103 



along. It stopped at the brink of a 

 canon and began again on the other 

 side, leaving the trusting traveller, 

 without guidance, to get over the 

 chasm as best he might. It grew 

 faint sometimes and ran wild in a 

 choice of ways whimsically conceal- 

 ing its direction so that only the 

 skilled could follow. It forked with- 

 out sign to tell its bent, save a broken 

 twig, crushed grass blade, or over- 

 turned pebble frail witness for the 

 tenderfoot; and at last it left the 

 earth altogether and joined the points 

 of the compass, the sun and the 

 Polar star. 



Then "Captain" took the lead; 

 he scanned the ascent sharply 

 and began to pick a trail around 

 bushes and boulders and over the 

 crumbling gravelly soil. We fell into 

 line plod plod plod the breathing 

 of horses, the creaking of leather, 

 the tinkle of a bell on Daisy, the 

 rattle of tinware on Dolly, plod 

 plod and another table-land was 

 reached. Through heavy timber now, 

 dodging brambles, jumping logs, on 

 and on, hour after hour; unable to 

 endure the saddle cramp, I was 



mm. 



