oes were perforated and
the throat of each ached with thirst.

Hopalong fumbled at the canteen resting on his hip and gargled his mouth
and throat, washing down the sand which wouldn't come up. His friends
did likewise and then looked around. After some time had elapsed the
loss of their pack horse was noticed and they swore again. Hopalong took
the lead in getting his horse ready for service and then rode around in
a circle half a mile in diameter, but returned empty handed. The horse
was gone and with it went their main supply of food and drink.

Frenchy scowled at the shadow of a cactus and slowly rode toward the
northeast, followed closely by his friends. His hand reached for his
depleted canteen, but refrained--water was to be saved until the last
minute.

"I'm goin' to build a shack out here an' live in it, I am!" exploded
Hopalong in withering irony as he dug the sand out of his ears and also
from his sixshooter. "I just nachurally dotes on this, I do!"

The others were too miserable to even grunt and he neatly severed the
head of a Gila monster from its scaly body as it opened it venomous jaws
in rage at this invasion of its territory. "Lovely place!" he sneered.

"You better save them cartridges, Hoppy," interposed Red as his
companion fired again, feeling that he must say something.

"An' what for?" blazed his friend. "To plug sand storms? Anybody what we
find on this God-forsaken lay-out won't have to be shot--they will commit
suicide an' think it's fun! Tell yu what, if them rustlers hangs out on
this sand range they're better men than I reckons they are. Anybody what
hides up here shore earns all he steals." Hopalong grumbled from force
of habit and because no one else would. His companions understood this
and paid no attention to him, which increased his disgust.

"What are we up here for?" He asked, belligerently. "Why, because them
Double Arrow idiots can't even watch a desert! We have to do their work
for them an' they hangs around home an' gets slaughtered! Yes, sir!"
he shouted, "they can't even take care of themselves when they're in
line-houses what are forts. Why, that time we cleaned out them an' th'
C-80 over at Buckskin they couldn't help runnin' into singin' lead!"

"Yes," drawled Red, whose recollection of that fight was vivid. "Yas,
an' why?" He asked, and then replied to his own question. "Because yu
sat up in a barn behind them, Buck played his gun on th' side window,
Pete an' Skinn