Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-10-25
As a La s t
Resource ~
BY MARY cHUNT.

TAR as the eye could see stretched
the spinifeX, yellow as cornfield,
and the illusion was heightened by the
desert oak dotted here and there-neat
busy trees such as one may see any day
in a gentleman's park in England; only
John Weston knew these were no Eng
lish oaks, and the thorny spinifex cut
his mares legs cruelty.
Overhead was the hard blue deep
ening to purple, and there was not the
smallest fieck of cloud in the whole
expanse. The sun poured down his
fierce rays on the young mans head,
till the heat seemed to burn through
his hat and deaden his senses.
Surely" he muttered to himself,
slipping off his tired horse, the sta
tion ought to be hereabouts. Fifty
miles to the westward, 20 miles back
from Lonaghan's RIDGE reckon, old
girl, we must have done that" and he
patted his mares flank and took off
the water bag that hung at her neck.
There was only enough water left 30
wet his mouth, and the canvas up at
the top was dry as bone. He could
not afford to let that precious water
dry up as it was doing in the fierce heat,
and he drained it to the last drop.
The mare whinnied pitifully as the
smell of water came to her nostrils,
and suddenly she turned and snatched
the empty bag and tore it between her
teeth in a vain endeavor to extract
h.,
Weston stood appalled,. Suddenly
the full significance Of the situation
dawned upon him, and a sweat broke
out on his forehead lie had left the
water-hole at midday yesterday, and
he had seen no water since. He should
have reached Wonga Wonga out-sta-
ton last night, and yet here he had
been riding since dawn, and there was
not sign of it, He had left the rolling
red sand-hills behind, and entered on
the strip of spinifeX country which lay
between the water-hole and the out
station belt, they said, not more
than 90 miles wide. Twenty miles? lie
must surely have ridden 40 miles
through this spinifeX, and he looked
teeth.
1t looked as if Heavens, Was
it possible? lie sprang TO the seddle,
put spurs to the horse, and turned ON
the back track, He felt as if he mast
ride like the wind The only water he
knew of "A hours behind him, his own
throat parched and dry, and his mare
frantic with thirst. He had never seen
steady old Jess behave like that be-
fore, and he had bred her himself in
the cool, wet country down in the
south of Victoria round Warrnambool,
and brought her with him when Fate
decreed he should visit his property
here in central Australia.
For a moment or two he galloped;
the mare was fecked with foam, and
then Weston drew rein No need to
get in apanic; that would never mend
matters. He rode up to tree There
was no spinifeX underneath it's
branches, and there was some little
shade from the burning sun. He dis
mounted. and tying the old stock
horses rein TO the stirrup, laid him
self fat on his back and pressed his has
down over his eyes to shut out the
garish light.
Lost-born bushman as he was. he
knew he was lost; but where had he
missed his way? The thought Of the
water-hole filed him with longing. and
his wife's fair face pushed itself un bid
den before his minds eye. What if he
were TO die here and leave her and the
boy But no, now was not the time
to think Of her He must have missed
his way some time after leaving the
water-hole He had been riding west.
therefore-he thought of the well
known tendency to bear to the right
he must be too much to the north. Eas-
ily put right surey-if only-if only
horse and man could hold out.
He must start, he must, the precious
minutes were wasting away; but
should he go backward or forward?
Forward, of course he must go for.
ward; with the nearest water "a hours
behind him he dared not turn back,
and the out-station must be away to
the southwest. So he arose, mounted
took a good look at the sun, and set
out in that direction.