"What"s the use?" Diamond hoa.r.s.ely whispered. "I tell you I can"t keep in the saddle!"
"And I tell you that you must! There are the other fellows, coming this way. I will signal them to ride toward the mountains, and we will join them."
Frank made the signal, and the others understood, for they soon turned toward the mountains again.
Then Merriwell aided Jack in mounting and getting started, mounting himself after that, and hurrying after the Virginian, whose wheel was making a very crooked track across the sand.
When it was necessary Frank supported Jack with a hand on the arm of the dark-faced lad, speaking encouraging words into his ear, urging him on.
And thus they rode toward the barren-looking Desert Range, where they must find water or death.
They came to the mountains at last, when the burning sun was hanging a ball of fire in the western sky. From a distance Merriwell had singled out Split Peak, which had served as his guide. At the foot of Split Peak 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 the bottom of the hole.
"I told you so!" gasped Diamond, as he fell to the ground in hopeless exhaustion. "There is no water here."
"Wait," said Frank, hoa.r.s.ely. "We"ll see if we can find some. Come, boys; we must scoop out the sand down there in the hole--we must dig for our lives."
"By golly!" said Toots; "dis n.i.g.g.e.r"s reddy teh dig a well fo"ty foot deep, 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 their hands, they scooped out the sand down in the water-hole. As they worked a little dirty water began to trickle into the hole.
"Yum! yum!" muttered Toots, his eyes shining. "Nebber saw muddy wattah look so good befo"! I done fink I can drink "bout a barrel ob dat stuff!"
They worked until quite exhausted, and then waited impatiently for the water to run into the hole. It rose with disheartening slowness, but rise it did.
When he could do so, Frank dipped up some of the water with his drinking cup and gave it to Jack first of all.
Diamond"s hands shook so with eagerness that he nearly spilled the water, 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. The others 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. "What good do you think a little like that can do a fellow who is dying of thirst? I must have more--now!"
"Well, you can"t have another drop till the others have taken their turn--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 as much as had the mirage. As Frank turned toward the water-hole, Jack started to spring upon him, crying:
"We"ll see!"
"Hold on!" said Browning, as one of his hands went out and grasped Diamond. "I wouldn"t do that. You are excited. I reckon I"ll have to sit on you, while you cool off."
Then the big fellow took Jack down, and actually sat on him, while the Virginian raved like a maniac.
"Poor fellow!" said Frank, pityingly. "He has almost lost his reason by what he has pa.s.sed through."
One by one the others received some of the water, and then it came Jack"s turn once more. By this time he was silent, but there was a sullen light in his eyes. When Frank pa.s.sed him the water in the drinking 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 care anything about me! Let me die!"
"Well, hang a fool!" snorted Browning, in great disgust.
"Say, jes" yo" pa.s.s dat wattah heah, Ma.r.s.er Frank, an" see if dis c.o.o.n"ll refuse teh let it percolate down his froat!"
"Yes, give it to Toots!" grated Diamond. "You think more of him than you 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 his head; 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.
CHAPTER III.
THE SKELETON.
Frank began talking to Diamond in a smooth, pleasant way, appealing to his sense of justice. At first Jack turned away, as if he did not care to listen, but he heard every word, and he was affected.
"You are not yourself, old fellow," said Frank, softly, placing his hand gently on Diamond"s shoulder. "If you were yourself you would not be like this. It is the burning desert, the blazing sun, the frightful thirst--these have made you unlike yourself. I don"t mind anything you have said about me, Jack, for I know you are my friend, and you would not think of saying such things under ordinary circ.u.mstances. A little while ago, away out on the desert, you told me that much. It was then that reason came back to you for a little while. Knowing how you have suffered, I gave you the first drink from this water-hole. The water ran in slowly, and I did not know that there would be enough to go around twice. You were not the only one who had suffered from thirst, but the others made no objection to your having the first drink--they wanted you to have it. But it was necessary that they should have some of the water, so that all of us would be in condition to search for the other water-hole. Surely, old fellow, you see the common sense of this. And now, Jack, look--the water has cleared, and more is running into the hole. It will quench your thirst, and you will be yourself again. You are my friend, and I am yours. We stand ready to fight for each other at any time. If one of my enemies were to try to get at me behind my back, why, you would----"
"Strangle the infernal cur!" shouted Diamond. "Give me that water, Frank! You are all right, and I"m all wrong! Just let me have a chance to fight for you, and see if I don"t fight as long as there is a drop of blood in my body!"