(2jt (Wlounfam (pong 



walks down the opposite side. The return horse, 

 by coming back undirected, meets a peculiar 

 transportation condition in a satisfactory man- 

 ner. 



The liverymen of Silverton, Ouray, and Tel- 

 luride keep the San Juan section supplied with 

 these trained ponies. With kind treatment and 

 experience the horses learn to meet emergencies 

 without hesitation. Storm, fallen trees, a land- 

 slide, or drifted snow may block the way — 

 they will find a new one and come home. 



The local unwritten law is that these horses 

 are let out at the owner's risk. If killed or 

 stolen, as sometimes happens, the owner is the 

 loser. However, there is another unwritten law 

 which places the catching or riding of these 

 horses in the category of horse-stealing, — a 

 serious matter in the West. 



I rode Cricket from Silverton to Ouray, and 

 on the way we became intimately acquainted. 

 I talked to her, asked questions, scratched the 

 back of her head, examined her feet, and oc- 

 casionally found something for her to eat. I 

 walked up the steeper stretches, and before 



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