He put down the canteen half empty and took another from the heap. It,
too, proved to be filled, and he hung it around neck and shoulder by the
strap provided for that purpose. He could have found no more precious
object for the dry regions through which he intended to make his
journey.
Ned went back toward the pyramid, but his joy over finding the water
made him a little careless. Great fragments of stone lay about
everywhere, and his foot slipped on a piece of black basalt. He fell and
the metal of his canteen rang against the stone.
He sprang to his feet instantly, but the sentinel had taken the alarm
and as Ned's sombrero had slipped back he saw the fair face. He knew
that it was the face of no Mexican, and shouting "Gringo!" he fired
straight at him. Luckily, haste and the darkness prevented good aim,
although he was at short range. But Ned felt the swish of the bullet so
close to him that every nerve jumped, and he jumped with them. The first
jump took him half way to the pyramid and the next landed him at its
base. There the second nearest sentinel fired at him and he heard the
bullet flatten itself against the stone.
Fortunately for Ned, the silent, thoughtful lad, he had often tried to
imagine what he would do in critical junctures, and now, despite the
terrible crisis, he was able to take control of his nerves.
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