With a half sob Virginia turned her horse’s head, planning to ride to the Slater Ranch for help, when she heard a faint moan. It seemed to come from a thorny tangle of bushes that surrounded a deep waterhole. For one terrorized moment Virginia thought that her friend might have been hurled into this stagnant well of the desert. Dismounting she ran to the spot, but, to her great relief, Margaret, although she was lying on the sand, had not been thrown into the pit. Kneeling by the side of her friend, who was pale and motionless, Virginia pleaded: “Megsy, Megsy, darling. Open your eyes and speak to me. Are you hurt?” But there was no response. “Oh, why did I permit her to ride Comrade?” Virginia rebuked herself, as she held the limp girl in her arms and tried to revive her by rubbing her hands and forehead, but still there was no sign of life. Rising, she went to the edge of the well, but the little water that was in it was covered with a green scum. What could she do? If only she could send to Slater’s for help, but she must not go herself and leave Margaret alone. She would have to send Star. It was their one hope. Going to the waiting pony, Virginia tied her bright red hair ribbon on the saddle horn and started him in the direction of the nearest ranch, but to her despair, she saw the pony wander toward a clump of wiry grass and stop to graze. At that moment, although Virginia had no way of knowing it, help was not far away. It seemed hours to Virginia, but in reality not many minutes had passed when she heard a galloping of what seemed like the feet of many horses. Leaping from the sand where she had been kneeling beside Margaret the girl stood waiting for she knew not what. The sound came from beyond a small sand hill. It might be a stampede of little wild burros, she thought, but how she did hope that this surmise was wrong, as indeed it was, for in another moment three horses appeared and the one in the lead was ridden by the Slater cow-boy known as “Slick Cy.” Meekly following were the now quieted Comrade and Star. Virginia scarcely knowing what she did in her great joy and relief, ran to meet the cow-boy with arms outstretched. “Oh, Cy! Cy!” she half sobbed, “I’m so glad you have come. Margaret has been thrown and she lies as still as though she were dead, and yet I know that she isn’t, for her heart is beating, but I can’t revive her. I’ll never go anywhere again without my canteen. Cy, what shall we do?” The bronzed, broad-shouldered cow-boy dismounted, and, looking kindly at the almost hysterical girl, he said comfortingly, “Ah reckon ah wouldn’t worry yet, Miss Virginia. If her heart’s a-goin’ ah reckon she’ll be all right.”