Perhaps we'll come to a brook." But they walked on considerably further without seeing any brook, or even a farmhouse where they might stop for a drink of water.

But when they were about half a mile from Pelton, King saw a little bridge off toward the right, and exclaimed, "That bridge must be over water of some sort.
If you want to, Midget, we can go over and see if it's clean enough to drink." "Come on, then; it won't take long, and I'm 'most choked to death." They walked across an intervening field, and came to the little bridge which did cross a small but clear and sparkling brook.
"What can we drink out of ?" asked Midget.
"Have to drink out of our hands, I guess; wish we had a cup or something.
Oh, look at that man!" Midget looked in the direction King pointed, and saw a man seated on the ground, busily working at something which seemed to be made of long rushes of reeds.
"He's making a basket," cried King, greatly interested.

"Let's go and look at him." They trotted over to the man, and King said, politely, "Is that a basket you're making, sir ?" "Yes," came the answer in a gruff voice, and when the man looked up at them, they saw he was a strange-looking person indeed.

His complexion was dark, his coarse black hair rather long, and his black eyes had a shrewd expression, but were without kindliness.

"What do you want ?" he said, still in his gruff voice.
"We don't want anything p'ticular," said Marjorie, who did not wish to be intrusive; "we did want a drink of water out of the brook, but we had nothing to drink from, and then we saw you building a basket, and we just came over to look at you.