THE COWARDLY COUGAR 



It is no part of a restful vacation to dig your 

 hobnails into solid rock, hold a hysterical 

 horse against the side of a precipice while you 

 unload, resurrect, and repack him. To suc- 

 cessfully perform the feat one should be deaf, 

 dumb, and blind to outside impressions, and 

 he should possess as many legs as a spider and 

 as many arms as an octopus. We were quite 

 ready to camp when we finally arrived at the 

 Shinumo. 



The Shinumo occupies a high-sided canon, 

 through which it dashes in a spirited fashion, 

 regardless of the comfort of travelers. The 

 melting snows had raised it and had turned it 

 to a milky whiteness. We negotiated our 

 first ford at no greater cost than a partial 

 wetting and a total paralysis of mind and 

 body. Neither Paul nor Miller, the operator, 

 could swim, so precautions were taken. The 

 loop of a lariat was placed about the neck of 

 each, it being Ambrose's ingenious idea that if 

 the horses were carried away, he could haul the 

 riders to safety and at the same time prevent 

 getting any water into their lungs. 



Our optimism increased when the second 

 crossing had been effected without casualty, 

 but as we made ready for the third and last 



163 



