The record-union., 1892-04-30
LOST. y

track right ahead, and pretty fresh, too"
But Anderson flung himself off his
horse on to the dry crisp grass and COW
cred his face with his hands.
II tell you," reiterated his mate, lean
ing forward in his saddle and shading
his eyes, 81 see hoof-marks quite plain.
Why, they might have been made yes
terdayr'
''They were made yesterday" groaned
the other hopelessly. Don't you see,
my dear fellow, we made them our
/ selves"
'Whatp'
Helm raised his head and swore a pas
sionate oath, then sprang from his horse,
/ stopped over the faint track, ran wildly
along 1t for few yards, turned back,
and again cried out that the other was
playing some CHASTITY joke off on him.
Its too bad, Anderson, too bad. Get
up, man, and don't be a fool! Come on,
there's very likely water on the other
side OF that ridge. You'll feel better after
you've had a good drink
That's the ridge we passed last night,
tell you. Water-oh, yes, there's water
there, but it's as salt as the sea-
/ 1.-THE saltpan! No, by heaven, no,
won't believe that! That's miles behind
u.s."
Nevertheless" said the other man,
! drearily, ''it's the same old saltpan. You
! Will see 1t the moment we cross the
ridge"
''Come on, then, come on. Don't sit
groaning there; let's know the worst. /
can't believe it, l won't believe it till l
see for myself"
''The horses ought to have spell if we
are ever TO get out of this" muttered An
derson; but he followed his companions
tod L.. l..
slowly on after him toward the still dis
tant ridge.
out back beyond the Mulligan is No
Mans Land. They had gone out to seek
new country, crossed the Queensland
border into South Australia, and now,
ola Dushman as he was, Anderson had
only the Vaguest idea of their where
abouts. Ever since they started it had
been the same trouble. The season had
been exceptionally dry, and everywhere
The waters were dried up. First one
morse died, then another, until at last
they were reduced to only three; still
they pushed on, for the blacks told tale
OF magnificent water-hole where the
water was permanent, and Anderson
mad certain amount of faith in the un-
errlng wisdom OF the children of the soil
where water was concerned. So he
pushed on, hoping against hope, till the
younger man, more fearful perhaps more
IA.
| BUTT was too late. The weakest horse, the
one they had used as a pack horse, gave
IN, and had to be left behind the first day
! oil their return journey; and now, on the
fourth, they had just made the terrible
discovery they were going round on
their own tracks. They had been so
thankful, so hopeful, when they struck
that track in the morning. Anderson
! knew there was another party out better
| appointed than they were: these might
be their tracks, and possibly they had
water with them-they might even have
| come across Water-and Water-water-
If only they had a little water. And so
they had pushed on, eagerly, hopefully,
till the terrible truth began to dawn on
The older and more experienced BUSH
man. The weather for the last two days
had been dull and cloudy, they had not
caught glimpse OF the sun, and hourly
they had expected thunderstorm, which
would not only clear the air, but would
supply them with the water they needed:
but to-day the clouds had all cleared
away, and the only effect of their pres
ence had been. that they had lost their
bearings completely. Where and when
! Jney had lost them Anderson could not
say even now, and he was loath at first
/ TO share his mlsgivings with mis- mate; but
! the sight Of the ridge decided him. II
! they found, as he fully expected to, the
saltpan they had passed the night before
on the other side, then most surely they
! Were lost men-lost in a cruel, thirsty
| land where no water was.
lie pondered 1t over in his mind as he
! rode slowly after his companion. There
was no hope. There could possibly be no
! hope" Over and over again he said it to
! himself as man who hardly realizes his
| own Words-and they topped the low
ridge, and right at his feet lay the salt
pan glittering in the sun.
! 'Cruel-cruel-cruel!' Helm had flung
himself face downward on the hard
ground now and given way to parox-
ysm of despair all the more bitter for his
former hopefulness. Anderson looked
down on him pityingly for moment, as
one who had no part in his trouble; then
| he looked away again. Save for the sun
shine, it was exactly the same scene, the
very same they had looked upon last
night-there lay the glittering saltpan,
white as driven snow, above it the hard
blue, cloudless sky, and all around the
dreary plain, broken only by the ridge
| on which they stood. And yet in differ
ent circumstances he might have ad-
mired the landscape, for it had a weird
beauty all its own; miles and miles he
could see in the clear, bright atmosphere.
far away to the other side OF the wide
lake, where a dark clump of trees or
scrub, was apparently raised in the sky,
high above the horizon. He knew it was
only the effect of the mirage, another
| token, had he needed a token, that there
was no moisture, no water, not the faint
est chance of drop OF rain. And vet
| there had been some rain not so long ago,
for the mesembryanthemum, growing in
| dark green patches close to the edge of
the SALT was all in t1oWer-pink and red,
and bright yellow, such gorgeous color
ing-and by that strange association of
! ideas, for which who shall account his
| thoughts flew back to the last Cup Day.
| and he saw again the Pennington race
course, and heard in fancy the shouts of
| the people as the favorite passed the
winning post. On the ground in front
Of him were long lines of crows, perched
| in the stuDted lockwood trees above his
| head, filling the air with their monoto-
nous cawing. He laughed at the mock
cry of the thing. The other man raised
his head.
"Old man, what is it? is it possible
| that
What wild imaginings for the moment
had passed through his brain he could
not himself have told; but whatever his
hopes might have been, they were gone
| the moment he looked in his mates face.
Man." he said, sharply, "are you
mad?''
Anderson was sobered in second.
No. he said, bitterly, 'but as far as /
can see, it must come to that before we've
DONE"
mo, no, we won'tgive up hope yet! Is
there no hope?'
Anderson sat down beside him and
pointed silently to the horses Ii ever
poor beasts were done, were at their last
gasp, they We're, as they stood there, their
noses touching the ground. The bush
mans slender equipment had been re-
duced to its scantiest proportions, and vet
it seemed cruelty to force them to carry
even those slender packs; even the can
vas water-bags, dry as tinder now. hang
ing at their necks, were heavy burden.
| Wiser than their masters they had