t spare any more, they told mother. He had
declared at noon that he needed every drop he had for the cooking, and
there would be no washing of dishes whatever. Later, mother had studied
a map and afterwards had sat for a long while staring out over the backs
of the cattle, her face white. Buddy thought perhaps mother was sick.

That day lasted hours and hours longer than any other day that Buddy
could remember. His father looked cross, too, when he rode back to them.
Once it was to look at the map which mother had studied. They talked
together afterwards, and Buddy heard his father say that she must not
worry; the cattle had good bottom, and could stand thirst better than a
poor herd, and another dry camp would not really hurt anyone.

He had uncovered the water barrel and looked in, and had ridden straight
over to the chuck-wagon, his horse walking alongside the high seat where
Step-and-a-Half sat perched listlessly with a long-lashed oxwhip in his
hand. Father had talked for a few minutes, and had ridden back scowling.

"That old scoundrel has got two ten-gallon kegs that haven't been
touched!" he told mother. "Yo' all mustn't water any more horses out of
your barrel Send the boys to Step-and-a-Half. Yo' all keep what you've
got. The horses have got to have water--to-night it's going to be hell
to hold the herd, and if anybody goes thirsty it'll be the men, not the
horses But yo' all send them to the other wagon, Lassie Mind, now! Not a
drop to anyone."

After father rode away, Buddy crept up and put his two short arms around
mother. "Don't cry. I don't have to drink any water," he soothed her. He
waited a minute and added optimistically, "Dere's a BI--IG wiver comin'
pitty soon. Oxes smells water a hunerd miles. Ezra says so. An' las'
night Crumpy was snuffin' an' snuffin'. I saw 'im do it. He smelt a BIG
wiver. THAT bi-ig!" He spread his short arms as wide apart as they would
reach, and smiled tremulously.

Mother squeezed Buddy so hard that he grunted.

"Dear little man, of course there is. WE don't mind, do we? I-was
feeling sorry for the poor cattle."

"De're firsty," Buddy stated solemnly, his eyes big. "De're bawlin' fer
a drink of water. I guess de're AWFUL firsty. Dere's a big wiver comin'
now Crumpy smelt a big wiver."

Buddy's mother stared across the arid plain parched into greater
barrenness by the heat that had been unremitting for the past week.
Buddy's faith in the big river she could not share