"I was getting away from -- from -- Oh, well,
it don't -- don't make any difference." The fellow
was silent. "I needed a -- a horse," he continued,
finally. "My own -- the third since -- since -- my
own had played out. I was near a ranch, and -- and
it was night, and I -- I seen a corral with a
horse standing in it -- a gray. It was moonlight.
I -- I got the gate open, and I -- I roped him, and -- He
interrupted himself, was upon one elbow again.
"It was a stallion -- a cross-bred, maybe -- and -- and
say, friend, he rode me to death! I got on
him before I knowed what he was. Bareback.
He shot out of that corral like he was crazy. But
I -- I managed to hold -- hold to him and -- if he'd
only bucked me off! But he didn't. He just
raced for it -- tore across the country like a cyclone.
He rode me to death, a hundred miles, I bet, without
a stop. And I held on -- couldn't let go -- was
afraid to let go." He was silent. "Are you
--?? you dead sure, friend, that was your horse?"

Stephen again reassured him, realizing the fear
upon the man and now understanding it. But he
said nothing.

"And then somewhere off here he throwed me,"
went on the man. "But he -- he was a raving
maniac. He turned on me before I could get up,
and bit and kicked and trampled me till I didn't
know nothing -- was asleep, or something. When
I came to -- woke up -- he was still hanging around.
He's around here yet! I heard him all day -- yesterday!
He's off there to the east somewheres. He's
-- he's looking for me. I kept still whenever I'd

[[266]]

p265 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p266w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p267

v?