The Border Boys Across the Frontier

to Jack in the sand-storm and which had given them such an alarm the night before, and which doubtless, as they now viewed it in a flash of intuition, h

t forms sank to the ground with a scream that sounded almost human. The others glided off in the same direction as they

in his tone of relief, that until the great shadowy mass had

jamas striped like a barber's pole, gazing apprehensively about him. Close behind him came Ralph Stetson and Walt

ph, entirely forgetful of the fact that bears ar

made his way forward to where the great bulk that he had shot lay still and motionless on the ground. Even Jack owned t

orting in a terrified fashion, and, had it not been for their

red the stricken bulk outstretched before th

cam

ed the entire

erian camel," reiterated P

eemed. The creature that lay still before them, a bullet through it

ied Jack, hardly able to be

ut here on the New Mexican desert

sted Ralph in an undertone; but none of t

who solved

ave thought uv it afore; I've hearn about 'em often enough. This h

Who was he, or

f camels was good for transportation purposes over the Sahara desert they ought ter be just as good here. So, what does

it work?"

mule or burro. Circus Jesse, he got so blamed sore, that one fine day he turned the whole shootin' match of h

ldn't have thought the creatures would h

an' by, however, they got so wary no one could get near 'em, and, except fer a scare they'd throw inter a prospector now an

er here and regarded the Mesa as t

seldom visited, and I guess they just fig

Ralph, who had been apprised by Jack of the s

"Yer see, frum here, it would look as if they vanished inter the solid earth when they ente

a startling manner. But it was some time before Pete could sit down to a meal without being reminded of his "fire-spouting spook," which had cast such alarm into the camp the first

ad camel, nothing to interrupt the routine of survey work occurred. The mates of the dead beast h

at the summit of the mesa, "I guess that to-morrow morning we can say g

?" asked Ralph, but a howl of der

," burst out Jack, but th

for his enterprising desire to locate it, but I think that our investigations have shown that if such a river ever did e

e mesa rather aimlessly, from time to time looking sharply at the surroundings be

exclamation and pointed

eyes on something his keen vision had sighted,

-another storm

joined the other in a strangely u

by this time sighted it, too, and had come

h the exception of the short-sighted profess

ered Walt, peering eag

I should say, by the dust they'r

across that arid waste? Their destination could on

e the best of their way from the Haunted Mesa, but, not being endowed with anything more than ordinary sensibilities,

a vagrant desert air blew aside the dust-cloud and revealed several

a big one, too, and surrounded

dling as quick as possible,

s down inside the hollow altar, was hastily summoned and a

empting a flying leap over the edge of the altar in his haste

nd he was scrambling over, he gave a sharp cry an

running to the side of the

His face was white and set and beads

e ago, and in hurrying to clamber over the top

sternation. It was going to be a long and difficult task to get the pr

jacket hastily, and throwing it within, "I'll tell Coyote Pet

and Walt stood beside him. The

et the glasses,

eside them. He had the glasses in his hand, and lost no time in applying them to his eyes. He ha

, every one of you,

reason for such a command. The next instant Pete himself followed their example. Crouchin

k in a low voice, wriggli

ght the flash of sunlight on their rifles. If th

d they be doing this

seen. But I don't li

xicans, Pete, would

t on whether they are on

mea

se fellows are after no good on this side of the border. They may be some ban

professor's just injured himself so that

turned sharp

's he

or, at any rate, se

ses to his eyes. Jack saw him gnaw his moustache, as he gazed out over the desert. The dust-cloud was quite clo

quired Jack eagerly, as the cowpunc

tch," was the exp