you want me to yell that way. Well, I will," said Laddie. And he
yelled as nearly as he could like his brother.

So the two boys rode on and on, crossing the plain this way and that, so
as not to get too far from the house. They could see the ranch buildings
each time they got on top of the little knolls that were scattered here
and there over the plain.

"Let's have a race!" suggested Laddie, after a bit. "I don't guess we
are going to see any of Uncle Fred's cattle over here to make believe
they're buffaloes. Let's have a race!"

"All right!" agreed Russ. "And I don't have to give you any head start
this time, 'cause your pony's legs are going to run, and not your legs,
and your pony's legs are every bit as long as my pony's. So we can start
even."

"Yes," said Laddie, "we can start even."

They rode their ponies up alongside of each other, and got them in line.
Then Russ said:

"We'll ride to the bridge. The first one there wins the race."

"Yes," said Laddie, "we'll race to the bridge."

This bridge was one across the creek, at a place where the water was
deeper than anywhere else on Uncle Fred's ranch. The boys were told they
must not cross the bridge unless some older person was with them, and
they were not allowed to ride into the creek near the bridge because of
the deep water.

"All ready?" asked Russ of his brother, as they sat on their ponies.

"All ready, yes."

"Then go!"

"Gid-dap!" cried Laddie.

"Gid-dap!" yelled Russ.

The ponies began to trot. Russ and Laddie did not have whips, and they
would not have used them if they had had, for they loved their ponies
and were very kind to them. But they tapped the ponies with their hands
or their heels and shook the reins and called to them. This made the
ponies run almost as fast as if they had been whipped, and was a great
deal nicer. Besides, Russ and Laddie did not want to ride too fast, for
they might have fallen off.

On and on they raced. Sometimes Russ was ahead, and again Laddie would
be. But, just as they came near the bridge, the pony Russ was on slowed
up a bit. Laddie's pony kept on, and so he won the race.

"But I don't care," said Russ kindly. "After we rest a bit at the bridge
we'll have another race and I'll win that one."

"I hope you do, then we'll be even," said Laddie.

The little boys got off their ponies and looked about them. The ponies
began to eat the green grass, and Laddie and Russ were looking for a
shady plac