CHAPTER IX.
THE POISONED SPRING.
All of them were staring at the little placard by now, even Adrianfeeling almost as much astonishment as the kneeling Billie. Indeed, whatthey saw written there in a crude manner was quite enough to give thefat boy a cold chill. Underneath that plainly printed word "Warning!"was the following:
"Don't yu drink here, spring poizened by crazy Injun long tim ago. Dangrous. Go on further down vally, mor water."
There was no name signed, but just then none of the boys thoughtanything about that little fact.
"What!" burst out the indignant Billie, "poisoned, this lovely spring?Now, ain't that just too bad for anything? And so we don't get a drinkafter all. But whatever d'ye think any Injun'd want to do such a meanthing as that for?"
"Well," remarked Donald, "I've heard something about this same spring,and that was why I warned you to go slow. Fact is, I expected we'd runacross this before we came to the one that's safe to drink from. But Itell you plainly though, I didn't expect to find this kind warning stuckup here. The boys didn't say a word about that. And as sure as you live,Adrian, I begin to believe it was put here _today_, and for our specialbenefit!"
"Listen to that, now, would you?" burst out Billie, still staring hardat the paper in the cleft stick that had been pushed into the ground;"the mystery deepens, seems like. One night we have an unknown friendwounding an Injun that's trying to make way with our ponies; and nowhere's somebody mighty anxious that we don't drink from this poisonedspring. It's sure getting interesting, fellers; and I'd give a cookey toknow who he might be, wouldn't you?"
But from the blank expression on the faces of his two chums, Billierealized that they were just as far from guessing the truth as he mightbe.
"Then we don't take the chances of having even a little drink here, dowe?" the sorely disappointed fat boy asked, as he sat and lookedregretfully at the water that was so tempting.
"Better not," decided Donald. "It might be only some sort of fake; butwe can't afford to take the chances, you see. Let somebody elseexperiment, if they want to. So long as there is another spring holefurther down the valley, why, we'd better be trotting along. And justnotice the way the ponies sniff the air, will you? I really believe theyknow that this water is bad to drink."
"What, ponies know better than human beings, do they?" demanded Billie,hardly relishing such a state of affairs.
"They've been given an unerring instinct, where we depend on reason, andthat often fails us. Just watch a horse feeding, and notice how herefuses to touch all kinds of weeds, and how a cow drops the same out ofher mouth after she's scooped in a whole bunch of grass. Instinct, andnothing else. But there's no use in us hanging out here, when we cansoon get to good water."
Reluctantly Billie quitted that beautiful spring. He even turned to lookback at it several times, and went on to remark:
"That crazy Injun ought to have been shot, to do such a thing. Whydidn't he pick out an ordinary spring, and put his loco weed in thesame?"
"Oh! well, perhaps that story is only one of the Indian legends we readabout, and it's really something else that makes the water coming fromthat spring bad, so that people who drink it feel sick right away. I'vegot an idea myself that it must pass through some sort of copper depositthat poisons the water. Because if this thing happened years and yearsago, as the reds say, how could the poison still keep on working?"
"Well, now, that doesn't stand to reason, does it?" remarked Billie."And I reckon you're right when you say it, Donald. But let me tell youI never was more disappointed in my life. But I didn't notice any boneslying around there, or graves either."
"What makes you say that?" demanded Adrian.
"Why, if the water is really poisoned, lots of fellows must have drankof it, time in and time out, not knowing how dangerous it was; and ifthey fell down and kicked the bucket, wouldn't we see their bonesscattered around, just as the wolves and coyotes had left 'em?"
"Oh! it doesn't kill you outright, they say; just sickens you, until youfeel like you'd be glad to die to end it all," Donald assured him.
"I've heard people talk that way about being seasick," Billie observed;and then he seemed to fall into a musing spell, as though the recentstrange event had, as was only natural, made a serious impression on hismind.
It was only half an hour later that the ponies again manifested anunusual eagerness to get on. Donald called the attention of Billie tothe fact.
"You notice that there isn't the least sign of water, so far as we cansee for ourselves, Billie; and yet they scent it plain enough. Doesn'tthat prove what I said about their being smarter than any human being?"
Billie admitted that it did; for he was very frank, and ready to own upto anything, after he had been convinced of his error.
"P'raps we might let the ponies try first this time," he suggested,cautiously. "If they tackle it right off the reel, then it ought to besafe for us to drink, eh, fellows?"
"Not a bad idea at all, Billie, and does you credit," said Adrian; "sortof taking advantage of their sagacity, you might call it, I reckon."
"Only don't let 'em muddy things for us," admonished the fat boy."Somebody else will have to lend me a hand with Bray here, because Ijust can't hold him in when he takes a notion to do something."
"That's easily managed," laughed Donald, coming up on the other side, sothat he could lean over, and grip the rope that served as a bridle forthe pack mule.
The little trick turned out very well, for none of the animalsmanifested the slightest disposition to scorn the water of the secondspring. Indeed, they one and all sucked in such huge draughts thatBillie immediately became alarmed lest they exhaust the limited supply.
"Hold your horses, there!" he called out, pulling back on Jupiter'sbridle, although the horse seemed unwilling to mind; "give a fellow achance, won't you? Don't go and hog it all, just because we wereconsiderate enough to let you drink first. Have some manners, can't you,I say? Drag 'em back, boys, and let's get a sup ourselves before it'sall gone."
"No worry, Billie," said Donald; "because, if you look sharp you'll seethat the spring is running at a lively rate, and the cup'll fill up withfresh water right off. It creeps away under this rank vegetation, and islost in the sand beyond. But there's going to be plenty of water rightalong. Better let the ponies have all they want while we're about it."
"Oh! I s'pose that's right," grumbled Billie, "but I was always broughtup to say 'gentlemen first;' and it kind of goes against the grain tojust keep on being thirsty while animals are sucking it all down bybarrels full."
However, when a little later on the pool filled again with fresh water,Billie admitted that it was delightfully cool and refreshing. And thenbesides, they owed the horses something for showing them that the waterwas uncontaminated, and good to drink.
"I'm going to propose something that will have to be settled by amajority vote," said Donald, a short time later, as he looked smilinglyat his two chums.
"I can give a guess what it is; but go on," observed Adrian, nodding.
"What time is it, Billie?" the other continued.
So Billie, consulting the little nickel watch he carried, replied thatit wanted just three minutes of four.
"You see, the day is pretty nearly done," Donald continued,impressively; "and we couldn't go much farther if we tried. Besides, wewon't find another spring on the trail between here and the edge of thedesert, which truth to tell can't be far from this spot. So I was goingto propose that we camp right here tonight."
"Eureka! count on my vote in favor of that same!" cried Billie, promptlyfalling in with the scheme, as Donald knew full well he would; becauseif there was one thing the fat boy liked above all others it was freshwater; and there were times when it seemed as though he could neverdrink enough, especially should the weather turn hot.
"Make it unanimous, Donald," laughed Adrian; "for I knew that was whatyou meant to say. Fact is, I was thinking about broaching the ideamyself, when you took
the words right out of my mouth."
"Another thing," ventured the pleased Billie; "we can fill up ourcanteens fresh before we start in the morning; and make the ponies drinkall they want; for if we have to cross that sand stretch, why, thechances are it'll be a dry job, and we'll be glad we stopped over nighthere, see if we don't."
As it was settled that they should go no further that day, the threelads started to get the camp in shape. First they found a place wherethe animals could be staked out, so that they might pick up some of thegrass which seemed only to grow around the spring hole, as is often thecase in this country of the Southwest, where arid wastes and rockyregions predominate.
Then the tent was erected, and the fireplace made; so that in a shorttime things began to take on the appearance of a regular camp. Billiewas in his glory at such a time. He knew that soon there would be adelicious aroma filling the air, as they started to get supper ready;and that always tickled him greatly. As the war horse prances when hewhiffs the smoke of battle, so Billie became animated as soon as hecaught the first scent of onions frying, or coffee boiling; as he wouldhimself say, "simply because he was built that way, and couldn't helpit."
And so the second day of their journey across the wild country that laybetween the Red Spar Mine and the village of the Zuni Indians, came toan end, with all well. Billie could not see that they had any reason tocomplain, as, seated on the ground, tailor fashion, with his legs curledunder him, and a pannikin of venison, together with fried onions andbeans, in his lap, his tin cup of fragrant coffee resting close besidehim, he started in to appease the ferocious appetite that had beenworrying him for half an hour and more.
Why, the future looked as bright as that glowing sky that marked thegoing down of the sun in the west. For it did not lie in their power toroll back the curtains of the future for even one day, and see what layawaiting them on the morrow. Perhaps Billie might not have felt solight-hearted had he known what was coming; but after all it was just aswell.