exclaimed joyously, "We're in Mexico now! Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico!"
As both Florence and Carlitos spoke Spanish fluently, it did not take them long to answer the questions asked by the customs officials on the Mexican side, and so they were soon permitted to drive on. They had not left the river far behind before the vegetation began to change again to the typical desert varieties, mesquite, chaparral, cacti--especially the prickly pear and many other thorn-bearing kinds. Miss Prudence expressed her opinion by saying in a disgusted tone, "Desolation itself. I never saw so much land going to waste." "But just think how fertile and productive the land is after it's irrigated," observed Florence. Miss Prudence passed over Florence's comment without a word and went on to scold about the condition of the road. "And that man called this a good road. I'd call it a series of gullies. It's practically impassable. If it should rain----" "It won't, don't worry," comforted Florence.
On account of the many washed-out places in the road, Jo Ann found that she had to drive in low gear frequently. As a result, the engine soon became overheated and steam began to pour out in jets from the radiator. "Oh, gee!" she ejaculated. "I'll have to stop now and get some water and put it in the radiator." She drew her brows together into a frown. "Where'll I get the water? We haven't a drop with us. Of all the tenderfeet, I'm the biggest and greenest." "We'll have to drive all the way back to the river--or maybe we can find a water hole down toward the river. We might walk down that gully a piece and see." Florence pointed to the deep cut leading toward the river. "All right." Jo Ann drew the car up to one side of the road and stopped. "What's the matter?" Miss Prudence called out anxiously. "Nothing except our radiator's thirsty. I'm going down here and see if I can find some water for it." She reached down and picked up a tin bucket off the floor. "Who wants to go with me?" "I'll go," Florence replied. After eying the thick thorny vegetation on all sides, Peggy shook her head. "Not I. I'd feel as if I were being electrocuted, walking through all those thorns and stickers." As Jo Ann and Florence were picking their way gingerly along the rocky gully, Jo Ann exclaimed, "Why, look! Here're some automobile tracks, and here's one that looks as if it'd been made just recently. I can't imagine anyone's being able to get much farther down here." "Nor I." When they had gone several yards farther, Jo Ann noticed that the car tracks led up the sloping left side of the gully. All at once she spied a car hidden behind some bushes up on the edge of the gully. "Look, there's the car!" she exclaimed, low-voiced, pointing to it. "Up there behind that mesquite. Looks as if someone's tried 

 Prev. P 17/101 next