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Page 51
"Him come along," announced Ping a few moments later, using the
elastic expression that stood for the dinner call, as well as to
indicate that some one was approaching.
The Overland girls stood up and, shading their eyes, gazed off
over the desert. They saw a horseman approaching, but the pony he
was riding appeared to be almost dragging himself along.
"That isn't Lang," exclaimed Hippy.
"I see it isn't," agreed Grace.
Being a lone rider the Overlanders knew they were safe from
trouble so far as he was concerned, but they observed the rider
narrowly as he neared the camp.
"Ping! Fetch water!" ordered Grace incisively. "That man and horse
are exhausted."
"Water!" cried the man hoarsely as he rode up to them and would
have fallen from his saddle had Hippy not sprung forward and
grabbed him. He placed the exhausted man on the ground, and
raising the rider's head, held a canteen to his lips.
"Take it easy, old top. Don't choke yourself. We have plenty, but
you mustn't try to drink it all at once," admonished Lieutenant
Wingate.
"Get food," directed Grace. "Coffee and whatever else you think he
can eat."
Ping glided away to prepare the food, Nora and Anne, in the
meantime, having brought water for the traveler's pony.
In a few moments the man sat up, holding his head in his hands.
"Here, bathe your face. It will cool you off," urged Elfreda. The
traveler did so, and, by the time the coffee was ready, he was
able to stand.
Ping had fried some bacon, and, with the coffee and biscuit, the
traveler had a meal the like of which he had not eaten for many a
long day. As yet, the man had spoken only one word--"water"--but
he regarded the outfit with wide, inquiring eyes, as he ate
greedily of the food placed before him.
"Where going?" he asked after finishing.
"Specter Range, I believe. Perhaps taking in the Shoshones. I am
not certain. Our guide, Hi Lang, is not here just now."
"Bad gang there. Drove me out. Will drive you out." He would say
no more, shaking his head when Grace pressed him for an
explanation. After an hour's rest, during which the caller drank
water until they feared for its effect on him, he filled his water
bags from the water hole and lashed them to his pony and mounted.
Elfreda handed him a chunk of bacon, which he acknowledged with a
nod, and stuffed it into his kit.
The traveler now threw back his shoulders and peered at each
member of the outfit in turn as if to impress their faces on his
mind, then swept off his sombrero.
"Thankee, folks," he said, and, putting spurs to his pony,
galloped away.
"There is one man to whom it would be perfectly safe to entrust a
secret," declared Miss Briggs with emphasis.
"What a strange character," murmured Anne, as she gazed after the
galloping pony. "I wonder who he can be."
"I am curious to know what he meant by warning us against the
mountains," interjected Elfreda Briggs.
"And I am rather concerned about Mr. Lang," added Grace. "He must
be a long way from here, else he would have heard our signal
shots. I have an idea that our late caller must have heard them
and that it was he who answered. That must be it. If so I am glad,
for the poor fellow was ready to drop and so was his horse. Shall
we fill the buckets?"
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