5. On the Run

5 On the Run The boys tied their horses to a tree near a low stone hill called Enchanted Rock. As they had collected firewood, Enchanted Rock had glowed a bright, fiery pink in the setting sun. Now the rock lurked in the dark behind their campsite. Stanley's stomach growled as he fanned the glowing embers of the campfire with his arm.

"Some Native American tribes believe Enchanted Rock is a doorway to the spirit world," Eduardo said. The light from the fire flickered on Eduardo's face. Suddenly a strange, otherworldly moaning rose up all around them, as if from the center of

the earth. "What's that?" Arthur shrieked, lifting Stanley up and hiding behind him. Eduardo laughed. "The Tonkawa tribe says it is ghosts. Scientists say it is just the sound of the rock cooling after being heated by the sun all day." "Put me down, Arthur," Stanley grumbled as he was placed on the ground. Stanley grabbed a can of beans from his pack, pulled open the top, and put the can on the fire. "Calamity Jasper says a cowboy always travels with a can of beans," he said. "Calamity Jasper? Who's that?" Eduardo wondered aloud. "We met her a while back in the Black Hills of South Dakota," said Arthur. "I singlehandedly saved her life when she was trapped in a gold mine." "You did not," Stanley said, rolling his eyes. "But she did teach us to build a campfire." Stanley smiled, thinking about her. "She's a good friend," he said simply. Stanley and the other boys talked late into the night... about bullfighting in Mexico, how many

tacos they could eat in one sitting, whether there was life on other planets, and their biggest fears. Stanley stoked the glowing coals of the fire with a stick. "There's a part of me that's getting scared to go outside on a windy day. I keep getting blown away." His friends nodded in understanding. Somehow that was all it took to make Stanley feel better. At last Arthur draped Stanley over him for warmth, and Stanley pulled a blanket over them both. "Good night, guys," Stanley said with a yawn.

The boys murmured their soft replies and drifted off to sleep. Early the next morning the boys ate some dry cereal and packed up camp. Stanley wished they could stay another night, but they had to be at the

Alamo by noon. Arthur set the alarm on his watch to make sure they wouldn't be late. Riding back to Bandera, they galloped over rocks and between cacti. They skirted a red canyon. The sun rose higher and higher. In a few hours Big Bill's Dude Ranch appeared in the distance. As they got closer, Stanley could see a group of people gathered around the porch. They were less than a hundred yards away when Stanley read a sign a girl was holding: I'M FLAT-OUT IN LOVE! His stomach sank as he realized it was a group of fans looking for him. The boys pulled Sam Houston and Davy Crockett to a stop.