voices became excited and rose to vehement
heights. But presently they subsided when Pat
himself, anxious to be active, sounded a note of
protest. Yet the argument proved to his benefit.
Instead of mounting him behind his master, the
odd man swung up behind another man on the
sorrel. Then he was permitted to move forward,
and as he approached the narrow defile lie sounded
another nicker, now of gratification.

The pass dropped almost sheer in places. As
he descended, more than once he was compelled
to slide on stiffened legs. In this at first he felt
ecstatic danger thrills. But only at first. Soon
he wearied of it, and he was glad when he struck
the bottom, where, after being guided out of
shadow and into broad moonlight, he found himself
moving to the west in a deep canyon. With the
other horses he burst into a canter, and continued
at a canter hour after hour, following the winding
and twisting canyon until daylight, with its shadows
creeping away before him, revealed to his tired
eyes a stretch of mesa ahead, dotted with inviting
clumps of bunch-grass. Then of his own volition
he came to a stop and fell to grazing. Soon all
the horses were standing with mouths to earth,
feeding eagerly.

The men, sitting for a time in quiet conversation,
finally dismounted, laughing now and then,
and casting amused glances toward the black horse.

Soon they mounted again to take the trail.
Instead of riding with the other on the sorrel, the
odd man swung up on Pat's back behind his

[[246]]

p245 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p246w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p247

v?