he captain had been wont to sanction a
slackening of the pace, but no such grace was allowed him. On the
contrary, when the first symptom appeared of a desire to reduce speed
Jake drove his cruel spurs into the charger's glossy side. With a wild
snort and bound the horse stretched out again and spurned the ground as
if in indignant surprise.

Then the breath began to labour slightly; the sweat to darken his rich
brown coat, and the white foam to fleck his broad chest. Still Jake
pressed him on with relentless fury. It could not be expected that a
man who cared not for his fellows would have much consideration for his
beast. Murder of a deeper dye than that of a horse was seething in the
outlaw's brain. This to him useless expedition, which had so nearly
cost him his life, would be the last that Buck Tom should command.
After blowing out _his_ brains he would warn the others of the impending
danger and lead them away to other and more favourable fields of
enterprise.

At this point the good horse stumbled and almost threw his rider, who,
with horrible curses, plied the spurs and tugged at the bit until blood
was mingled with the flying foam. Never, save once--when Captain Wilmot
was caught alone in the plains by Cheyenne Indians and had to fly for
his life--had the good charger been urged to anything like such an
effort as he was now called on to make, and _then_ there was no cruelty
mingled with the urging. The very tone of his master's voice, as he
patted the neck and shook the rein and gently touched him with the spur,
must have convinced the intelligent creature that it was a matter of
life or death--that there was a stern need-be for such haste.

Turning at last into the gorge of the Trap, the charger gasped and
sobbed with distress as he faced the steep ascent and tried, with the
unabated courage of a willing heart, to pull himself together while the
unmerciful monster still drove in the spurs and galled his tender mouth.
But the brave effort was unavailing. Stumbling over a root that
crossed the path, the horse plunged forward, and fell with a crash,
sending his rider over his head. Jake, alighting on his face and right
shoulder, lay stunned for a few seconds. Then he jumped up, displaying
torn garments and a face covered with blood.

Running to the horse's head he seized the rein and shook it savagely,
kicking the animal's face with his heavy boots in his anxiety to make it
rise, but the poor charg