rest.

At twilight of the third day, when Ramona saw Alessandro leading up
Baba, saddled ready for the journey, the tears filled her eyes. At noon
Alessandro had said to her: "To-night, Majella, we must go. There is not
grass enough for another day. We must go while the horses are strong. I
dare not lead them any farther down the canon to graze, for there is
a ranch only a few miles lower. To-day I found one of the man's cows
feeding near Baba."

Ramona made no remonstrance. The necessity was too evident; but the
look on her face gave Alessandro a new pang. He, too, felt as if exiled
afresh in leaving the spot. And now, as he led the horses slowly up, and
saw Ramona sitting in a dejected attitude beside the nets in which were
again carefully packed their small stores, his heart ached anew. Again
the sense of his homeless and destitute condition settled like an
unbearable burden on his soul. Whither and to what was he leading his
Majella?

But once in the saddle, Ramona recovered cheerfulness. Baba was in
such gay heart, she could not be wholly sad. The horse seemed fairly
rollicking with satisfaction at being once more on the move. Capitan,
too, was gay. He had found the canon dull, spite of its refreshing
shade and cool water. He longed for sheep. He did not understand this
inactivity. The puzzled look on his face had made Ramona laugh more than
once, as he would come and stand before her, wagging his tail and fixing
his eyes intently on her face, as if he said in so many words, "What
in the world are you about in this canon, and do not you ever intend to
return home? Or if you will stay here, why not keep sheep? Do you not
see that I have nothing to do?"

"We must ride all night, Majella," said Alessandro, "and lose no time.
It is a long way to the place where we shall stay to-morrow."

"Is it a canon?" asked Ramona, hopefully.

"No," he replied, "not a canon; but there are beautiful oak-trees. It
is where we get our acorns for the winter. It is on the top of a high
hill."

"Will it be safe there?" she asked.

"I think so," he replied; "though not so safe as here. There is no such
place as this in all the country."

"And then where shall we go next?" she asked.

"That is very near Temecula," he said. "We must go into Temecula, dear
Majella. I must go to Mr. Hartsel's. He is friendly. He will give me
money for my father's violin. If it were not for that, I would never go
near the place again."

"I would