One of the Packers 



forthwith mended his trails as best he 

 might, according to his "temperament." 



The last word is in quotation marks 

 because even up here we hear it too 

 often. A boy who had had several ab- 

 surd little quarrels, once made his ex- 

 cuses by telling me that he was "very 

 sensitive," and had a "quick tempera- 

 ment." So he had, too ; he had several 

 of them. 



But to return to the horses. I think 

 it evident that there has been a decided 

 gain in the last three years, both in the 

 quality of our horses and in our care of 

 them. We really get more work out of 

 our horses, too, and still they keep in 

 better shape. They cost us a good deal 

 more, though, both in purchasing price 

 and in the keeping, for everything has 

 gone away up in cost since the old 

 times. Thirty years ago we bought the 

 finest sort of mountain "mustangs" (as 

 the old-style Spanish horses were 

 called) for $5 or $10 apiece — just colts 

 from a band of wild animals. Ten 

 years ago we still bought good saddle- 

 horses for $25. At the present time we 

 pay $100, or more, and some of us think 



474 



the mustangs were better for hard 

 work. Hay and barley, too, are twice 

 as expensive as they used to be. The 

 boys draw down more pay, but not at 

 all in such a proportion as this. We 

 have fenced pastures, which help us a 

 great deal, but they are rocky and over- 

 grown with brush. Besides, the soil 

 is very poor. What is it, then, 

 that has enabled our men to improve 

 the grade of their horses a little and to 

 take better care of them ? 



I think that these things arise from 

 the increased certainty of the work, and 

 the growing interest in it which is felt 

 by the men. They are rangers now, 

 but they begin to understand that their 

 children may become trained and edu- 

 cated foresters. They feel safe in buy- 

 ing a colt and in handling him with 

 especial care ; they can even breed a 

 colt sometimes ; they are easier in mind 

 about the whole thing. 



Besides all this, our telephone lines 

 begin to save us many of those heart- 

 breaking all-night rides with worn-out 

 horses, to carry news and ask for 

 orders, at times when the poor animals 



