Brady, in his usual grave
tone, "that we must confront peril when we descend into the plains, yet
descend we must, because these mountains and hills won't go on with us.
It will be a long time before we strike another high range. On the
plains we've got to think of Indians, and then we've got to look out for
water, too."

"Our march often makes me think of Xenophon, whom I studied in the high
school," said Will.

"What's Xenophon?" asked the Little Giant suspiciously. "I ain't heard
o' no sich country."

"Xenophon is not a country. Xenophon was a man, and a good deal of a
man. He led a lot of Greeks, along with a lot of Persians, to help a
Persian overthrow his brother and seize the throne of the Persian
empire. In the battle the Greeks were victorious wherever they were
fighting, but the Persian whom they were supporting was killed, and
having no more business there they concluded to go away."

"Lost their paymaster, eh?"

"Well, I suppose you could put it that way. Anyway they resolved to go
back to their homes in Greece, across mountains, rivers and deserts.
Xenophon, who led them, wrote the account of it."

"Then I'll bet that Xenophon looms up pretty big in the tellin' o' it."

"No, he was a modest man, Tom. But what I remember best about the story,
they were always marching so many parasangs, so many days' journey to a
well of water. It gets to be a sort of fascination with you. You are
always wondering how many parasangs they'll march before they come to
water. And sometimes you've a kind of horrible fear that there won't be
any water to come to, and it keeps you keyed up."

"Same ez ef you wuz in that sort o' condition yourself."

"Something like it."

"Well, mebbe we will be, an' jest you remember, young William, since
them Greeks allers come to water, else Xenophon who led them never would
hev lived fur the tellin' o' it, that we'll allers come to water, too,
even of we do hev to wait a week or two fur it. Cur'us how long you kin
live after your tongue hez baked, your throat hez turned to an oven, an'
your lips hev curled up with the heat."

"I imagine, Tom," said Boyd, "we're not going to suffer like that."

"I jest wanted to let young William know the worst fust an' he kin
fortify himself accordin'."

"I'm prepared to suffer what the rest of you suffer," said the lad.

"The right spirit," said Brady, heartily. "We'll be Davids and
Jonathans, cleaving the one unto the other, and now, as we're