tangling a foot in the bridle-rein. When I tried 

 to relieve him there was some lively dodging be- 

 fore he would stand still enough for me to right 

 matters. Another pony was eating grass by 

 walking in the bottom of a narrow gully and 

 feeding off the banks. Commonly these horses 

 are back on time. If they fail to return, or are 

 late, there is usually a good reason for it. 



The trail crossed the pass at an altitude of 

 thirteen thousand feet. From this point mag- 

 nificent scenes spread away on every hand. Here 

 we lingered to enjoy the view and to watch the 

 antics of the return ponies. Two of them, just 

 released, were rolling vigorously, despite their 

 saddles. This rolling enabled me to understand 

 the importance of every liveryman's caution 

 to strangers, "Be sure to tighten the saddle- 

 cinches before you let the pony go." A loose 

 cinch has more than once caught the shoe of a 

 rolling horse and resulted in the death of the 

 animal. A number of riderless ponies who were 

 returning to Telluride accompanied Cricket 

 and me down the winding, scene-commanding 

 road into this picturesque mining town. 



174 



