and much higher than the town. A miner does 

 not mind walking down to the town, but he wants 

 to ride back; or the prospector comes in and 

 wants to take back a few supplies. The miner 

 hires a return horse, rides it to the mine, and 

 then turns the horse loose. It at once starts to 

 return to the barn. If a horse meets a freight 

 wagon coming up, it must hunt for a turnout if 

 the road is narrow, and give the wagon the right 

 of way. If the horse meets some one walking 

 up, it must avoid being caught. 



The San Juan mining section of southwestern 

 Colorado has hundreds of these horses. Most of 

 the mines are from one thousand to three thou- 

 sand feet above the main supply-points, Ouray, 

 Telluride, and Silverton. Ouray and Telluride 

 are not far apart by trail, but they are sepa- 

 rated by a rugged range that rises more than 

 three thousand feet above them. Men often go 

 by trail from one of these towns to the other, 

 and in so doing usually ride a return horse to 

 the top of the range, then walk down the other 

 side. 



" Be sure to turn Jim loose before you reach 



116 



