FIGTREE JOHN TO BOREGO SPRINGS 191 



"No." "I'll tell you then. It's twenty-five miles to 

 Seventeen Palms, and when you get there you can't 

 drink the water. Then it's a good twelve more to 

 Borego Springs, and five more to Borego Valley. 

 Now, do you think the two of you can make nearly 

 forty miles on that can of water?" 



My youngster was visibly impressed as I rubbed 

 in the water question, and now asked what I thought 

 they had better do. In reply to my question of what 

 had started them on this wild errand he opened up 

 and explained that his father "knowed a feller" 

 who had taken up land in Borego Valley, and they 

 were going there to work for him. Had reached Fish 

 Springs last evening, camped, and in the morning 

 started on, carrying the pitiful little pail of water. 

 Got a few miles along, water half gone; met two 

 Mexicans, who were thirsty and drank the rest of 

 the water; felt tired and hot, so went down to the 

 lake and had a bath and drank a lot of the water. 

 Felt bad and guessed they'd come back to Fish 

 Springs to camp for the night. 



"Now," I said, "there's just one thing for you 

 boys to do, and I want to see you start to do it. Roll 

 up your blanket and things and start back for home. 

 I'll give you a note to the people at the Oasis 

 Ranch, and they'll see that you have something to 

 eat and a place to sleep. Then get back to Indio as 

 soon as you can, and never do such a foolhardy 

 thing again. It's a thousand to one you'd have got 

 lost and died out there if you 'd gone on. Will you do 

 what I say?" They promised. 



It was Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn to the 



