
exerting himself again, he managed to half tumble to the ground.
Jupiter did not offer to run away. Indeed, the horse seemed to cower
close to his young master, as though trusting to his sagacity in this
emergency. Billie noticed this, and somehow it struck him as curious; it
also did more than a little to bolster up his courage. For if the
broncho felt such confidence in him, surely he must exert himself to
prove that he was worthy of such sublime faith.
After all it was little he could do save cower there, patiently waiting
for sundown to come; for he remembered that one of his chums had said
the sand storm was very apt to peter out at about that time.
How glad he was that he had water with him,--not enough to share with
Jupiter, to tell the truth, for he could not tell how long he might
remain lost, and was apt to need every drop himself, to keep life in his
body.
The animal whinnied whenever he opened his canteen to wet his parched
throat, and somehow the sound made sympathetic Billie feel badly. After
that he made it a point to step aside when he meant to quench his own
thirst, just to avoid having Jupiter reproach him for being stingy. But
it was not to be thought of for a minute, because the horse would
exhaust the flask, and then not be a quarter satisfied, leaving him in a
desperate state indeed.
Fortunately he had a little food with him, and this he proceeded to
munch as he sat there behind the shelter of the horse.
He asked himself if the storm showed any signs of diminishing its fury;
and after taking several estimates joyfully admitted that at least the
wind was not so fierce as formerly.
This in itself was a glorious sign, for without the wind the sand could
not fill the air; and by degrees it must settle down once more, so that
one might breathe without feeling choked.
If that would only come about Billie felt that he could easily stand
anything and everything else that was liable to happen. But should he
have to endure that agony another few hours he believed he would go out
of his mind.
Yes, there could not be any mistake about it, the storm was surely
subsiding, and if conditions kept on improving as they seemed to be
doing now, by the time night set in fully it was going to be a thing of
the past.
Billie even began to tell himself that he had no reason to complain,
because it might have been a great deal worse. Except for the fact that
he was compelled to keep a lone camp, away out there on that desert, and
was tired almost to death, he could not say that his condition was in
any way dreadful. Yes, he even believed he had plenty of water to quench
his thirst; though it was evident that he would have to cut his
allowance down to half rations, for his repeated sips had already caused
the big canteen to feel considerably lighter.
Looking up toward the heavens when he found that night had really set
in, he was surprised to find that he could not see a single star; and
the moon was also absent. This must mean that there were clouds sailing
over him, something quite out of the common where a desert is concerned;
since rain seldom if ever is known to fall there; for if it did the
desert would not long remain such, but blossom like the rose with
fertility.
"Going to be a black night, in the bargain," he grumbled; "seems like a
fellow just has to rub up against all sorts of things when once they get
started. But so far I hadn't ought to complain. I only hope the other
boys fare as well. Wonder how about them now; and if they got off the
desert? Chances are they hunted around for Broncho Billie more'n half
the afternoon. P'raps they're keeping everlastingly at it even now. Huh!
reckon Billie ain't a baby, and can look out for himself some, if I do
say it myself, as hadn't ought to. Huh! I'm alearning right fast, seems
to me."
The fact that he had come out so well thus far seemed to inspire a new
confidence in the stout boy. He even patted himself proudly on his
chest, and congratulated himself on having snapped off several pictures
of the gathering cloud of sand as it bore down upon them. If these
turned out half-way decent, he would have something worth while to
exhibit to his schoolboy friends away off in the East, when he went home
again after his vacation was over.
The wind having died down fully now, the sand settled, and Billy
believed that if it were daytime he might see where the hilly country
lay in the midst of which was the Zuni village. But of course, in the
darkness of a moonless night he could not make any sort of a discovery,
and must apparently be satisfied to remain there in his makeshift camp
until another day dawned, and brought new hope in its train.
He had secured Jupiter the best way he could, not wanting the pony to
wander away during the time he, Billie, might be asleep. That would be a
calamity the fat boy disliked to even contemplate. It was bad enough
having to ride over that scorching sand; but to be compelled to go
afoot, with the heat burning through the soles of his shoes, must be ten
times worse.
The pony had evidently made up its mind that what "could not be cured
must be endured." He stood there, close to where Billie had camped, and
hardly moved. Perhaps later on he would lie down to rest, for he too
must be weary, after such a strenuous day.
Billie found himself nodding presently. He was tired clean through, and
knew of no reason why he should not secure his fair portion of balmy
sleep, the strength renewer.
Once he had thought he might try shouting as loud as he could, but gave
the idea up as useless. Even if his chums heard him in the far distance
what good would it do to start them out on the desert again, roaming all
around in search of him? No, it was best that he simply make the time
pass by what means lay in his power, and with the dawning of another day
he would feel refreshed, so that he could set out toward the north,
always toward the north, he kept on telling himself, as he fondly
touched the pocket where the compass was securely hidden.
Again Billie was nodding as he sat there. Had he been left undisturbed
the chances were that before five minutes he would have rolled over in
his blanket, and settled down to sleep; and after that the hours would
slip along, for Billie was a famous sleeper.
But this was not to be, for a certain sound came stealing along over the
desert and struck upon the ears of the boy, causing him to instantly sit
up, wide-awake:
"Wolves, as sure as anything!" he told his pony, already whinnying the
alarm.