Spring before midnight
When the sun rose Dick had travelled , as nearly as he could estimate , over three miles of desert ; and his courage increased with the knowledge that one-fifth of the distance across the sands had already been traversed . At the end of the next hour he said to himself that he must be nearly midway on the road of sand ; and although the labor of walking was most severe , his heart was very light . `` Once across , I 'll push on as fast as any fellow can walk , '' he said aloud , as if the sound of his own voice gave him cheer . `` By making an extra effort I ought to be in Antelope Spring before midnight , and have plenty of time to sleep between now and morning . Half a day there to sell the rifle , an ' buy what is needed , an ' by sunset I should be at the edge of the desert again , ready to make this part of the tramp after dark . '' He walked quickly , and like one who intends to go but a short distance . The forty-five-mile tramp seemed to him but a trifle as compared with what was to be gained by the making of it .