right, riding easily, bent to the winds, their heavy
horses swinging rhythmically, their accoutrements
rattling, galloped the cavalry -- steady,
sure of themselves, well in hand. On his left,
riding furiously, without formation, dashed the
smaller group of riders -- their horses wrangling
among themselves, one or two freqiiently bucking,
all flinging forward in excited disorder. This disorder,
this evident nervousness, he feared. He
knew somehow that the first real trouble would
come from this source. He knew men to that
extent. And suddenly his fears were realized.
With the three converging lines of direction
drawing closer, and the mouth of the canyon but
a short distance away, out of this group on his
left came a nasty rifle-fire, followed by a mighty
chorus of yells. There was a result at once.
Close beside him a horse stumbled; the man
astride the horse was thrown headlong; from the
cavalrymen on his right came a single shrill,
piercing outcry -- a cry to desist! But he did not
understand this. Nor did he heed it. Galloping
forward, eyes upon the ever-nearing canyon, he at
length became grimly conscious of approaching
defeat -- of the firm and ruthless closing in upon
him from either side of the two bands. And now,
and not till now, realizing as he did that the thing
was beyond him, that he could not reach the canyon
first -- now, and not till now, though soul and
body were wrecked by exhaustion, Pat abated his
speed.

Instantly pandemonium broke loose. He heard

[[252]]

p251 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p252w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p253

v?