Their hip bones lifted above their ridged paunches, their backbones, peaked sharp above, their withers were lean and pinched looking.

In August the desert herbage has lost what little succulence it ever possessed, and the gleanings are scarce worth the walking after.
"They're pretty thin," Cash observed speculatively, as though he was measuring them mentally for some particular need.
"We'd have to grain 'em heavy till we struck better feed.

And pack light." Bud answered his thought.
"The question is, where shall we head for, Bud?
Have you any particular idea ?" Cash looked slightingly down at the assayer's report.

"Such as she is, we've done all we can do to the Burro Lode, for a year at least," he said.

"The assessment work is all done--or will be when we muck out after that last shot.