that he sank upon the cool rock even before tne
men could clear themselves from him, and lay
there on his side, his eyes closed, his lungs greedily
sucking air.

The glare of full daylight aroused him. Regaining
his feet, he stared about him. He saw
many strange-looking men, and near them many
dirty and bedraggled horses. He turned his eyes
outward from the ledge. He saw around him
bristling peaks, and below them, far below, a
trailing canyon, winding in and out among hills
toward the rising sun, and terminating in a giant
V, beyond which, a connecting thread between its
sloping sides, lay an expanse of rolling mesa. It
was far from him, however -- very, very far -- and
he grew dizzy at the view, finding himself more
and more unnerved by the height. At length he
turned away and swept his eyes again over the
horses, where he was glad to find the rangy sorrel.
Then he turned back to the men, some of whom
were standing, others squatting, but all in moody
silence.

As he looked he grew aware that a pair of dark
eyes were fixed upon him. He stared back, noting
the man's long hair and painted features and the
familiar glow of admiration in his eyes. Believing
him to be his new master, he continued to regard
him soberly until the man, with a grunt and
a grimace, rose and approached him. Pat stood
very still under a rigid examination. The man
rubbed his ankles, turned up his hoofs, looked at
his teeth; and at the conclusion of all this Pat felt

[[243]]

p242 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p243w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p244

v?