at him. He
was grazing. He had lost some of the dirt and dust and the bedraggled
appearance. When he caught sight of her he lifted his head high and
whistled. How wild he looked! And his whistle was shrill, clear,
strong. Both the other horses answered it. Lucy went on closer to
Wildfire. She was fascinated now.

"If he doesn't know me!" she cried. Never had she been so pleased. She
had expected every sign of savageness on his part, and certainly had
not intended to go near him. But Wildfire did not show fear or hate in
his recognition. Lucy went directly to him and got a hand on him.
Wildfire reared a little and shook a little, but this disappeared
presently under her touch. He held his head very high and watched her
with wonderful eyes. Gradually she drew his head down. Standing before
him, she carefully and slowly changed the set of the hackamore, which
had made a welt on his nose. It seemed to have been her good fortune
that every significant move she had made around this stallion had been
to mitigate his pain. Lucy believed he knew this as well as she knew
it. Her theory, an often disputed one, was that horses were as
intelligent as human beings and had just the same fears, likes, and
dislikes. Lucy knew she was safe when she untied the lasso from the
strong root where she had fastened it, and led the stallion down the
wash to a pool of water. And she stood beside him with a hand on his
shoulder while he bent his head to sniff at the water. He tasted it,
plainly with disgust. It was stagnant water, full of vermin. But
finally he drank. Lucy led him up the wash to another likely place, and
tied him securely.

When she got back to the camp in the cedars the rider was there, on his
knees, kindling the fire. His clean-shaved face and new apparel made
him vastly different. He was young, and, had he not been so gaunt, he
would have been fine-looking, Lucy thought.

"Wildfire remembered me," Lucy burst out. "He wasn't a bit scary. Let
me handle him. Followed me to water."

"He's taken to you," replied the rider, seriously. "I've heard of the
like, but not so quick. Was he in a bad fix when you got to him
yesterday?"

Lucy explained briefly.

"Aha! ... If that red devil has any love in him I'll never get it. I
wish I could have done so much for him. But always when he sees me
he'll remember."

Lucy saw that the rider was in difficulties. He could not bend his
back, and evidently it pained him to try. His brow wa