k knees."

"Break his knees?" I said. "Yes, I should think he would! Can you
find the way back to the track?"

"Um! No. All thick; all dark. Come back little way. Sit down and
wait."

It was good counsel, and I sat fast--rather nervously, though--while
Joeboy backed the horse. And I had cause for my nervous sensation. In
fact, what followed proved that, in the darkness and confusion caused by
our ignorance, Joeboy backed the horse along the edge of the precipice
instead of right away from it; for there was a sudden slip, and one of
Sandho's hind-legs went down, making the poor beast give a frantic
plunge which nearly unseated me and drove Joeboy backwards. Then, as
the horse leaped up again, he made three or four bounds before standing
snorting and trembling; while I heard the rush and rattle of the
dislodged stones as they went hurtling down into the gorge.

"Um! Mustn't try any more," said Joeboy coolly as he took hold of
Sandho's bridle again, and petted and caressed the poor beast till he
was calm once more.

"He'll stand now," I said, rather huskily, as I mastered a strong desire
to get down. "Feel round for this edge, Joeboy, and find out which is
the safe way to go."

"Um!" grunted the black; and after giving Sandho a final pat on the
neck, he went down on all-fours and crawled away through the darkness so
silently that at the end of a few minutes I began to feel alarmed,
wondering whether he had made some terrible slip and gone over.

It was vain to argue with myself, for the shock I had received when the
horse slipped had not passed away. No doubt my previous experiences had
weakened me, and made me less able to fight against what was a very
ordinary trouble for a mountain rider.

Another five minutes passed away--minutes which seemed terribly
prolonged as I sat there in the darkness knowing I dared not stir, and
convinced that we must be upon a projecting bracket of rock whose shape
I could mentally picture, with only one narrow pathway off, and that
hidden by the mist. At last I could bear it no longer, and, leaning
forward to try and penetrate the darkness beyond the horse's head, I
called twice:

"Joeboy! Joeboy!"

"Joeboy here, Boss," came from behind me, and I uttered a sigh of relief
as the great fellow seemed to rise up close by and laid his hand upon my
arm.

"Where have you been?" I said in a querulous, excited way.

"Where, Boss Val say? Go all round. Better stop til