him go. They could not
afford to lose any precious second over this job. Time was too badly
needed.

The parade, as Blinky had called it, made only a few miles an hour, and
sometimes this advance was not wholly in the right direction.
Nevertheless the hours seemed to fly. There was no rest for horses or
men. The afternoon had begun to wane before the horses had all made up
their minds that fighting and plunging was of no avail. Weary,
exhausted, suffering from the bound up legs, they at last surrendered.
Whereupon Blinky and Gus cut their feet loose. Sometimes the whole
bunch would have to be held up for one horse that, upon release, could
not use his freed foot. Pan had an idea the horses did not want that
tried on them twice. They showed intelligence. This method was not
breeding the horses for saddle and bridle, which was of course the main
consideration to come, but it certainly tamed them. It was a little
too cruel for Pan to favor.

"Wal, we'll shore be lucky if we make Snyder's pasture tonight,"
remarked Blinky. "No hope of makin' Marco."

Pan had never expected to do so, and therefore was not disappointed.
His heart seemed so full and buoyant that he would not have minded more
delay. Indeed he rode in the clouds.

The pass proved to be longer than it looked, but at last the drove of
horses was headed into the wide flat country toward the west. And soon
trail grew into road. The sunset dusk mantled the sweeping prairielike
valley, and soon night fell, cool and windy. The wild horses slowed to
a walk and had to be driven to do that. Pan felt that he shared their
thirst.

When at about ten o'clock, Blinky espied through the gloom landmarks
that indicated the pasture he was seeking, it was none too soon for Pan.

"Water an' grass heah, but no firewood handy," announced Blinky, as
they turned the horses into the pasture. "Fellar named Snyder used to
ranch heah. It didn't pay. This little pasture is lucky fer us. I
was heah not long ago. Good fence, an' we can round up the bunch easy
in the mawnin'."

The weary riders unpacked the outfit, took a long deep drink of the
cold water, and unrolling their tarps went supperless to bed. Pan's
eyes closed as if with glue and his thoughts wavered, faded.

Pan's father was the first to get up, but already the sun was before
him. Pan saw him limp around, and leave the pasture to return with an
armful of fire wood.

"Pile out!" he yelled. "It's