The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali; Or, Finding a Key to the Desert Maze

"If this is the desert, then I think I prefer mountains," decided Stacy Brown. "It is not the desert. We have not reached it yet. This is the Diamond Range," replied Tom Parry, who was to guide the Pony Rider Boys across the great Nevada Desert. "We shall soon be there, however." "You'll know the place when you see it, Chunky," said Ned Rector. "And feel it, too, I guess," added Tad Butler under his breath. "We have the desert on each side of us now," continued the guide. "Were you to fire a rifle to the right or left, your bullet would fall on the baking alkali of the desert." "Then, if we're so near, why not get out in the open, instead of floundering through these hills?" questioned Stacy. "I'm thinking you'll wish you were back in the hills before many days," laughed the guide. "Mr. Parry has his own reasons for following this trail, Master Stacy," interposed Professor Zepplin. "We are entirely in his hands and it is not for us to question the wisdom of his decision." The guide nodded.