THE SPIRIT OF THE HERD 137 



would have chosen for a camp ; and every time 

 Wade circled the herd, and came in between the 

 cattle and the rim, he felt the nearness of the 

 precipice. The darkness helped to bring it near. 

 The height of his horse brought it near — he 

 seemed to look down from his saddle over it, 

 into its dark depths. The herd in its milling was 

 surely warping slowly in the direction of the rim. 

 But this must be all fancy — the trick of the dark 

 and of nerves, if a plainsman has nerves. 



At twelve o'clock the first guard came in and 

 woke the second squad. Wade had been in the 

 saddle since dawn, but as this second was his reg- 

 ular watch he stayed in the saddle. More than 

 that, his trained ear had timed the milling hoofs. 

 The movement of the herd had quickened. 



If now he could keep them going, and could 

 prevent their taking any sudden fright! They 

 must not stop until they stopped from utter 

 weariness. Safety lay in their continued motion. 

 So the fresh riders flanked them closely, paced 

 them, and urged them quietly on. They must be 

 kept milling and they must be kept from fright. 



In the taut silence of the stirless desert night, 

 with the tension of the herd at the snapping-point. 



