“Dare say you will,” replied Dismukes, “but the idea is you must remember before you get in trouble, not after. I can’t tell you when to know a burro is goin’ to trick you. I’m just givin’ you facts as to the nature of burros in general. You must study an’ learn them yourself. A man could spend his life studyin’ burros an’ then have lots to learn. Most prospectors lose half their time trackin’ their burros. It’s tryin’ to find burros that has cost many a desert man his life. An’ this is why, if you’ve chosen the desert to live in, you must learn the habits of the burro. He’s the camel of this Sahara.” With that the prospector appeared to have talked himself out for the present, and he devoted his efforts to a selection of parts of his outfit that manifestly he meant to turn over to Adam. At length having made the selection to his satisfaction, he went out to wake up the burro Jinny. As he led Jinny into camp all the other burros trooped along. “Watch me pack an’ then you try your hand on Jinny,” he said. Adam was all eyes while the prospector placed in position the old ragged pads of skins and blankets, and the packsaddles over them, to be buckled carefully. It was all comparatively easy until it came to tying the pack on with a rope in what Dismukes called a hitch. However, after Dismukes had accomplished it on three of the other burros, Adam believed he could make a respectable showing. To this end he began to pack Jinny, and did very well indeed till he got to the hitch, which was harder to tie than it looked. After several attempts he succeeded. During this procedure Jinny stood with one long ear up and the other down, as if nothing on earth mattered to her. “Carry the canteen of water yourself,” said Dismukes, as he led Adam out from under the tree and pointed west. “See where that long, low, sharp ridge comes down to the desert?... Well, that’s fifty miles. Around that point lies a wide canyon. Indians live up that canyon. They are good people. Stay with them--work for them till you learn the desert.... Now as to gettin’ there. Go slow. Rest often in the shade of ironwoods like this one. Take a good rest durin’ the middle of the day. As long as you sweat you’re in no danger. But if your skin gets dry you need to get out of the sun an’ to drink. There are several springs along the base of this range. Chocolate Mountains, they’re called. By keepin’ a sharp eye for patches of bright-green brush you’ll see where the water is. An’ don’t ever forget that water is the same as life blood.” Adam nodded solemnly as he realized how the mere thought of thirst constricted his throat and revived there a semblance of the pain he had endured. “Go slow. Maybe you’ll take two or three days to reach the Indians. By keepin’ that ridge in sight you can’t miss them.” The next move of the prospector was to take Adam around on the other side of the tree and wave his hand at the expanse of desert.