Produced by Al Haines [Illustration: Cover art] [Frontispiece: Faster and Faster Danced Ned Rector.] The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali OR Finding a Key to the Desert Maze By FRANK GEE PATCHIN Author of The Pony Rider Boys in The Rockies, The Pony Rider Boys in Texas, The Pony Rider Boys in Montana, The Pony Rider Boys in The Ozarks, Etc., Etc. Illustrated THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY Akron, Ohio -------- New York Made in U. S. A. Copyright MCMX By THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY CONTENTS CHAPTER. I. THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL II. THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP III. TWISTED BY A TWISTER IV. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE V. STALKING BIG GAME BY MOONLIGHT VI. BAGGED BY LUCKY SHOTS VII. CHUNKY COMES TO GRIEF VIII. NEARLY DROWNED IN AN ALKALI SINK IX. THE BOYS DISCOVER A RIVER X. A COWBOY TAKES A HEADER XI. A PIECE OF HUMAN SANDPAPER XII. RUNNING DOWN THE TRAIL XIII. COYOTES JOIN IN THE CHORUS XIV. FUN IN THE FOOTHILLS XV. BUD PROMISES SOME EXCITEMENT XVI. THE BATTLE OF THE STALLIONS XVII. ON A WILD-HORSE HUNT XVIII. ROPED BY ROUGH RIDERS XIX. WINNING THEIR REWARD XX. VISITED BY A HALO XXI. OFF ON A DRY TRAIL XXII. IN THE HERMIT'S CAVE XXIII. LOST IN THE DESERT MAZE XXIV. CONCLUSION The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali CHAPTER I THE DESERT'S MYSTIC SPELL "If this is the desert, then I think I prefer mountains," decided Stacy Brown. "It is not the desert. We have not reached it yet. This is the Diamond Range," replied Tom Parry, who was to guide the Pony Rider Boys across the great Nevada Desert. "We shall soon be there, however." "You'll know the place when you see it, Chunky," said Ned Rector. "And feel it, too, I guess," added Tad Butler under his breath. "We have the desert on each side of us now," continued the guide. "Were you to fire a rifle to the right or left, your bullet would fall on the baking alkali of the desert." "Then, if we're so near, why not get out in the open, instead of floundering through these hills?" questioned Stacy. "I'm thinking you'll wish you were back in the hills before many days," laughed the guide. "Mr. Parry has his own reasons for following this trail, Master Stacy," interposed Professor Zepplin. "We are entirely in his hands and it is not for us to question the wisdom of his decision." The guide nodded. Parry was a splendid type of the plainsman of the great West. Tall, straight, clear-eyed, his bronzed cheeks fairly glistening in the sunlight, he would have attracted attention anywhere. At present, he sat on his pony motionless, the broad sombrero tilted upward above his forehead as he peered into the amber haze that hung over the western horizon. "Yes, we shall reach the desert soon enough. We are heading for the Newark Valley now, and should be there in time to make camp this afternoon, providing the weather is satisfactory," announced Parry, more to himself than to the others. "Weather--weather?" stammered Professor Zepplin. "What's the matter with the weather?" "One hundred in the shade. Isn't that matter enough?" grunted Stacy. "How do you know, Chunky? You haven't seen any shade to-day," demanded Ned Rector. "There isn't a patch of shade as large as a man's hand in this whole country, so far as I have been able to observe." "And still less in the country we are about to enter," added the guide. Tad Butler, however, had been observing the guide keenly. Though the lad had asked no questions, he had caught a note of anxiety in the tone, as well as in the apprehensive glances that Parry kept continually casting to the westward. The guide, catching Tad's inquiring look, smiled and nodded. "You should always keep your eyes on the weather in this country, especially when on the alkali," he told the boy after the party had started on again. "Why more there than elsewhere, Mr. Parry?" "Because storms here are frequently attended with no little peril. You'll see some of them, no doubt, before we reach the end of our journey, and you will wish you hadn't." "But there's no sign of storm now," protested Tad. "Perhaps not to you, young man. Do you see that haze settling down like a fog on the western horizon?" "Yes, I've been looking at it--a golden fog." The guide smiled grimly. "I wouldn't call it exactly golden. I should call it fiery," said the guide. "Has it any particular meaning?" "May mean most anything. Means storm of some kind--perhaps rain, and maybe wind. If it passes, we'll drop out of here and make camp on the desert to-night." "That will be fine," said Tad. "We are all crazy for the desert. Since we started out on our trips, last spring, we have experienced almost everything that could happen to us on mountain and plain----" "But not including the desert?" "No." "You'll find it different; very different." "I suppose you know every foot of it--in fact its every mood, do you not?" questioned Tad. The guide, for the moment lost in thought, finally turned to the lad again. "Moods, did you say? Well, that describes it. The desert is as moody as an old hen with a brood of chickens. Know the Nevada Desert? Sometimes I think I do; then again, I know I don't." "But you could not get lost----" "I have," smiled the guide. "I've been wandering about the alkali for days without being able to find my way back. If you are able to read trails and the droop of the scattering sage brush you will have made a long stride toward knowing your way about the desert." "I don't understand," wondered the lad. "No; of course not. It's a long story, but when we have time I will initiate you into the mysteries of reading the desert signs. The west is clearing up. That's good," the guide exclaimed in a relieved tone. "Which means that we go on?" "Yes." "Are we turning off into the desert, did you say?" asked Walter Perkins, with sparkling eyes. "Well, not just yet, Master Walter. We shall have to refill our water-bags before leaving the range. I take it, you boys would not care to be without water?" "No, I guess not. But where are you going to get it?" asked Ned. "About a mile further on there should be a mountain stream. There will not be much water in it just now, but we shall be able to fill our bags and water the stock, I guess." "Hooray!" shouted the boys. "The call of the desert is stronger than ever," averred Tad. "You are not the first ones who have felt that way, young man. 'The call of the desert,' as you put it, has lured many a poor victim to his death. Water is the all important thing when on a journey of this kind, and we shall have to be vigilant that we do not allow ourselves to be without it." As the guide had said, the stream, when they finally came up with it more than two hours later, was a mere rivulet. "Call that a stream?" sniffed Stacy. "No, it's a freshet," replied Ned Rector. "You might take a swim in it were it not for the danger of drowning." "How are we going to get any water unless we dip it up with a spoon?" asked Tad. "I'll show you," smiled the guide, dismounting. Already the stock had sniffed the presence of water, even though there was so little of it. The ponies chafed at their bits and snorted, while the burros of the pack train tossed their heads in their impatience. "I used to have a plaything that worked just like the heads of those lazy burros," Stacy informed his companions wisely. "That's about your gait," growled Ned. "You didn't think so when he saved our lives in the Ruby Mountain," reminded Tad. "That's right, Ned," confirmed Walter. "Don't be ungrateful for small favors." "I apologize, Master Chunky," announced Ned, removing his sombrero and unbending in a ceremonious bow to the fat boy. "We will now make a water hole. Come along if you wish to know how it is done," called the guide. Leading the ponies and pack animals down along the slender water course until they had reached a natural pocket, the guide halted. With a rubber blanket he formed a basin in the depression in the rocks through which the water had been trickling and losing itself far down in the earth. Two of the Pony Rider Boys held the blanket in place while it was slowly filling with water. "Now, Master Stacy, if you will be good enough to fetch one of your pails we will water the stock first." Stacy did so. To save time, Walter brought another pail, so that this could be filled while his companion was giving the water to one of their animals. It was a slow process; and, by the time the six ponies and four burros had drunk their fill, something more than an hour had passed. By this time the rubber blanket had been thoroughly cleaned by constant rubbing. "Bring on the canteens and water-bags," directed Tom Parry. "We'll have water enough to carry us through a few days of desert life, at any rate. Load the burros down." The animals now having satisfied their thirst were nibbling gingerly at the scant growth of sage brush. It was not a tender morsel at any time, but from that time on they would be obliged to subsist almost entirely on the bitter stuff. "Have you boys filled up?" asked Tom, looking about. "Better drink enough to last you for the rest of the day. We shall have to use our water sparingly for a time now. Take on a supply while you have the chance." "How about you, Chunky?" laughed Ned Rector. "Think I'm a camel?" demanded Stacy, with an air of indignation. "Now, will you be good, Ned Rector?" laughed Tad. Even the stolid face of the guide relaxed in a broad smile of amusement. "Then, if you are all supplied, we had better be on our way. If we are going to camp on the alkali to-night we shall have to make time between this and sundown. It's about three hours high." With a whoop and a hurrah, the boys swung into their saddles, heading joyously for the Newark Valley and the silent, mysterious desert that in the dim, misty past had been a great inland sea. Readers of the preceding volumes of this series will recall how the Pony Rider Boys came to spend their summer vacation on horseback, under the guardianship of Walter Perkins' tutor, Professor Zepplin. With a capable mountain guide, their first journey was through the wildest part of the Rocky Mountains, where they met with a series of rousing adventures and hair-breadth escapes--experiences calculated to try the stoutest hearts. It was here that the young explorers hunted big game--here that they discovered a valuable mine that had been the goal of prospectors for many years past. All this was outlined in the first volume of the series, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ROCKIES." In the second volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN TEXAS," was narrated how the four lads joined in a cattle drive across the plains of Texas, becoming real cowboys. Being by this time well hardened physically, they were able to do men's work in rounding up the stampeding cattle, which led them into many thrilling adventures. It will be recalled, too, how, during a visit to the mysterious church of San Miguel, the Pony Rider Boys solved the veiled riddle of the plains, which marked the end of the most eventful journey of their lives. In the third volume, "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN MONTANA," we find the plucky lads following the old Custer trail over mountain and plain. It will be remembered how Tad Butler, while chasing a bear that had disturbed their camp, overheard a plot to stampede and slaughter the herd of sheep belonging to a rancher whom they knew; how the lad managed to escape from the men who sought his life; his eventual capture by the Blackfeet Indians, his escape, and the final solving of the mystery of the old Custer trail, during which the boys were in the thick of a battle between cowboys and sheep herders. In the volume preceding the present one the Pony Rider Boys were once more in the saddle in search of further adventure. In "THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE OZARKS," they met with a series of disasters and exciting experiences which tested their courage almost to the breaking point. They were beset by a band of robbers, who stole their ponies. Nearly all the party, one by one, was lost in the fastnesses of the Ozark wilderness. It will be recalled how the boys, during a visit to the Red Star Mine, were caught in a wreck far underground; how a car of dynamite exploded, making them prisoners in a rocky tomb, and how, after being rescued by a mountain girl, they discovered the real secret of the Ruby Mountain, narrowly escaping with their lives in doing so. No sooner had they brought this eventful trip to a close than they set out to face the perils of the great, silent desert of Nevada. They were almost upon it now. Its spell was upon them and the lads fell silent as they waited anxiously for the first sight of the land which they had journeyed so far to gaze upon. They had not long to wait after leaving the water hole where they had replenished their supply. The guide at last rode out upon a rocky promontory, where he halted, waiting for the others of the party to come up with him. "Where's the desert--is that it?" demanded Ned, riding up beside him. The guide raised his hand in a sweeping gesture. "The desert lies before you," he answered, his eyes traveling meditatively over the miles of waste and mottled landscape. A brazen glare lay over the scene, while up from the white alkali flats rose a wave of heat that was suffocating. Old, dried-up water sinks lay white and glistening here and there, framed by vast areas of sage brush, while on beyond in the blue distance lay miles and miles of monotonous, billowing hills and mountains. "Whew!" gasped Chunky, mopping the perspiration from his brow. "This is somewhat hotter than Chillicothe, Missouri. I wish I had a cake of ice to put under my hat." "Beautiful! Grand!" murmured Professor Zepplin. "Reminds me of a Turkish bath I was in once in St. Louis," added Ned. Tad Butler was silent. He was too profoundly impressed even to speak; and even the guide, familiar as he was with the scene, was silent and thoughtful, too. He understood full well the perils, the pitfalls for the unwary, that lay along the pathway of those who sought to traverse that barren waste. At last he turned to Professor Zepplin. "Shall we move?" he asked. The Professor nodded. "One of you boys get behind the burros and start them along, please," requested the guide. Stacy Brown complied gleefully. No more pleasant task could have been assigned to him than that of prodding the lazy pack-bearers. "Forward!" commanded Tom Parry. The boys clucked to their ponies. Not an animal moved. Surprised, the lads brought their spurs against the flanks that they could feel were trembling a little. A strange, unlooked for thing occurred. With whinnies of terror the little animals reared and plunged. Before their puzzled riders could control them every pony in the outfit had whirled suddenly and began plunging along on the back trail. A chorus of "whoa's" rose from the Pony Rider Boys. Quirt and spur were used freely, and firm hands on the bridle reins quickly checked the sudden rush. By dint of force and persuasion the boys finally succeeded in forcing their mounts back. That is, all had done so save Stacy Brown. His pony was spinning like a top, while Stacy red-faced and perspiring was uttering loud, angry shouts, driving in spur and raining quick, short blows on the animal's rump. The burros had moved just far enough away to be out of reach of Stacy's plunging animal. At last it threw itself violently to the ground. Stacy, by a remarkably lively jump, cleared his falling mount, but not a second too soon to save himself from being pinned beneath it. He sat down on the animal's head, puffing from his exertions. After a minute, during which the other boys laughed so heartily that their own ponies nearly got the better of them again, Stacy rose and began prodding his mount with the end of the quirt, urging it to get up again. But the pony refused to budge. "He's 'hog-tied,'" nodded the guide, riding up. "Let him stay there till he gets ready to move. No use trying to hurry the beast. He's too much scared." "Scared at what?" questioned Stacy, looking up apprehensively. "Yes; that's what I'd like to know?" agreed Ned. "I don't see anything that looks like a scare." The guide was looking down at the animal pityingly, Tad thought. "What are they so frightened at, Mr. Parry?" asked the lad. "My boy, they are afraid of the desert," replied the guide solemnly. CHAPTER II THE FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP "The desert?" the Pony Riders gasped in chorus. "Yes. It is not an uncommon thing. They seem to realize instinctively that there is danger off there. Even in animals that never have been near the desert you will find the same inborn dread of the alkali flats. And I don't know that I blame them any." "But is my broncho going to lie here all day?" queried Chunky. "If that's his idea I might as well give him another argument that will make him change his mind." "Let him alone. He'll be better off if you do not force him. When he gets up be gentle but firm with him." "That's the strangest thing I ever saw," said Tad quietly. "Most remarkable," agreed the Professor. The faces of the boys were serious. They too began to perceive the feeling that had stirred the ponies to resist when turned toward the silent plains that lay spread for mile upon mile before them. After a few minutes Stacy's pony scrambled to its feet. The lad was in the saddle in a twinkling. "Now, I guess you'll go where I want you to. Whoa! Quit that b-b-b-b-bucking." The animal had gone into a series of jolting bucks, with back arched and head well down. The fat boy held his seat well. His face was red and streaked with perspiration which ran down it in tiny rivulets under the violent exercise to which he had just been subjected. The boys forgot the serious side of the incident in their enjoyment of their companion's discomfiture. Tom Parry gazed upon the scene with more than ordinary curiosity. It was the first opportunity he had had of observing a Pony Rider Boy in action. At that moment Stacy Brown was most distinctly in action. Most of the time there was a broad patch of daylight under him, and when he hit the saddle it was with a jolt that seemed as if it must jar his head from his body. "Put some salt on his tail," suggested Ned Rector. "Y-y-y-you do it," gasped Chunky, which brought a roar of laughter from the whole party. "Yes, why don't you?" teased Tad. "It's the only way you can make good." "Salting down horse is not my business," laughed Ned. All at once the pony whirled, heading down the mountain side with a disconcerting rush that nearly brought disaster upon its rider. With a shout the rest of the boys urged their mounts into a jog-trot and followed on down the trail as fast as they dared, for the descent was steep and dangerous. "He'll break his neck!" cried the Professor. "After that bucking I'm sure Chunky's neck is too well fastened to come off," laughed Tad. Stacy was out of sight. They could hear him yelling at his broncho, so they knew he was still in the saddle and right side up. The other ponies, apparently having forgotten their fear, were following the leader willingly now. All at once they saw lad and mount burst into view on the plain below. "He's on the desert!" shouted Tad. Laughing and shouting words of encouragement to the fat boy, the Pony Riders hastened to the base of the hill. Stacy Brown was still busily engaged trying to subdue his pony, though some of the lads shrewdly suspected that their companion was urging the animal on in order to show off his horsemanship. In a moment more they, too, were in difficulties. No sooner had their bronchos set foot on the desert than a sudden panic once more possessed them. Professor Zepplin's pony whirled on its haunches, then began climbing the rocks, with the agility of a squirrel. The others, however, had troubles of their own, which saved the Professor from being laughed at. The animals seemed determined not to be forced to go on, and it required severe measures to induce them to take up the desert trail. Tom Parry's mount did not exhibit the same fear as did the others. Still, it gave him more or less trouble, appearing to be excited, in spite of itself, by the actions of its companions. At last they succeeded in lining the animals up in an orderly formation. Their next move was to get the burros moving along ahead of them. The way being open and level there was no necessity for leading the pack animals now. These could take care of themselves without danger to the outfit. "And this is the desert!" marveled the Professor. "It is," smiled the guide. "Looks to me more like a landscape of German measles," averred Stacy, as they moved along through scattering sage brush and open sandy stretches. Now that they had reached the plain itself, they discovered that it was not one level stretch of land. Instead, the country was rolling; here and there were wide reaches of whitish desert sands and alkali sinks. The atmosphere was like an oven. Not a breath of air was stirring. Already the lads were mopping their brows and fanning their faces with their sombreros, while spots of dark shining moisture on the ponies' sides bore evidence that they, too, felt the baking heat. "I say, fellows, let's find some shade," called Stacy. "All right, go ahead and we'll follow," laughed Tad. "I'll ride up to the top of that knoll and make an observation." Tom Parry smiled appreciatively as the lad galloped up the sharp rise of ground, where Chunky sat on his pony, shading his eyes as he gazed off over the cheerless desert. "Well, how about that shade?" shouted Ned. Stacy turned disconsolately and rode back to his companions. "There isn't any," he said. "Of course not," laughed Ned. "But I know how to make some," added the fat boy. Slipping from his pony he cut some sage brush, which he fashioned about his head in the shape of a hood, so that it gave his perspiring face some protection from the intense glare of the sun. "Now, all you need is a strip of mosquito netting," suggested Walter. "And a little red rocking chair," added Ned. "With a dish of ice cream," laughed Tad. "I guess you will have to be satisfied with a cup of alkali water," interjected the Professor, dryly. "You will find the air much cooler, shortly," the guide advised them. "The sun is going down now and I think we had better make camp, if the Professor has no objections." "Not in the least. In fact, I am quite ready to call it a day's work." "Where do we camp, Mr. Parry?" asked Tad. "Right here. It is as good a place as any that we shall find. There is little choice out here." They were now in a broad valley, the rolling hills covered with a sparse growth of sage brush rising gradually on each side. The boys threw themselves from their ponies gladly, stripping the saddles from the animals' backs. "Better stake the animals down, for the first two or three nights, so they won't take French leave," advised the guide. "How about the burros?" asked Tad. "Let them roam. They'll stay as long as the ponies are here. The pack animals will fill up on sage, after which they will come back to camp to sleep." All hands began to unpack. The tents were pitched in record time, cots unfolded and preparations for the night made with a skill that comes from long practice in the open. "What are we to do for a camp-fire?" asked Walter. "There is not a single stick of wood about here." "Burn the sage," answered the guide. "That stuff won't burn," retorted Ned. "Try it." They did. In an incredibly short time a hot fire was blazing up, on which they piled armfuls of the stunted desert growth. "Now, get your food ready and I will cook it," said Parry, as the flames began to die down. When the fire had settled to a bed of hot ashes Tom thrust the bacon directly into the ashes, placing the coffee pot near the center, around and on top of which he heaped the ashes. It was a new method of preparing a meal, and the lads watched the process with keen interest. "I shouldn't think that bacon would be fit to eat. However, I presume you know what you are doing," said the Professor. "It's the only way, sir," replied Parry. "We have to work with the implements that nature has provided." "Nature must have been in a stingy mood when she made this country," laughed Ned. "I don't agree with you," said Tad. "It is the most beautiful and interesting scene that I have ever looked upon." Parry nodded approvingly. "And as fickle as it is beautiful," added the guide. "The supper will be ready by the time you have the table set, boys." In spite of the heat the lads realized all at once that their appetites had not suffered. Bacon, jelly and biscuits, which had been warmed over the ashes, seemed to them to have reached the proportions of a banquet. Stacy helped himself to a large slice of bacon which he proceeded to munch. No sooner had he begun, however, than he made a wry face. "What's the matter. Isn't the bacon all right?" asked the guide. "Awful! Somebody's trying to poison me," Chunky shouted, red in the face. "Must have a brown taste in your mouth,' laughed Ned. "What's the trouble----" began the Professor. "Good gracious, there is something the matter with the stuff. Ugh! Never tasted such bitter stuff. Did you purchase this meat in a reliable place, Mr. Parry!" The guide smiled good-naturedly. "The bacon is all right, sir. It's the sage brush taint that you get." "The what?" "Sage brush. The same taste will be in everything you eat out in this country--that and the alkali." "Then I starve," announced Stacy, firmly, laying down his fork and folding his arms. "Any time you starve it'll be because there is nothing to eat," retorted Ned. "You'll all get used to the taste after you have been out a few days," comforted the guide. "Never!" shouted Stacy. "I rather like the peculiar taste," smiled Tad Butler. "Good as a tonic," spoke up Walter. Thus encouraged Stacy tried it again, at first nibbling gingerly at the bacon, then attacking it boldly. Even the Professor, after a time, appeared to forget the bitterness of the food, passing his plate for more. Tom Parry smiled indulgently. "You'll all like it after a while," he nodded. "I'm sure I'll have to take back some sage brush with me to flavor my food after we leave the desert," scoffed Ned. Supper finished the dishes were cleared away, after which the party threw themselves down beside the camp-fire in keen enjoyment of the hour. The evening was delightfully cool, with not a trace of the baking heat of the day. "Doesn't seem possible that there could be such a change in the temperature in so short a time," marveled the Professor. "It is the mood of the desert," answered the guide. "What time do we start in the morning?" interrupted Tad, approaching them at that moment. "I was just about to suggest that we break camp at daylight, traveling until the sun gets hot. We can then pitch a tent or two during the middle of the day, and rest for a few hours." "Why not keep on all day?" asked the lad. "It would prove too great a strain--both on man and beast. At noon we will eat a cold lunch, as too much food in this heat is not good for us. You will find the temperature rising as you get further south, and the hardships increasing in proportion." "We shall not fall by the wayside," laughed the boy. "No; I am convinced of that. You lads are as tough as pine knots, but you will need all the endurance you have for this trip." "If we are going to turn out so early, I think you boys had better go to bed pretty soon," advised the Professor. "That's why I asked you, sir. I rather thought Mr. Parry would wish to make an early start in the morning. I'll see to the ponies; then I'll go to bed." "Never mind the ponies. I'll look after them," answered Parry. "That boy is a splendid type," he continued to the Professor, after Tad had walked away from them to notify his companions of the plans for the morrow. "They all are," answered the Professor. "Yes, I have been observing them all day. To tell the truth I was rather doubtful about the wisdom of taking a number of boys across the desert. It's bad enough for men well hardened to the work." "I trust your apprehension no longer exists," smiled the Professor. "Not a trace of it left," replied Parry, with a hearty laugh. "Young Brown handled that bucking pony splendidly this afternoon. He's a good horseman for a boy." "Master Tad is a better one. You'll agree with me if you get an opportunity to see him in any work that's worth while." "Well, good night, boys," called the Professor, as he saw the lads moving toward their tents. "Good night, Professor, sleep tight," they shouted merrily altogether. "Good night, Mr. Parry. We'll be up with the birds." "Birds," sniffed Stacy. "A tough old hen couldn't live out on this desert." In a short time the camp settled down to sleep. The guide, with a last look about and a long, comprehensive study of the sky, sought his own tent, where in a few moments he, too, was sound asleep. After a time the moon came up, in the light of which the weather-beaten tents of the Pony Rider Boys were mere specks on the vast expanse of desert. Not a sound disturbed the quiet scene. However, had any of the occupants of the little tents been awake, they might have observed a thin, fog-like film drifting across the sky from the southwest. On and on it came until finally it had blanketed the moon, casting a veil over the landscape. Other sheets of film arose from out the southwest, placing layer after layer over the fast fading moon, until finally it was obliterated altogether. The desert was working out another of its mysterious phases, but none in the camp of the Pony Riders were awake to observe it. A dense pall of blackness now hovered over the southwest. All at once a squirming streak of lightning wriggled along the horizon, like a golden serpent, losing itself by a downward plunge into the black abyss beyond the desert. The air grew suddenly hot and depressing, while a gentle breeze stirred the sage brush on the higher places. The ponies moved restlessly in their sleep, kicking out a foot now and then, as if in protest at some disturbing presence. Tad Butler, ever on the alert, roused himself, and stepping out in his pajamas took a survey of the heavens. "I guess we're going to have a storm," he muttered. "I wonder if I ought to wake Mr. Parry? He thought, this afternoon, that there was a storm brewing. Still, there's nothing he can do. The tents are staked down as securely as is possible. No, I guess I'll go back to bed." The lad did so, and after a few moments of wakefulness, dropped off into a sound sleep. A few moments later the breeze increased, picking up little patches of sand, which it hurled into the air, scattering the particles over a wide area. Far down to the southwest a low roar might have been heard, and from the blackness there a funnel-shaped cloud detached itself, starting slantingly over the desert. It appeared to be following a northerly course, more or less irregularly, and from its direction, should pass some miles to the westward of the sleeping camp. Whirling, diving, swooping here and there, lifting great patches of sand and hurling them far up into the clouds, the funnel swept on. Suddenly, when about three miles to the southwest of the camp, it seemed to pause hesitatingly; and then, as if all at once having descried the little group of tents, started swaying, tottering toward them. As it moved the disturbing roar continued to increase in volume. Tad Butler heard it now. He slipped from his tent and stood listening apprehensively. "I think that means trouble," he said to himself. The hot, oppressive air felt like a blast from an open furnace door. "It's coming this way," he continued. The lad bounded to the tent of the guide. Slipping inside he laid a hand on Parry's shoulder. The guide was up like a flash. "What is it?" he demanded sharply. "It's I, Tad Butler. I think there is a bad storm coming----" "I hear it," snapped Parry, springing from his blankets. He was out in the open in a twinkling, with Tad Butler close upon his heels. For a moment the guide stood with head inclined, listening intently. "Bad one, isn't it?" questioned the lad. "Yes." "Do you think it is coming this way?" "I can't be sure. Wait; don't wake them yet," he whispered, raising a restraining hand. "Yes, here it comes! It's a cyclone. Quick, get them out of their tents!" Almost before the words were out of his mouth the funnel swooped down into the broad sage-sprinkled draw, setting its deadly coils over the camp of the Pony Rider Boys. CHAPTER III TWISTED BY A TWISTER "Turn out!" bellowed the guide, his voice faintly heard above the roar of the storm. "Run for your lives!" piped the shrill voice of Tad Butler. "Flat on the ground, every one of you!" commanded the guide. All the warnings had come a few seconds too late. Ere the boys had awakened sufficiently to realize what was wanted of them there sounded above the roar a report like that of a cannon. The tents were lifted from over the startled Pony Riders and hurled high into the air. A cloud of sand swept over the boys like an avalanche, burying them, suffocating them, while the resistless coils of the funnel picked them out of the drift and cast them far from the spot where but a few minutes before they had been sleeping so peacefully. Above the roar they heard the shrill voice of Stacy Brown. "W-o-o-ow!" he shrieked. His voice appeared to be somewhere in the air over their heads. Blankets, trappings, together with all the other belongings of the party, shot up into the black funnel and disappeared, while the ponies strained at their tethers, floundering, kicking where they had been hurled on their backs, screaming with fright. The mad medley continued for only a few seconds, though to the unfortunate lads it seemed to have been tumbling them about for hours. As suddenly as it had appeared the funnel tore itself from the camp and went roaring off into the hills to the northward. Staggering to his feet, some distance from where he had been caught, the guide rubbed the sand from his eyes and mouth and stood gasping for breath. An impressive silence had settled over the scene. "Hallo, the camp!" he shouted when he had cleared his mouth sufficiently to enable him to do so. "Hello!" answered Tad Butler far to the right. "Are the others with you?" "I don't know." One by one the others of the party straggled to their feet, choking and coughing. As if to mock them, the moon suddenly burst forth, shedding a brilliant light over the scene which a few moments before had been the center of a whirling, devastating cyclone. Not a speck of anything save the white, glistening sand of the desert remained to mark the spot where the camp of the Pony Rider Boys had stood. They gathered shivering in their pajamas, looking fearsomely into each others' eyes, still dazed from the shock and the fright of their experience. "Wha--what was it?" stammered Walter Perkins. "A genuine twister," laughed the guide. "Twister?" questioned the Professor. "Cyclone, you mean?" "Yes." "It was awful," breathed Walter. "All our things gone, too," mourned Ned ruefully. "You should be thankful that you are alive," chided the Professor. "How about the ponies?" questioned Walter. "They're over there. More scared than hurt, I guess." "But Chunky--where's Chunky? He isn't here!" cried Tad, suddenly realizing that Stacy Brown was not with them. "Chunky?" wondered the others. "Why, I thought he was here a moment ago," said Walter in an alarmed tone. "What can have become of him?" "Probably went up with the twister," suggested Ned. "Yes, I heard his voice and it seemed to be right over my head," nodded Tad. "We must look for him." The lads set up a shout as they started running about "Better look for him that way," directed the guide, motioning in the direction that the funnel had taken after wrecking their camp. The boys spread out, calling and searching excitedly over the sand, peering into the sage brush and cactus shadows. But not a trace of Stacy Brown did they find, until they had gone some distance from camp. A faint call at last answered their hail. "Hooray! We've got him!" shouted Walter. "Where are you, Chunky?" called Tad, hurrying forward. "Here." "Are you all right?" "No, I'm dead." The boys could afford to laugh now, and they did, after calling back to the camp that they had found the missing one. Half buried in a sand drift they located him. Stacy's head and one foot were protruding above the sand, the only parts of his anatomy that were visible above the heap of white sand beneath which he had been buried. The Pony Riders could not repress a shout when they came up with young Brown and understood his predicament. "Get me out of here." "No; you're dead. You stay where you are," retorted Ned. Tad, however, grasped the foot that was sticking up through the sand, and with a mighty tug hauled Chunky right through the heap, choking, coughing and sputtering angrily, to the accompaniment of roars of laughter from his companions. Ned grabbed the boy by the collar, shaking him until the sand flew like spray. "Wake up! Wake up! How did you get here?" demanded Ned. "I--I don't know. I--I guess I fell in." "You fell up this time. That's a new trick you've developed. Well, it's safer. You won't get hurt falling up, but look out when you strike the back trail." "Wha--what happened?" asked the fat boy peevishly. "Everything," laughed Tad. "We got caught in a cyclone. We don't know whether you were rolled along with it or carried here. Which was it?" "I guess I flied," decided Stacy humorously. "But I came down so hard that it knocked all the breath out of me. Where's the camp?" The boys laughed. "Ask the wind," replied Ned. "We don't know. Come! We'd better be getting back." "Yee, I reckon there will be plenty for us to do," agreed Tad. "Can you walk all right, Chunky?" "I guess so." "Why not fly? It's easier and quicker. Chunky doesn't need a flying machine. He's the original human heavier-than-air-machine," averred Ned. The guide had by this time gathered a heap of sage brush, to which he touched a match, that they might the better examine their surroundings. "Anything left?" called Tad, as with his companions he approached the camp. "I don't see anything but the saddles and the rifles." "What, everything gone?" demanded Professor Zepplin anxiously. "It certainly looks that way." "Where's my pants?" wailed Chunky. "All 'pants' have gone up," chuckled Ned. "And so have provisions and everything else so far as I am able to observe," added Tad. "Then--then we've got to cross the desert in our pajamas," mourned Walter. They looked at each other questioningly; then the entire party burst out laughing. They were all arrayed in pink night clothes. Not a stitch of clothing beyond these pajamas did any of them have. "We must look about and see if we can find any of the stuff," decided Parry, his mind turning at once to the practical side of their predicament. "I hope we find the food at least." "Yes, I'm hungry," spoke up Stacy. "No wonder, after the shaking up you've had," agreed the Professor. "Guide, where do you think we'll find our belongings?" "You are lucky if you find them at all. More than likely they are scattered over the Diamond Range for half a dozen miles." "May--maybe it'll come back and bring our pants," suggested Chunky, at which there was a loud protest. All hands formed in line, and with the guide to pilot them, started off in their bare feet, hoping to find some of their belongings. Stacy made the first find. He picked up a can of tomatoes. Ned Rector rescued a can of pickled pigs' feet from the shadow of a sage brush, while their guide discovered a sombrero that belonged to Stacy Brown. But that was all. They traveled nearly to the foot of the mountains, yet not a scrap did they discover beyond what they already had picked up. "No use going any further," announced the guide. "Well, this is a fine predicament," decided Professor Zepplin. "Nice mess," agreed Ned Rector. "I want my pants," wailed Stacy. "You'll want more than that. Look at the guide, if you think you are in difficulties," grinned Tad. All eyes were turned on Tom Parry. Then they uttered a shout that might have been heard far off on the silent desert. The guide was clad only in a blue flannel shirt and a sombrero. He was in an even worse predicament than the party that he was guiding. Minutes passed before the boys could control their merriment sufficiently to permit a discussion of their situation. Tom Parry took their joking good-naturedly. He was too old a campaigner to be greatly disturbed over his own laughable condition. "Something must be done," announced the Professor, after the laughter had subsided. "What do you propose, Mr. Parry?" "Well, in the first place, like our friend, Master Stacy Brown, I want a pair of pants. I can't very well cross the desert in this rig." Once more their laughter drowned the voices of the guide and the Professor. "Is there no town near here where we can get a fresh outfit? I am thankful that I kept my money belt strapped about me. We should be in a tight fix, had I lost the funds, too," said the Professor. "I have been considering what is best to be done," replied Parry. "I see no other way than that we shall have to ride to Eureka. That is a railroad terminal and quite a town. I am sure we shall be able to get there all we need for our journey. It will prove a little more expensive than in a larger city, however." "No question of expense just now," answered the Professor. "Will it be necessary for all of us to go?" "I think it will be best. I don't care to leave any of the party behind. One never can tell what is going to happen, you know." "So I have observed," commented the Professor dryly. "How far is Eureka from here?" questioned Tad. "Between twenty-five and thirty miles. The town lies to the northwest. If it were not for the pack train we could make it quickly, but we shall have to move rather slowly on the burros' account." "Then why not start at once?" suggested Tad Butler. "The moon is shining brightly and the air is cool. That is, if you can find the way?" "No trouble about that," grinned Parry. "Your suggestion is a good one. We'll start just as soon as I can get ready." "I don't see anything left here to get ready," laughed Ned. "You will excuse me, gentlemen, but there is something that I shall have to get ready," replied the guide with a peculiar smile. "What's that?" demanded the Professor. "I've got to take a double reef in my shirt before I can go anywhere, except to bed." The boys shouted again. Tom Parry hurried off beyond the ponies, where he was engaged for several minutes. When he returned they discovered that he had taken off his shirt. First he had cut off the sleeves, and by thrusting his feet through the arm holes had made for himself a very substantial pair of trunks. This odd outfit he had made fast about his waist with a thong of leather that he had cut from a bridle rein. This, with the broad-brimmed sombrero, completed his outfit. The sight was too much for the Pony Rider Boys. They shouted peal after peal of merriment, in which the Professor joined, though in a somewhat more dignified manner. Tom Parry's mouth was stretched in a grin as he got busy saddling the ponies and urging the sleepy burros to their feet. "I think we are all ready now," the guide called back to the others. With many a shout and jest the strange procession started off across the desert, under the brightly shining moon, the cool evening breezes making their scanty covering none too comfortable. The boys devoted the greater part of their attention to the Professor and Tom Parry, both of whom were riding as dignifiedly as if they were leading a parade at a Fourth of July celebration. Every little while the boys, unable to contain themselves longer, would burst out into merry peals of laughter. "Hope it doesn't snow," said Stacy Brown wisely. "No," retorted Ned. "The colors in your pajamas might run." "That's where the guide has the better of us," retorted Tad a little maliciously, which brought still another laugh from the boys. "Say, fellows, this saddle is getting harder every minute," called Chunky, who was riding back and forth behind the pack train, urging on the burros. "Stand up in your stirrups now and then," suggested Tad. "What, in my bare feet?" yelled the fat boy. "Think I want to get pancake feet?" "Chunky's getting aristocratic," jeered Ned. "He's so proud of those high insteps of his that he has to take off his shoes every little while to look at his feet. He's afraid they'll cave in some time when he isn't looking." Daylight came all too soon, and following it the sun burst forth in a blaze of heat. Ahead of them across the desert they were able to make out the town of Eureka. "Say, Mr. Parry, aren't you afraid this sunlight will spoil your complexion?" called Ned. The guide grinned good-naturedly. "Never mind," he retorted. "Your turn will come pretty soon, young man." Ned Rector did not catch the significance of the remark just then, but he understood a few hours later. CHAPTER IV THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE "You are not going to ride into town in daylight, are you?" demanded Ned in surprise. Though they had sighted the town of Eureka early in the morning, it was well along in the afternoon before they finally came up with it. Desert distances are deceptive and the further they journeyed the less headway did they seem to be making. This surprised all save the guide. Parry explained to
{'title': 'The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali; Or, Finding a Key to the Desert Maze by Patchin', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}