te about it than
humans."

"Nachelly," snapped the lean man, glaring savagely across the fire at
the other. "But that ain't tellin' us what ails the black," he went on,
dropping the subject of the white and taking up with the symptoms of the
black, evidently through perverseness. "He's solemn and dumpish," he
declared, thoughtfully, "like he might have distemper. But he 'ain't got
distemper. And his teeth ain't sharp, yet he don't eat at all. And I
can't see anything the matter with his insides."

"Did you look?" inquired the Professor, innocently, but with a quick
wink at Stephen.

"Yes, I--" began the lean man, only to check himself with an angry
snort. Then he shifted the topic again, reverting to the case of old
Tom. "That white hoss'll about push that matter to a finish," he
declared. "See if what I say don't pan out! Tom he'll just about obey
that law o' nature which animals has knowed from long before the ark,
but which us humans is just gettin' a hold on. He'll remove the
cause--old Tom will--or get himself removed. He ain't nobody's fool--nor
never was!" And he rested his eyes significantly upon the Professor.

The Professor was busy, however. He had pulled a deck of cards from his
hip pocket, and now was riffling them with pointed interest. Directly he
began to deal them around, carefully overlooking the lean man as he did
so. But the latter, dropping over upon one elbow, permitted the game to
proceed without offering objection to the oversight, a peculiar one,
since he was in the full glare of the fire.

That argument was closed.

But next morning Pat received unexpected attention. His young master
approached him, looped a rope around his neck, and gave the end to the
large man, who mounted the white. Then the lean man bridled and saddled
the sorrel for the young man, who evidently was unable conveniently to
do these things with his one hand. After this he loaded Pat with the
extra saddles and bridles, and thus they set out. It was a not
unfavorable change, and Pat, while harboring mixed emotions, since he
now was trailing along behind the white, yet found himself in a lighter
mood. Feeling little jealousy of the white, however, he soon forgot the
changed relations, finding in his own position a new viewpoint upon the
cavalcade which was interesting. For now he could survey the whole
squad, five horses of varied size and action, and this, as he studied
the individual gait of each, was not without its p