help him.

It took some time for Pan to find his roan, but when he espied her, and
pointed her out to Blinky and Gus the chase began. It was a leisurely
performance. Pan did not run Sorrel once. They headed the roan off,
hedged her in a triangle, cut her out from the other horses, and toward
the open gate. When the mare saw this avenue of escape she bolted
through it.

Pan, being the farthest from the gate, was the last to follow. And
when he rode in, to head off the furiously running roan, Gus made a
beautiful throw with his lasso, a whirling wide loop that seemed to
shoot perpendicularly across in front of her. She ran into it, and the
violent check brought her down. Blinky was almost waiting to kneel on
her head. And Gus, leaping off, hobbled her front feet. Snorting
wildly she got up and tried to leap. But she only fell. The boys
roped her again and dragged her out into the pasture.

"Aw, I don't know," sang Blinky, happily. "Two horses in two minutes!
We ain't so bad, fer cowboys out of a job."

Warming to the work they went back among the circling animals. But it
was an hour before they cut out the next choice, a dark bay horse,
inconspicuous among so many, but one that proved on close inspection to
be the best yet. Gus had the credit of first espying this one.

After that the picked horses came faster, until by noon they had ten
hobbled in the open pasture. Two of these were Pan's. He had been
hard to please.

"Wal, we'll rest the hosses an' go get some chuck," suggested Blinky.

Early afternoon found them again hard at their task. The wild horses
had not only grown tired from trooping around the corral, but also
somewhat used to the riders. That made choosing and driving and
cutting out considerably easier. Pan helped the boys with their
choices, but he had bad luck with his own. He had espied several
beautiful horses only to lose them in the throng of moving beasts.
Sometimes, among a large bunch of galloping horses, the dust made
vision difficult. But at length, more by good luck than management,
Pan found one of those he wanted badly. It was a black stallion,
medium size, with white face, and splendid proportions. Then he had to
chase him, and do some hard riding to keep track of him. No doubt
about his speed! Without heading him off or tricking him, not one of
the riders could stay near him.

"Aw, I'm sick eatin' his dust," shouted Blinky, savagely.

Whereupon both Pan and