190 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman 



but a Western pony could have climbed. It is really 

 wonderful to see what places a pony can get over, 

 and the indifference with which it regards tumbles. 

 In getting up from the bottom we went into a wash- 

 out, and then led our ponies along a clay ledge, from 

 which we turned off and went straight up a very 

 steep sandy bluff. My companion was ahead; just 

 as he turned off the ledge, and as I was right under- 

 neath him, his horse, in plunging to try to get up 

 the sand bluff, overbalanced itself, and, after stand- 

 ing erect on its hind legs for a second, came over 

 backward. The second's pause while it stood bolt 

 upright gave me time to make a frantic leap out of 

 the way with my pony, which scrambled after me, 

 and we both clung with hands and hoofs to the side 

 of the bank, while the other horse took two as com- 

 plete somersaults as I ever saw, and landed with 

 a crash at the bottom of the washout, feet upper- 

 most. I thought it was done for, but not a bit. 

 After a moment or two it struggled to its legs, shook 

 itself, and looked round in rather a shame-faced 

 way, apparently not in the least the worse for the 

 fall. We now got my pony up to the top by vig- 

 orous pulling, and then went down for the other, 

 which at first strongly objected to making another 

 trial, but, after much coaxing and a good deal of 

 abuse, took a start and went up without trouble. 



For some time after reaching the top of the bluffs 

 we rode along without seeing anything. When it 

 was possible, we kept one on each side of a creek, 

 avoiding the tops of the ridges, because while on 



