Publisher's Synopsis
THE two horses picked their way carefully downward over the loose shale of the steephillside. The big bay stallion in the lead sidled mincingly, tossing his head nervously, andflecking the flannel shirt of his rider with foam. Behind the man on the stallion a girl rode aclean-limbed bay of lighter color, whose method of descent, while less showy, was safer, forhe came more slowly, and in the very bad places he braced his four feet forward and sliddown, sometimes almost sitting upon the ground.At the base of the hill there was a narrow level strip; then an eight-foot wash, withsteep banks, barred the way to the opposite side of the cañon, which rose gently to the hillsbeyond. At the foot of the descent the man reined in and waited until the girl was safelydown; then he wheeled his mount and trotted toward the wash. Twenty feet from it he gavethe animal its head and a word. The horse broke into a gallop, took off at the edge of thewash, and cleared it so effortlessly as almost to give the impression of flying.Behind the man came the girl, but her horse came at the wash with a rush-not theslow, steady gallop of the stallion-and at the very brink he stopped to gather himself. Thedry bank caved beneath his front feet, and into the wash he went, head first.The man turned and spurred back. The girl looked up from her saddle, making a wryface."No damage?" he asked, an expression of concern upon his face."No damage," the girl replied. "Senator is clumsy enough at jumping, but no matterwhat happens he always lights on his feet.""Ride down a bit," said the man. "There's an easy way out just below."She moved off in the direction he indicated, her horse picking his way among the loosebowlders in the wash bottom.
