f sand and sage-brush, and
we do want a regular change."

"You'll get it, then, and I dare say before night. Can't you see that
we're on the slope of the mountains now?"

"No, not a bit of it."

"But we are; just slowly rising, and by night we shall find that we are
in quite a different place, hundreds of feet higher than where we had
breakfast this morning."

"Well, I hope you're right," said Chris.

No more was said then, the two boys sometimes riding, sometimes walking,
till after some hours Griggs pulled up, to point to the fact that they
had reached what seemed to be the summit of an enormous land-wave heaved
up and rising for miles either way across the desert, but right in front
descending slowly into a vast hollow plain which glistened in its
desolation as if frosted with silver.

"Why, it must be silver," cried Ned enthusiastically.

"Nay, nay, only salt, my lad. Looks like a dried-up lake."

"Yes; where's your herd of buffaloes?" cried Chris. "Oh, shouldn't I
like for us to shoot one and have some beef!"

"Yes; buffalo hump isn't bad," said Griggs. "It's rich and tender and
gravyish."

"But where is it?" said Ned.

"Higher up, I suppose, where there's prairie-land and grass. You don't
expect to see buffler where there's nothing to graze on, do you? Look
at the stones, though. Regular rocky ridges rising up one above the
other on the other side of that frosty lake part. Shouldn't wonder if
we found something fresh there."

He pointed to his left, where there was a manifest change in the scenery
as seen through the shimmering haze which hindered the view.

"Yes," he cried eagerly, "if you look hard you can just get a glimpse of
a great ridge, and just beyond--_ragh_! There are the mountains at
last!"

"I can't see them," said Chris thoughtfully. "Are they near?"

"No; but near enough for us to reach to-morrow night."

"But what about to-night? I say, that isn't salt. I can see it
glittering quite plainly; it's water."

"No, my lad; no water there. I wish there was," added Griggs to
himself.

"Then what are we to do for water to-night?"

"There'll be enough to make our tea."

"But the horses and mules?" said Chris.

"We must try and find a hollow with some shrubby stuff that they can
chew, poor beasts, for they'll get nothing else. What are you pointing
at, squire?"

Ned made no answer, but sat fast where he had checked his pony, pointing
to where hundreds, perhaps thou