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Prietto, for such was his name, on account of 

 his color, did not at all realize the conventional 

 idea of a donkey. He was coal black in color, 

 which shaded into fawn on parts of his legs and 

 belly. His coat was short, and as shiny and 

 satiny as that of most horses ; he had none of the 

 straggling hair and whiskers associated with the 

 face of an ass. To be sure, his ears were long, 

 but they were finely shaped, and his head was as 

 beautiful in proportion as that of most thorough- 

 breds. He was the type of the best kind of jack 

 from which the Spaniards bred their famous mules. 

 His endurance was great. I have often ridden 

 him forty or fifty miles, and sometimes as much as 

 seventy miles in a day ; our ordinary trips covered 

 anywhere from fifteen to thirty miles. With all 

 the gaits of a good horse, a particularly comfort- 

 able single foot pace was one of his characteristics. 

 It was astonishing how much ground he would 

 cover without apparent effort ; in company with 

 horses he always kept pace with the party. No 

 hillside was too difficult for this sure-footed beast, 

 and I never felt the least alarm when riding 

 him over precipitous and perilous mountain trails. 

 I had not a very good seat as a rider, and on 

 several occasions when frightened by a snake or 

 some unusual object " burro " threw me as he 

 shied violently out of the path. Before I had re- 

 gained my feet, he came up and looked me over 

 Q 



