The Pacing Mustang; 



were manageable now, and Jo and Charley- 

 drove them carefully to the ' L cross F ' corral 

 and claimed a good reward. But Jo was more 

 than ever bound to own the Stallion. He had 

 seen what stuff he was made of, he prized him 

 more and more, and only sought to strike some 

 better plan to catch him. 



IV 



The cook on that trip was Bates — Mr. Thom- 

 as Bates, he called himself at the post-office 

 where he regularly went for the letters and re- 

 mittance which never came. Old Tom Tur- 

 keytrack, the boys called him, from his cattle- 

 brand, which he said was on record at Denver, 

 and which, according to his story, was also 

 borne by countless beef and saddle stock on 

 the plains of the unknown North. 



When asked to join the trip as a partner, Bates 

 made some sarcastic remarks about horses not 

 fetching $12 a dozen, which had been literally 

 true within the year, and he preferred to go on a 

 very meagre salary. But no one who once saw 

 the Pacer going had failed to catch the craze. 



249 



