into arroyo, across the level--around him
thundering hoofs, panting horses, silent men, all speeding forward in
the glorious moonlight. It was a strange awakening, yet he had not
entertained thoughts of rebellion, despite the fact that he had not
liked the flaying rope, the soft digging heels, the absence of bridle
and saddle. It was strange; it was not right. None of it had checked up
with any item of his experience. Yet, oddly enough, he had not rebelled.

Nor was he harboring thoughts of rebellion now. Racing onward, smarting
with each swing of the lash, he found himself somehow interested solely
in holding his own with the other horses. Suddenly, alert to their
movements, he saw a cleft open in their surging ranks, made by the fall
of an exhausted horse. Yet the others did not stop. They galloped on,
unheeding, though he himself was jerked up. Then followed a swift
exchange of words, and then the unhorsed man mounted behind Pat's new
master. Carrying a double load now, Pat nevertheless dashed ahead at his
former speed, stumbling with his first steps, but soon regaining his
stride and overtaking the others. And though it cost him straining
effort, he felt rewarded for his pains when one of the men uttered a
grunt which he interpreted as approval. But it was all very strange.

A canyon loomed up on his left. He had hardly seen the black opening
when he was swung toward it. He plunged forward with the other horses,
and was the first to enter the canyon's yawning mouth. Between its high
walls, however, he found himself troubled by black shadows. Many of them
reached across his path like projections of rock, and more than once he
faltered in his stride. But after passing through two or three in safety
he came at length to understand them and so returned to his wonted
self-possession.

But he was laboring heavily now. His heart was jumping and pounding, his
breath coming in gasps, but he held to the trail, moving ever deeper
into the hills, until he burst into a basin out of which to the right
led a narrow canyon. Then he slowed down and, turning into the canyon,
which wound and twisted due north and south in the bright moonlight, he
continued at a slower pace. But his heart no longer was in the task. The
weight on his back seemed heavier; there was a painful swelling of his
ankles. He knew the reason for this pain. It had come from unwonted
contact with hard surfaces and frequent stepping on loose stones in this
strang