There was no time to lose, and with many misgivings as to the reception
he would receive from the indignant Lem, Jack hurried back as fast as
he could towards the camp. He was afraid that his long and, alas!
useless delay might also have vexed his friend Jeff, which was a thing
to be avoided, if possible.

Ahead of him he saw the quaint Mexican village, but something strange
had taken place in his absence! What could have happened? Quite
puzzled, he rubbed his eyes and ran on faster towards the place where
they had camped, and reaching it, could hardly believe his own eyes
when he saw nothing of the prairie waggon, or the horses, or the camp
he had left in the morning!

CHAPTER VI.

JACK IS DESERTED.

Jack stood on the forsaken camping-ground, and the truth dawned slowly
on him--his companions had gone on and left him behind! He noticed the
still damp embers of the extinguished fire, and though there was every
indication of their recent presence, not a sign could he see of the two
men.

He was very indignant at this unkind way of treating him.

'That's Lem's doing,' he muttered. 'He's done it on purpose to spite
me. I don't care much; they'll go very slow, an' I guess I can
overtake them by night. I hope Jeff will be right again by then.'

All the same, it gave him a feeling of forlornness to know he was
absolutely alone on the prairie. He felt very hungry, and of course
there was nothing to eat, as all the provisions had gone on in the
waggon.

How glad he now felt that he had a little money of his own--the
precious packet Steve had given him. He took a quarter-dollar (about
one shilling in our English money) out of his store and returned the
rest to a safe place inside his shirt. He knew his road lay through
the Mexican village, and decided to follow it, hoping to see a shop
where he could buy some bread.

Lem and Jeff had picked up a few Mexican words, but, of course, Jack
neither understood nor could speak any of the language. He lost no
time in entering the village, trusting to make someone understand what
he wanted; but he had not proceeded a couple of hundred yards up the
main street of the place when he found himself surrounded by a crowd of
Mexican boys, all shouting at him in a tongue he did not know.

He tried at first to show them he was hungry, by pointing to his mouth,
but they only jeered and laughed, instead of helping him. He got out
of patience at last, and endeavoure