“Have you forgotten how I urged you to eat something, and you finally took a dry crust?” “Yes; I don’t remember a thing about it. But I do remember the dreams I had. I was in swimming most of the time, and it was always down in Mexico, in the Conchos River. Gee, but it was fine!” “If it was so fine I don’t see why you made such a rumpus.” “I suppose I was swimming hard, and splashing around.” “I didn’t observe much splashing. It was a mighty dry swim.” And Sidney laughed rather ruefully. “Do you know what the date is, Sid?” “No, I haven’t the least idea, and I don’t believe I could figure it out, after all we have done.” “Do you suppose it’s September yet?” “September,” repeated Sidney thoughtfully; “maybe it is. I should think it might be December.” The boys had by that time finished their supper, and Sidney carefully packed away the bread and cheese that was left. Then they stretched out on the sand, beginning to feel quite like themselves again. “I wish I knew where father is,” said Sidney. “He may be back in New York by this time.” “Oh, I don’t think he can be,” exclaimed Sidney. Then, after a moment of reflection, “Still, he may be, too. I hope he is.” “Are you sorry we started out the way we did?” asked Raymond. “Well, I don’t know,” replied Sidney. “If we had known the Russian Government was going to be so good to Americans, we might have waited in Nizhni-Novgorod. But we did what we thought was the best thing.” “Gee! but that was a long time ago,” said Raymond. “If we had only been able to send a message to mother! She must have had a tough time waiting in New York after she knew about the war.” “Yes; I feel worse about that than anything else.” And there was a suspicion of moisture in Sidney’s eyes. “Poor mother! I suppose we ought not to have insisted on coming when she was so opposed to it.” “But who could have imagined there would be such a war? Even mother thought we should be safe from war over here. And father wanted to come, too.” “Well, father is about as much of a boy as we are.” “This is the toughest proposition we were ever up against, Sid.” “It certainly is, and after we are over the mountains we don’t know what we’ll strike on the other side.” “Maybe America will join in the war by that time, and we’ll be arrested as spies.” “That couldn’t be,” said Sidney. “If America goes in she’ll be on the side of England and France and Russia. So I think we’ll be safe till we reach the Black Sea; then there’s no knowing what Turkey may do to us.” “It would sure be a comfort to know what’s going on.” As Raymond spoke, the boys heard voices, and peering around the corner of rock they saw two horsemen cantering down the cañon. “I’m glad we had sense to hide,” said Raymond, as they watched the men. “I should think those fellows would swelter in their long coats and those awful woolly caps.”