CHAPTER II.
ON TO THE MOUNTAINS.
"Where--where has it gone?" slowly and painfully asked Diamond. "I amsure I saw it--sure! The lake, the trees, all gone!"
"I told you there was no lake."
"Then--then it must have been a mirage!"
"That is exactly what it was."
With a deep groan of despair Diamond fell back limply on the sand, asif the last bit of strength and hope had gone from him.
"This ends it!" he gasped. "What's the use of struggling any more! Wemay as well give up right here and die!"
"Not much!" cried Merriwell, with attempted cheerfulness. "That is whyI ran you down and dragged you from your wheel."
"What do you mean?"
"I knew the mirage might lure you on and on into the desert, seemingto flee before you, till at last it would vanish in a mocking manner,and you, utterly exhausted and spirit-broken, would lie down and diewithout another effort."
Jack was silent a few moments.
"And you did all this for me?" he finally asked. "You pursued andpulled me from my wheel to--to save me?"
"Yes."
Another brief silence.
"Frank."
"Well, Jack?"
"I was mad."
"You looked it."
"My thirst--the sight of what I took to be water--the shadows of thetrees! Ah, yes, I was mad, Frank!"
"Well, it's all over now."
"Yes, it is all over. The jig's up!"
"Nonsense! Get a brace on, old man. We must get to the mountains. Itis our only chance, Jack."
"The mountains! I shall never reach the mountains, Frank. I am donefor--played out!"
"That's all rot, old fellow! You are no more played out than I am. Weare both pretty well used up, but we'll pull through to the mountainsand get a drink of water."
"You never give up."
"Well, I try never to give up."
"Frank, I want you to forgive me for what I said before we saw themirage. You know I was making a kick."
"Oh, never mind that! It's all right, Jack."
"I want you to say you forgive me."
"That's dead easy. Of course I forgive you. Think I'm a stiff to holda grudge over a little matter like that?"
Diamond looked his admiration from his bloodshot eyes.
"You're all right, Merry," he hoarsely declared. "You always were allright. I knew it all along. Sometimes I get nasty, for I have ajealous nature, although I try to hold it in check. I never did try tohold myself in check in any way till I knew you and saw how youcontrolled your tastes and passions. That was a revelation to me,Merry. You know I hated you at first, but I came to admire you,despite myself. I have admired you ever since. Sometimes the worstside of my nature will crop out, but I always know I am wrong. Forgiveme for striking you."
"There, there, old chap! Why are you thinking of such silly things?You are talking as if you had done me a deadly wrong, and this wasyour last chance to square yourself."
"It is my last chance--I am sure of that. I am played out, and I can'tdrive that wheel farther. It's no use--I throw up the sponge righthere."
A look of determination came to Frank's face.
"You shall not do anything of the kind!" he cried. "I won't have it,Jack!"
Diamond did not reply, but lay limp on the ground. Frank put a firmhand on his shoulder, saying:
"Come, Jack, make a bluff at it."
"No use!"
"I tell you it is! Come on. We can reach the mountains within anhour."
"The mountains!" came huskily from Diamond's lips. "God knows if thereare any mountains! They, too, may be a mirage!"
"No! no!"
"Think--think how long we have been riding toward them and still theyseemed to remain as far away as they were hours ago."
"That is one of the peculiar effects of the air out here."
"I do not believe any of us will reach the mountains. And if weshould, we might not find water. Those mountains look baked andbarren."
"Remember, I was told how to find water there."
But this did not give the disheartened boy courage.
"I know you were told, but the man who told you said that at timesthat water failed. It's no use, Frank, the game is not worth thecandle."
Then it was that Merriwell began to grow angry.
"I am ashamed of you, Diamond!" he harshly cried. "I did think youwere built of better stuff! Where is your backbone! Come, man, youmust make another try!"
"Must?" came rather defiantly from Jack. "I'll not be forced to doit!"
"Yes, you will!"
The Virginian looked at Frank in astonishment.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean that you will brace up and attempt to reach the mountains withthe rest of us, or I'll give you the blamedest licking you everhad--and there won't be any apologies afterward, either!"
That aroused Jack somewhat.
"You--you wouldn't do that--now?" he faltered.
"Wouldn't I?" cried Frank, seeming to make preparations to carry outhis threat. "Well, you'll see!"
"But--but----"
"There are no buts about it! Either you get up and make one morestruggle, or I'll have the satisfaction of knowing you are not incondition to make a struggle when I leave you. This is business, andit's straight from the shoulder!"
Diamond remonstrated weakly, but Frank seemed in sober earnest.
"I believe it would do you good," he declared. "It would beat a littlesense into you. It's what you want, anyway."
A sense of shame came over Jack.
"If you've got enough energy to give me a licking, I ought to haveenough to make another try for life," he huskily said.
"Of course you have."
"Well, I'll do it. It isn't because I fear the licking, for thatwouldn't make any difference now, but I can make another try for it,if you can."
Frank dragged the other boy to his feet, and then picked up theirfallen wheels. Jack was so weak that he could scarcely stand, seemingto have been quite exhausted by his last furious struggle with the boywho had raced across the desert sands to save his life. Twice Frankcaught him and kept him from falling.
"What's the use?" Diamond hoarsely whispered. "I tell you I can't keepin the saddle!"
"And I tell you that you must! There are the other fellows, comingthis way. I will signal them to ride toward the mountains, and we willjoin them."
Frank made the signal, and the others understood, for they soon turnedtoward the mountains again.
Then Merriwell aided Jack in mounting and getting started, mountinghimself after that, and hurrying after the Virginian, whose wheel wasmaking a very crooked track across the sand.
When it was necessary Frank supported Jack with a hand on the arm ofthe dark-faced lad, speaking encouraging words into his ear, urginghim on.
And thus they rode toward the barren-looking Desert Range, where theymust find water or death.
They came to the mountains at last, when the burning sun was hanging aball of fire in the western sky. From a distance Merriwell had singledout Split Peak, which had served as his guide. At the foot of SplitPeak were two water-holes, one on the east and one on the south.
First Frank sought for the eastern water-hole, and he found it.
But it was dry!
Dry, save for the slightest indication of moisture in the sand at thebottom of the hole.
"I told you so!" gasped Diamond, as he fell to the ground in hopelessexhaustion. "There is no water here."
"Wait," said Frank, hoarsely. "We'll see if we can find some. Come,boys; we must scoop out the sand down there in the hole--we must digfor our lives."
"By golly!" said Toots; "dis nigger's reddy teh dig a well fo'ty footdeep, if he can fine about fo' swallers ob wattah."
"A well!" muttered Rattleton. "We'll sink a shaft here!"
"Well, I don't know!" murmured Browning.
So they went to work, two of them digging at a time, and, with
theirhands, they scooped out the sand down in the water-hole. As theyworked a little dirty water began to trickle into the hole.
"Yum! yum!" muttered Toots, his eyes shining. "Nebber saw muddy wattahlook so good befo'! I done fink I can drink 'bout a barrel ob datstuff!"
They worked until quite exhausted, and then waited impatiently for thewater to run into the hole. It rose with disheartening slowness, butrise it did.
When he could do so, Frank dipped up some of the water with hisdrinking cup and gave it to Jack first of all.
Diamond's hands shook so with eagerness that he nearly spilled thewater, and he greedily turned it down his parched throat at a gulp.
"Merciful goodness! how sweet!" he gasped. "More, Frank--more!"
"Wait a bit, my boy. You have had the first drink from this hole. Theothers must take their turn now. When it comes around to you again,you shall have more."
"But there may not be enough to go around!" Jack almost snarled. "Whatgood do you think a little like that can do a fellow who is dying ofthirst? I must have more--now!"
"Well, you can't have another drop till the others have taken theirturn--not a taste!"
When Frank spoke like that he meant what he said, and Jack knew it.But the little water he had received had maddened Diamond almost asmuch as had the mirage. As Frank turned toward the water-hole, Jackstarted to spring upon him, crying:
"We'll see!"
"Hold on!" said Browning, as one of his hands went out and graspedDiamond. "I wouldn't do that. You are excited. I reckon I'll have tosit on you, while you cool off."
Then the big fellow took Jack down, and actually sat on him, while theVirginian raved like a maniac.
"Poor fellow!" said Frank, pityingly. "He has almost lost his reasonby what he has passed through."
One by one the others received some of the water, and then it cameJack's turn once more. By this time he was silent, but there was asullen light in his eyes. When Frank passed him the water in thedrinking cup he shook his head, and refused to take it.
"No!" he muttered. "I won't have it! Drink it all up! You don't careanything about me! Let me die!"
"Well, hang a fool!" snorted Browning, in great disgust.
"Say, jes' yo' pass dat wattah heah, Marser Frank, an' see if discoon'll refuse teh let it percolate down his froat!"
"Yes, give it to Toots!" grated Diamond. "You think more of him thanyou do of me, anyway! Give it to him!"
"Don't chool with that fump--I mean don't fool with that chump!"snapped Rattleton. "Let him have his own way! He's got a bug in hishead; that's what ails him."
"Let him alone, Bruce," said Frank, quietly. "I want to talk to him."
"He struck at you behind your back."
"Never mind; he won't do so again."
"Oh, you don't know!" muttered Diamond.
"Yes, I do," declared Frank, with confidence.
"Never mind us, fellows. I want a little quiet talk with Jack."
They understood him, and the two lads were left alone.