n the doorstep, and fired it. They thought
they heard something moving, and it might be an Indian; so he fired.
That was what kept me so long."

Just at this moment Baba tripped over some small object on the ground.
A few steps farther, and he tripped again. "There is something caught
round his foot, Alessandro," said Ramona. "It keeps moving."

Alessandro jumped off his horse, and kneeling down, exclaimed, "It's a
stake,--and the lariat fastened to it. Holy Virgin! what--" The rest of
his ejaculation was inaudible. The next Ramona knew, he had run swiftly
on, a rod or two. Baba had followed, and Capitan and the pony; and there
stood a splendid black horse, as big as Baba, and Alessandro talking
under his breath to him, and clapping both his hands over the horse's
nose, to stop him, as often as he began whinnying; and it seemed hardly
a second more before he had his saddle off the poor little Indian pony,
and striking it sharply on its sides had turned it free, had saddled
the black horse, and leaping on his back, said, with almost a sob in his
voice: "My Majella, it is Benito, my own Benito. Now the saints indeed
have helped us! Oh, the ass, the idiot, to stake out Benito with such a
stake as that! A jack rabbit had pulled it up. Now, my Majella, we will
gallop! Faster! faster! I will not breathe easy till we are out of this
cursed valley. When we are once in the Santa Margarita Canon, I know a
trail they will never find!"

Like the wind galloped Benito,--Alessandro half lying on his back,
stroking his forehead, whispering to him, the horse snorting with joy:
which were gladder of the two, horse or man, could not be said. And
neck by neck with Benito came Baba. How the ground flew away under their
feet! This was companionship, indeed, worthy of Baba's best powers.
Not in all the California herds could be found two superber horses
than Benito and Baba. A wild, almost reckless joy took possession of
Alessandro. Ramona was half terrified as she heard him still talking,
talking to Benito. For an hour they did not draw rein. Both Benito
and Alessandro knew every inch of the ground. Then, just as they had
descended into the deepest part of the canon, Alessandro suddenly reined
sharply to the left, and began climbing the precipitous wall. "Can you
follow, dearest Majella?" he cried.

"Do you suppose Benito can do anything that Baba cannot?" she retorted,
pressing on closely.

But Baba did not like it. Except for the stim