The Pony Rider Boys in the Ozarks Part 24

They could not imagine what had happened.

"Slap him on the back, he's choking," shouted Ned.

Walter Perkins, by this time, was laughing immoderately, while his companions were jolting Stacy between the shoulders and shaking him violently.

"Stop pounding me, d'ye hear? Stop it, I tell you," cried Stacy, wriggling from their grasp, red of face, an expression of great indignation in his eyes.

"Did you swallow a bone?" queried Ned.

"Bone nothing."

"Then, please tell us the cause of all this unseemly disturbance.

Your table manners are about the worst I ever saw, Stacy Brown."

"Water," gasped Stacy.

"Here," twinkled Walter, pa.s.sing the pail.

"What's the matter with the water?" demanded Ned.

"Somebody's been putting old eggs in it. I believe you did that, Ned Rector, just to tease me."

Ned did not understand what the fat boy meant.

"Here, pa.s.s that pail. Is there anything the matter with that water, Walt? You got it."

"I think it is thoroughly good, wholesome water," replied Walter, holding his head low over his plate that they might not observe his amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Ned, after tasting the liquid. He hurled the remaining contents of the cup full into the camp-fire.

"I told you so," nodded Stacy solemnly. "It's eggs and they weren't laid yesterday, either."

"You're right. Walt, where did you get that awful stuff?"

Tad and Walter were both drinking deeply of the liquid and apparently enjoying it.

"From the spring," gasped Walter, placing his cup on the ground.

"Don't drink that stuff. It'll make you all sick," commanded Ned.

"Don't be silly. That water is all right," laughed Tad.

"All right? Call that all right?" demanded Ned.

"Call that all right?" echoed Chunky.

"Of course it is. It is mineral water--sulphur water," spilling over his clothes the contents of the cup that he was carrying to his lips.

Walter was laughing so that he finally let go of the cup itself and rolled over on his side, shouting with merriment.

"You can have it," announced Ned firmly.

"Yes, all of it," added Chunky. "I'll take my eggs hard boiled after this."

"Drink it. It will do you good, Chunky," urged Tad.

"No, thank you. I wouldn't offer it to a mule."

"So I see," flung back Ned, with a malicious little grin appearing in the corners of his mouth. "But speaking of mules, I wonder if it has occurred to anyone that our mules might be wanting a drink, too."

"Haven't they had any water to-day?" asked Tad.

"Haven't seen them drink since we left Springfield."

"Why, of course they have had water every day. They could not live without it."

"If they're like me they could--if they had to drink egg water,"

grumbled Stacy amid a loud laugh from his companions.

"I'll attend to them right after supper," decided Tad. "But just now we had better talk over our own situation. It is plain that something has happened to the Professor. How much longer will our provisions last, Ned?"

"Well, on a rough guess, I should say not beyond to-morrow."

"Then I should say in the first place that it would be wise to put the outfit on half rations beginning to-morrow morning--"

"No, no, no," protested Chunky, springing up and waving his plate excitedly.

"You won't have anything before you know it, young man," warned Ned.

"Yes, but we may have to stay here a week, if the Professor does not return. I do not see what good it will be to begin starving us until it is necessary," objected Walter.

"It will be necessary to-morrow," replied Tad.

"And after to-morrow what?"

"I shall hope to have some provisions here by that time, Ned."

Ned Rector laughed.

"Yes, I can almost see it now. How do you propose to get them, may I ask?"

"Go after them."

"Where?" queried Walter.

"Red Star mining camp. It cannot be so very far from here."

"Going to drag the mules after you?" asked Ned in a half sarcastic tone.

"No, I'm going on foot."