ead, following her example with a kind of
gratitude, and fell to grazing with her, finding in her interest the one
ray of light in all the darkness of his distress and continued
disappointment. And thus he fed, keeping with her to the limits of his
tether, until, soon after the candlelight had whisked out in the shack,
she lay down in the yielding sand with a restful sigh. Pat understood
this, but he regarded it with uncertainty, knowing that he himself with
the coming of night always had protection in a stable. Then, deciding
that it was right and fitting, especially as the sorrel also sank into
the sand, he himself bent his knees and lay down to rest in the warmth
of the desert.

But his lesson in the open was not yet fully learned. Next morning, with
the other horses astir, and with the men moving in and out of the shack,
he saw his master coming toward him. Reaching him, the man untied the
rope from the stake, led him to the pool of water, and permitted him to
drink. Then he returned him to the open, and there removed the rope from
him entirely. But despite this he found that he was not free from
suspicion. For now the man tied a short rope around his fore ankles, and
strode back into the shack, leaving him, as before, to his own devices.

Half expecting the man to return with sugar and apples, Pat watched him
take himself off with mild anticipation. But as the man did not return
he bethought him after a time of his sterner hunger, and took prompt
step in the direction of a tuft of grass. Instantly he felt a sharp
twitch at his ankles and fell headlong. For a moment he lay dazed,
utterly at a loss to understand, thrashing about frantically in futile
effort to regain his feet. Then he became calm again, and brought
craftiness instead of brute force to bear upon the trouble. He regained
his feet. Then he studied the cause of the disaster, and finally stepped
out again, cautiously now, having learned his lesson. So he did not
stumble. But he did feel the check around his ankles again. Steadying
himself, he saw clearly the cause of his previous discomfiture, but he
did not accept it as defeat. Casting his eyes toward the other horses,
he awoke to the fact that they, as well as himself, were hobbled.
Watching them, studying them, he finally saw one rear, strike out with
his front legs, and draw his hind legs up to meet the advance. So that
was it! He now knew what he himself must do. Feeling out his hobbles
carefully, g