But his lesson in the open was not yet fully
learned. Next morning, with the other horses
astir, and with the men moving in and out of
the shack, he saw his master coming toward him.
Reaching him, the man untied the rope from the
stake, led him to the pool of water, and permitted
him to drink. Then he returned him to the open,
and there removed the rope from him entirely.
But despite this he found that he was not free
from suspicion. For now the man tied a short
rope around his fore ankles, and strode back
into the shack, leaving him, as before, to his own
devices.

Half expecting the man to return with sugar
and apples, Pat watched him take himself off with
mild anticipation. But as the man did not return
he bethought him after a time of his sterner
hunger, and took prompt step in the direction of
a tuft of grass. Instantly he felt a sharp twitch
at his ankles and fell headlong. For a moment
he lay dazed, utterly at a loss to understand,
thrashing about frantically in futile effort to regain
his feet. Then he became calm again, and
brought craftiness instead of brute force to bear
upon the trouble. He regained his feet. Then he
studied the cause of the disaster, and finally stepped
out again, cautiously now, having learned
his lesson. So he did not stumble. But he did
feel the check around his ankles again. Steadying
himself, he saw clearly the cause of his previous
discomfiture, but he did not accept it as
defeat. Casting his eyes toward the other horses,

[[170]]

p169 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p170w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p171

v?