Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-06-10
As a hast
Resource X
BY MHRY oHuNT.

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lar as the eye could see stretched
the spinifex, yellow as q 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 gentleman's park in England; only
John Weston knew these were no Eng
fish 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 fleck 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
ton ought to be hereabouts. Fifty
miles to the westward, 20 miles back
from Lonaghan's Ridge-I 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 to
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 q vain endeavor to extract
some moisture from the canvas
Weston stood appalled,. Suddenly
the full significance OF the situation
dawned upon him, and sweat broke
out on his forehead. He 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 oft. 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--a belt, they said, not more
than 20 miles wide. Twenty miles? He
must surely have ridden 40 miles
through this spinifex, and he looked
at the mare with the canvas bag in her
teeth.
1t looked as if Heavens! Was
it possible? He sprang to the saddle,
put spurs to the horse, and turned on
the back track. He felt as if he must
ride like the wind. The only water he
knew of 24 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 panic; that would never mend
matters. He rode up to tree. There
was no spinifeX underneath it's
branches, aud 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 fiat on his back and pressed his hat
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
wateT-hole filed him with longing. and
his wife's fair face pushed itself unbid-
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 we'll
known tendency to bear to the right
he must be too much to the north. Eas-
lily put right surely-if only-if only
horse and man could hold out.
He must start, he must, the precious
minutes were wasting away; but
should he SO backward or forward?
Forward, of course he must go for
ward; with the nearest water "a hours
behind him he dared not turn back.
aud the out-station must be away to
| the southwest. So he arose, mounted,
took good look at the sun, and set
out in that direction
They went so slowly, it seemed, so
terribly slowly; and he would have
ridden, had he dared, at full speed. 1t
was playing with life, dwelling it
away to creep along like this, but the
mare could go no faster; if he dis
mounted and walked he could go no
faster. and Polly would break her
heart If he did not come back. Poor
little Polly!
The spinifex came to an end at last,
and before him stretched the red sand
with hardly sign of vegetation upon
1T. Here was little patch of dried
salt bush, and he looked eagerly for
some portuiaca or Npic's face" which