"We can rinse out our mouths with it an'
clean out our eyes an' wash our faces, an' do the same for the horses,
but we can't swallow not even a drop of it, or us an' the angels will be
swappin' experiences about this time tomorrow." He turned to Alice:
"Ladies first. Just take your handkerchief an' wet it an' swab out your
mouth an' when you're through there's a good drink of real water waitin'
for you in the flask."
When she had done, the three men followed her example, and the Texan
tendered the bottle:
"Take all you need, there's plenty," he said. But she would take only a
swallow which she held in her mouth and allowed to trickle down her
throat. Endicott did the same and Bat, whereupon the cowboy replaced the
cork to the bottle and was about to return it to his slicker when the
girl caught his arm.
"You didn't drink any!" she cried, but he overrode her protest.
"I ain't thirsty," he said almost gruffly. "You better catch you a
little rest, because as soon as we get these horses fixed up, we're goin'
to pull out of here." The girl assayed a protest, but Tex turned
abruptly away and the three fell to work removing the caked dust from the
eyes and nostrils of the horses, and rinsing out their mouths. When they
finished, Tex turned to Bat.
"How far d'you reckon it is to the water-hole?" he asked.
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