62 SADDLE AND CAMP 



he was nowhere to be seen. An examination of 

 the tracks disclosed the fact that he had prob- 

 ably only tarried the previous night sufficiently 

 long for us to fall comfortably asleep, and then 

 without danger of detection had turned into the 

 canon and made off. 



While John prepared breakfast I saddled 

 Shorty and tracked the runaway Button down 

 the slope and a mile to the eastward. His trail 

 showed plainly that he had kept steadily going, 

 never once halting for a moment to graze, and 

 that he had doubtless headed, by a short cut, 

 toward his old home at Taylor. 



John, with long experience in trailing run- 

 away horses through the Arizona wilderness, had 

 often boasted to me that no horse had ever 

 escaped him. I therefore deemed it wise to re- 

 turn to camp for breakfast and let him take up 

 Button's trail and follow it down. 



"I'll get him!" said John, as he rode away, 

 "if the Injuns don't find him first and hide 

 him from me." 



Three hours later he appeared riding the de- 

 serter Button, with his own horse in lead. 



''Where was he?" I asked. 



"Plumb six miles away," said John. "When 

 he saw me coming he laid back his ears, flagged 

 me with his tail, and hit out for Taylor like a 



