Evening star., 1922-01-29
I T WAS in the afternoon and

as hot DAY on the MOnaSd
desert as ever blew out the top
L thermometer. The westering sun
blazed down from blue sky, as clear
and :,ard as a crystal dome. Its rays
drew the thin dry air skyward in
shimmery heat. 1t radiated from the
glistening white faces of tortured
rock, from the binding. shifting white
sands.
Desert dweller though he was,
Mont" Mangus had never before been
so badly off from thirst. AS he stum-
bled along. at the head Of his two
burros, his lips moved almost inces-
sanity, dry. tortured lips inclosing
swollen tongue.
Water in the rocks o;er there,
he mumbled. squirting at the OPEN
ing of canon, a mile distant. II saw
it coming out. Yes! Water, no alkali,
either"
Mangas was no weakling. To the
little world of men who wandered
along the edge of the desert he was
anything but that. Six feet in height
and of stalwart build. he was regard
ed by the weazened desert rats as a
giant. Yet now his great frame was
weakening.
TT it wasn't for that hole yonder.
I'd think 1 was never intended to get
out o here" he said, as he trudged.
His mind was riveted on the hope
that lay in the little canon ahead,
among the rock waste.
"If 1 could strike it rich!' His
words had no meaning now. but the
thought was clear enough in his
brain, despite the dry lips. That'd
be worth this torture, to know what
may turn up in these parts. Look at
those paint mines down by the Sal
ton. Look at that strontianite mine
that they opened up-"
*: = Il x
THE narrowing thirst bit into him
l. anew The wind blew in through
San Gorgonio Pass and spread out
across the sand wastes. Dust devils
played here and there. little whirl-
winds that sent spirals of sand spin
ming. One of these passed across the
train in front of Mangas; it. raised
fog of choking sand, out of which the
young prospector stumbled, coughing
and choking.
Presently his steps became faster
The burros. too. recognized the spot
and tried to shove past the man. He
prodded them in the ribs. hurled him.
self forward. spent his last reserve of
energy in a spurt that took him to
the tumble of black lava and granite
outcroppings. There, in little niche.
was the water hole. but it was dry.
Mangas stood staring. incredulous
and desperate. Then the showing bur-
ros reused him into action. He beat
them back and examined the water
hole again. He perceived now that
some one had been before him, not so
very long before, either!
He dropped to his knees. buried his
face in the shallow. basin. scooping
at the sand and powdered rock with
his fingers. Was there any hope at
all? None showed. He brought forth
his red bandana handkerchief and
stirred it down in the sand. 1t showed
one or two moist spots.
Frenziedly the man fell to work
Again and again he showed down the
handkerchief. plunging it as deep into
the sand as his fingers could claw.
At last he found enough water in it
to wiring a drop or two on his tongue.
realized that it would give him no
permanent relief. If he camped here
until next day he might get some
water, but
His eye. used to the dry. white mo-
notony Of the desert. was caught by
a moving speck- He Strengthened
up. staring. letting burros nose the
ground unheeded. He should have
seen the speck before this, would
have done so but for his thirst frenzy.
Now he saw the trail going away
from the water hole, a man and a
single burro. ~. =.
"C'me on. Dynamite" He jerked
at the leading burro. He'll camp
in the foothills over beyond; we'll
get there. all right, after him. We
can sure get one drink off him, any
how! He's filled his bottle here. Sure
O. one drink. Dynamite" He prodded
the burros into activity and set forth
along the trail
Those few drops of water had
helped him vastly. had helped restore
his tagging inner energy. Now, as he
ing. he carefully eyed the speck in
the distance. saw that 1t was heading
up another canon. For this Mangas
headed in a bee line. disregarding the
trail entirely. The speck disappeared,
but he had his bearings.
On trudged the man and the two
burros. Mangas was in a new valley,
a part of the desert which he had not
previously visited, although he had
crossed this way on his trip out from
civilization. What lay ahead of him
he could not tell. There were no doves
which often indicate water. He had
simply the spoor of the unknown man
for hope.
That canon was not SO far distant,
after all; the westering sunlight had
deceived his eyes. Now the stars
were beginning to shine more clearly,
as Mangas headed into the unknown
canon on the trail of the unknown.
He looked ahead for a camp fire, but
perceived none.
!: X < ::
NJANGAS came to an aprupt halt,
Ah peering through the starlit dark
ness ahead. Then his infiamed eyes
touched upon a dark blue. Again he
pressed forward; ahead of him. pull
ing at a bush, he perceived a burro.
Where was the man, then?
Hurrying on, despair squirting him,
Mangas came close to the burro.
Again he halted, staring at the ami