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diff --git a/old/60458-0.txt b/old/60458-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 529ea40..0000000 --- a/old/60458-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5259 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Midnight, by Rutherford George Montgomery (1894-1985) - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Midnight - -Author: Rutherford George Montgomery (1894-1985) - -Release Date: October 8, 2019 [EBook #60458] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MIDNIGHT *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Laura Brown and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -THE AUTHOR - - -Rutherford Montgomery would rather write than do anything else in the -world. Most of his books are about animals and the wilderness he knows -so well. As a boy, Mr. Montgomery would listen to the tales told by -hunters, and his favorite sport then and now is going into the woodland -and sitting quietly on a log, observing the children of the wild. He is -a watcher, not a hunter. - -Mr. Montgomery was born in North Dakota, and taught school for -ten years in Wyoming and Colorado after graduating from Colorado -Agricultural College. He saw service in the United States Flying Corps -in World War I. Later, he was a county judge in Colorado and held state -offices there. He now lives in Los Gatos, California. - - * * * - -Other Books by Rutherford Montgomery - - Broken Fang[A] - Gray Wolf[A] - White Mountaineer - McGonigle’s Lake - Yellow Eyes[A] - Kildee House - Big Brownie - Ghost Town Adventure[A] - - [A] _Available from Scholastic Book Services_ - - - - -MIDNIGHT - - RUTHERFORD MONTGOMERY - - =SBS= SCHOLASTIC BOOK SERVICES - New York Toronto London Auckland Sydney - - - - - To Earl Hammock - who knows the value of - the lonesome places - - -This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be resold, -lent, or otherwise circulated in any binding or cover other than that -in which it is published--unless prior written permission has been -obtained from the publisher--and without a similar condition, including -this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. - -Copyright 1940 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Illustrations -copyright 1949 by Pocket Books, Inc. This edition is published by -Scholastic Book Services, a division of Scholastic Magazines, Inc., by -arrangement with Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. - - 8th Printing November 1969 - - Printed in the U.S.A. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - 1. Pals 1 - - 2. Wild Horse 10 - - 3. Horse Thief 20 - - 4. Desert Winter 25 - - 5. Wild-Horse Drive 36 - - 6. Midnight 45 - - 7. The Way of the High Country 62 - - 8. The Strong Survive 75 - - 9. Prisoner 87 - - 10. Escape 94 - - 11. New Trails 108 - - 12. Doom of the Band 120 - - 13. Tex Takes the Trail 140 - - 14. Beside the Castle Rocks 147 - - 15. Home to Stay 151 - - - - -[Illustration: Midnight tried to whirl but the ledge was too narrow.] - - - - -1. Pals - - -Sam was meditating. Tipped back in a chair made of river alder and -willow, he leaned against the log wall of his cabin. His shoeless feet -were swathed in wrinkled socks of the kind that come to a point at the -toe where a tuft of thread keeps the cotton yarn from unraveling. Sam’s -blue shirt was faded from too many washings in the creek below the -cabin. The only unfaded portions of the shirt were hidden by his wide, -yellow suspenders. - -Sam’s tired, blue eyes stared out over his “stompin’ ground,” which -was a high mesa overlooking the blue depths of Shadow Canyon. Across -the mesa meandered a chain of castle rocks. This outcropping was red -and yellow in color. It stood on edge, silent evidence of the upheaval -which had formed the Crazy Kill Mountains millions of years before. -Sam’s toothless gums clamped down on the stem of his cold pipe. Keeping -the pipe right side up was the heaviest work Sam planned for that -morning. - -Out in a lush meadow which crowded like a green carpet around the -castle rocks there was plenty of healthy contrast to the lazy -inactivity that filled Sam. He let his eyes wander fondly over the -scene. Up near the base of the biggest castle five fat yellowbelly -whistlers romped about among the rocks. A sixth sat like a round ball -of silver fur, perched on the top of a high rock. The old rockchuck on -guard was as relaxed and lazy as Sam, except for his beady eyes. Those -eyes saw everything that moved, as far away as the spruce woods which -bordered the upper side of the mesa. - -Sam studied the yellowbelly whistlers with a spark of interest in -his faded eyes. They were yellowish animals with long, silvery hairs -covering their brown coats, giving them a shining appearance when they -romped in the sun. They had dark-brown heads and tails, and a whitish -band across their faces. They rolled through the grass and over the -rocks, front end up, hind end up, rocking along on their stubby legs. - -Many smaller fellows courted the protection of the yellowbellies, -making good use of the sharp eyes of the sentinel whistler perched high -on his lookout. A dozen rockchips dodged about in the grass while as -many more sat on little rocks and stared away toward the snow-capped -peaks of the Crazy Kill Range. These potbellied little brownies of the -high country were well content with the crumbs from the great one’s -table. The keen eyes and the ready blast of warning from the high rock -removed their chief worries. The sentinel whistler was sure to announce -the arrival of the swift-hawk, the laughing coyote, the martens, or the -bobcat. There were many other enemies of the air and the forest and the -whistler watched for and spotted all of them. - -Then there was the calico chip, a two-striped ground squirrel whose -vast energy always made Sam feel tired. The calico chips dashed about -with an energy which had undoubtedly been intended for some much larger -animal, but must have been misplaced when Mother Nature laid out the -blueprints of creation. The calico chips were always too busy chasing -bugs or gathering and storing seeds to pause for meditation. They -left foolish gawking into space to the potbellied rockchips. But their -little ears were always tuned to catch the warning blast of the big -whistler. - -There was a sprinkling of lesser chipmunks, a dozen or more. Sam noted -with satisfaction that their number was increasing. He had brought -two pairs in with him several summers before. They were active, noisy -little fellows, dashing about, hoisting their tails like flags when -they came to a halt. Every so often one of them would dash to a rock -and jump on top of it. He would sit very straight and burst into song. - -“Chock! Chock! Chock!” in quick succession, like the rattle of an old -alarm clock. Sometimes the song would be pitched higher and would go -“Check, check, check, chir-r-r-up!” No sooner had one chipmunk mounted -his song perch than all the others would dart to theirs, always the -same perches. The meadow would ring with their chorus. - -Their round of music never failed to disturb the fat sentinel whistler. -He would shake his silver robe, stretch his neck, then blast three -short, sharp notes on his whistle, after which he would settle back -with a deep chuckle. - -Sam’s pipe always rolled to the corner of his mouth and turned upside -down when the chorus began. One fumbling hand would pull out his -ancient, silver watch and he would fix his gaze fiercely on the second -hand. From the chorus he would select one voice and count the “chocks” -while he timed the singer. One hundred and seventy “chocks” per minute -was the best time he had ever recorded. The poorest, seventy per -minute, was made by a fellow whose little round belly hinted that he -might have a bit of rockchip blood in him. - -From far down the meadow, where a clear stream foamed over ragged -rocks, came the eager whinny of a horse. Sam’s eyes lighted, and he -shoved the big, silver watch into his pocket. Up the meadow galloped a -trim black mare. Her mane flowed in the wind as she shook her head, and -kicked her heels recklessly. - -“Purty, right purty,” Sam muttered as he took his pipe out of his mouth. - -The trim mare slowed to a trot as she neared the cabin. With a toss -of her head and a playful leap to one side, she trotted up to Sam and -extended her soft muzzle, nickering eagerly. - -“Mornin’, Lady Ebony,” Sam said affectionately. “Think mebby ol’ Sam’s -got a lump o’ sugar?” - -Lady Ebony pawed and nickered. - -Sam dug a hand into his pants pocket and brought out two dingy lumps of -sugar. He dusted off a grain or two of tobacco and a little chaff, then -held one of them out. - -“Jest a bite, ol’ gal,” he said. - -Lady Ebony picked the sugar from between his thumb and finger with a -dainty movement of her lips. She crunched the lump eagerly, and when it -was gone she pricked her ears forward and pawed. - -Sam grinned widely. “Dang me, if you can’t count,” he said. - -The other lump of sugar was extended and Lady Ebony took it. Sam let -the forelegs of the chair down and got to his feet stiffly. He patted -the glistening neck of the mare and talked softly to her. Lady Ebony -accepted the caresses. Sam sat down again and the mare nosed around the -cabin door a while before trotting out into the meadow where she set to -feeding on the tall grass. - -The yellowbelly on the lookout perch paid no attention to the mare. The -calico chips and the chipmunks went on chasing bugs and hunting seeds. -They knew the black mare was a friend and that her enemies were their -enemies, the cougar and the gray wolf. - -Sam sucked on his pipe. His eyes followed Lady Ebony. Ever since she -was a wobbly colt she had summered in this high pasture. She carried -the brand of Major Howard, an Easterner who had come west to raise -cattle and horses. He had many horses on the range and paid little -attention to any but his purebreds which he kept at the ranch in the -valley. But Sam knew a fine horse. He had owned many slim, tough -saddlers like the black mare. He was too old and stiff to ride but he -wanted to own the black mare, just to have her as a pal. He had babied -her and petted her until she was devoted to him. - -Sam looked into the cold bowl of his pipe. He wanted to smoke, but -his tobacco was inside the cabin. It was a terrible nuisance the way -he forgot things like that. His eyes shifted to the fat sentinel on -the rock. The yellowbelly was sitting up very straight. Suddenly he -shook himself and whistled shrilly. Instantly the calico chips, the -rockchips, and the chipmunks vanished into the grass. The feeding -whistlers romped to their holes at the base of the biggest castle rock. - -“Tarnation!” Sam muttered angrily. He reached back inside his door, and -dragged out an ancient single-barreled shotgun. Laying the gun across -his knees he squinted up into the sky. - -“Thet durn hawk’s been askin’ fer it,” he muttered. - -But the danger signal did not herald an air raid. Sam heard the -thudding of ironshod hoofs. He did not bother to turn around. A -horseman galloped up to his door and halted. The rider bent down and -greeted Sam. - -“Morning, Sam.” - -“Mornin’, major,” Sam answered. A slow grin parted his straggling beard. - -Major Howard’s gray eyes roved over the meadow, and came to rest on -the black mare. The major was an energetic, hot-tempered person who -rode hard and drove hard bargains. The easy way of the western mountain -people irritated him. He respected Sam’s squatter rights to the mesa -and the old cabin because he had more grass than he needed. - -“I was wonderin’, major,” Sam began slowly, “if you wouldn’t sell me -that black mare. I’d kind of like to have her. Got a feeling like she’s -a pal, havin’ her here so much.” - -The major laughed and his gray eyes moved back to Sam’s face. “That -mare is purebred racing stock, Sam. I never paid much attention to her -until I saw her on the run the other day. She’s fast, the fastest thing -I have loose on the range. This fall she’ll clean up the cow-pony races -at the state fair.” The major chuckled. - -“Me and the filly has hit it off right nice. I thought mebby you’d sell -her,” Sam said gently. - -The major looked down at Sam and his eyes twinkled. “Tell you what, -Sam,” he said jokingly. “I never had anything I wouldn’t sell if I got -my price. I’ll sell you that black filly for five hundred dollars.” He -bent forward until the saddle horn creased his ample waistline. “But I -get to race her at the fair.” - -Sam grunted. “Reckon I may take you up,” he said slowly. - -The major kept his face straight. He was sure Sam didn’t have ten -dollars to his name. The old prospector always managed to scratch -together enough dust to buy a few groceries, but never had more than -that. He nodded his head. This would be a good joke to tell the boys -at the ranch. His eyes dropped to the ancient shotgun, and to keep -from laughing he asked abruptly: - -“What have you been shooting?” - -“Got her charged with rock salt an’ bird shot,” Sam explained -seriously. “Makes an ol’ gray wolf hit it lickety-split. And one of -them swift-hawks shore claws air fit to shake out his tail feathers -when I tech him up.” He grinned widely. - -The major nodded. “Glad you keep that gun handy. It will keep wolves -and cougars away from the mare.” He recalled stories the old hands -on the ranch told about Sam’s youthful prowess with a carbine and a -forty-five Colt. He supposed the old prospector’s eyes were so bad he -had to use a scatter-gun. - -“Got a shank o’ venison on the stove. Cold, but makes right nice -chawin’,” Sam said hospitably, but he didn’t move. - -“Thanks, but I’ll have to be hitting the trail. I want to ride down -along the west drift fence today.” The major clicked his tongue, and -touched the flanks of his spirited horse with his spurs. He galloped -away over the meadow. - -Sam sat looking out across the waving grass. Five hundred dollars. And -he hadn’t missed the amusement which greeted his offer to buy the mare. -Sam was irritated. He wanted the filly more than ever now. He smiled -and mumbled to himself. - -“The major’s goin’ to be plumb surprised when I dish out that five -hundred.” - -He got stiffly to his feet and moved into the cabin. Setting the old -gun just inside the door he took a muslin sack from the table and -filled his pipe. Then he absent-mindedly laid the sack back where it -had been. He shuffled about the room looking at the objects he had -hung on the walls, a worn horseshoe, a belt with a holster containing -a forty-five Colt of the frontier model, several bright pictures cut -from calendars. Finally he remembered he hadn’t lighted his pipe. He -shuffled to where a packing box was nailed to the wall back of the -stove and got several matches from a rusty tomato can. After lighting -the pipe he puffed contentedly. - -That day Sam stirred around more than usual. He made up a pack of food -and small articles which he wrapped in a blanket roll. The pack was set -beside the door. The job took up most of the afternoon. - -The next morning Sam was up early. Lady Ebony came galloping across the -meadow for her morning ration of lump sugar. As he gave it to her he -talked in a low, confidential voice to the mare. - -“I don’t reckon nobody but you and me knows that ol’ Sam’s got him -a claim back under the rim.” He chuckled. “Reckon, Lady, it’ll take -ol’ Sam ’bout three weeks to pan out five hundred in yaller dust.” He -patted her sleek, black neck. “You jest stay around here an’ wait in -this medder where there’s good grass. The ol’ yallerbelly’ll keep an -eye out for wolves and cougars.” - -The mare watched as he shouldered his pack and trudged slowly up the -slope. She did not follow him, but she nickered several times. At the -edge of the spruce Sam turned around and waved his arm. - -Lady Ebony arched her neck and trotted out into the meadow. The fat -whistler on the high rock chuckled and his beady eyes twinkled brightly -as he watched her. The sun wheeled higher, warming the grass, drinking -up the dew. The black mare wandered down the meadow. She came to a halt -near a sharp ledge which broke off into Shadow Canyon. From the blue -depths rose the roar of Crazy River. Lady Ebony stirred uneasily. A -feeling of deep unrest filled her, an urge to run far, to seek other -horses. After a time she wandered back into the meadow and began -feeding, but she jerked up her head often, listening, staring into the -twilight of the spruce. - -A few yards from where the black mare fed, a little hill lifted -semibarren, yellow clay. It stood in sharp contrast to the lushness of -the green meadow. On this round knob a prairie-dog town was located. -The main section of the village was a busy scene, with dogs moving, -bellies close to the ground, in quick sprints from one grass patch -to another or romping through the meadow grass. Sam had brought -several pairs of dogs to the mesa. He liked the busy little fellows -and had been lonesome until he had a town started. The dogs posted -sentinels but they could not see far. The dog sentinels depended on the -yellowbelly. They listened for his blasting whistle of warning. - -One of the sentinels sat on a mound. His short tail jerked, but no -other part of him moved. Suddenly the air was split by the warning -whistle of the big sentinel on the high rock. The dog sentinels -repeated the warning in a wild chorus of “skr-skrr’s.” Dogs raced in -from the meadow. They paused for a moment to sit upright on their -mounds, then they went down their slides to the tunnels below the -ground. Out from the ground came their defiant voices, “squit-tuck! -squit-tuck!” - -A lank coyote stepped out of a clump of rose brier close to the spruce -woods. He stood gazing disgustedly over the meadow, his green eyes -watching the yellowbellies as they romped to their dens at the base -of the castle rocks. The whistlers had warned the dogs and ground -squirrels of his presence. He ran at a lope across the meadow. Lady -Ebony snorted and shook her head as he passed. Her eyes followed the -glinting sun on his fur. When he had vanished down the trail which led -into Shadow Canyon she returned to her feeding. - - - - -2. Wild Horse - - -High up under the snow rims, where the grass was short but rich with -moss and lichens, lay a little lake. Its upper shore line was formed -by a barren rockslide which tumbled down from the naked cliffs above -timber line, its lower edge was fringed with spruce and balsam. Below -the lake nestled a little meadow. On this meadow fed a band of twenty -horses. - -At the head of this band of wild horses ran a chestnut stallion, a -heavy-chested, thick-legged fellow with a splashed white star in his -forehead. His protruding eyes were set wide apart and his heavy jaws -and massive neck showed his battling qualities, while his wide chest -and thick barrel indicated great strength. - -The chestnut stud moved restlessly as he fed, jerking up his head, -listening, testing the air with flaring nostrils. The mares with their -colts close beside them cropped the short grass, content to let him -keep a wary watch for danger. - -And there was danger ahead on every trail. There was the lank cougar -whose desire for colt flesh was greater than any urge in his tawny body -except the hot flames that fired him when the mating call floated up -through the twilight under the high spruce. There was the wolf pack, -not so dangerous in summer but always ready to kill. The chestnut -stallion knew that at this season the old lobos would be running with -their sons and daughters in bachelor packs. They were training their -young to kill and would attack any colt or mare that strayed far from -the band. There was the bear gone killer, the brute who had deserted -his vegetable diet and turned killer. He was not a common enemy, but -one that was terrible in savage lust for slaughter. Lastly, there was -the most dreaded enemy of all, man. - -The chestnut had learned that man was the most ruthless and dangerous -of the killers. He walked upright and his eyes were in front of his -head, not at the side as in animals who do not kill but are pursued by -the killers. The ranchers did not like wild horses because they ate the -range grass and often crossed with the ranch mares, who then brought -forth scrubby, worthless colts, mean and useless as saddle stock. The -chestnut stallion stole mares from the range when he could coax or -drive them from their pastures. With savage daring he led his band into -the tall-grass range in the summer. If the cowboys with their rifles -hunted him too persistently he faded away to a distant range down in -the desert. In this he was like the lobo wolf. When poison and traps -and guns become too evident an old lobo shifts his range. - -The chestnut stallion had begun to feel that it was time for him to -lead his band out of the Crazy Kill country. He was being steadily -hunted. Rifles spat in the misty dawn, riders swooped down on the mares -when they came out into the open to feed. Major Howard had given orders -to kill or run the wild band off his range. He wanted no crossing of -his good stock. At first he had played with the idea of having the -chestnut stud brought in alive, but his riders could not trap or outrun -the big fellow in the rough, broken country. There were too many -avenues of escape, too many canyons and tangled mats of down timber. So -the major gave the order to shoot the big stud and to exterminate his -band. - -The steady drives and constant ambushes had thinned the ranks of the -band from thirty to twenty mares. The big stallion was ready to leave -the tall-grass country. He jerked up his head and snorted shrilly, then -he circled the herd at a fast trot. When he had gone once around it he -halted and stood listening, rigid, his head up, his mane flowing in the -wind. He heard a rock rattle from a trail above; then he saw a man. The -man was on foot and he was toiling upward, a pack strapped on his back. -He did not seem to be interested in the band of wild horses, but the -wind carried a strong man smell to the meadow. The scent was rank with -the odor of an old pipe. - -The chestnut stallion laid back his ears and bared his teeth. With a -shrill warning he lunged at the rump of the nearest mare. She whinnied -with fright as she galloped away. The stallion drove the other mares -into a thundering stampede. They charged across the meadow and into the -timber, the colts bounding along at their mothers’ sides. - -As soon as they were in deep cover the chestnut took the lead. He -headed up a steep trail and did not stop until the band had reached a -saddle in the snow range. Here he halted to let the mares and colts -blow. The colts shouldered against their mothers, their pink noses and -lips reaching under sweat-streaked flanks in search of milk. Their -curly tails bobbed and jerked as they drank. The mares looked up at the -snow peaks out of big, calm eyes. They were used to the sudden frenzied -retreats of the big stallion, but they never became as excited as he, -except when rifles spat and men raced shouting upon them. - -After the rest spell the chestnut led the band down along a wooded -ridge. He kept to deep cover so that an enemy posted on a peak or bare -rim could not see the moving mares and colts. Toward midafternoon he -halted the band in a little meadow to feed. The mares and colts began -pulling the long grass eagerly. They were aware that the rest period -might be short, and wanted to get their bellies filled as quickly as -possible. They were right. The big stallion allowed time for but half a -meal. He did not want them heavy and sleepy from overfeeding. - -They moved down the mountain toward the deep, blue slash which was -Shadow Canyon. The chestnut halted at the edge of a wide meadow. His -protruding eyes had sighted a little cabin at the upper end of the -meadow. He was about to lead his band back into the spruce when he -saw a black mare standing with head up and ears pricked forward. He -heard the blast of a whistler sounding a general alarm, and his ears -flattened. The whistlers always annoyed him. He liked to move through -the woods unnoticed and unheralded. But he remained at the edge of the -timber watching the black mare, his nostrils twitching eagerly. - -No one came out of the cabin. The stallion pawed and whinnied low. His -call was answered by the black mare. There was eagerness in her whinny. -The chestnut cast caution aside. Here was a sleek and slender mare he -could add to his band. He trotted out into the meadow, neck arched, red -mane floating in the wind. - -Lady Ebony stood for a moment looking at the chestnut stallion, then -she arched her neck and kicked her heels high. With a toss of her head -she trotted toward him. They met in the center of the meadow with -the mares watching out of calm, uninterested eyes. The mares fell to -feeding while the colts bucked and bounced. - -For a moment the noses of the two horses met, then the black mare -whirled and lashed out at the stallion with her trim hoofs. He dodged -and whinnied shrilly. Lady Ebony broke and ran down the meadow with -the stallion thundering after her. He laid back his ears and charged -with all his speed, but the flying black mare was faster. She pulled -easily away from him and the sight of her slim body slipping away made -the big stallion scream savagely. Never before had a mare been able to -outrun him, to slip away from him with ease. - -Seeing that she was leaving the big fellow behind, Lady Ebony whirled -and halted, her front feet on a little hummock of grass. She waited -until he was almost upon her, then she dodged past him and raced toward -the mares. Again she outran him easily. - -The chestnut was filled with a wild desire to drive this fleet mare -into his band and lead her away. He swerved and charged. She dodged -and leaped past him. Lady Ebony was not trying to escape, she was -giving play to the pulsing life within her. The coming of the chestnut -stallion was something she had expected. She had been restless and -nervous; now that restlessness was gone and she was filled with surging -energy. - -The chestnut raced around the meadow again, trying to overtake Lady -Ebony. He finally halted and stood with heaving sides. There was a -savage light in his protruding eyes. Lady Ebony trotted toward him -and stood nickering softly. She wanted to run some more. But the big -stallion knew he was beaten. He was aware that he had made a great deal -of noise, and noise was likely to bring riders with rifles. He turned -and began driving his band off the meadow. - -As they trotted toward the narrow trail leading down into Shadow -Canyon, Lady Ebony tossed her head and trotted after the band. The big -stallion lunged at her with bared teeth. She humped her back and jigged -up and down, warning him that if he nipped her she would lash out at -him. He reached out to snap at her flanks and was met by two small -hoofs which smashed against his wide chest. With a snort he leaped -aside. He did not lunge at her again. She was much to his liking, a -fighter and a swift runner. - -Lady Ebony fell in with the mares and the band moved down into the -deep, green twilight of the canyon. They kept going until they reached -the bottom. There they paused, crowding to the edge of the river, -thrusting their muzzles into the cold water foaming over the rocky bed. - -When the horses had drunk their fill they moved on down the canyon. -Several miles of fast moving brought them to a high wall of red cliffs. -Here Crazy River turned east and the canyon deepened. The chestnut sent -the band up a trail which switchbacked and looped up out of the depths. -With bared teeth and smashing hoofs he shoved the band up the trail and -onto a mesa. Out on flat ground he let them rest. He was heading toward -the desert where they would be free of attack from armed riders. - -The mares fed on the bunch grass which carpeted the mesa. They kept -well together and jerked up their heads, whinnying to their colts when -the little ones strayed. There was danger in each adventurous trip the -colts made, for they had not yet learned to watch and to listen. This -broken country was the natural home of the cougar. It was also the den -area for the gray wolves. When the colts trotted too far, their mothers -followed and herded them back. - -Above the mesa towered the snow peaks of the Crazy Kill Range. The -snowbanks were not so close as they had been that morning, but seen -through the high, thin air they seemed to be brooding no more than a -short canter above the tableland. To the south, seen through a forest -of trees and leaves much lighter green than the spruce, lay the desert, -flat, eroded, purple in the evening light. The meadow was bordered -on the lower side by an aspen grove. When the wind came up out of the -canyon, the aspens seemed to shudder. A cross made of aspen wood had -once been lifted on Calvary, so the preachers and the circuit rider -said; possibly the aspens remembered. They quaked and their round -leaves rattled and rustled like a million tiny cymbals. Below the aspen -belt lay the scrub oaks, stunted trees with twigs as tough and hard as -iron. - -The chestnut stallion felt safer here on the edge of the wild, high -country. A short run would take his band into the scrub oaks where no -rider could follow without dismounting. - -The sun dipped downward and hung on the blue rim of the western -horizon. It looked like a huge ball of red fire. Slowly it settled -from sight. Then shafts of red and gold light radiated upward, filling -the sky and the air with a bloody haze. The wind died down and silence -settled over the aspen grove. For a short space the world was aflame, -then the sunset cooled and steel-blue dusk crept up out of the big -canyon. The round moon, which had been dimmed to faint paleness by the -sunset, flooded the mesa with soft light. - -The chestnut moved close to Lady Ebony. He nickered low. She tossed her -head, and they were off on a wild gallop around the meadow. They ran -through the moonlight, disregarding rocks and gopher holes, leaping -over sage clumps and patches of buckbrush, their manes and tails -billowing in the wind, their rushing bodies surging with power. They -circled the meadow twice. Lady Ebony easily keeping ahead of the big -stallion. - -After the second round, the black mare swerved and raced to a high, -jutting point. Here she halted and the chestnut charged up beside her. -He pawed and shook his head, then reared on his hind legs and his -powerful forefeet curved under him. When his forefeet settled to the -ground, Lady Ebony moved closer to him, her shoulder pressing against -his muscled chest. The chestnut nickered proudly. - -From an aspen stand below the feeding mares leaped five shadowy gray -forms. They ran with long leaps, their black muzzles lifting and -falling with an even, graceful flow of motion. Red tongues lolled over -white fangs and yellow eyes flamed in the moonlight. From shaggy chests -came eager yelps. The chestnut blasted a shrill warning to the mares, -but the wolves did not swerve to attack the colts. They raced across -the mesa, running for the pure joy of giving play to their stringy -muscles. - -At the lower edge of the meadow they startled an old doe who had come -out of the aspens to feed. One of the gray killers turned in along the -edge of the woods, the others fanned out and their eager yelps changed -to a chorus of savage howls. The old lobo at their head had sounded the -cry of the kill. - -The startled mule deer doubled her slim legs under her and bounded. She -landed many yards down the slope, and bounded again. Her white rump -patch flashed in the silvery light as she fled. Three of the wolves -raced after her while two turned right and leaped away around the hill. -The doe reached the edge of the mesa and bounded down the steep slope -at a pace which rapidly outdistanced her pursuers. When they were out -of sight she swerved and ran around the hill. She intended to return to -her feed ground by doubling back, a trick used by both mule deer and -big rabbits. She broke out on the mesa a little below where she had -been feeding when the killers startled her. Behind her she could hear -the faint yelping of the three following lobos. She suddenly planted -her feet and tried to pivot so she could plunge back down the hill. Two -savage, grinning killers had appeared, one a little above her and one -a little below. They were cutting in on her as fast as they could leap -over the brush and rocks. - -The doe whirled back down the slope, but before she had taken three -jumps she was met by the three killers who had stayed on her trail. -They were fanned out, running well apart. She slid to a halt and turned -to run around the hill, but she was too late. The killers swarmed over -her, the two attacking wolves leaping in at almost the same instant. -She went down bleating and kicking. - -In a few minutes the night was filled with the snarling and growling of -the feeding pack. Up on the ledge Lady Ebony crowded closer to the big -stallion. He snorted defiantly and rubbed his head against hers. - -That night the wild horses stayed on the mesa. The next day Lady Ebony -loped down into the desert, one of the wild band, a willing member of -the chestnut stallion’s harem. They traveled at an easy lope which -their tough bodies could hold for many hours. They halted in little -meadows to feed and sought streams and water holes when they were -thirsty. - -As they moved into the canyon-slotted, eroded world of the desert they -left the clear streams behind, and had to depend upon the knowledge of -the chestnut stallion or one of the old mares for the location of pools -and springs. The grass was shorter, curly buffalo and gamma, growing in -clumps that defied shifting sand and hot wind. - -The world changed quickly. The spruce, the aspens, and even the scrub -oak vanished and in its place there was juniper--dry, defiant of the -heat, sending its roots deep into the yellow earth, down cracks in the -sand rock. The canyons were walled with red and yellow sandstone. The -washes were bedded deep with sand instead of water, and the wind made -the sand creep along, piling it into the dunes on the mesas, knifing it -out in drifts from the ledges of rimrock. The days were hot and dry, -but the nights were cool to the point of chillness. - -From sentinel buttes or rims they sometimes sighted copper-skinned -Navajos riding always at a gallop, on lean, bony ponies. The Navajos -were always hurrying, though they had no place to go and all eternity -to get there in. Once Lady Ebony sighted a summer hogan with two Navajo -women and four children sitting in the shade of a canopy of dry leaves -and cottonwood branches. The women were patiently slipping colored -thread across a loom, back and forth, back and forth, one thread above -another. Below the hogan a sad-looking band of sheep and goats cropped -at the short grass. - -The chestnut stallion snorted angrily when he smelled the grass where -the sheep had been. He did not like sheep taint. He led the band far -from the pasture lands of that Navajo family. - - - - -3. Horse Thief - - -Sam’s claim was not a gold strike or a bonanza. It was a pocket, very -definite, and certainly limited in the amount of gravel and black sand -which carried much fine and some coarse gold. Sam knew its extent and -its possibilities. He had kept its location a careful secret. It was -not legally staked, for in staking it he would have brought a swarm of -gold seekers to the ridge, and he wanted this country to himself. He -would take out enough to buy the black mare plus enough to buy supplies -for the winter. When he finished there would still be gold left, a sort -of bank account to be hoarded against the coming seasons. - -For three weeks Sam shoveled and panned. At last he had enough yellow -dust in his buck-hide pouch. He carefully buried his shovel, pick, and -pan under a pile of rocks, covered his workings, and faced down the -ridge. - -As he trudged slowly through the fields of columbine and mountain -lupine, he smiled softly to himself. The major would be completely -flabbergasted. Sam laughed aloud, startling a cocky jay. The gaily -dressed fellow fluffed his feathers and his purple crest bristled. He -burst into a volley of angry chattering as he hopped about in a young -balsam tree. - -“Got a right to ha-ha,” Sam said aloud. “The ol’ glory hole come -through with five hunnert an’ some extra fer grub. Left me a bit fer -seed, too.” He continued to chuckle as he tramped along. - -He trudged on until he could see his mesa through the red trunks of -the spruce. Breaking out at the edge of the meadow he halted and -stood looking over the familiar scene. Every detail was so familiar -to him that he seemed to be entering a room where he had lived a long -time. The old yellowbelly whistler sounded a blasting warning and -plunged from his high perch. Ground squirrels romped to their dens. -On the semibarren little hill the dogs began scolding, “squit-tuck! -squit-tuck!” Sam grinned. - -“Yuh ol’ fool, don’t yuh go makin’ me out no enemy,” he said aloud. - -His eyes moved eagerly up and down the meadow, then he whistled a few -high notes. There was no answering pound of hoofs. The black mare must -be at the far end of the mesa. - -“Must be off cattin’ around,” he mumbled as he shuffled to his cabin -door. - -Before Sam entered the cabin the old whistler discovered his mistake. -He sounded an all-clear whistle and the meadow came to life. Sam -dropped down on his old chair to watch the busy scene. After a time -he got to his feet and pulled the latch thong. The door swung inward -protestingly. Everything was as he had left it, except that a wandering -cowboy had stopped and made himself a pot of tea and fried a snack of -bacon. Sam knew, because the skillet was carefully washed and polished -and the cracked teapot was washed and turned upside down on the table. - -Sam shuffled about the cabin peering at the familiar things within its -walls. He finally built a fire. He was hungry for oven biscuits and -stove-cooked coffee. - -He was poking the pine-knot fire to high heat when a voice from the -open door made him turn. His faded eyes lighted up eagerly as he saw -Major Howard standing there. The major had a grim set to his eyes and -his mustache bristled angrily. - -“Come on out, Sam,” he said gruffly. - -“Howdy, major,” Sam said. He began to chuckle. Might as well spring -the big surprise right away. Then he saw that there were two men with -the major, men wearing nickel-plated stars on the flaps of their wool -shirts. He blinked his eyes. - -“Howdy, sheriff,” he said. He barely knew Sheriff Miller, had met him -only a couple of times. - -“Now, Sam,” the major broke in harshly, “come clean. What did you do -with that Lady Ebony horse?” - -“Me?” Sam stared at the major. - -“Yes!” the major snapped. “You took an awful fancy to that filly, -wanted to buy her. You’ve been away a long spell. I brought the sheriff -up here, so you better talk and talk fast.” The major’s face was -beginning to redden as his anger rose. - -Sam looked from one man to the other, slowly, his gaze searching their -faces. Yes, they were in earnest. A horse thief? Bony fingers pulled -at his straggling beard. This wasn’t the way men did, it wasn’t square -shooting. He did not pause to consider that Major Howard was not a born -western mountainman. He stared defiantly. - -“So yuh came up here to make me out a hoss thief?” - -The sheriff stepped forward and spoke gruffly to the major. “I’m not -here, Howard, to help you badger this old coot. You swore out a warrant -for his arrest. I’m here to serve it.” He turned to Sam. “Get whatever -you want to take along. This warrant calls for your arrest--charge is -stealing one black mare.” - -Sam blinked and his eyes shifted to the sheriff’s face. In all his -life the law had never laid a hand on him. He had had some experiences -of his own with horse thieves. When he caught a man with the goods he -handled the affair himself. And claim jumpers were met and dealt with -according to a man’s rights. He rubbed his bony fingers together. He -could explain, he could even take the sheriff to his hidden claim, he -could produce the pouch of dust. But it wasn’t the right of any man to -ask where he had been or what he had been doing. Besides, the claim -wasn’t staked and if fools who didn’t know pockets and glory holes -saw that ground there’d be a rush and the whole ridge would be turned -upside down. His eyes glinted brightly as he turned toward his door. - -He backed past the table and one hand lifted to the belt hanging from -its willow peg. His gnarled fingers closed around the familiar butt of -his forty-five Colt. The gun slid down and snuggled against his hip. -Then he shuffled toward the door. - -“Get! Get--afore I blast yuh!” he whispered hoarsely as he stepped into -the sunshine. - -The deputy saw the gun first. He came to life with a jerk and his hand -shot down to his own gun. Sam shot from the hip. His aim wasn’t steady; -the black muzzle wavered a little because Sam’s old eyes couldn’t see -clearly. Black-powder smoke billowed in a blue-white cloud, filling the -doorway. Through the smoke Sam saw the deputy double over, then pitch -forward. He was swinging his gun around to bring it down on the major -when the sheriff’s boot shot upward and sent it spinning from his hand. -The officer’s voice out through the smoke. - -“Now you got something to answer for, you old coot!” - -He stepped forward and a heavy hand dropped upon Sam’s shoulder. He was -jerked forward and in less than a minute his wrists were handcuffed -together. He stood silently watching the sheriff and the major plug -the deputy’s wound. The man was weak and sick, but he was alive. - -The major straightened and glared at Sam. He had never intended to have -the old fellow jailed, he merely wanted to scare him into revealing -what he had done with the black mare. Sam’s reaction irritated and -puzzled him. Now the old fool could take whatever the law handed him; -the major made up his mind to that. - -Sheriff Miller had a different slant on the affair. He was a -mountainman himself. All his life he had dealt with cowhands and -miners. He recognized that Sam was acting as most of them would act -under the same conditions. He blamed himself because he had thought Sam -too old to have any fire left. - -“I’m not too proud of this job,” he said sourly to the major. - -“You’d better do your duty,” the major snapped. - -The sheriff nodded his head. He turned to Sam. - -“Now get what you want. We’re going. I’ll go into the cabin with you -just to make sure you don’t try anything else.” - -“I don’t reckon I need anything,” Sam answered. - - - - -4. Desert Winter - - -Life for the wild horses in the desert was a never-ending battle for -food, for protection, and for the chance to slip through the gray -dawn to a water hole where eager muzzles could be thrust into murky, -yellow water. The chestnut stallion was a hard but wise leader. He -knew that man controlled the best of the grazing lands, that mounted -riders patrolled the foothills and the deep valleys back against the -mountains. He had only savage disdain for the geldings and mares who -submitted to man’s saddle and steel bit. No patriot ever cherished his -freedom more than the chestnut stallion. - -In the desert there were Indian hunters to be watched for. The Navajo -people were not like the whites in their way of life. They were -wandering nomads, following their herds, never making a home in any -permanent spot. In summer they built branch-covered shelters. In the -winter they crowded into log and mud hogans. They were children of -the wild, untamed desert, as cunning as the gray lobo. The Navajo had -strange customs. Among them the women owned the sheep, the goats, the -hogan and the children. The men owned the horses, and the hunting -weapons, along with the turquoise jewelry they wore. Horses to a Navajo -were the same as gold to a white man, they were his measure of wealth -and standing. So the Navajo men stalked the wild bands, capturing colts -and mares to add to their wealth. - -The Navajos knew every water hole in the desert. Like the tawny cougar -and the savage lobo, they knew the wild bands must drink, that sooner -or later they must slip down to the water hole. So they stalked them -near the water holes and swarmed after them, riding in relays, keeping -the band moving, keeping them from drinking or resting. - -The chestnut stud considered all these things in his own way and met -the problems with sharp wits, keen eyes, and keener sense of smell, -keeping a constant, alert watch for enemies. He kept his band in the -broken country where mesas dropped away in sheer, steep slopes to the -depths of the sand washes. From the top of such a mesa the band could -easily thunder down into a canyon at a moment’s warning. - -Lady Ebony accepted the hard life. She liked the sudden, wild charges, -the long runs under the white stars, the savage freedom which was so -costly. When the chestnut stallion sounded the alarm she always led -the rushing charge, flying ahead of the reaching, pounding hoofs of -the mares and colts, slowing her speed to allow them to overtake her. -The band foraged for grass at dawn or in the first grayness of dusk, -coming out of a canyon to spread over the mesatop. Then as she pulled -the scant grass she remembered the high mountain mesa where the grass -grew knee-deep and cold, crystal streams rushed over gleaming rocks. -She remembered the red and the yellow and the purple flowers, the solid -masses of blue lupine, the flaming orange of acres of daisies. - -This silent, terrible land was in such sharp contrast to the mountain -country that the chestnut’s desire for it seemed foolish to her. Fear -of man grew but slowly within her. Man had always been her friend and -protector. Sam with his lumps of sugar and his petting, Tex riding up -in the fall with the rest of the major’s boys to take her down to the -winter pastures. The savage anger of the big stallion when he smelled -man scent, the mad charge down the rocky slopes, these were confusing -to her, but she accepted them and began to snort and shake her head -when the scent came to her. - -The desert was a mass of broken mesas, eroded hills, and deep-gutted -canyons. There were many rivers, but no water. The eyes of the band -could see far, but the scene was the same always. And yet this vast -world was filled with a silence that was calm and restful. The desert -was a canvas of shifting, changing color. Under the white-hot glare -of the day the reds and yellows flamed. At dawn and at sunset it was -purple and mauve and steel blue. And always to the north stood the -shining mountains, etched blue against the sky, with the white snow -line gleaming like a crown above the deep blue of the forests. Lady -Ebony often stood and stared through the haze at the ragged outline of -the Crazy Kill Range. - -Summer slipped past, and fall rains woke the short grass to life, a -brief and hurried growth before the cold and the snow came. The wild -ones cropped avidly, pulling the tender shoots from their crowns, -tasting them eagerly before swallowing them. The chestnut stallion -kept the band moving south, down off the higher benches to the deeper -canyons where blizzards would not rage so fiercely. - -Indian summer slipped away and the purple mists lifted from the -cathedral rocks and the spires of the ship rocks. The air cleared and -the mornings were cold, with white frost covering the ground. The colts -frisked and bucked and raced in little circles until the sun warmed -their shaggy coats. Even the mares became spirited when the white -frost was on them. Lady Ebony slipped into the slower, less wild way -of the mares. She did not run except when the band took alarm, but she -still ran at the head of the thundering herd. - -One day a wind came down out of the north. It carried fine snowflakes -which swirled along the ground and curled upward on the lee side of -rocks. Toward night the storm thickened until it became a driving -blizzard riding a shrieking wind. The horses turned their tails to -the lash of the storm and drifted slowly south, led by one of the old -mares. That night they bunched close together in a deep canyon. They -crowded under a projecting lip of sandstone where the wind and the snow -did not strike them. Fine white particles sifted down, covering their -shaggy coats and making them look like white horses as they stood with -their heads down waiting for the blizzard to blow itself out. - -The shelter they had found had been formed centuries before by the -action of wind and water on the layers of rock forming the crust of -the desert. The upper layer was hard and did not weather away as fast -as the lower layers. Thus a great, projecting roof was formed with a -ceiling that sloped back under the cliff. A thousand years earlier, -brown men had passed that way. They had halted in the bed of the canyon -and looked up at the great cave. They had held a council and decided to -build a city under the rim. - -Those brown cliff dwellers had built houses of hewn stone, room upon -room, like apartments. Their masonry still stood, back under the rim. -The ceremonial kivas built under the ground in circular form with laced -log roofs had caved in but the tiers of houses stood against the cliff, -their open windows staring into the canyon. The brown men had vanished, -down into the canyon, south toward the plains, and west toward the -great ocean, but their homes remained. - -The wild horses saw the houses piled story upon story, the staring -windows and the heaps of broken pottery decorated with strange designs. -They were not afraid of the dead houses because the man smell had long -since vanished, carried away by the wind and the heat, toward the south -and the west. - -At night an old lobo wolf halted his bachelor pack on a high rim above -the ancient city. The wind lashed and tore at the gray bodies as though -trying to tear them from the rocky cliff. The old lobo bared his fangs -and lifted his muzzle. He sounded a savage paean of howls and high, -dismal calls and his sons joined in the chorus. Their howls rang down -the wind curling along the face of the cliff to where the wild horses -stood. The mares jerked up their heads, and the big chestnut snorted -savagely. But the howls of the pack had none of the savage cry of the -kill. The gray ones were defying the storm, daring it to sweep them -from their lofty crag. They were answering an age-old urge to challenge -the elements, to dare them to do their worst. After a while the old -lobo led his sons in a wild chase down the ridge. They leaped along, -riding the fierce wind, snapping and snarling eagerly. - -For two days the wild band remained under the rim; then the blizzard -broke and the sun struggled through the gray clouds to shine feebly -into the canyon. The mares moved out and began pawing among the tumbled -rocks, digging for grass. They scooped the new snow and swallowed it -to wet their throats. Above them, against the turquoise sky, a pair -of buzzards wheeled and circled, their round, hard eyes peering down -hungrily, watching the horses, eager to see if any showed signs of -weakness. The undertakers of the air would follow the band daily, -hoping the cold and the scant feed would bring death to some of the -band. - -The chestnut stallion met the rigors of winter with the same disdain -he held for hunters. The colts were watched more closely because the -snow and the cold had driven the natural food of the cougar and the -wolves to cover. Many of the little dwellers were curled up in deep, -warm burrows sleeping. Most of the birds had flown south. But the big -killers did not sleep. Winter was a time when hunger and famine stalked -their world, when they ran for days with lean, gaunt bellies driving -them on. The hunger which cramped their stomachs made them savage and -daring, it sharpened their cunning, and made their raids more deadly. - -One evening a hungry colt strayed from the band, seeking a spot where -the snow was not so deep. His mother was busy pawing through a drift -where she had located a clump of bushes with tender twigs in abundance. -The colt wandered up to a stand of juniper which stood sprawled against -the snow. He dug down experimentally, found no curly buffalo grass and -moved on, farther up the slope, closer to the green trees. - -He was pawing into a drift when he heard a savage snarling. He jerked -up his head and snorted, his round eyes staring with fright. Out of the -juniper woods leaped four gray wolves. Their broad chests rose above -the snow, spraying it aside in fine spurts. Their red tongues rolled -between their bared fangs. The pack was lean and gaunt, but they did -not sound the cry of the kill, they ran silently, emitting low snarls. - -The colt whirled and floundered toward the mares. The chestnut stallion -was the first to see the wolves. With a squeal of rage he charged -toward them. The colt plunged along but he had wandered far from the -band. Behind him the killers rapidly closed in. Their white fangs -slashed the muscles and tendons of his straining legs, hamstringing -him. He went down plunging and kicking, and the gray killers leaped -upon him ripping and tearing. - -At the sound of the chestnut’s shrill warning the mares jerked up their -heads and charged to the rescue of the struggling colt. Lady Ebony -leaped ahead close beside the big stallion. For a moment the wolves -stood their ground, then they faded back, snarling and howling, to -circle around the band. The mares milled and stamped around the colt -while his mother nosed him and whinnied eagerly. He kicked a little, -then lay still. - -In the sky above the buzzards shortened their circles and dropped. -Their long wait had been rewarded. The mares kept a close guard around -the carcass of the colt for a long time. The wolves sat on the snow and -stared out of flaming yellow eyes, waiting with slaver-flecked jaws, -sure they would feast in due time. They looked up at the buzzards now -sweeping low above the snow and growled defiantly. - -The frantic mother kept nosing her colt, trying to get him to his feet -so that she could lead him away from the blood smell and the wolf -taint. The chestnut charged the wolves many times. They leaped away -before his lashing hoofs, darting behind him, jumping at his legs and -heels. And the buzzards settled down on the snow to wait. - -The mares guarded the dead colt for over an hour, then they moved -away leaving the mother alone. She remained standing over the twisted -carcass, whinnying nervously. Then the killers leaped in and circled -around her, darting toward her, two behind and two in front. She lashed -at them, pivoted, kicked wildly, her pounding hoofs striking nothing. -The chestnut stallion came to her rescue and drove the wolves away, -then he drove her down the slope to where the band was feeding. She -went slowly, halting to stand with her head up and nicker softly. The -wolves leaped on the carcass and began devouring it while the buzzards -walked over the snow, halting with their necks stretched out, their -hard eyes glittering. They must wait for their share, which would be -the gnawed bones. - -And so the battle against the snow and the cold went on through the -long winter. Another colt was lost to the gray killers, and an old -mare went lame. She dropped behind in spite of the savage nipping and -crowding of the big stallion. That night she bedded down alone in a -little canyon and a gaunt cougar came upon her in the gray dawn. Her -end came swiftly, without a struggle. - -Then spring came with rushing torrents, slush in the arroyos, and -slick, yellow mud on the hillsides. Streams boiled out of the dry -canyons thick with raw clay and sand. This was the season when nature -carved deeply into the face of the desert. Only the sand washes and the -dunes on the flats resisted the water. The sand ate it up and packed -hard so that it did not cling and drag when the band galloped over it. - -With the speed of a miracle the desert bloomed. The sage flats flared -white with the blossoms of the primrose and the mariposa lily. -Countless other stunted plants put forth flowers, eager to create and -ripen seed before the heat and drought of summer came. And the grass -shot out of the ground, rich and sweet. The band cropped and moved on, -ever searching for taller grass. - -The mares were lean and gaunt, their ribs pushing ridges up under -their shedding coats. The chestnut stallion was lean, too, but in a -hard-muscled way. Lady Ebony had lost much of her fire and love for -frolic. The sun was warm and the air soft but she needed rest. She -looked away toward the white slopes of the Crazy Kill Range. Spring -would not reach the high mesa for another month, but she was restless. -She would have headed away into the foothills but the big stallion kept -close watch over his band. - -One day a horseman rode out on a rim. He sat on his bony horse and -looked down on the wild band feeding on a bench. For a long time he sat -there looking intently before he rode away. Yellow Man smiled as he -galloped toward his hogan. There were many good colts in the band and -one black mare. The black mare was a horse such as he had never seen -before, the sort of mount he had always dreamed about. He would tell -the other men about the band, but the black mare was to be his because -he had been the first to see her. - -He rode to his hogan and picketed his pony. Walking to the glowing fire -which flickered inside the door he stooped and held out his hands. Four -men sat along one wall while a half dozen brown-faced women sat on the -other side. On the men’s side of the hogan lay riding things, bridles -and blankets, a saddle. On the women’s side were the cooking pots and -the blankets. Yellow Man sat down. For a long time he said nothing. His -black eyes were on the fire. - -Finally Yellow Man lifted his eyes to the face of an old man beside him. - -“I have seen many good horses,” he said. - -The old man grunted softly while the others bent forward. - -“There is a black mare who will have a colt this spring,” Yellow Man -said. - -They all nodded. The black mare was to belong to Yellow Man, that was -understood. Now they waited for him to go on. - -“Tomorrow we will run the band. There will be horses for all. The big -one who leads may have to be shot. I will take the rifle. The big one -is strong and will fight.” Yellow Man’s eyes returned to the fire. - -The others nodded and began eagerly planning the drive. Through the -long winter they had kept busy with sings and chants, meeting with -other families in religious dances and ceremonies. This would be the -first hunt of the season. - - * * * * * - -To the north, behind the high gray walls of the state prison Sam knew -when spring came. Through a high, barred window he could see a square -of sunlight on the stone wall. Across the upper corner of the square -drooped the branches of a cottonwood tree. Sam watched the buds swell -and burst into pale-green leaves. - -The warden and the guards shook their heads when they walked past his -cell. Eight years. The old fellow would be lucky to finish two of them. -He refused to work outside, he hated even to exercise in the closed-in -yard. He wanted to be left alone, to sit and stare out the little -window. But Sam did not share their belief that he would never leave -the gray walls. He was sure he would return to the high mesa. He wasn’t -going to die cooped up in a gloomy cell; when he died it would be out -in the open with his boots on, under a mountain sky. - -He did not brood over his trial. His attorney had been irritated to the -point of anger when Sam refused to tell where he had been and what he -was doing during the three weeks of absence from his cabin. That was -his business; he’d need his cache when he got out. Nobody was going -to find out about it. His stubbornness had convinced the jury of his -guilt. Sam had paid the attorney well though the judge had offered to -let the state pay the fee. He didn’t think much about those things, he -just sat and stared at the cottonwood branch. - -Tex, Major Howard’s foreman, had talked to him. Tex understood better -than any of the others, but Sam wasn’t trusting anybody. He had learned -from years of battling for gold that the yellow metal was poison to -friendship and trust. Tex was a right fine feller, but there was no -call to push him too far. - - - - -5. Wild Horse Drive - - -The snow had vanished and the desert was dry and thirsty again. Dust -spurted up around the hoofs of the wild horses as they loped down a -long ridge. The east was beginning to show a pale flush of red and day -came quickly to the barren country, lighting the tall spires and castle -rocks and the sharp points of the pinnacles, making the monument valley -below appear alive. - -The chestnut stallion swung along behind the mares. At their head ran -an old roan. She was trailwise and wary. Her nose was leading her -unerringly to a big water hole at the base of a cliff. The others -pounded along behind her with the colts frisking beside their mothers. -The chestnut halted every little while to whirl and sniff the morning -air. He held his head high and his protruding eyes rolled as he stared -back over the broken country they had left behind. - -The roan trotted off the ridge and down through a jumble of rocks to -the base of a cliff. The horses nickered softly as they smelled water. -The roan’s muzzle was a scant foot from the yellow surface of the -pool when wild yells shattered the morning calm. The band whirled and -stood with heads up, staring toward a rocky slope. Above them the big -chestnut screamed a warning and an order to charge away. - -Down the slope toward the water hole galloped four riders. Their naked -bodies gleamed copper-red in the new sunlight as they bent low over the -necks of their lean ponies. With squeals of fright the band whirled -and charged down the canyon. A cloud of yellow dust billowed at their -heels. The chestnut stallion crashed down on their flanks with bared -teeth and pounding hoofs. When a mare lagged he drove her squealing -into the band. The mad charge carried the wild horses away from the -four pursuing Navajos, but the trailers did not give up the chase. - -Back of the dust cloud Yellow Man rode beside his three sons. Their -faces were expressionless; only their black eyes showed the eager -excitement that filled them. They did not try to make their gaunt -ponies overtake the thundering band but were content to keep a steady -pace. The trail left by the wild horses was broad and easy to follow. - -Lady Ebony ran ahead of the band, keeping well out in front without -effort. She was not badly frightened and the wild panic of the other -horses had not gripped her. But she raced along just the same, enjoying -the surging flight which gave full play to her powerful muscles. The -big chestnut charged in and turned the band up the ridge. As they swept -over the top of the rocky hill they saw the Indians galloping along the -canyon bed below. - -Yellow Man shifted his seat on the bare back of his pinto. His black -eyes were following the flight of the black mare, and there was a -fierce eagerness in them. The chestnut leader was doing just what he -wanted him to do. The big fellow was swinging his band into a wide -circle, a curve which would carry them back into the country they had -just left. - -The band thundered down off the ridge and headed up a sand wash. -The drag of the sand and the uphill going slowed them but they kept -pounding along, the stallion saw to that. He stayed behind and used his -teeth savagely on the rumps of the laggards. - -Yellow Man and his sons galloped up the ridge and dropped into the sand -wash. A thin smile parted the lips of the tall hunter as he noticed how -fagged his horse was. They were chasing no ordinary wild scrub ponies. -The chestnut stallion had trained his band well and kept them in fine -condition. They had run the legs right out from under the Navajo -ponies. He urged his pinto up the sand wash as fast as the little beast -could travel. - -The chestnut saw the riders coming and noticed that they were working -their way to the side as though aiming to come up alongside. He -suspected a trick though he was disdainful of the slow-running ponies -coming up from below. He changed his course a little to the north. -Now the pursuers would have to travel much farther than his band to -overtake them. The Navajo riders swung north too, and kept following -close to the dust cloud. - -The chase thus took a circular course with the chestnut keeping the -mares moving as fast as the colts could follow. But now the horses’ -sides were heaving, sweat was streaking their flanks and caking -in lather-matted ridges above the hair. The big stallion snorted -triumphantly as they topped a ridge. They had run away from their -pursuers. The Indians were plodding along far behind. He allowed the -mares to slow their pace to a lope while he galloped to right and then -to left, looking down into washes and canyons for a hiding place. - -Suddenly the mares heard yells from their right. They saw five -red-bronze riders charging down on them from a cover of junipers. -Mounted on fresh horses, these braves came swiftly from their ambush. -The chestnut stallion rushed on his band and sent them racing down -into a canyon. The retreat led over a ledge and down a rocky hill. The -slope was steep and covered with loose stones, but the sure-footed -horses took the broken ground at a mad rush. One of the mares slipped -and went down, rolling over and over, until she was stopped by a big -boulder. She struggled to her feet and staggered around the hill. Her -colt bounded after her nickering wildly. - -The charge of the hunters carried them close on the heels of the flying -band. When the mare went down, two of the hunters swerved and followed -her. The chestnut let her go and gave his attention to speeding the -rest of the band. In a few seconds the speed of the wild horses carried -them ahead of the Navajos’ lean ponies. But the three hunters following -the mares kept yelling and galloping. - -The two hunters who had swerved to follow the crippled mare and her -colt soon overtook them. They paid no attention to the mare but charged -down on the colt. One of them swung a rope. The loop sailed out and -dropped over the straining neck of the little fellow. The colt fought -and kicked, but the Navajo boy knew how to handle a fighter. He kept -his rope tight, almost to the choking point, and let the little horse -wear himself out. In a short time he had mastered the colt and was -heading toward camp with him. His companion galloped away to overtake -the band. - -The chestnut stallion could not understand the attack of the Navajos. -They did not start shooting when they got in close and they did not try -to rope any of the mares. They just kept riding on the heels of his -fast-tiring band, yelling and waving their arms. They were not like the -wolf or the cougar, they did not strike when they got close, but they -never left the heels of the herd. The big stallion shifted his course -and again they began moving in a wide circle. - -This time the chestnut widened the circle, cutting back into the steep -hill country, turning up crooked washes, crossing ridges, and doubling -back occasionally. The Navajos stayed on the trail, keeping as close -to the band as they could, cutting across when they sighted the mares -doubling on their course. And now they were hanging close on the heels -of the wild ones. Twice the chestnut stallion whirled and faced the -hunters as though about to challenge them to a fight. The braves slid -their hands down to where their guns hung about their naked waists. -They did not wish to kill the big stallion unless he charged their -ponies, nor did they care to try taming him. They wanted the black mare -and the colts. - -The chestnut did not charge his tormentors. Fear of man and man’s -far-killing gun sent him back to biting and shoving the mares into -faster flight. He could not use the tactics which always succeeded -against the wolf or the bear. - -Topping another ridge, he headed his band into a deep canyon. He knew -they were almost winded from running uphill. The steep slope would help -them to recover. One of the Navajos shouted: - -“He is doubling back! Head him!” - -The Indians sent their ponies charging recklessly down the dangerous -slope, leaping over boulders and water-gutted ditches. But the band -would not be headed. Going downhill had eased them and given them new -life. They plunged along with sides heaving and nostrils flaring. Lady -Ebony led them, keeping her pace down to their speed. - -One of the hunters headed his pony up out of the canyon. He halted on -a jutting rock and sat looking down over the desert. His black eyes -watched the fine spirals of yellow dust rising from the canyon and -he nodded his head. The scattered groups of hunters would be able to -locate the new direction the band had taken. - -The sharp eyes of three hunters hiding in a juniper grove on the rim -of the canyon saw the spirals of dust rising from the dry watercourse -above. They slipped across and waited. - -The chestnut began to breathe easier. Once again the band had -outdistanced their pursuers and no raiders could be seen. But he was -nervous and determined to keep the mares moving until they were deep in -the rough, canyon-slotted country to the south. The weary horses slowed -their pace to a trot. They were suffering for water and their hard -muscles were crying for rest. They were used to sudden, wild charges -when they would race at top speed for a while, but they were not used -to a steady grind, hour after hour. - -Several of the mares began weaving away from the herd, sniffing for -water, looking for a spot where they could halt and rest. Suddenly the -yells they had come to dread broke the silence and echoed along the -canyon walls. Three riders came charging toward them from below. The -chestnut screamed a warning. For a moment he hesitated. There was an -enemy pack behind them, and now one faced them. With a snort and a toss -of his head he sent the band up the far slope out of the canyon. The -hunters raced whooping and yelling after the mares. - -Escape from the canyon did not bring freedom from the worrying red -riders. The desert seemed full of them. After every run, when the big -stallion thought he had slipped away from his pursuers, a new and fresh -band would charge from cover on the jaded mares. In desperation the big -horse headed down a deep canyon. The mares could not travel uphill any -more. They could not move fast but the hunters did not seem anxious -to close in and strike. They kept on the heels of the wild ones. Now -there were a dozen of them and they kept up a savage yelling as they -stayed close to the band. - -Up ahead Lady Ebony began to tire. She was not driven by frantic -fear and she was eager to stop and rest. At first she had enjoyed -the flight, but now she was thirsty and her sides were heaving. She -galloped ahead, leaving the band behind. As she raced along she saw a -side canyon. Its floor was solid rock, worn smooth by wind and water. -She slipped into the narrow opening and halted behind a shoulder of -rock. She lowered her head and stood blowing hard. She had left no -tracks on the rocky floor. - -The wild horses galloped past the mouth of the side canyon. A great -cloud of dust rolled up after them. Lady Ebony heard the Navajos go -whooping past. She stood listening until the pounding of hoofs and the -yelling died away. Shaking her head, she trotted up the narrow canyon. -She craved water and she wanted to be alone, to lie down and rest. She -headed north because to the north lay the tall-grass meadows with clear -streams bubbling across them. She moved along steadily, keeping to the -bottom of the canyon where she was hidden from sight of any black-eyed -hunter who might be sitting on a rim high above. - -A black rain cloud billowed up above the rims to the north. It rolled -down across the desert on the wings of a driving wind which raised -clouds of dust and sand. At dusk it swept over the canyon where Lady -Ebony was marching along steadily north. It drenched her and gave her -needed drinking water, then it moved on down to where the chestnut was -making his last stand. - -In the canyon the big stallion had settled down to the grim job of -lashing his mares into movement. They were not able to go fast but he -kept them pounding along, just ahead of the yelling hunters. Their -gaunt bellies were drawn and their dry nostrils flared red inside -their dust-caked rims. The Navajos were shouting to one another, their -spirits high. They were sure of their catch now and eager to close in -as soon as the mares quit. - -Then the dusk of evening came and with it the downpour of rain. Nowhere -in the world outside the tropics can so much water fall in so short a -time as in the desert. The storm was bad luck for the hunters, but it -spelled escape for the wild horses. It blotted out everything, bringing -sudden, inky night. Its rushing, swirling waters wiped out the tracks -of the horses. The chestnut stallion played wise. He took a side -canyon, forcing his charges out on a rocky ridge. From that canyon they -crossed another ridge and turned north. The big stallion was headed out -of the desert. - -The hunters spread out and worked up and down the canyon but the -darkness and rain defeated them. They finally gave up and turned their -ponies toward their camp. - -All that night Lady Ebony kept moving. The storm passed and the moon -came out with stars beyond it, stars that hung low over the barren -country, brilliant with red and blue lights winking outside white -centers. - -A pair of gray wolves flashed past like shadows. They leaped along, -side by side, shoulder to shoulder. One was a big, broad-chested fellow -with a wide muzzle and frost-cropped ears. The other was a slim gray -one with slender legs and body. They paid no attention to Lady Ebony. -They were not hunting, they were running, answering the call of spring, -heading for a trysting place on a barren ridge. - -Lady Ebony heard them holding their spring concert on a high knoll. -They howled and snarled and yelped. There was much yearning, much that -sounded like deep laughter in their song, and there was tenderness in -the notes of the slim gray one. In their mating time they had lost the -savagery of winter. There was no specter of famine in the springtime, -no blasting blizzards, no deep snow. There was food and there was an -urge to find a snug den. - -Something of the feelings expressed by the gray wolves filled Lady -Ebony. Just before dawn she halted and began feeding. She fed on -through the morning. She saw no other horses and heard no savage yells. -At midday she lay down and rested until late afternoon. - -When she moved on she headed north, toward the snowy ramparts of the -Crazy Kill Range, and she went at a long, ground-devouring lope. That -night she halted at a spring in the lower foothills. Berrybushes and -willow grew around the spring and there was tall grass. Lady Ebony -pulled the juicy grass contentedly. She was glad to be away from the -teeth and smashing hoofs of the chestnut stallion. She did not miss the -herd at all. - -The spring was so much of a change after the parched desert that she -bedded down close beside it and rested until morning. With the gray -dawn she was up and feeding on the lush grass. For several hours she -fed, then she drank deeply and faced northward. Again she set her pace -at a fast lope. - - - - -6. Midnight - - -Lady Ebony held her course until late afternoon. She was high in the -red foothills when she halted. A little stream bubbled over red rocks, -willow grew along the banks, and the grass was green. On each side of -the water red rocks rose high against the sky. Along the base of the -cliffs lay great slabs and piles of stone, broken loose from the walls -by wind and rain, piled in confusion over the floor of the wild gorge. -Lady Ebony moved among the tumbled rocks. A bobcat bounded from a -thicket of rose brier where he had been hunting cottontails. Lady Ebony -snorted and shook her head. - -She kept moving slowly along the stream until she came to a grove of -cottonwoods. Close beside the grove grew a dense thicket of tangled -brush. Lady Ebony dropped her head and began pulling the tender gamma -grass. She did not look up at the Crazy Kill Range again. After she had -eaten her fill she drank at the stream and lay down. - -Sunset flamed across the sky and died into cool shadows. The red bluffs -changed from deep purple to slate gray. By almost unnoticeable degrees -the moon brightened and flooded the valley and the cliffs changed color -to match the white light. Now they were silvery with bands and squares -of black shadows across them. And the stars hung, big and white, close -to the ragged tops of the rims. - -In this garden of red rocks close beside the little stream a colt was -born. The morning sun beating down on the floor of the gorge shone on a -wobbly little horse crowding close to Lady Ebony’s side. - -The black colt jerked his curly tail and butted his head against his -mother’s side as he got his first breakfast. His legs were long and -heavy-boned. They were wobbly legs but they showed promise of great -strength. His head was finely molded like his mother’s, and his sleek -coat was all black, except for a white star in his forehead. That white -star and the heavy-boned frame were his inheritance from his father, -the chestnut stallion. - -Lady Ebony was proud and excited over her handsome jet-black colt--so -black that he could well be called Midnight. She kept turning her head, -nosing his silky rump, and nickering softly. She was suddenly aware -of many things she had scarcely noticed before. She heard a rustling -in the thicket and sniffed the warm air nervously. A faint odor of -cat came to her and she snorted angrily. A few minutes later a big -bobcat stepped out of the thicket and stood looking at her. Lady Ebony -shook her head and stamped her feet. The bobcat opened his mouth wide, -exposing rows of white teeth and a red tongue. He closed his mouth and -his yellow eyes stared at the mare and her colt. Then he humped his -sleek back and trotted through the sunshine across the meadow to where -his mate was waiting for him. - -In one of the big cottonwoods a flicker hammered away at the trunk of -the tree. Even this steady rat-a-tat bothered Lady Ebony. And when the -flicker’s mate sailed down from the sky and alighted on an anthill she -snorted again. The flicker up in the tree deserted his morning task -and came down to join his wife in an ant hunt. They danced and cavorted -on the anthill, picking up the busy little workers as they swarmed out -to repel the invasion. - -A yellowbelly whistler came down out of the rocks and set to feeding, -sliding along the ground, sitting up to stare intently across the -meadow, chuckling to himself as he munched the roots he dug up. He was -joined by a pair of cottontail rabbits who stayed close to cover as -they fed. - -Midnight finished his breakfast and began walking around on his wobbly -legs, investigating everything he came to with an inquisitive, pink -nose. Lady Ebony followed him nickering nervously. The little fellow -halted beside a clump of rattleweed. His ears pricked forward and he -listened. From the deep shade under the green leaves came a warning -rattle. The buzzing sound was repeated as Midnight’s nose drew closer. -Lady Ebony sprang forward and stamped upon the patch of weeds as she -shouldered her son away from the danger spot. The colt had met his -first enemy, a big rattler. - -Lady Ebony showed by her actions that she considered Midnight an -important little horse. She followed his wobbling course down the -stream, then back again. After that he tried to run but his legs -doubled under him and his body failed to do what he wanted of it. -Finally he trotted out into the warm sun and lay down. In a few minutes -he was sound asleep. - -Lady Ebony stood over him for a long time with her head down. Finally -she set to cropping grass near where he slept. She knew that she must -be constantly alert, ready to repel attack from killers that had never -bothered her before. The morning serenade of a pair of coyotes above -the rock garden made her nervous. Their mad chorus of yelping laughter -and high, mournful notes caused her to move close to Midnight and stand -there with head erect. The song dogs of the dawn finished their chorus -and raced away across the meadow above. - -A great bald eagle wheeled above the tops of the red cliffs, his -round, glassy eyes staring down on the meadow, his wings beating -the air with powerful strokes. He saw the mare and her colt and his -powerful beak clicked several times. His pinions stiffened and were -held as rigid as the wings of a pursuit plane as he banked sharply and -spiraled downward. He saw the black colt get to his feet and wander -away from his mother. With a piercing scream he shortened his circles. -His cry was answered from the deep blue above and a second eagle came -plummeting down on folded wings, her body roaring through the thin air -as she dived. She flattened her terrific plunge just above the red rock -garden and circled with her mate. - -Lady Ebony jerked up her head and trotted to her son. She tried to -stand over him but he did not wish to be bothered at the moment. He had -discovered his own shadow and was making a great show of challenging -the flat, black thing following him on the ground. He tossed his head -and laid back his ears, his furry rump bumping up and down a little as -he threatened to kick at his mother. - -The eagles soared and dived over the mare and her colt. The kings -of the air were savage killers without fear of any ground dweller. -They had struck down fawns and lambs and they knew they could smash -the wobbly colt if his mother left an opening. Midnight became more -irritated at his mother’s close guard. He tried to lash out at her with -his hind feet. Lady Ebony let him trot away from her. He halted and -snorted at his shadow. - -The king of the air saw his opening and dived. His wings were folded -tight against his sides and he dropped like a bolt of lightning. Close -behind him came his mate. The attack was so swift that Lady Ebony could -not reach the side of her son in time to shield him. The diving eagle -spread his wings a few feet above the back of the colt. His heavy -breastbone struck Midnight a smashing blow while his long talons raked -deep into the tender back of the little horse. Midnight went down so -quickly the she-eagle missed him entirely. The blow which had felled -him was the same smashing stroke with which the eagle broke limbs from -trees when building a nest. It was his stroke of death, but he had not -gauged it as well as he had intended. The breastbone struck Midnight -across the hips and not in the middle of the back where it would have -broken him down. - -With frantic snorts and eager whinnying Lady Ebony nosed her son as he -staggered to his feet. He crowded close against her, willing now to be -guarded. The eagles rose straight up into the blue for five hundred -feet before they leveled off. They circled and looked down, their -screams ringing along the cliffs. Midnight stayed close to his mother. -His rump was smarting and he felt the need of her strength. After a -time the eagles widened their circles and flew away. - -Midnight had learned another lesson. When Lady Ebony sounded a warning -call he rushed to her side instead of humping his back and dancing up -and down. He wanted no more raking talons in his skin. He was beginning -to know the price of life in the wild. He was coming to know that the -strong live while the weak and the foolish die soon. - -But the little horse’s fright passed quickly. He was a true child -of the wilderness and fear was a passing shadow. With the circling -killers gone from the sky he forgot them and sought dinner. He was much -stronger now, his legs had stiffened and he was able to bounce up and -down. The blood of his father gave him something Lady Ebony did not -have, a vitality and a savageness all babies of the wild must have -to survive. Had he been born with the band he would have been able to -follow them. He made a short circle among the rocks, then came back to -his mother’s side where he thrust his head under her flank and began -drinking lustily. Lady Ebony was proud of him, but she was worried too, -because there were so many enemies in this wild country. She was a -horse trained to depend upon man, his fences and his protecting rifle. -Vaguely she knew she should be in a shed during this important time. -Midnight shared none of her worries; he was typically a wild horse. - -That evening the big bobcat serenaded them from the blue-black depths -of the cottonwood grove. No man or beast who has ever heard the -terrifying yowling of the cat-of-the-mountain when he is struck by a -lonely mood has remained calm and unfrightened. Even the cougar and -the wolf move off when he starts serenading. The big cat began his -plaint with long “me-ows” till after a few minutes his cry was a series -of “row-row-rows,” ending in terrific screeches. The weird screaming -echoed along the rock walls of the gorge. It finally tapered off into -long-drawn wails filled with hopeless despair as though the big fellow -was condemned to a terrible fate and knew his time was near. - -Lady Ebony rushed to the side of Midnight and began frantically herding -him up the canyon. She did not have to urge the little horse. He struck -out wildly, running as fast as he could, looking back in terror, -expecting to see a monster leap on him from the woods. - -A pair of coyotes trotting up the canyon halted and stood for a moment -staring through the moonlight. They whirled and raced back, casting -glances over their shoulders as they ran. - -After a time the big pussy with the bobtail walked out of the grove and -seated himself on a rock. Whatever had been troubling him seemed to -have been chased away by his vocal efforts. He yawned and stretched his -lithe body leisurely, then looked around with a satisfied smirk. He had -the canyon to himself and seemed highly pleased. - -He was a male weighing perhaps twenty-five pounds. His ears had black -tufts at the ends, his lips were white with whiskers springing from -black spots. In this he favored the lynx cat. But his eye rings were -white and his reddish-brown body was marked with cloudings suggesting -spots while his feet were small like those of a house cat. His tail -was not more than seven inches long, a stubby bobbed-off tail, but it -jerked nervously as he sat smiling over his kingdom of rock piles and -tall grass. He was not hungry and the hunting mood did not fill him. He -had feasted well on wood rat and rabbit earlier that evening. He had -simply wished to clear all neighbors from his presence. Now that he had -done it he sat and smirked on the top of his big rock. - -But the big cat did not reckon with one hunter who was not impressed -by his terrible song. A big, snowy owl came beating along the canyon -wall. His dim shadow floated across the grass toward the rock where -the cat was sitting. The owl had not feasted that evening. Fate had -been unkind. Every rabbit pasture he had swept over had already been -raided by coyotes or cats. The old owl was never choice about his prey. -His way was to strike at any living thing that came under his powerful -beak and talons. He saw the shadow on the rock move. The animal sitting -there was not bigger than many he had killed before. With a scream he -dived. - -His smashing body struck the surprised cat on the neck and back. Long -talons sank deep into the stringy muscles while powerful wings battered -the sleek sides, knocking him off his perch and rolling him over. -Instantly the sleepy fellow was changed to a hissing, spitting demon. -He twisted his body and with claws and teeth lashed back at the ripping -beak and beating wings of the owl. The owl drove his fangs deeper and -tore at his snarling victim with his hooked beak. - -The bobcat’s fangs found the neck of the owl and sank into it with -crunching swiftness. Blood spattered and fur and feathers filled the -air. The battlers clung to their death holds and exerted all their -strength. The bobcat’s raking hind feet ripped feathers out of his -assailant and found the stringy flesh beneath them; his fangs sank -deeper. Over and over they rolled, the owl flapping and clicking his -beak savagely, the cat hissing and snarling and yowling. - -Both fighters weakened quickly because their wounds were deep and -driven into vital parts. They tumbled into a hollow between two big -rocks. There they struggled feebly for a time. Finally they lay still, -the crumpled and tangled body of the owl under that of the cat, his -big, round eyes staring savagely up at the stars. The bobcat lay with -fangs driven into the neck of his antagonist, his yellow eyes closed to -slits, his sleek coat marred by tufts of torn hair. - -A little wind stirred down the canyon. It passed over the hollow where -the dead animals lay, it seemed to spread the news that two deadly -hunters had passed out of the red rock garden. The bunnies crept out -to the edge of their thicket homes and the wood mice and rats ventured -into the tall grass. After the way of the wild they started feeding -peacefully. - -Lady Ebony and Midnight halted in the middle of a meadow a mile above -the spot where the battle had taken place. Midnight, true to his wild -instinct, had already forgotten the fear that had sent him charging out -of the garden below. He saw a doe and a fawn feeding at the edge of -the meadow and started over to make friends with them. Lady Ebony did -not forget so quickly. She was nervous and excited all that night and -tried to keep her son from walking up to the doe. - -Midnight approached the mule deer and her fawn. He nickered softly and -humped his back, doing a little dance to show off before them. The doe -snorted and shook her head. She was not afraid of a colt but she would -take no chances with her baby. She turned about and led the little one -back into the brush. - -Lady Ebony stayed in the upper meadow. She wanted to give her son time -to get his legs under him before moving on. By the third day the colt -was able to race around the meadow. He noticed the brightly colored -flowers, and made a great show of fear when a rabbit hopped away before -one of his charges. He was inquisitive and shoved his pink muzzle -close to everything that interested him. That day he met one of the -wilderness dwellers who lived in a burrow under a dead stump. Midnight -was dancing about pretending to be frightened by a pair of rockchips -who sat on a stone scolding and chattering because he had disturbed -them. The stranger walked out of a brier thicket and marched down a -deer trail. - -He was sleek and black except for broad stripes of white running down -his back. His tail was a handsome plume of drooping hair, his snout -was pointed, and his little eyes stared out on the world like black -buttons sewed on his face. This stranger showed little interest in his -surroundings. His dull mind held but one thought. Hunting for mice and -bugs had been poor in the thicket near his burrow; he was crossing the -meadow to another thicket. He had no fear of other animals. He claimed -the right of way on every trail and not even a grizzly bear would have -contested that right. - -Midnight stared at the striped brother, then shook his head and stamped -his feet. He expected the big skunk to scamper for cover, then he would -chase him. When the striped one paid no attention to him Midnight -advanced a little closer. Perhaps this dull-sighted fellow was a little -deaf. He danced and stamped his feet some more as he extended his nose -toward the skunk. The skunk marched on, ignoring the little horse. -Midnight stamped close to the striped fellow; the skunk’s plume lifted -with a jerk as dirt and rocks showered over him from the colt’s hoofs. -Any other wild creature would have fled from that danger signal. To -Midnight this seemed a friendly gesture. He whinnied eagerly and thrust -his nose closer to the striped one. The plume jerked twice as the skunk -halted in the trail. - -Lady Ebony saw the skunk. She whinnied a loud warning. Midnight -jerked up his head and looked around. He expected to see an enemy -descending from the air or rushing out of the woods. His action saved -him considerable pain and surprise. A greenish flare of musk shot by, -close under his nose. Reeking fumes rolled around him. Midnight whirled -and galloped hastily toward his mother. He dashed past her and thrust -his muzzle into the cool water of the stream. Then he ran back to her -side and stood staring at the striped brother, who was marching at an -unhurried pace down the deer trail. The skunk’s aim had been low but he -had taught Midnight another lesson. The striped one was master of all -trails and not to be annoyed or disturbed. - -The musky smell hung so rank and strong over the meadow that Lady Ebony -led her son to the lower end of the field where the breeze carried the -smell away from them. - -Lady Ebony did not move on up the canyon to the long slopes dropping -away from the higher benches of the Crazy Kill Range. There would -still be chill nights and deep snowdrifts in the spruce near the peaks. -She wandered slowly up the little stream, halting for days at a time -in lush meadows where the grass was green and tender. Midnight grew -rapidly; his legs became strong and steady. Lady Ebony watched over him -constantly, never letting him stray far from her side. When he raced -around a meadow she followed him, running at his side, urging him to -greater speed. - -She remembered the things she had learned on the high mesa. When she -made long stops she chose rock-bordered meadows where the yellowbelly -whistlers lived. The yellowbellies always had sentries posted in the -daytime. At night when the whistlers were deep in their burrows she lay -down close beside her son. - -An afternoon came when she had need for her vigilance. From a high -perch on a red rim a lank cougar sighted the mare and her colt. He was -lying on a narrow shelf where the warm sun beat down on his sleek hide -as he drowsed. Through slitted eyes he watched Lady Ebony and Midnight -feeding below his lofty perch. There was no flesh he prized more highly -than young colt. He twitched the black tip of his tail and unsheathed -his sharp claws, but he did not move. Slow, sure, and patient methods -were those of the yellow killer. Once he had waited on a ledge for four -days in order to make a kill, a scrawny colt from a wild band. The colt -in the meadow below would be easier prey because there was cover close -to the tall grass. - -The king cat lay watching until late afternoon. He yawned many times -and his red tongue arched between his long fangs as he opened his -mouth. As long shadows began to creep out from the canyon walls he -yawned again, a stretching yawn, then got slowly to his feet. He tested -the wind and looked up and down the wall. Lank, sag-backed, with high -shoulders and high, projecting hipbones, he was a killer to be feared -even by a grown horse. - -The cougar slid down among the big rocks piled at the base of the -walls. He moved on great padded feet without sound. Halting beside a -rock almost the same color as his tawny robe he stood for a long time -staring through the evening light on the pair below. Midnight was -having his supper. He was feeding hungrily, butting his mother’s side, -twitching his tail. The cougar stood, silent and unmoving, except for -the tip of his tail which snapped back and forth nervously. His nine -feet of stringy muscle and furry tail blended with the great rock -beside him. - -He appeared not to be giving much attention to the scene below him. -Really he was surveying the ground he had selected as a hunting spot -and was missing no detail. He could creep out on the windward side of -the mare where a clump of buckbrush grew. From there he would have two -mighty leaps to make. He would wait until the colt had moved away from -his mother’s side. Perhaps the youngster would wander close to the -buckbrush. His black whiskers jerked and his yellow eyes flamed through -slitted lids. Softly, silently he skirted the piled-up rocks and slid -into the timber to windward of the feeding horses. Like a tawny shadow -he passed from one bit of cover to the next, his lank belly close to -the ground. He often halted his unhurried descent to stand staring down -on his victim. - -On reaching the last of the cover he flattened his belly to the ground -and crept forward through the tall grass. He kept moving, slowly, -noiselessly, until he lay behind the clump of buckbrush. There he -lifted his head and stared out through the green leaves. - -Midnight had finished his supper and was nosing about a few yards from -his mother. Lady Ebony had dropped her head and was pulling grass. She -turned slowly toward the open meadow, her back toward the killer. She -had no thought of danger at the moment. The big cat listened intently. -He wanted to be sure the yellowbelly whistlers had all gone in for the -night. His head rested on his forepaws. There was no sound except that -made by the horses, but he waited, rigid. - -The dusk deepened and the big cat stirred. He raised his head and -peered out across the grass. And now his eyes were wide open, yellow -pools of savage eagerness contrasting with his relaxed body. Midnight -was strutting about, sniffing and snorting, humping his back and -shaking his head. Lady Ebony was moving steadily away from the clump of -buckbrush. The cat’s belly dropped to the grass, his hind legs drew up -under him, his head flattened between his massive forepaws. His yellow -eyes had located the exact spot where his first leap would land him, -a bare spot where the grass was dead. From there he would hurtle upon -the unwary colt. He meant to strike the little horse down with a broken -neck so that no matter how well the mare might give battle the colt -would lie waiting for him when she moved away. - -For a moment the great body of the king killer was tense and still, -then he leaped, his body arching upward, his great claws reaching out -before him. He landed noiselessly on the patch of dead grass and poised -there a split second while he drew his legs under him; then he leaped -again, rising high, hurling his body toward the colt. - -An odd quirk of energy made Midnight jerk up his head. He began bucking -and bouncing. That sudden impulse saved him from the smashing blow the -cougar intended to land. The yellow killer landed where Midnight had -been standing. His scream of blood lust rang out, but his long fangs -and ripping claws missed their target. Midnight squealed in terror as -he saw the yellow killer clawing and lashing beside him. He plunged -toward his mother, and Lady Ebony leaped to his rescue. - -She sprang at the enraged lion with uplifted hoofs lashing and -flailing. Mother instinct had completely banished her fear of the -yellow killer. The cougar reared back and lashed at her but he did not -stand his ground. Before her hoofs could smash down on him he leaped -back, spitting and snarling. Lady Ebony did not stop her charge. Her -slender legs pumped madly. The cougar was knocked off his feet and -sent sprawling in the grass. He rolled over, righted himself, then -fled before the pounding hoofs of the infuriated mare. Reaching the -cottonwood timber he bounded up a tree and lay licking his bruises and -spitting angrily. - -Lady Ebony charged back to Midnight and shoved him up across the -meadow. The cougar leaped down from the tree. Circling, he followed the -pair, limping. Blood stained the weeds and tall grass along his trail. - -Lady Ebony headed out of the meadow and up a deer trail. She kept -moving, forcing Midnight to stay close to her side. The white starlight -dimly outlined rocks and trees. They came to an open meadow but she -did not halt. Midnight forgot the fear that had very nearly paralyzed -him. He wanted to stop and rest. In the center of the meadow his mother -halted and let him drink. As he eagerly fed she kept testing the night -air, stamping her feet nervously and looking back down the trail. When -Midnight had finished his lunch she moved on toward the high, dim hills -looming above the canyon. - -The cougar followed the trail of the horses for a while, but his -smashed shoulder was giving him much pain, and he finally climbed on a -ledge where he stretched his tawny length on a rocky bed and fell to -licking the gash. Had he escaped unhurt he would have circled above -the mare and her colt until he found a ledge from which he could attack -again. - -Lady Ebony kept moving throughout the night. The gray dawn found her -going steadily upward. Just before noon they entered the oak belt at -the base of the Crazy Kill Range. There she found a stream and an open -meadow. Midnight insisted upon lying down to rest. No amount of coaxing -would rouse him. He lay stretched out in the sun and closed his eyes. -Lady Ebony was hungry. She began feeding close to where he slept. By -the time he had finished his sleep she was grazing peacefully. - -Mother and son spent long, sunny days in the meadow surrounded by oak -brush. Lady Ebony seldom thought of the high mountain meadows. She had -no desire to go anywhere at all. Midnight was beginning to feel that he -was a grown horse. He danced and kicked and raced around. He even tried -to make his mother do what he thought she should do. When she calmly -ignored him and went on feeding he would lay back his ears and bare his -teeth, nipping at her until she humped her back and threatened to lash -out at him. - -Many enemies passed the meadow and several paused to look at the fat -colt and his mother. Two old lobos halted and calmly watched the colt -at play. Coyotes trotted through the meadow in pairs or singly. An -old bear shambled out of the oak brush and charged after a ground -squirrel. He passed close to the frightened mother and her son but paid -no attention to them. The killers were finding life easy. The hills -abounded with grouse and rabbits as well as every species of squirrel. -There were many mule deer, too. Old does watched over playful fawns -growing strong and independent. The killers need not face the lashing -feet of an infuriated mother horse to kill all they could eat. So they -looked and went their way. - -Midnight tried to make friends with the does. They were not afraid of -him but they were not friendly. They stared at him out of calm eyes -when he came near them, and they snorted and trotted at him when he -tried to run with their fawns. - -One evening Midnight saw a deer feeding at the edge of a clearing. He -trotted over to the big-eared one in a friendly manner. But this one -was different from the does. He had long, branching antlers and snorted -aggressively when he halted and whinnied eagerly. Midnight stood -staring at the strange deer with branches on his head. The buck snorted -again. His horns were beginning to harden and the velvet was dropping -away from their sharp spikes. With the hardening process his shoulders -had begun to swell and his temper was becoming uncertain. - -Midnight moved a little closer. He humped his back and kicked up his -heels. The buck grunted angrily, then snorted. With a shake of his head -he lowered his sweeping antlers and trotted toward the colt. Midnight -circled and the buck circled. Midnight whirled and raced away. This -fellow wanted to play. He’d give him a run around the meadow. - -The buck jerked up his head and shook it. He had routed the enemy and -was satisfied. He began feeding again, cropping the weeds and shoots, -champing steadily. Midnight circled and galloped back to the old buck. -This time the big fellow charged. The colt realized that the antlered -deer wanted to fight and not play. Kicking his heels high he fled to -his mother’s side. - -Lady Ebony ran toward the buck and the big fellow bounded into the -timber. Midnight felt he had won a great victory. He celebrated by -charging around the meadow at a terrific pace. Lady Ebony watched him -as he ran. - -But a day came when the mare felt an urge to move on. Summer had -slipped away and fall had brought frost and sharp winds from the peaks -above. The high, barren reaches above timber line were white with new -snow. Lady Ebony remembered the roundup when riders came to the high -mesa and drove the horses down to the feed grounds in the valley. She -moved about restlessly and finally struck off up the slope. Winter was -coming and she was ready to go down the long trail to the home ranch. -Her brief training with the wild band was forgotten, she was again a -willing captive of man’s way. - - * * * * * - -With the passing of summer Sam grew more listless and weary. He hated -to take his daily walk in the padded yard behind the high walls which -shut out the sight of his mountains. He preferred to sit in his cell -and stare at the changing cottonwood branch. He had chalked another -fall on his cell wall, but he thought about it for a week before he -put the mark down. He was tired but he’d get over that once he was -back on his mountain mesa where he could sit in the sun and watch his -neighbors. - - - - -7. The Way of the High Country - - -There were many inviting meadows along the trail which led up to the -high mesa. The aspen groves were inviting in the daytime, the rugged -hillsides were rich with herbs and frost-ripened grass. Lady Ebony and -Midnight did not hurry. Indian summer filled the valleys below with -purple haze and the air was warm and smoky. They passed through a wild, -rough country, across a high ridge by way of a deep saddle, then they -dropped down to the mesa where Lady Ebony was born and where she had -spent all her summers except one. - -Below the mesa the aspen belt flamed in garments of brilliant yellow. -The rustling leaves would cling to the branches for a few more days. -The first gale sweeping down from the snow peaks would loosen them -and send them sailing to their beds along the slope. The oak belt, -below the aspens, was red and purple like the upholstery of a piece -of expensive furniture in its design and blending of color. Fall was -flaunting its brightest colors for a few short days. Lady Ebony stood -on the edge of the meadow and looked across the brown grass to Sam’s -cabin, silent and deserted. She nickered softly and trotted toward -the weathered cabin. Halting before the closed door, she pawed the -ground and whinnied louder. There was no answer. Old Sam did not come -shuffling out to give her lump sugar. - -The old yellowbelly sentinel chuckled from his perch on the high rock. -He did not seem to understand that the black mare had been away. He did -not shrill his warning whistle or jump down from his high perch. The -calico chips dashed about in frantic haste, their cheeks pouched out -with seeds and dry bits of roots. They realized that there was but a -short time in which to complete their work of filling caches of food. -The fat-bellied rockchips sat and stared into the blue-and-purple haze. -They intended to do a little more work but the sun was warm and they -were fat and lazy. - -A saucy chipmunk jumped to the top of a weed and sat there, swaying -back and forth. His high-pitched “chock, chock, chock” rang across the -meadow. Instantly every member of his tribe mounted a sing perch and -their chorus rang out. The song pitched higher and shifted to “check, -check, check, chir-r-r-up.” - -At the far end of the meadow the dog town burst into excited barking -and saucy “squit-tuck’s.” Lady Ebony tossed her head. This was home -and her welcome back was what it should be except for the closed door -of the old cabin. Midnight bounded around, kicking his heels high -and bucking. Lady Ebony walked around the cabin and sniffed eagerly. -Her nose told her something was wrong. The familiar smells were dim -and cold, the taint of Sam’s rank pipe, the pungent smell of the man -himself, a smell so definite and different from that of the dwellers of -the wild. Midnight raced about. He was not greatly interested in the -cabin, though he had never seen or smelled anything like it before. He -wanted to play, so he galloped away across the meadow, dry clods flying -from his pounding hoofs. - -Lady Ebony settled down to wait. She expected Sam with his lumps of -sugar and she expected Tex and the boys from the ranch. These thoughts -were rather vague, but they were strong enough to keep her in the -meadow and to overcome her uneasiness as her nose warned her of coming -storms. A week of Indian summer passed with warm hazy days and snapping -cold nights. Both Lady Ebony and Midnight had grown thick, warm coats -and the nights did not bother them. Frost carpeted the meadow with -white jewels every night, and every day the sun melted the frost. Sam -did not come and Tex did not come galloping out of the timber at the -head of his roundup crew. The crew had finished its work in the high -country the week before Lady Ebony’s arrival, and had left the brown -grass and the everlasting green spruce to the blizzards and the deep -snows. The horses and the white-faced cattle were all accounted for. - -One afternoon a change came in the weather. The air had been snapping -cold for days with the sun’s rays softening it but little. It became -softer and warmer. Gray clouds raced over the timbered slopes, rolling -low, touching the tops of the highest spruce. The gray wall swept down -over the spruce and over the meadow. Snow began falling, big, soft -flakes that sailed down like loosened leaves. The snow settled through -a deep silence which filled the woods and lay heavy on the meadow. The -chickaree squirrels in the tall spruce worked frantically, cutting -cones from the branches, dropping them to the ground with steady, -thumping sounds. They chattered and scolded as they worked. The old -yellowbelly left his perch and romped to his den under the castle rock. -The calico chips and the chipmunks and the fat-bellied brownies retired -for the long night which was to last until spring came. The mesa was -deserted, leaving only Lady Ebony, Midnight, and the big flakes of snow. - -The wind rose and came roaring down. The great spruces swayed and -moaned as the wind rushed through their branches and tore at their -needles. The big flakes were powdered to fine dust and eddied in and -out among the brown grass stems. The aspen leaves danced and swirled as -they floated from the white branches. In less than an hour the uplifted -arms of the silver trees were naked. But where each leaf had loosened -its hold a brown bud peeped down, wrapped up in a warm little muffler -and hood. The round leaves whirled along the ground and piled deep on -the lee side of big trunks and in deep hollows on the slope. Under the -bed of leaves the columbine and the paint weed and the lupine felt -safer and warmer. - -Lady Ebony led Midnight to the lee of the cabin where they stood with -heads down, backs to the sifting snow. All afternoon the white wall -pressed close around them. Darkness came early, a black, solid darkness -which blotted out every object, even the cabin wall close to their -noses. In the morning the blizzard was still raging furiously. The snow -was deep on the meadow, as deep as the knees of the black colt. - -Lady Ebony fought her way out to the edge of the mesa and began pawing -for grass. Midnight went with her and helped. They dug down and found -a mat of rich, cured grass. With their tails to the lashing wind they -fed. When they had eaten their fill they returned to the lee side of -the cabin and Midnight had a scant but warm meal. Then he lay down. -The snow melted around his body and froze into ice at the edges of the -curves. - -For three days the storm raged. When it cleared and the last of the -gray clouds scurried away over the tops of the green spruce on the -wings of the dying wind three feet of snow lay on the level mesa and -four or five feet in the hollows and drifts. In places the wind had -swept the dry snow away from the grass and feeding was easy for the -horses. But snapping, biting cold followed the storm, making their -breath plume out in wreaths of white fog and causing icicles to form on -their nose hair and chins. Their faces were covered with white frost -from their breathing. - -Midnight showed keen interest in this new world. It was a white world, -a silent world of snow and green spruce. The biting cold made him -plunge through the deep drifts and snort eagerly. One other dweller of -the high country, who could not sleep through the cold months, came to -the meadow. An old timber-line buck had chosen to stay in the high mesa -country defying the cold and the snow. The does and the fawns and the -spike bucks had drifted downcountry before the storm. The two-points -had gone with them and most of the four-points. The timber-line monarch -stayed because he was wary and shunned the ranch-dotted valleys below -the storm belt. He preferred the savage cold and the stalking killers -to the rifles and dogs of the men who lived in the low country. - -He dug down into the snow seeking herbs and twigs. He did not care -for the dry, rich grass, and he watched the mare and her colt without -interest, staring at them, then shaking his heavy antlers and returning -to his feeding. The old fellow knew the dangers he faced, he had met -them before and expected to meet them again. - -The clear, cold weather held for a week. The days were sparkling and -crisp, the nights blue and bitterly cold, with white stars reflecting -their countless points of light upon the gleaming snow fields. In -the aspen groves trees snapped and popped as the frost sought their -hearts. Lady Ebony left the lee of the cabin and found a sheltered spot -beside one of the big castle rocks at a point near the edge of the deep -canyon. A narrow ledge trail led up to the shelter and an outthrust -layer of rock furnished a roof so that the earth under the shelter was -free from snow. A shoulder of the wall shut off the wind, making the -retreat really a barn. - -A crevice in the roof of the shelter harbored a nest of pack rats. -Sticks, pine cones, bright rocks, and other things dear to the heart of -a trade rat had been crammed into the crevice until they spilled out on -the floor. The whole cave was tainted with rat smell, pungent and musty. - -The black robes of the mare and her colt grew shaggy and thick, as -the bitter cold deepened. Lady Ebony and Midnight were forced to seek -grass at the upper end of the meadow below the cabin because the wind -struck that part of the mesa, clearing the snow away. Every morning -they plunged through deep drifts to reach the wind-swept portion of the -meadow, returning again at night to their shelter. - -The week of clear weather was broken late one afternoon. Clouds began -to cluster around the high spires of the Crazy Kills. They crept into -high craters and wound around the tall, granite cathedrals on top of -the world like great cats stalking their prey. Above they were silvery -white and gleamed like jeweled blankets, below they were dark gray and, -in spots, black. - -A feeble sun shone on the mesa, and two yellow sun-dogs blazoned forth -on either side of it like sentinels. The air was still and the silence -deep. Slowly the temperature rose and Midnight sniffed eagerly and -plunged about in the snow. He was disturbed but did not know why. Lady -Ebony jerked up her head and tested the air. She knew another storm was -coming. Then the clouds rolled down over the spruce, blotting out the -shining mountain peaks, the big soft flakes came and later the lashing -wind. Another blizzard gripped the high mesa. With the wind came -cutting cold that stabbed through even the thick coats of the horses. -Lady Ebony headed across the meadow toward their shelter. - -For many days the blizzard raged and roared and the snow fell. When the -storm cleared, the snow was deeper than it had been in many winters. -It piled in great, hundred-foot drifts along the comb ridges, in lips -which thrust themselves out over the spruce below. Slides roared into -the canyons as those lips broke and shot down the steep slopes. The -white terrors mowed swaths through the spruce and tore great boulders -from their beds, grinding them to dingy gray rivers of twisting, -roaring debris which cascaded into the creek bottoms and slid up the -far slopes. The thunder of the slides shook the mesa and the ridges, -starting new rivers of snow. - -When the white death roared, Midnight always crowded close to his -mother’s side and stared up at the ridges trying to see the monster -that could roar louder than any animal he had ever heard. Lady Ebony -was disturbed but she nickered reassuringly to her son and did not lead -a charge through the deep snow. - -Digging for food was a job which required all the short day. The upper -end of the meadow still offered the best feed ground, though the snow -lay three feet deep on that part of it. The timber-line buck came -down from a bed in the rocks and fed close to the horses. He ate much -grass now because he could not scoop the snow away so easily as the -horses did. And he browsed on willow growing along the stream, but such -feeding meant fighting snow six feet deep. Sometimes he followed the -horses and ate the weeds they uncovered and left untouched. - -Lady Ebony and Midnight came to expect the timber-line buck to join -them in their battle for food. The three fed close together in -comradeship. Theirs was a common fight against a common enemy. The buck -no longer charged at Midnight when the little horse walked up to him. -And Lady Ebony no longer whinnied warningly when her son approached the -antlered monarch. - -Life was hard for the three on the mesa, but not as hard as it was for -the killers who roamed the silent forests. The gray wolves and the -cougars hunted daily, their sides gaunt. The snowy owls beat along -the edges of the timber, their glassy eyes staring down savagely. But -there was little food. The snow had not crusted and the gray wolves -and the cougars could not overtake the hardy mule deer remaining in -the mountains. They wallowed and floundered while the deer and the elk -bounded up and clear of the clinging drifts. Night and day the killers -hunted with savage intensity, their yellow eyes flaming with savage -hunger. When one of a wolf pack was wounded or crippled, the pack -turned on him and devoured him as they would any lesser prey. - -A day came when the weather moderated, the sun shone, and the snow -softened and settled. A warm wind blew from the valleys below. The wind -melted the top snow to a depth of several inches. That night the cold -returned, the trees popped, and the air was still and brittle. Frost -crystals coated the willows along the stream and made brilliant jewelry -of every branch and twig rising above the snow. The trees looked like -rock candy. The slushy snow froze into ice and the world was coated -with a hard armor. And now the gaunt killers could race swiftly over -the surface while deer and elk broke through. The killers slaughtered -savagely, gorging themselves on fresh meat until they could not run. -The coyotes and the owls fed at the tables of the great ones after the -hunters had passed on to fresh kills. - -Lady Ebony and Midnight found the battle to reach the cured grass -under the snow much more difficult, now that the ice had come. They -were forced to feed later into the night in order to fill their -bellies. They pawed and smashed at the thick armor covering the -drifts. A full moon shone down, its white light flashing back from the -glistening ice. The air was snapping cold as night settled, but Lady -Ebony delayed returning to their shelter. They had not fed well that -day. She was pawing down the crust, then scooping away the loose snow. -The old timber-line buck followed close behind the two horses. He was -gaunt and lank. His slender hoofs made poor weapons against the ice. - -The air was still with the stillness of a dead world. Suddenly Lady -Ebony jerked up her head. From the ridge above the mesa came the cry -of an old lobo wolf and his bachelor pack. They were racing down from -the high barrens seeking prey. The old lobo had not led his sons into -the lower country. He was wise and cunning and had kept his pack high -above the ranches with their poison sets, their traps, and their guns. -He preferred the savage struggle of the snow-locked high country to the -sure death lurking in the open valleys. He had ranged above the belt -where the deer and the elk wintered and had not led his sons to a kill -in more than a week. The slaughter going on lower down the slope had -not been shared by these gaunt killers. - -Lady Ebony listened intently. The pack was running down the ridge above -the mesa. She shook her head restlessly and looked across the meadow -toward the castle rocks. Turning she took a few steps toward the lower -end of the meadow. The timber-line buck grunted protestingly as he -floundered out of her way. Midnight kept on digging in the snow. He was -still hungry. The snarling of the pack sounded farther down the ridge -and Lady Ebony turned back to where Midnight was pawing. The howling -rose in savage crescendo. The pack had swerved and was heading toward -the meadow. - -The timber-line buck did not wait to listen. He began floundering and -plunging across the open toward the woods where he knew the warm sun -had not softened the snow so that it crusted. Here he could double and -bound; his speed would save him from the gray ones. - -Lady Ebony snorted and whirled. She took one long leap, then halted and -looked back, nickering loudly, warningly. Midnight stood looking at -her. He was chewing a mouthful of grass he had pulled from under the -snow. He swallowed the grass and thrust his head back into the hole. He -had found a good mat of grass and meant to finish it. The howling pack -did not disturb him greatly. He had never been attacked by wolves. All -the wolves he had met had loped away when he ran toward them. - -Lady Ebony leaped back to his side and crowded against him. She -whinnied excitedly and pawed the snow, then whirled and leaped a few -yards toward the rocky point. Midnight pulled up a tasty mouthful of -grass and munched at it, then dived down for more. Lady Ebony was -frantic. She plunged at him and nipped his rump sharply. - -Midnight’s hips jerked and he lashed out with his hoofs, striking his -mother a smashing blow. She had never bitten him so severely before and -his temper flared. Lady Ebony charged at him again. She had to make him -follow her. - -Up in the spruce the old lobo heard her whinny and the tone of his -howls changed from hungry yelping to savage eagerness. Instantly his -sons, leaping at his side, took up the cry. After many days of stark -hunger the old one had led them to a kill. - -The gray killers burst out of the darkness under the spruce, running -madly, their fangs gleaming, their red tongues lolling. They flashed -into the gleaming moonlight like shadows. Midnight jerked up his head. -He saw the glowing, yellow eyes of the killers, the white fangs, and -the red tongues as the wolves leaped across the crusted snow. Fear -gripped him, and with a wild squeal of fright he plunged away, breaking -through the crust, floundering, stumbling. - -Lady Ebony did not rush after him. She knew they could not both escape -the swift shadows so close upon them. With a toss of her flowing mane -she plunged toward the pack. After charging a few yards she halted and -her front hoofs rose. A defiant, screaming cry came from her chest. -The wolves leaped in on her, dodging her flailing hoofs, their fangs -reaching from every side. The old lobo leaped straight at her throat -while his sons swarmed around her. One smashing hoof struck the lobo -and sent him spinning across the glare of ice. But as she hurled the -old one from her, two young wolves ripped her flanks while another tore -a gash in her shoulder. They leaped and lashed and ripped, springing -in, darting away. - -Lady Ebony could not run and the deep snow kept her from pivoting to -meet the rear attack. She was doomed and she knew it, but she did not -try to plunge away. Her son was floundering to the safety of the ledge -and she had to hold the pack where they were until he reached the -castle rocks. - -The old lobo scrambled to his feet. Lady Ebony’s flank was turned to -him. He leaped and his fangs sank deep, driving toward the tendons -of her leg. He did not waver and spring away. He struck with savage -recklessness. His sharp fangs severed the tendons and Lady Ebony went -down. Instantly the whole pack swarmed over her, tearing at her sleek -coat. - -Midnight plunged on across the meadow. The pack was so busy tearing at -the black mare that they did not follow him. He reached the ledge trail -and plunged up to a shelf where there was room for him to whirl about. -He stood staring out across the meadow, listening to the snarling of -the pack as they fed on the carcass lying in the snow. He was still -standing there when the pack turned away from the bloody bones of his -mother and began looking for him. - -They picked up his trail and raced across the gleaming snow. He watched -them come, and courage, the courage of a cornered animal, plus the wild -and savage fighting heart given him by the chestnut stallion came to -him. He shrilled a challenge and reared up on his hind feet, his little -ears laid back, his teeth bared. - -The old lobo was the first to leap up the ledge trail. He lunged at the -black colt. Midnight’s lashing hoofs met him and sent him tumbling back -upon his leaping sons. The bachelors swept past their father and closed -in. They were not so hungry but the blood lust ran hot within them. -They wanted to kill again and their easy victory over the mare made -them feel certain of their victim. - -One of the youngsters leaped at Midnight’s throat. Two lashing hoofs -met the gray body in mid-air. The killer screamed with rage and pain -as his body writhed on the snow. He slid down toward the canyon rim -and over the edge, hurtling into the shadowy depths below. Another -youngster leaped and was smashed back. - -The pack backed away from the flailing hoofs. Their bellies were gorged -with meat and much of their savageness had left them. There was no way -to surround the colt or to leap at his flanks. They sat down on the -snow and glared at him, their yellow eyes flaming eagerly, their red -tongues dripping as they extended above white fangs. The old lobo -licked his wounds and growled deep in his chest. - -Midnight waited, poised. But they did not attack again. One killer lay -dead at the base of the canyon wall, while another crawled around on -the snow, snarling and whimpering, his ribs caved in by the hoofs of -the little stallion. Presently the old lobo got to his feet. He made a -feint toward Midnight, but when the pounding hoofs lifted menacingly he -turned and trotted away with his pack close behind him. They paid no -attention to the wounded wolf. - -Out on the meadow Midnight heard them pause at the carcass of his -mother and begin feeding again. He stood for a long time listening, -nickering softly, calling to his mother, trying to tell her that he had -beaten the pack. There was no answer except the pack’s snarling and the -yelp of a coyote that had smelled the fresh blood and come to the edge -of the woods to wait until the gray ones were done with their banquet. - -Midnight stood guard until the pack finished worrying the bones in the -meadow. After they had loped away into the timber he turned back to the -shelter and stood waiting for his mother. - - - - -8. The Strong Survive - - -When the little black stallion came out of his shelter the morning -after the wolf raid the sun was shining on the glare of ice which -covered the meadow. The old timber-line buck was plunging toward the -feed ground. Midnight whinnied eagerly for his mother and shook his -head impatiently. He was hungry and wanted her badly. When he got no -answer he moved down the ledge trail. At the spot where the wolves had -attacked him he halted and sniffed the snow, blowing loudly, pawing the -ground angrily. - -He moved out across the meadow. The old buck lifted his head from a -hole in the snow and stared at him. Midnight whinnied again. He was -glad to see the buck calmly feeding. It drove away some of the fear -that he felt because he could not see his mother. The buck dropped his -head to feed. Midnight walked to the place where the snow was spattered -with blood. He sniffed and shied back. Standing with legs apart and -head bent forward, he looked at the frost-coated pile of bones lying -in the trampled snow. Breaking a trail around the spot he moved close -to the monarch and began breaking the crusted snow. The buck let him -feed close to his side but when the little horse would have shouldered -against him he jerked up his head and snorted. He shook his bony -lances threateningly and Midnight backed away. - -Midnight set to work pawing, breaking the crust and scooping the -loose snow aside. He worked steadily all through the day, pausing at -intervals to call for his mother. Two lean coyotes came out of the -spruce and slipped across the meadow. A little fox thrust his sleek -head out of a thicket which had been swept clear of snow. He wrinkled -his nose as he crept forward. His furry, red brush waved back and -fourth. Hunger had driven the three hunters into the open in the white -light of day, hunger and the smell of fresh meat. The coyotes poked -among the bones gnawing and snarling. The little fox sat down to watch -and to wait. He was sure there would be a few bits of gristle left for -him. - -Midnight snorted and shook his head at the coyotes. He pawed into the -drift savagely, then rushed at the coyotes as far as his trail went. -The coyotes leaped back from the carcass and faced him snarling and -snapping. Midnight stared at them for a long time, then turned and went -back to his feeding. He was learning the lessons of the wild. - -A lynx cat with tufted ears and big furry pads on his feet thrust his -head from behind a drift. He, too, had forsaken the twilight of the -spruce country, which was his natural home. He blinked his eyes before -the glare of the sun and stared at the pair of coyotes and the little -fox. His nose twitched hungrily. He seldom ventured far from the green -dusk of the forest but he had eaten only one small morsel in two days, -a field mouse dug from the roots of a dead aspen tree. His green eyes -fixed on the little fox and he shifted his padded feet nervously. He -had feasted on fox before and the stringy meat was to his liking. - -At the same moment the fox’s sharp eyes and pointed nose discovered -the lynx cat. Turning, the sly one raced over the crust toward his -burrow in the thicket. The lynx cat bounded over the snow, cutting -across to head the fox away from his hole. The little fox ran swiftly -but he had a greater distance to go. The cat closed in swiftly and the -fox whirled to face him. The lynx arched his back and circled slowly -around his intended victim. He knew the fox had deadly fangs and that -he would use them. The sly one was shy and timid but he could fight -when cornered. The air was filled with the yowling and spitting of the -lynx and the snarling of the fox. Both coyotes sat up and watched. -Midnight and the big buck jerked up their heads and stared at the -battlers. The old buck sniffed the cat scent and made off along his -trail to the timber. Midnight stood still. He was afraid but did not -know what to do. - -The big lynx cat circled a second time. He was cautious even though he -was desperately hungry. With a lightning movement he leaped at the fox, -who was crouched down with his chest on the snow. The fox leaped to -meet him and slashed at him savagely. A big tuft of hair from the cat’s -neck scruff sailed high and floated to the snow. The cat backed away -spitting, his big feet planted wide apart. - -When the lynx leaped back the little fox whirled and raced for the -timber. He had tricked the cat and his red tongue lolled out over -his white teeth very much as though he was laughing at his clumsy -antagonist. - -The lynx bounded after him and the fox whirled again. Again the fox -made a stand and the dweller of the spruce twilight circled around -him. Again the lynx leaped and was met by the lashing fangs of the -slim hunter of mice. The cat leaped back and red drops of blood dotted -the snow. Both times his lashing paws had missed the dodging, weaving -fox. The fox whirled and ran, this time almost to his thicket. The -lynx bounded upon him and he whirled, his brush sweeping across the -glistening snow. - -The lynx did not strike again. If the snow had been soft and loose he -would have been the victor and would have feasted upon the carcass of -the tough little fox, because his snowshoe feet would have carried him -over the surface while the fox floundered. The hard crust which spelled -death for the elk and the deer gave the little fox a surer chance to -live. Slowly the fox backed to his den under the bushes. He halted in -the opening and crouched there, his muzzle resting on his forepaws, his -little eyes flaming. - -The lynx cat arched his back and sidled up to the den, spitting and -snarling. He halted well out of reach of the flashing attack of the -little hunter. He sat down and stared back at the fox. Finally he -walked away to a drift. He hoped the fox would venture away from his -hole under the bushes. But the fox could see the big fellow seated on -the drift. He drowsed, his eyes half closed, waiting for the killer to -tire and go his way. Finally the lynx cat got up and padded back into -the spruce. - -Two eagles came and the great owls beat along the edge of the clearing. -The wolf pack raced down along the ridge at dusk, seeking the little -stallion. But Midnight and the old buck were safe in their shelters -long before dusk. Both remembered the experience of the previous night -and left the feed ground early. They bedded down on stomachs only half -filled, but they rested better than the killers who could not get even -half a meal. - - * * * * * - -There came days of sunshine and days of storm. When the blizzard came -the wind swept the new snow across the hard, smooth surface of the -meadow, piling it in the timber or swirling it into the deep canyon. - -One cloudy day a lean cougar padded through the spruce at the upper -edge of the mesa. He halted and stared out over the sheet of glistening -ice. His yellow eyes suddenly flamed with eagerness. He had sighted the -timber-line buck and the little stallion. His amber eyes flicked over -the old buck and fastened on the colt beside him. His nose jerked and -the black tip of his tail twitched. It seemed almost beyond any good -luck to find a fat colt and a buck deer together. He had hunted for -days and was heading toward the lower country. The only living things -he had met were wolves and coyotes as hungry as himself. - -The cougar moved to the edge of the woods, his eyes wandering over the -snowy expanse. It did not seem possible for the colt to escape him. -The little horse had a long way to go to reach cover. The snow was -crusted so that the killer could bound over it while the horse would -break through and flounder. He located a drift which ran out into the -meadow like the fin of a great fish. He would slip out along that fin. -He would not need to get close. His eyes roved eagerly over the meadow, -seeking to locate any weak point in his plan of attack. - -Midnight and the old buck fed steadily, the buck following the trail -Midnight had broken. He was about twenty yards back of the little -stallion. Midnight pulled a tuft of grass up out of the snow and chewed -it eagerly. Swallowing it he ducked his head and nosed about for more. -He pulled another mouthful and looked around him. He was fast learning -the tricks of the old buck. Look, listen, test the air after every -exploration under the crust. - -It was the buck who warned him of danger. The monarch snorted loudly -and whirled about. The wind had shifted and his keen nose had caught -cougar scent. Midnight looked and saw the gaunt killer rising above -the drift in a long, high leap. The big cat screamed savagely, -angered because he had been discovered before he was ready to attack. -Midnight plunged after the old buck. The cougar landed on the hard -crust, skidded, then righted himself and bounded again. His leaps -were terrific and carried him down quickly on the two struggling and -panic-stricken comrades. His ears were flattened and his tail was -lashing. His yellow eyes checked the distance he had to cover. His -last leap must send him smashing down on the back of the colt. His -tawny body shot upward and out in a twenty-foot leap, while his claws -unsheathed and he bared his fangs for the death thrust. - -With a wild plunge of speed Midnight charged past the old buck. The -ancient monarch was a scarred warrior. He had been attacked by cougars -before and had always managed to escape. This time he was trapped. He -could not flounder to the deep, soft drifts in the spruce. Like any -wild thing, he whirled to fight because that was all there was left for -him to do. He had lived to old age in the high country because he had -been able to meet desperate situations. When he whirled he lowered his -sharp antlers until they formed a shield for his neck and shoulders. - -The leap of the yellow killer had been aimed and timed so that its -force would smash down on the back of the colt. Instead of smashing -upon the unprotected back of the little horse the cougar landed upon -the bony lances of the old buck. His hundred pounds of weight hurtling -down on those horns would have been damaging enough, but the old -timber-line monarch charged forward just as the cat landed, adding to -the effectiveness of the defense. The buck was smashed back on his -haunches, but instantly his powerful legs straightened and with a grunt -he lunged again. - -The lances of bone drove deep into the chest and neck and legs of the -cougar. When the buck lunged he twisted those knives and drove them -deeper. He ripped and tore in mad fury. Flight was forgotten now that -he was in a battle. He thought only of destroying his attacker. The -cougar was startled by this attack from a prey which had always fled in -a wild fear before him. He screamed savagely as he struggled to toss -his body out of the path of the ripping horns. Rolling over and over in -the snow he scrambled away from the charging deer. - -The buck made another lunge but the big cat had had enough. He bounded -away across the snow leaving a trail of blood which froze in round red -jewels on the crust. - -The buck shook his head and snorted savagely. Midnight watched him -from the safety of the ledge. Finally the little horse trotted down -the trail to meet the monarch, who was stalking along, his rump patch -fanned out, his breath whistling angrily. Midnight halted before the -buck, and they stood looking at each other. - -After that the bond was a little closer between the two. Midnight -realized that there was safety in being close to the big buck. He -was convinced the old fellow was the master of the yellow killers so -terrifying to him. The monarch gave the matter no thought. He had -escaped from another cougar, but he did not intend to allow one to get -near him if his nose and his keen sight warned him in time. But he -followed Midnight’s trail and ate the weeds and brush tips the little -horse uncovered and left. - -So the cold winter passed. The pair who came daily to the meadow kept -vigilant watch for the killers and slipped away from the feed ground -early each night. The little stallion was nearly as quick of sight and -smell as the old buck by the time the snow began to soften. They were -always hungry, never able to dig up enough grass and feed to fill -their stomachs, but they were also wary and alert. - - * * * * * - -Spring waited for them on the snow-bound meadow one morning when they -came down to feed. A chinook wind was blowing and the air was soft, -promising life, alive with earthy smells carried up from the lower -valleys where green things were already growing on the south slopes and -in the canyons. Midnight bucked and pranced excitedly. The old buck -shook his head and grunted. He was a sad-looking monarch now. His sides -were thick with matted hair and he had shed one horn so that he was -forced to carry his head on the side. He moved about more timidly and -seemed eager to be near the black colt. - -The snow settled down and down. At night it froze but not with the -bitter hardness of the deep winter. Each day the snow sank lower and -packed harder. It shrank until bare patches of meadow appeared. Then it -retreated into the spruce where it would make its last stand against -the sun. There were blustery days when snow fell and raw winds blew, -but this was spring and nothing could halt its coming. - -The wolves and the coyotes raced across the bare ground, leaping over -the dirty drifts in the shade, racing on and on, as fast as the steady -wind which blew up out of the green valleys below. The wolves were not -seeking prey, they were running in pairs, leaping through the dusky -twilight or the pale moonlight, seeking romance on distant ridges, -trysting places under the stars. - -The resurrection came swiftly. Grass sprouted and flowers shoved forth -their buds, some of them poking out their hardy blossoms at the edges -of the drifts in the twilight of the woods. But the real and certain -arrival of spring was announced by the yellowbelly whistlers. They -awoke and came out of their dens to blink at the sun. They romped -across the bare meadow and bounded among the rocks at the base of the -castles. A day or so after the whistlers had come out the calico chips -appeared. They had been ready for some time but had been careful not to -hurry. - -One day the chipmunks appeared. They held a concert at once, and the -meadow rang with their “chock, chocking.” The fat little brownies came -with the chipmunks. They selected stones and spent much of their time -sitting in silence looking down into the blue valley. Only the cabin at -the edge of the timber remained lifeless and dead. It went on sleeping. -Its one dusty window stared out drearily on the lively scene. Its door -did not open to let the spring air into the cabin, there was no one to -open it. The willow chair sagged beside the doorstone. It sat there -much as though it had stepped outside to wait for the owner of the -cabin. - -Midnight became restless. He raced around the meadow and mud flew from -his hoofs as he splashed through puddles in the hollows. The only spot -he avoided was the dog town. There the ground was soft and the holes -made it treacherous. The dogs barked and scolded when he thundered -past but they accepted him as one of them. He whinnied and kicked and -pranced. The old whistler, perched on his high lookout, stretched his -neck, chuckled several times, then pulled his head back into his ball -of fur. - -Midnight still used the shelter under the rim. Habit made him return to -it at dusk. The old timber-line buck knocked off his remaining horn, -then wandered into the twilight of the spruce and did not come out -again. He would seek a sun-drenched glade where he could nurse his new -antlers through the period when they were in the velvet. In a short -time nubbins of furry, blood-filled soft horns would appear, rising -from the scars of his old spread. During this time the monarch would -be quiet and shy. He would not fight and he would avoid charges which -would take him into the timber. - -Midnight was climbing the ledge trail one night when he was faced by -a strange and terrible creature. A great silvertip, with the sleep of -winter still dulling his little eyes, came shambling down the narrow -ledge. He was gaunt and in a savage mood. Midnight had come to consider -this as his own trail. He had met the wolf pack almost on the spot -where he now stood. He snorted and reared on his hind feet. The old -silvertip kept on shambling toward him. Midnight laid back his ears and -squealed. The ledge was too narrow to turn about easily, and it was his -ledge. - -Then the little stallion got a good whiff of rank bear scent and panic -seized him. He tried to whirl about but the ledge was too narrow. The -very thing that had made the ledge safe for him against the wolf pack -made it a trap now. He reared again and his trim hoofs lashed out at -the massive head and hairy chest of the silvertip. - -The old bear saw the little horse for the first time when Midnight -reared. His great jaws opened and a roar came up from his chest. He -did not desire meat to eat, he wanted certain herbs and he wanted -cold water, things to help his shrunken stomach adjust itself. But he -never gave the trail to any except the skunk and the wolverine. In his -present mood he was ready to smash anything that tried to halt him. - -He straightened up and stood like a shaggy giant, advancing as a -man would. One massive paw swept out. The blow struck Midnight with -glancing force. Had it landed squarely it would have finished him. It -over-balanced him and he slid off the trail. Kicking and lashing he -plunged over the canyon rim. - -The old silvertip shoved a swaying head over the edge and growled -deeply, then he ambled down the trail and headed across the meadow, -growling and grunting to himself. The yellow-belly sentinel blasted -shrilly and the little dwellers of the meadow raced to their dens. The -dogs slid down their runways and defiant “squit-tucks” came out of the -ground. The silvertip paid no attention to the commotion he had caused. -He strode on across the mesa. - -Midnight dropped a few yards and landed with a thump on another ledge. -A pile of earth matted with grass and berry bushes broke his fall. His -head hung over a yawning chasm. Quickly he gathered himself together -and scrambled to his feet. For a few minutes he stood pressing against -the rock wall and trembling; he saw that he was on a ledge which sloped -gently down to the meadow. There was no chance to leap back to the -trail above, so he moved along the cliff, sliding, crowding against the -wall. - -He slid off the ledge onto solid ground matted with dry grass. He was -in a cup-shaped hollow on the side of the canyon wall. He trotted -through a matted tangle of willow and brush to the edge of the basin. -From where he stood he could look down into Shadow Canyon. He could see -the foaming waters of the Crazy Kill River. But a sheer wall prevented -him from climbing down, so he explored the hollow. - -There were not more than seven acres in the basin. Aspens grew close -together over most of the ground, except in the center where a beaver -colony had cut them away. In this clearing nestled a tiny lake. -Two old beavers were swimming around in the water, inspecting the -horseshoe-shaped dam at the lower side. When Midnight halted at the -edge of the water the old beavers dived, slapping their tails with -explosive sounds. - -Midnight turned away from the lake. He did not like the confining feel -of this little mesa. He limped as he walked and his shoulder pained -him, but he was not hurt badly. He wandered all the way around the mesa -and discovered no trail leading off it except at the lower end where a -ten-foot crevice cut through a ledge along the side of the canyon wall. -He turned back and began feeding uneasily on the green shoots pushing -up through the dead grass. - -The old beavers came up again and set to work. A ptarmigan strutted -in the dry leaves under the aspens and a snowshoe rabbit hopped out -of a thicket. The big bunny sat down and began nibbling on a tender -weed-stalk. - - - - -9. Prisoner - - -Midnight fed on the rich, new grass until he was no longer hungry, then -he made another trip around the rim and along the cliff wall. He wanted -to escape from this tight little pasture. The only avenue of escape lay -across the crevice and along the ledge beyond. Midnight stood at the -edge of the yawning abyss and shook his head restlessly. The leap was a -long one, too long for him to try. - -The little stallion turned back to the beaver lake. The pair of beavers -were busily lacing willows along the top of their dam. As they wove the -willows into place they plastered black mud on them. They were master -engineers, and their dam was sturdy and strong. They stopped work and -gazed at Midnight but they did not plunge into the water. They accepted -him as one of the dwellers of their little world under the rim, a -harmless animal who would not attack them. - -Midnight trotted into the aspen grove and lay down. Above him green -buds were bursting and pale-green leaves had begun to show. The bushes -along the wall were leaved out and many flowers bloomed. The little -mesa lay facing the sun. Its protected acreage afforded growing things -a chance to get started before other mesas came to life. The spot -Midnight had picked for his bed was near the cliff face. He could see -the rim above. A group of five Englemann’s spruce grew near the wall. -Their straight trunks towered well above the rim and looked out across -the high mesa where the cabin stood. One of them grew so close to the -cliff face that its trunk touched the rim above. - -Midnight drowsed, his eyes fixed lazily upon the leaning spruce. -Suddenly they popped wide open. He saw a big brown bear slide off the -rim above and come down the trunk, sliding and scraping the bark loose -in a shower of wood bits. The bear was descending tail first, moving -around the tree as he came down. - -The black colt scrambled to his feet. The memory of the savage -silvertip was fresh in his mind. He tossed his head and snorted loudly. -The brown bear halted his descent and peered down at him, then began -to slide again. Then Midnight saw another bear, larger than the first, -swinging off the mesa above. The big fellow came down amid a shower of -bark and twigs. Midnight whirled and fled as far as he could get away -from the spruces. He halted and stood watching the two bears, ready to -dodge and run if they charged at him. - -The two bears paid no attention to Midnight. They grunted and growled -as they walked into the aspen grove, where they prowled about rooting -into the dead leaves, overturning rotting logs. Then both sat up -letting their big paws droop over their shaggy bellies. They sat -looking up at the spruce trees. Down the leaning tree came two more -bears. Midnight pawed frantically but he was as far away from the bears -as he could get. The two newcomers joined the first pair in the aspen -grove. There was much growling and grunting, with many deep woofs -added. Midnight remained where he was, trembling and pawing the ground. -Within an hour seven bears had arrived by way of the leaning spruce, -and the grove was noisy with their gruff voices. - -One he-bear walked to an aspen tree. Lifting himself to his full height -he gashed a mark on the trunk with his teeth. Another male, who had -been sitting watching him, got to his feet and walked to the tree. He -gashed the tree higher than the other had been able to reach. Then -a big fellow with a furry red face strolled to the tree. He grunted -several times as he stood up. He marked the tree a full six inches -above the highest mark, then dropped to the ground and faced the -other bears. The males backed away from him as though recognizing his -superior prowess. He strolled to one of the she-bears and nosed against -her. She accepted the caress and the big male turned toward the spruce -trees. He ambled to the leaning tree and started to climb. The she-bear -followed him obediently. - -One of the other males edged close to a female, rumbling in his chest -as he moved toward her. Another male stepped forward and the two big -fellows faced each other. An angry argument followed. The aspen grove -rang with the roars of the two males, but they did not fight. One of -them backed away and the other led the she-bear to the sloping spruce -in triumph. They went up the tree and out on the mesa. - -There were two males and one female left. The smaller fellow, a -smudged, black-faced bear, had edged close to the last she-bear. He -woofed and grunted in an attempt to get her to go with him, but she -just sat and looked up into the aspen branches. The larger he-bear -walked toward her. The little bear with the black face crowded in front -of her, growling warningly. - -The big bear shuffled up to him, reared, and cuffed him hard alongside -of the head. The little fellow danced up and down and his roars shook -the branches of the aspens and echoed along the rock walls, but he -backed away from the she-bear. - -The big fellow walked around her and grunted deeply. Then he headed -toward the leaning tree against the wall. She followed him while the -little bear sat with a sad expression on his face watching them. He -remained where he was until they had climbed out onto the mesa above. -He whined a little, ambled to the tree, and began climbing out of the -basin. - -The love moon of the bears had risen. This secluded spot was the scene -of their first summer romancing. The pairs would wander away into the -woods and remain together for a while. Midnight did not understand the -nature of the gathering, but he did realize that they had not come to -the mesa prison to attack him. He edged out toward the grove which -reeked with bear scent. Snorting and jerking his head, he trotted -around to the lower end of the mesa where he nibbled a few blades of -grass. The wind carried the strong bear smell to him and he moved to -the upper end again where he bedded down for the night. - -Then next morning while Midnight was feeding close to the beaver lake -he met another stranger. The animal was not large and it waddled -along at a slow pace. It had long, yellowish hair and it seemed -too dull-witted and slow to be dangerous. Midnight advanced. The -dull-witted one lifted the hair on his back but otherwise paid no -attention to the little horse. - -Midnight had never met a porcupine. He thought the spines sticking out -of his back were long hairs. The dull gnawer of bark sat down when -Midnight got close to him. Only his tail moved, jerking up and down. -Midnight extended his soft muzzle and sniffed in a friendly manner. He -kept his legs planted wide so that he could leap if the porky came to -life suddenly and attacked him. The gnawer did not move, he huddled -into a ball of spiny fur, pulling his head back until only the tip of -his snout showed. Midnight tossed his head and pawed, his nose extended -closer as he sniffed and sniffed. Suddenly he felt a quick stab of pain -in his tender muzzle. He leaped back with a snort. An ivory barb that -was half black with ebony stuck out of his lower lip. - -Midnight galloped away through the aspens, across the little meadow to -the far side. The pain in his lip increased as the barb dug deeper. -He halted and thrust his muzzle into the fresh, black dirt of a -pocket-gopher mound. He raked his nose back and forth in the damp -earth. The cool dirt soothed the burning sting but it also drove the -barb deeper into the tender flesh. Midnight next tried rubbing the -wounded spot against the trunk of a tree. The quill caught in the -rough bark and pulled free. It came away red with a little piece of -Midnight’s flesh clinging to it. - -After that he left the dull gnawer of bark strictly alone. The porky -fed on the meadow or in the tops of the low bushes where he hung like a -spiny ball. His clicking grumble could be heard at any time during the -day. - -And each day Midnight circled his prison seeking a way to get off the -mesa. He was uneasy and wanted more room. There was plenty of feed -and there was water, but there was no room to gallop. The confinement -worried him. He was not like the dull porky or the beavers, he was used -to wide spaces and an elevation from which he could look down on the -world. From the little mesa he could see nothing but trees, the canyon -wall, and the lake. - -One day late in the spring two men rode down past the cabin at the edge -of the mesa. The meadow was green with waving grass, flowers rioted -in their hurry to produce seed before the brief high-country summer -slipped away. The ridges were blue with lupine or gold with mountain -daisies. In the shade clumps of columbine lifted their delicate blue -bells, exposing white hearts. Major Howard and his range boss, Tex, -were riding together. - -Tex halted near the upper end of the meadow. He slid to the ground and -bent over a scattered mass of bones. Major Howard lighted his pipe and -waited. The eyes of the range boss were intent. He remained bent over -the bones so long that the major spoke impatiently. - -“What’s so interesting about a pile of bones?” - -Tex straightened and his eyes wandered to Sam’s cabin thoughtfully. - -“Winter kill by a pack of wolves,” he said briefly. - -“A horse the boys missed in the roundup?” the major asked with a show -of interest. - -Tex nodded. “Some hide and hair left,” he said and his slow smile -showed for a moment. “I reckon this hoss was Lady Ebony.” - -The major did not dismount. But he turned his horse and stared down at -the bones. He knew what Tex was thinking and it irritated him. He shook -his head grimly. - -“Couldn’t be,” he said shortly. - -“I figure it that way,” Tex answered. “It explains a lot of things fer -me.” - -“You never did think old Sam stole that mare,” Major Howard said. - -“No,” Tex replied quietly. - -“I did and I still do. You cow-country boys are too soft-livered. The -old fellow left his cabin for three weeks or so. He refused to tell -where he had been. He had three hundred dollars in cash to pay an -attorney. He refused to tell where he got the money.” The major’s lips -pulled into a tight line. “You’ll have to dig up more proof than that -pile of bones.” He was staring at the desolate cabin, trying hard to -urge away the doubt Tex had raised in his mind. Major Howard was at -heart fair and honest. He smiled suddenly. “I wouldn’t be surprised to -see that mare at one of the races this summer.” - -Tex shook his head. “You won’t see her at any track, boss.” He paused -and his gaze was somber; he was watching the chipmunks romping in the -grass over by the castle rocks. Sam had brought those little fellers -in. He’d be right surprised to know there was at least a half dozen -more of them now. Tex made a mental note of the increase. He’d tell Sam -when he stopped by to see him. - -“The old fool is better off where he is. He has decent grub and a warm -place to sleep,” the major said gruffly. - -“He don’t seem much interested in anything. Did ask if the mare showed -up, though, when I stopped by to see him.” Tex swung into his saddle. - -“You let your feelings get the best of you,” the major said. It -irritated him the way Tex stubbornly clung to his belief that Sam was -innocent. “Besides, he came near killing a man,” the major added as -though to clinch the argument. - -Tex said no more. The major was not his kind. He was really a stranger -in the high country, and a good deal of a tenderfoot in many ways. Like -Sam, Tex had lived all his life in the rough mountain country. The -range boss had long since ceased trying to understand his employer. - -“I reckon he did plug that deputy,” he agreed. His manner and tone said -plainly that he would have done the same thing. - -They rode on in silence. Tex drew himself into his shell and spoke only -when he had to answer a question, but he kept thinking about the pile -of bones. He thought of Sam too. The last time Tex visited the old -fellow Sam had a strange look in his eyes. Tex could not forget that -look; it haunted him. It was a homesick, lonesome look. - - - - -10. Escape - - -Midnight was never quite satisfied within the confining walls of his -prison. There was plenty of fine grass, shade, and water, but the -constant feeling that he was being held a prisoner irked him. He worked -out a route around the outer limits of the meadow which gave him a -chance to run. There was an open stretch along the high walls. From -there he made a trail above the beaver lake through a pile of slide -rock that had fallen from the cliff above. The trail swung to the lip -of the canyon, following a crooked course until it curved back and -around the lake again. Big rocks and fallen trees offered barriers. -The little stallion soon learned to take these barriers in clean jumps -which sent the blood pounding through him. - -The racing gave him an outlet for his energy, a chance to give play to -his growing muscles. Snorting, shying, and whinnying shrilly he would -race around and around, his mane and tail flying, his nostrils flaring. -The exercise kept his body tough and hard. The blood of the chestnut -stallion which flowed in his veins would not let him surrender to the -peaceful existence offered by the sheltered meadow. - -Midsummer found the little horse rapidly growing into a big and -powerful brute with a body which combined the slender legs, the -intelligent head, and the great heart of Lady Ebony with the rugged -strength of his father. His eyes betrayed the wild horse in him. They -flashed white rims when he was excited or angry and he bared his teeth -savagely when roused. - -One day Midnight heard sounds which excited him greatly. They came -from the mesa above. He heard the pounding of many hoofs and above -the nickering and snorting of mares rose the squeal of a stallion -challenging the world defiantly. Midnight was resting in the shade of -the aspen grove after a wild run around the meadow. He dashed out into -the open and stood staring at the top of the canyon wall. - -As he stood there a horse appeared. A pinto filly stood with lowered -head looking down into the canyon. She was a trim little mare with a -lithe, slender body and a yellow mane and tail which flowed in the -breeze. Midnight called to her eagerly and she turned her head to -locate him. Her ears pricked forward as she answered his call with a -quick eager whinny. Instantly wild excitement surged through the black. -He raced back and forth, keeping in the open, looking up at the pinto -as he danced and kicked. - -The little mare seemed to appreciate his efforts. She edged closer -to the rim and nickered softly. The sound of her call sent Midnight -leaping through the timber, pounding around the trail he had made. As -he flashed into the sunlighted spaces below the rim he looked up to -see her standing still, cut sharply against the sky, looking down at -him. Again Midnight raced around his beaten pathway. As he flashed past -the crevice which barred him from escape he halted and stared at the -wide crack in the rock shelf. The trail beyond that fissure led to the -little mare! - -Midnight backed away a few yards, lowered his head, and sniffed. He -suddenly lost his fear of the deep gash in the earth. With a defiant -squeal he charged straight at the gaping crack. His flying hoofs sent -rocks sailing into the canyon below. As he charged down on the barrier -he gathered his hard muscles under him for the long leap. Like a black -meteor he shot through the air. Leaping over barriers along this race -course had given Midnight needed training. His body arched as he -hurtled into space above the crevice. His forefeet reached for the -far ledge, landed and clung while he lashed with his hind feet in an -attempt to pull himself to safety. For a moment he hung there, poised -above the chasm, plunging and struggling, then he stumbled forward, -safe on the ledge trail. - -Snorting and kicking, he pounded up the ledge until he came to the main -trail leading out of Shadow Canyon. Doubling back along that trail -he charged upward. With a clattering of loose stones he burst out on -the edge of the meadow and halted to look for the pinto. The little -mare had turned away from the rim. She stood looking at him, her neck -arched, her mane blowing around her shoulders. She nickered and pawed -at the grass tufts under her feet. - -Midnight plunged toward her, eager to make friends. When he was within -a few yards of her she whirled and fled. Midnight raced after her, -calling wildly. The pinto ran toward the band of mares feeding in the -center of the mesa. Above them the chestnut stallion stood guard, his -sleek coat gleaming in the sun, his massive head erect. His protruding -eyes watched the pinto as she raced toward the mares with the black -colt close behind her. Midnight’s speed was greater than that of the -little mare and he was soon racing shoulder to shoulder with her. - -A scream of rage broke from the chestnut stallion. With ears laid back, -nostrils flaring, he charged to meet Midnight. His teeth were bared -and his eyes flamed. He meant to finish this young upstart at once. -Midnight saw him coming and shoved over against the little mare, -heading her away from the band. The boss of the herd came on at top -speed. He was running at an angle to the course the two colts had taken. - -Midnight had no fear of the big stallion. He was so wildly glad to see -a band of horses that he had no thought of battling any of them. The -chestnut came on with terrific force. He struck Midnight a smashing -blow which turned the colt halfway around and sent him staggering. -Midnight twisted and fought to keep from going down. The chestnut -reared and lashed out with his forefeet. His teeth reached for the -colt’s shoulder and his scream rang across the meadow. - -As Midnight righted himself a terrible rage took him. He wanted to -fight the big stallion, to smash him, to tear him. Swerving, he let the -little mare dart into the band, then he whirled to meet the chestnut. -The big stallion was eager for the kill. He had smashed young stallions -before, driving them out of the band, and he expected to make short -work of this fellow. Midnight answered the challenge by lunging to meet -the leader’s second charge. The big stallion raised his heavy hoofs and -met Midnight’s attack with smashing blows which battered the colt back. -Pain brought a realization that the big stallion wanted to kill him -just as the wolf pack had often tried. He dodged the next attack, but -lunged in as the chestnut missed his target. - -His feint only half saved him. The chestnut’s teeth ripped his shoulder -and a crushing blow staggered him. Midnight leaped away from the next -charge, which came as soon as the big fellow could wheel about. The -little black was outweighed and his strength was nothing compared with -that of the chestnut. The band of mares watched without showing much -excitement. The pinto stood in their midst, her ears well forward, her -eyes rolling. - -When the chestnut charged again Midnight whirled and fled. He raced -away down the meadow with the big stallion thundering after him. The -chestnut was filled with savage eagerness. The victory was his and he -meant to overtake this black stallion and kill him. But Midnight was -the son of Lady Ebony, and had her fleetness. For a short distance he -sprinted as fast as he could run and in that time discovered that he -could easily outrun the big leader of the band. When he had satisfied -himself of this he circled around the meadow whinnying defiantly and -kicking up his heels. - -The chestnut was wild with savage rage. He thundered after the flying -colt, but though he strained every muscle he could not overtake -Midnight. Nor could he seem to outwind or tire him. The colt raced and -dodged without seeming to feel the terrific pace. Around the mesa they -raced, then around again. The chestnut began to tire. His breath was -whistling from his nostrils and his flanks were streaked with lather. -Suddenly he swerved and came to a halt beside the band of mares. -Blowing and snorting he pawed defiantly, challenging Midnight to come -and fight. Midnight halted and nickered eagerly to the pinto filly. - -The pinto answered his call. This angered the chestnut and he whirled -to lunge at her. Before the little mare could leap aside, his big body -smashed against her and his teeth sank deep into the fleshy part of -her back. Squealing and kicking, the pinto sprawled on her side in -the grass. The chestnut reared threateningly as she scrambled to her -feet. With a squeal of fright the pinto darted out of the band and ran -away across the mesa. The chestnut did not follow far. He was watching -Midnight, fearing the black would try to steal some of his harem. - -Midnight leaped after the pinto. He soon overtook her and raced along -beside her. The chestnut stallion was furious. He forgot the other -mares and plunged after the colts. His speed was great enough to -overtake the pinto, and he forced her back into the band. Midnight -charged the big fellow and the chestnut whirled to give battle. The -filly raced in among the mares and stood watching. - -The chestnut was eager to close with Midnight again. He lunged in and -his weight sent Midnight staggering back. Then he lunged once more, -before the black could get his balance. He landed squarely against -Midnight’s shoulder and the colt went down. He rolled and lunged while -massive hoofs pounded him and the chestnut’s teeth ripped gashes along -his side. Finally Midnight staggered to his feet. He ducked drunkenly -and saved himself from another smashing blow from the shoulder of the -chestnut. Pain stabbed through his shoulder joint and hampered his -speed as he tried to run away. The chestnut sensed that his victory was -about to be complete. With squeals of triumph he charged on the colt. -Midnight thought of the ledge trail where he had always found haven -when wolves and cougars came. If he could reach that ledge he would -make a stand. - -Desperately the little stallion plunged toward the castle rocks. The -chestnut overtook him and smashed him aside, but Midnight dodged and -raced on, not stopping to fight. Again the chestnut smashed him, his -teeth ripping gashes across Midnight’s rump. The black staggered and -weaved under the terrible battering but he kept going. He reached the -ledge and plunged upward with the chestnut slashing at his back, trying -to smash him to the ground where he could finish the fight. - -Midnight tried to whirl about on the ledge. He suddenly realized that -if the big fellow got him trapped in the shelter at the end of the -trail the chestnut would kill him. He managed to turn around and face -the charging leader of the band. They smashed together and Midnight -went down, sprawling and kicking on the narrow ledge. He rolled over -and his hoofs slid over the rim. In a moment he was sliding down over -the edge. - -Screaming and pawing, the chestnut glared over the rim. He saw his -adversary land on a shelf below and stagger slowly to his feet. The big -stallion raced up and down the trail but saw no way to reach the colt -below. - - * * * * * - -The spot where Midnight landed was only a few yards below the place -where he had landed when the silvertip shoved him over the edge. He got -to his feet panting and blowing. For a long time he stood trembling, -favoring his pain-raked shoulder. Then with a squeal of defiance he -hobbled along the ledge and down to the little meadow where he had -lived before the band came to the mesa. He was eager to cross the -crevice again and join the horses above, but when he reached the aspen -grove he halted to ease the pains shooting through his shoulder. After -a bit he moved on. He halted at the edge of the crevice and stood -listening. He did not try to leap across the narrow chasm, he would -have to wait until the pain left his shoulder. Above he could hear the -triumphant snorting and calling of the chestnut stallion. Slowly he -turned and walked back to the aspen grove. After a time he lay down on -a bed of dead leaves and grass. - -He lay still and listened. From the mesa came the sounds of the feeding -herd. For a time the chestnut pranced about nickering and snorting. -The mares fed eagerly, not paying any attention to him, except when he -came close to one of them. The ears of the little horse in the aspen -grove followed every sound intently. He snorted and struggled painfully -to his feet when the chestnut blasted a warning to the mares. There -was a rolling thunder of hoofs as the wild band charged across the -mesa and into the timber. Midnight tried to race to the crevice but at -the first step he stumbled and almost fell. Slowly he hobbled to the -edge where he stood shaking his head and calling loudly. The rhythm -of the pounding hoofs died away quickly and Midnight was alone again. -He turned back and hobbled at a slow walk toward his bed in the aspen -grove. - -In the days which followed Midnight listened for the sound of racing -hoofs and the whinny of the band, but the big stallion did not lead the -mares back to the high mesa. He ranged far up on the side of the Crazy -Kills where the trails were steep and broken and the meadows small and -surrounded by dense cover. In the barrens close to timber line few -cattle ranged and none of Major Howard’s riders cared to make the steep -climb, knowing the stray cows that climbed up that high would come down -long before roundup time. - -Midnight dropped into his former way of living. As soon as his shoulder -became sound he began making his usual rounds of the little race -course. And many times he charged to the edge of the crevice where he -would slide to a halt and stand snorting and shaking his head. His leg -was still stiff, too stiff for so long a jump, and he did not have the -nearness of mares to fill him with wild excitement. He did not forget -the wild band and the pinto filly, but his wild desire for freedom was -not hot and driving. His body filled out and his legs and chest took on -a ruggedness which made him lose the coltish look. - -The old beavers increased their efforts. Helped by a brood of -youngsters, they cut trees and peeled bark from early morning until -late at night. They had long since ceased to worry about being about by -daylight. The seclusion of the little meadow had changed their habits a -great deal. Their storehouses were bulging but they worked feverishly -anyway, as though they were facing a famine period. And they built -houses over the land openings where their runways came to the surface -of the meadow, tall piles of mud and sticks, laced together and padded -down into a tough, warm masonry which would keep out the biting frosts -of winter. Midnight watched them lazily. He could not know they were -expecting another hard winter. But he did have an uneasy feeling when -the first frosts came. The wild strain in his blood stirred and he -would have left the high country had he been free to go. One morning he -trotted to the edge of the meadow and found it white with glistening -frost. The white carpet disturbed him. He rushed to the edge of the -crevice and stood there snorting and pawing. But he did not try the -long jump. - -The frosts deepened. The aspen leaves swirled down to cover the roots, -the bulbs and the seeds bedded under the soft loam. The grass turned -brown and the big spruce trees standing close to the wall moaned as a -cold wind swept down from the new snow fields high on the barren peaks -of the Crazy Kills. The haze of an Indian summer day was swept away by -the first snow of winter and again the world turned white and the air -became snapping cold. Midnight put on his heavy robe of shaggy hair -which turned the sharp blasts whirling downward. - -The snow deepened and Midnight dug for grass. He moved his bedground to -a needle-padded spot under a giant spruce where the snow never fell. -Now he was interested only in a battle to keep his belly filled. He was -still growing and his body demanded food for new muscles and sinews as -well as for warmth. The storms came and the snow on the meadow became -deeper and deeper. The mesa above was lashed by bitter winds but the -sheltered meadow did not feel their lash. On its surface the snow -settled down in loose, deep smoothness which formed a warm blanket for -the grass and the flowers. Great drifts formed along the rim above, -fanned out by the wind and the drifting snow on the upper bench. Their -white lips thrust far out over the edge of the canyon like the rounded -curves of giant mushrooms. - -One moonlit night as Midnight lay on his dry bed of needles he heard -a strange sound and felt the earth tremble under him. The sound came -from the rim above. He peered upward but could see nothing except the -protruding snowbanks and the gleaming whiteness of the world outside -his shelter. The sound was a deep, grating rumble that reminded him -of distant thunder. One of the overhanging lips of snow had broken -under the great weight of tons of snow and had settled down. For a -few minutes it moved slowly, grinding rocks off the wall, settling, -sliding, packing the snow into ice. Then its speed increased and the -dull rumble broke into a terrible roar as thousands of tons of snow -shot downward. Midnight leaped to his feet and trembled as he watched. - -The mass of snow plunged and boiled as it shot downward. It seethed -around a stand of spruce. The big trees, many of them several feet -through at the butt, jerked and swayed like saplings, then went down -to be swallowed up by the maelstrom of ice and snow. Boulders were -torn from their beds and from the face of the cliff. They were ground -to sand in the maw of the slide. The whole cataract became dirty gray -in color. Its roar shook the mesa as it poured into Shadow Canyon. -A startled snowshoe rabbit, routed from his bed under a fallen log, -leaped into the air, plunged forward, then bounced high as the dirty -mass caught him. For a moment he hung above the seething mass, then -dropped into it and vanished, ground to nothingness. - -The slide struck the lower end of the little mesa. It shot into the -deep crevice, filling it full, then boiling over to roll on down into -the main canyon. It cut a swath through the spruces and aspens growing -on the steep slope of the big gulch. The timber went down like grass -before the bar of a mowing machine. - -The white death was only a few seconds in passing but it struck fear -into the heart of the black stallion. He snorted and pawed excitedly. -And he was not alone in his fear. Up on the high mesa the old -timber-line buck, who had returned to his feed grounds, leaped from his -bed under a spruce. He stood staring out into the white world, rigid, -shaking his heavy antlers and grunting. Every wild creature within -hearing stopped and listened, tense, ready to break and run. They all -knew the terror of the white death and each knew that to try to dash -away would be useless because of the terrible speed and the uncertainty -of the course it would take. They would try to run if it came hurtling -upon them, but until they saw it they did not move. It was an hour -before Midnight bedded down again. - -In the morning the colt plowed his way to his feed ground near the -beaver lake. He stood for a time staring at the spot where the crevice -had been. The deep fissure was filled with dirty snow, yellow, -resin-oozing timbers, torn and ripped apart, and broken boulders. It -was packed as hard as the frozen surface of a lake. Carefully Midnight -ventured out on it and found it solid. His weight did not make it -settle at all. - -He worked his way step by step across the dirty snow, then headed up -the trail leading to the meadow. The snow was so deep he had to plunge, -rising on his forefeet and lunging. When he rested the snow pressed -close against his sides. Coming out on top he halted to look out across -the meadow. A sharp, icy wind cut at him and loose snow swirled around -his legs. He saw the old timber-line buck digging for weeds near the -timber. Midnight whinnied eagerly and plunged toward the ancient one. -The old buck jerked up his head and watched Midnight as he floundered -across the mesa. They met and stood staring at each other for some -time. Finally the buck turned his back and began digging again. -Midnight set to work pawing for grass. - -Bitter winds swept across the meadow and cut through Midnight’s shaggy -coat. Snow swirled before the wind and piled into deep drifts. The mesa -was more bleak and icy than the little meadow under the rim. And the -grass was not so good when it was uncovered. But the black stallion -had companionship of a sort. He worked busily all that day to fill his -belly with grass. At dusk he headed toward his haven under the rim. -Darkness settled before he reached the canyon trail and the moonlight -gleamed on the snow. Midnight was tired when he reached his dry bed -under the big spruce. - -After that he stayed on the bench under the rim. It was warmer down -under the wall and the grass was easier to get. He could dig without -much effort. Now that he knew he could leave the little mesa whenever -he chose he did not want to go. - -Up on the high mesa the old buck was finding life hard. He had no help -in digging for food and his legs were stiff, with a tightness he had -never felt before. Age was slowing the spring in his powerful muscles. -His horns still held patches of velvet. The patches clung in dry, furry -spots on his polished lances. The old buck had not had the energy to -polish them and scrub them as he should have. Midnight did not know -that he had deserted his friend at a time when the ancient monarch -needed him badly. - -Late one afternoon the black stallion was startled by a familiar cry. -A pack of lobo wolves had swept out of the spruce at the edge of the -meadow above. Their cry came when they sighted the old timber-line -buck, and the cry was the cry of the kill. Midnight plunged to his -shelter under the big spruce and stood there tossing his black mane. -His eyes rolled white and he snorted savagely. - -Up on the mesa the old buck had whirled about to dash for the safety of -the timber and the castle rocks. He had ample time to escape and should -have outdistanced his pursuers, but his stiffened legs refused to lift -with the smooth power he had always possessed. Before he was halfway to -cover the pack was leaping around him, their yellow eyes flaming, their -red tongues jerking over white fangs. - -There on the flat mesa the old monarch made his last stand. With -sweeping, thrusting antlers he met the leaping attack of the gray -killers. They darted and lunged and dodged around him, keeping up a -mad chorus of yelping and snarling. The old buck could not guard his -vital parts against all the wolves. One after another they slid under -his frantic, thrusting antlers to rip gashes in his flanks and legs. -Snorting and blowing savagely he fought with horns and lashing hoofs. - -The wolves knew they would win and they kept up their ripping, tearing -tactics, never fastening on the big fellow long enough for his sharp -hoofs to strike them. Weakened by the loss of blood, staggering as -each new wound opened, the old fellow fought his way stubbornly toward -the timber. Every foot of his retreating trail was marked by bloody, -trampled snow. - -One of the wolves, taking advantage of the slowing thrusts of the -old buck’s antlers, dodged in and slashed the tendons of a hind leg. -Slowly, with antlers still lashing, the old monarch settled down into -the snow and lay beating with his forelegs and jerking his head. -Instantly every wolf was on him and their howls were more savage than -before. - -The end of the monarch was the destined end of all wild dwellers. The -end of a life of struggle and constant alertness. The law of the wild -was fulfilled. While youth and vigor gave him power and speed the buck -lived and went his way, but when that strength slipped from him he went -down before the gray killers. - -Under the big spruce Midnight stood listening to the growling and -snarling of the pack as they tore the warm flesh from the bones of the -old buck. He watched and waited, expecting the pack to come leaping -down the ledge trail and across the slide-filled fissure. But they did -not scent him because the wind always blew off the high mesa and seldom -came up out of the canyon except in the spring. When the killers had -stripped the bones and cracked the ones their powerful jaws could break -they left the mangled carcass and raced away through the moonlight, -seeking another victim. - -Then the little fox came out of his den and a pair of coyotes trotted -up from the shadows under the spruce at the lower end of the mesa. The -little fox and the coyotes fought over the bones, dragging them away to -spots where they could lie down and gnaw them or crack them and lick -the still warm marrow fat from their centers. - - - - -11. New Trails - - -Spring came with a chinook and a sudden thaw which broke a week of -bitter weather. The transformation was in the nature of a miracle. -Soft breezes blew up from the valleys, warm winds which settled the -snow and filled it with water. Midnight smelled the earthiness of the -wind from the lowlands and pranced eagerly. A change as sudden as the -change in the weather had come over him. For months he had given all -his attention to the gnawing hunger which was always demanding more dry -grass; now he was stirred by another urge. He wanted to be free to run, -to seek something he did not understand. - -Shaking his head he galloped through the slush and mud to the ledge -trail. The dirty ice filling the crevice had not settled. The force of -the slide had packed it so hard that it melted only a little on the -surface. Midnight walked across the fissure and up the ledge trail. -He stood on the edge of the meadow and looked across its gleaming -surface. With an eager nicker he plowed through the wet snow. The old -timber-line buck was not there to greet him and the only answer to his -call was the harsh and irritated chatter of a crested jay in the timber. - -Midnight moved out on the mesa and began pawing for grass. He was -hungry and now that he was in the open he did not know what he desired -or where he wanted to go, so he set to feeding. After a time he moved -down beside the castle rocks and stood staring into the smoky haze of -the valley country. - -Toward evening he went to the castle rocks and climbed up to the -shelter he had shared with Lady Ebony. He sniffed about, pawing and -snorting as he smelled cougar scent. The cat smell mingled with the -pungent odor coming from the pack rat’s nest in the corner. The cat -smell was cold but it stirred him to uneasy anger. He tore to bits the -bed of sticks where the king cat had slept, scattering them about on -the rocky floor. - -That night the cold came again and the slushy snow froze into a coating -of ice. In the morning the meadow was locked under a thick rust of icy -armor and Midnight was forced to work hard to get a meal. For several -weeks he battled to keep his stomach filled. But with the passing of -each day the air grew warmer and softer, the snow settled, and bare -spots began to appear. Midnight was able again to eat his fill. He -raced around the meadow giving play to his powerful muscles. He was big -and strong; another season would see him a magnificent black stallion. - -As the snow line crept back into the timber to make its last stand in -the shadows under the spruce, the buds on the trees burst and the first -flowers shoved their heads out of the ground. Green shoots pushed up -through the dead grass. Their lush juices tantalized the black horse. -He could not get enough of them, yet he could not let them alone. His -efforts always ended by his eating a great deal of the cured grass in -order to fill his belly. - -The bears came ambling across the meadow in pairs and singly to slide -down the leaning spruce for their spring meeting before the flowering -of their love moon. The wolves ran under the spring stars or howled -on barren ridges. Midnight did not pay much attention to the gray -killers. He had come to know by their howls when they were hunting and -when they were serenading. The old tom cougars stalked through the -timber while the she-cats sought them out, which is the way of the big -cats. And the little folk left their winter dens to race about in the -warm sunshine. The yellowbelly whistlers blasted their shrill warning -from the sentinel stone while the calico chips and the rockchips -stayed within the protected area where they could pay attention to the -warnings given by the whistlers. The hawks circled in the blue above, -billowing with the gusts of spring wind, while the eagles circled high -above them in the still upper air. One day the chipmunks came out and -the meadow rang with their chock-chock song as they celebrated their -awakening. - -In all this celebrating and excitement the cabin at the edge of the -meadow stood silent and disconsolate, dead and lifeless. It seemed -older and more weathered than before. The weeds on its dirt roof did -not break into green foliage as soon as those in the meadow. One of -the eaves boards had given way, letting the dirt covering slip from a -corner of the roof and exposing the split slabs beneath. The spring -showers made little gullies and seams which looked like wrinkles. At -the door the willow chair lay on its side, tipped over by the snow or -some inquisitive visitor who recognized that the man smell was long -cold and dead. - -Midnight visited the cabin often, smelling about. He used its rough log -corners as a scratching post against which he leaned and rubbed while -he grunted with pleasure. The rubbing loosened mats of hair from his -sides and soon his coat was sleek and shining, new as the blue flowers -crowding the shady spots at the edge of the timber. As spring advanced -Midnight became more nervous. He ran more often and for longer at a -time, sometimes circling the meadow several times before halting to paw -restlessly. He did not leave the meadow but he was always listening and -often paused to call shrilly. - -Down on the desert the chestnut stallion and his band had met with an -ordeal unusual for them. There had been only light snows all winter -and the spring rains had been so light they did not settle the dust -or harden the sand. The grass was short and poor in quality. The big -stallion had trouble forcing the mares to do as he wished. The wise -old ones knew that there was grass and water in the mountains and were -determined to head that way. Finally the chestnut gave in and led them -toward the Crazy Kill Range. They worked their way quickly through the -foothills where cowboys were shoving white-faced cattle out on the -spring range. The mares would gladly have stayed to feed and put some -fat on their lank frames in the low country where the grass was growing -lustily, but the chestnut drove them higher, toward the bleak meadows -under timber line where the riders would not come. - -One morning the band arrived at the high mesa overlooking Shadow -Canyon. The mares and colts came up the narrow trail first, with the -chestnut bringing up the rear. When they broke from the canyon they -spread out and began feeding. The pinto filly was the second one to -reach the mesa. She was stronger and tougher than any of the other -mares and had stood the winter better. - -Midnight was resting in the timber close above the clearing by the -cabin when the pinto and her mother walked out into the tall grass. He -plunged to his feet and whinnied loudly. The mare halted and looked -at him without answering his call, but the pinto tossed her head and -nickered eagerly. With a flash of her heels she trotted to meet him. -Midnight charged across the grass and slid to a halt beside her. The -pinto pivoted and lashed out at him with her trim heels. Midnight -dodged and the filly headed across the meadow with the black swinging -along at her side. They raced the full length of the mesa and back -again, to halt at the base of the castle rocks where they stood, -snorting and prancing. - -Their second run took them charging through the band of mares spread -out on the meadow. The scrawny colts in the band bounced after the -fleeting racers until they were outdistanced while the mares watched -without interest. Just at that moment they were far too busy pulling -grass to care about this black stallion. - -The chestnut trotted out on the meadow and stood looking about for -danger signs. He sighted the black and the pinto racing across the -grass and his eyes rolled, his ears flattened, and he blasted a savage -challenge. - -Midnight and the pinto whirled and were standing on high ground at the -upper end of the mesa. The pinto tossed her head and leaped away toward -the mares as she saw the lord of the herd charging toward her. Midnight -sent his own challenge ringing across the meadow as he leaped to meet -the big stallion. His feelings were much different than they had been -at their first meeting. Now he was eager to accept the challenge to -battle, and savage rage, as great as the rage of the chestnut, filled -him. He had his father’s fighting blood in his veins. - -The two stallions crashed together and the greater weight and power of -the chestnut sent Midnight staggering back. He was not yet so rugged -and heavy as his father. He recovered his balance and reared with teeth -bared and hoofs pounding. The master of the band raised his massive -hoofs and struck back as he reached for Midnight’s neck with his teeth. -The two stood like boxers, hammering away at each other. Again Midnight -was pounded back. - -The chestnut had only one idea in his head and that was to smash this -black stallion who had dared challenge his mastery. It would not have -mattered had he known that Midnight was his son. He was sure he would -soon end the career of the black; he knew his advantage and rushed upon -the colt with savage eagerness. - -Midnight met the next charge and was hammered back once more, giving -ground slowly as the heavy hoofs pounded him and the bared teeth ripped -tufts of hair from his shoulders and neck. Slowly the chestnut pushed -him toward the rim of the canyon. But Midnight refused to turn tail and -run. This time he had a different urge to keep him fighting. He was -not a lonesome colt seeking companionship, he was a stallion desiring -the rightful place of a leader. He could easily have outdistanced -the chestnut had he chosen to flee, but he was filled with hot rage. -He had a wild desire to kill the big stallion who was battering him. -Slowly he gave ground, moving down the gentle slope of the mesa toward -the rocky edge of the canyon. Behind him the walls of Shadow Canyon -dropped away in a sheer face a hundred feet in height. There was no -brush-padded ledge close under the rim at that point, but the black -paid no attention to the danger. - -Foot by foot the two moved down the slope. Blood spurted from wounds on -shoulders and necks. The smell of it increased the fury of the battling -stallions. Their savage screams rang through the spruce timber and -echoed back from the walls of the castle rocks. - -The chestnut reared and plunged, eager to smash his antagonist to the -ground. Midnight met the smashing charge with counterblows, but he -was driven backward though he remained on his feet. A red wound gaped -on his chest and blood trickled down across the white splash on his -forehead but his fury was so great that he did not feel the pain. His -hind feet struck solid rock and stones flew into the canyon behind -him. He was poised on the very edge of the chasm. Then he saw his -danger, as he shifted sidewise to dodge the blows of the big stallion. -His hind feet were planted inches from the rim as he reared to meet -another attack. The chestnut was blind with fury, he did not see the -sheer drop ahead. With a terrible scream he lunged. - -Midnight had met every charge squarely, desiring only to match blows -with his foe, but the dizzy space under his feet made him suddenly -change his tactics. He leaped aside to avoid being shoved over the -edge. The chestnut’s lunge carried him forward like an avalanche. Too -late he saw the rim and the empty space ahead. Plunging and sliding he -shot toward the abyss. Midnight’s rump was toward him and close. With -a shrill cry the black lashed out with his hind feet. His hoofs landed -against the side of the struggling stallion poised on the dizzy height. -The chestnut might have saved himself but for that hail of blows. With -a defiant, savage squeal he plunged into space. - -Midnight whirled about and stood with lowered head, hot breath -whistling through his flaring nostrils, his eyes rolling so that their -white rims gleamed in the morning sunlight. He watched the body of the -chestnut turn over and over in the air as it shot down to land in a -mangled heap on a pile of rocks. Stamping and snorting he waited for -the chestnut to get to his feet and start back to finish the battle. -The chestnut did not move, but lay, a mangled heap of broken bones -and twisted muscles at the foot of the cliff. Midnight challenged his -adversary many times as he stood there on the high rim. When he got -no reply he turned toward the mares who had not stopped their eager -feeding. The pinto nickered eagerly and left her grass pulling to trot -toward him. The mares lifted their heads for a moment as he came -closer. Midnight trotted to them, dancing as he approached. - -With the pinto beside him he raced once around the meadow, then the two -joined the mares. Midnight was too excited to start feeding. He walked -around sniffing at the colts, edging up to the mares. The old ones laid -back their ears and warned him to keep his distance. When he tried to -nose one of their colts they humped their backs warningly. But they -accepted him as the master of the band and waited for him to assert -himself in the savage and harsh manner to which they were accustomed. -But Midnight lacked much in leadership. He really wanted to be a member -of the band and not a leader. He wanted to play with the pinto filly. -His rage had cooled and with it had gone much of the strange power -he had felt while battling the chestnut stallion. The pinto did not -understand why she was interested in Midnight but she stayed close to -his side and divided her attention between him and the lush grass. - -Toward evening the mares became restless. They were used to seeking -cover before night fell. One old mare moved away from the band. She -had decided that this new leader was not going to seek a safe retreat. -She shook her head, then moved into the timber. The others followed -her with Midnight and the pinto coming along behind, nipping at each -other and making a great show of kicking their heels and lashing at -each other. And the old mare changed the course the chestnut had so -insistently followed. She headed across the ridge and down into a deep -valley. - -The mares followed their new leader. They expected the chestnut -stallion to come charging through the woods after them to drive them -back toward the high ridges, but they did not want to go higher and did -not intend to head that way until he came. - -The moon swung up over a spruce ridge and flooded the valley with white -light. The wise old mare selected a sheltered little meadow for a -stopping place. It was small and the band of thirty horses had to crowd -close together, but it smallness offered protection against cougars and -wolves. The cunning and harsh leadership of the chestnut stallion had -taken much of the natural wariness away from the mares. They had always -depended on him to guide them. - -Late that night Midnight had his first chance to take his place as -protector and lord of the band. The mares and the colts had bedded -down. Midnight and the pinto had raced around the clearing and come -to a halt on a wooded knoll overlooking the meadow. They stood close -together, snorting and pawing and playing. They pretended to see forms -in the black shadows under the spruce. While they were standing there -a lank cougar passed below the high point. His nose wrinkled and his -long, black-tipped tail lashed as he scented the mares and colts -sleeping in the open. - -Circling to windward the yellow killer crept to the edge of the meadow. -He was looking for the sentinel he expected to find on guard over -the band. When he saw no guard he snarled softly and his yellow eyes -flamed. He peered intently at the bedded horses and his eyes fastened -on a colt standing close to his mother who was lying in a deep hollow. -The colt’s head was down and his furry rump was toward the king cat. - -Silently, like a tawny shadow, the cat slid through the grass toward -the unsuspecting colt. When he was within striking distance he drew -his powerful legs under him and flattened his head between his massive -forepaws. His long claws moved slowly in and out, sheathing and -unsheathing their sharp points; his lips pulled away from his fangs. - -Up on the knoll Midnight was dancing on his hind legs, his ears back, -his bared teeth reaching to nip at the neck of the pinto. She whirled -and lashed out at him with her slender feet. Midnight dodged the blows -and crowded against her, shoving her roughly to one side. She laid back -her ears and sunk her teeth into the loose skin of his shoulder. - -The pain angered Midnight and he whirled to teach her a lesson. His -lunge was halted as the savage scream of the cougar cracked the -stillness. His forefeet struck the ground with a thud and he stood -beside the pinto, staring toward the mares. The frightened whinny of a -colt mingled with the cry of the big cat. That cry from the stricken -colt sent a surging rush of rage through Midnight. He plunged straight -down the slope toward the spot where the cat had made his attack. In -the meadow the mares had lurched to their feet and were snorting and -milling about. With a ringing call the black stallion charged to the -rescue. - -The cougar had landed on the colt’s back, striking him down instantly. -The little fellow was dead in a moment. Standing on the limp body of -his victim, the yellow killer faced the angry mares who plunged around -him. Midnight charged through the circle and leaped at the killer, his -ears laid back, his battle cry ringing. This was something the cougar -had not expected. He had decided there was no stallion with the band. -Now he arched his back and reared to meet Midnight. He lashed out at -the black as he came in. - -The cougar stayed a minute too long in facing the enraged Midnight. He -expected the stallion to swerve and rush past, but Midnight did not -swerve. He lifted his forefeet and struck straight into the face of -the killer. His smashing hoofs descended on the head and shoulders of -the king cat. The blows sent the cat rolling and tumbling over and -over on the grass. Instantly the mares joined the attack. Once a leader -had braved the terrible fangs and claws of the cat they were ready to -finish the job. - -Screaming and rolling, the cougar tried to escape, to get to his feet -and leap clear of the smashing hoofs, but the hoofs beat him down and -trampled him. Teeth tore at him as he twisted and lashed. His claws and -teeth were poor protection against the sharp hoofs of the horses. He -was battered back on the grass each time he tried to get his feet under -him. In a minute’s time he was a bloody pulp and the mares had backed -away. They stood in a circle around him, their nostrils flaring, their -eyes rolling. - -Midnight danced about snorting and blowing excitedly. He was aware -again of his power and was beginning to understand the job he had taken -over from the chestnut. The mares stood waiting for him to decide what -should be done. When he did not offer to lead them away from the scene -of the kill an old mare struck out and the others followed except the -mother whose colt was dead. She stood over him nickering and calling, -trying to get him to his feet. - -The pinto went with the mares. She had been badly frightened by the -attack and wanted to stay close beside her mother. Midnight trotted -after the band and stood by while they bedded down in another meadow -near the scene of the attack. He walked around sniffing and snorting, -expecting another cougar to come out of the night. When nothing -happened, he lay down for a few hours’ rest just before dawn. One of -the old mares at once got up and set to feeding apart from the herd. -She seemed to sense that Midnight had much to learn about leadership. - -The next day the band fed in the meadow until the old mare decided they -should move on. Midnight did not offer to lead them, so she struck -out. They headed deeper into the lush grass country. They passed many -white-faced cows and yearling steers. Occasionally a lordly bull would -saunter out of the shade to watch them. The band had invaded Major -Howard’s finest grass belt. They did not know the danger this would -bring, all they thought of was the fine grass and the plentiful supply -of water in the clear, rushing streams. There was aspen shade for the -middle of the day and there was spruce timber for shelter from the -sudden and violent thunderstorms with their cold rain. - -The band soon forgot the chestnut stallion. Midnight was an easy -master. He let them wander where they wished. But he was a fierce and -terrible fighter when roused. They accepted him without much concern, -giving way to his few demands. - -The thunderstorms seldom lasted over half an hour and the spruce -needles shed the rain. Midnight was happy in the easy life. The pinto -played with him, racing over the grass in the mornings or at dusk. She -did what he demanded without making any demands of her own. And now -Midnight had begun to watch for enemies while the herd fed. He was -slowly learning what was expected of him. - - - - -12. Doom of the Band - - -Tex dropped the saddle he was dragging across the yard. He faced Major -Howard, his lean face expressionless. The major was out of sorts that -morning and when he was in such a mood he was short-spoken. In his -irritation he did not notice that Tex was not in a jovial frame of mind -either. - -“The boys tell me there’s a band of thirty wild horses down on the -aspen range. I want you to take a crew up there and clean them out.” He -added as an after-thought, “Use rifles and make sure none of them get -away.” - -Tex scowled. He was dead set against shooting any sort of horse, even a -scrub. - -“Why not round ’em up and sell ’em?” he asked. - -The major grunted disgustedly. He could never understand the quirks in -the nature of his range boss. Tex knew the wild horses were worthless -on the market. They would be tough and mean to handle, half of them -never could be broken, and they would not bring ten dollars a head. To -the major this was a simple matter of business. Tex did not object to -raising fine cattle for slaughtering, therefore he should not object to -killing a few head of worthless horses. The major spoke impatiently. - -“You know it would cost more to corral and handle that bunch than we -could get out of them,” he snapped. “Kill them all. While I had more -open range than I could use I wasn’t so particular, but I’ve just -bought two big herds of whitefaces. It will take every foot of grass -I own to run them.” The major noticed that Tex was not convinced. He -added more quietly, “This is business, big business.” - -“I reckon so,” Tex answered as he reached down and caught the horn of -his saddle. - -The major was ruffled by Tex’s reply. - -“If you don’t want to handle this job I’ll get another man to take -charge of it.” - -“I’ll handle it,” Tex said grimly. Then he added almost to himself, “I -thought that chestnut stud was the smartest hoss on the range. Never -figured he’d trail his herd down into cow country where the boys ride -regular.” - -“Well, he has and I want that scrub stuff killed,” the major answered. - -Tex dragged his saddle into the corral and whistled to his bay gelding. -The bay trotted to meet him and Tex let his mouth relax into a grin as -he patted the big fellow’s neck. - -“I reckon we’ll have to do the dirty work,” he said softly. - -Tex picked four men to go with him, men who could handle saddle -carbines expertly. He did not want any careless shooting. The kills -would have to be clean. When he explained the major’s orders to the -men they growled but none of them refused to go. They all shared Tex’s -dislike for the job, but they would carry out the boss’s orders. - -The execution crew rode away from the ranch with thirty-thirty rifles -slapping under their stirrup flaps. The boys who had reported to the -major had given the location of the herd. Tex did not expect to find -the band where the boys had seen them, but by riding to that meadow -they could pick up the trail. Thirty horses would leave plenty of -tracks. - -Tex speculated gloomily on the foolish turn the habits of the wild band -had taken. The big stallion at their head must have lost his cunning or -else he had met with disaster and a younger leader had taken his place. - -Silently the men rode through the timber and up the long ridges leading -out of the lower valley. They entered the aspen belt and took a trail -which ran along the top of a rocky ridge. From that ridge they crossed -over to another and finally followed a red-granite cliff wall which -led them into a narrow meadow. Towering rims of granite formed a half -circle around the meadow with scattered spruce close to the wall on -the lower side where the meadow broke off into the lower country. The -entrance to the narrow valley was grown over by a stand of young aspen -trees. Tex hoped to pick up the trail of the herd in this meadow and -follow it from there. He halted his men in the dense cover and scowled -across the meadow. - -At the upper end fed the band of wild horses he sought. They had not -moved their feed ground since the boys had first located them. Tex -was disgusted with them; they were acting like brood mares in a farm -pasture. - -“The chestnut stud isn’t running that bunch,” he said gruffly. - -The men nodded agreement and Shorty Spears, horse-breaker for the -ranch, spoke up. - -“Must be an old mare at the head of that herd. This is just the spot an -old biddie would pick, grass knee-high, water close in.” - -Tex nodded. He was studying the band carefully. Finally he gave his -orders. - -“Two of you take the upper side along the wall. Keep in the brush cover -until you work your way down close to them. Make clean jobs, no gut -shooting or broken legs. Shorty, you and Cal take the lower side along -the rim. They won’t break down over that wall. I’ll wait here in the -outlet and pick off any that break past you boys. They have to come out -this way. Now get going.” - -The men divided forces and rode away. They were eager to get a bad job -done. It would be no sport for them, shooting down a band of mares -and colts. The horses were trapped and would be helpless before the -repeating rifles. Tex watched them go. He noted grimly that even the -wind was against the wild horses. They had no sentinel posted and Tex -could spot no stallion among them. The execution should be quick and -complete. - -Midnight fed beside the pinto filly. They had just finished a race -around the meadow and were standing in a clump of young spruce and -balsam looking down over the lower valleys. The rim at their feet broke -off steeply. It was matted with brush; ragged rocks jutted up through -the green leaves. The black stallion was nervous and uneasy, though he -did not know why. He had a feeling of confinement, similar to that he -had felt while he was a prisoner on the meadow below the high mesa. He -tossed his head and pawed, snorting impatiently. He was making ready to -drive the band out of the closed meadow. - -With a sharp nicker he whirled and laid his ears back. The pinto edged -away from him. With mane flaring and tail flowing around her heels she -kicked high into the air and dashed away toward the mares. Midnight -charged after her, sending his warning call ringing across the meadow. -The mares jerked up their heads and stared at him, then looked around -uneasily to see what had startled him. When they saw nothing they fell -to feeding again. They had no intention of leaving this horse heaven -until they were driven out, and their experience with Midnight did not -make them leap into action the way a command from the chestnut would -have acted on them. This meadow was a safe retreat from cougars and -wolves. No killer could slip up on them with the steep rim on one side -and the high walls on the other. - -Reaching the first mare, Midnight rushed at her, and when she did not -leap away he fastened his bare teeth on her rump. The mare squealed in -pain and surprise. Humping her back and bucking up and down she fled -before his lashing attack. Midnight rushed at another and sent her -staggering as his powerful chest smashed into her. It had taken him -days to get worked up to this nervous and panicky pitch, but he was -roused now and meant to drive the band out of the meadow. - -He was swinging around the band, slashing at the mares with his teeth -or crashing into them to get them to hurry when the silence of the -valley was shattered by two crashing reports from near the base of the -cliff. An old mare near Midnight staggered, turned halfway around, -then sank to the grass without making a sound. Another mare plunged -into the air and slid on her side until she came to rest in a grassy -hollow, her legs beating the air in jerky spasms. The two shots did -more to snap life and action into the band than Midnight had been able -to accomplish. The mares charged wildly toward the aspen grove which -marked the outlet to the trap. Mothers crowded colts along as fast as -the little ones could run. The spitting and crashing of rifles echoed -along the canyon wall and mares plunged into the grass mortally wounded -at every leap the band took. A cloud of dust rolled up behind the -charging band and in that cloud of dust Midnight ripped and lashed as -he drove the wild ones on. - -The pinto filly had rushed to her mother when the first two shots rang -out. Together they were leading the flight. Suddenly the mother swerved -and staggered, plunged down into the grass. The pinto planted her feet -and halted. Her sudden checking of speed saved her from a bullet which -had been aimed to break her neck. The lead burned across her forehead -raising a red welt. The little mare whirled and plunged back into the -mass of plunging horses. She found Midnight savagely working to force -the pace, and crowded close to him. - -The charging rush of the mares was checked and they swerved in -bewildered fashion as a new burst of flame and death leaped at them -from a scrub-oak clump on the edge of the rim well down toward the -aspen grove. Mares collapsed and colts leaped and ran about wildly. -Midnight had only one thought, to drive the mares out through the aspen -grove and into the open country. This was his first meeting with the -deadly guns of man and, like all wild things, the death which struck -from far off filled him with terror. But he did not desert the mares. A -great rage possessed him and almost crowded out the terror. Screaming -and biting he worried the flanks of the rapidly thinning band. - -Death held the little meadow in its bloody grip. The grass was marked -by twisted bodies. But Midnight knew there was one avenue of escape. -When the mares hesitated before the guns of Shorty and Cal he attacked -their flanks with fury and drove them on. This was not just the way Tex -had planned it. He had figured that the fire from the oaks would make -the band circle back around the meadow, giving his men at the lower end -a second chance to kill. He had been sure the band would mill around -and around the mesa until all were shot down. Now he sat in his saddle -waiting grimly. It looked as though he would have to turn them. - -Midnight had driven the mares into full gallop again. Many went down as -they swept close to the oak clump where the two men were hidden, but -they charged straight past. Suddenly the vicious crack of a rifle broke -from the edge of the aspens. Tex had opened fire, his carbine working -with speed and murderous accuracy. In the hail of lead mares went down, -bucking and twisting. The attack was too much for the remnant of the -band. They dodged and tried to double back. Midnight reared and plunged -at them, screaming madly. The bewildered and panic-stricken animals -turned toward the rim and the black stallion sent them plunging toward -it. When they would have halted at the dizzy drop, with its matted and -ragged rocks, he lashed them on over the edge. They tumbled downward, -plunging, rolling, sliding, and twisting. One mare went down with a -broken leg, another struck a jagged pinnacle of rock and rolled over. -Behind them Midnight and the pinto took the leap as they came to it. - -Tex lowered his rifle. His eyes were on the black stallion and there -was an excited gleam in them. He had never seen such a magnificent -beast or such a feat of reckless daring. But all these feelings were -over-shadowed by something else. He was looking at the long legs, the -powerful chest, and the slender body of the stallion. He was sure he -knew the sire and the dam who had brought him into the world. Here was -the son of the chestnut stallion and Lady Ebony! He wet his lips and -then grinned eagerly. He did not give the escape of a small part of -the herd any thought. His mind was making plans, leaping ahead to what -he would tell Major Howard. He was remembering the voice of Sam saying -that Lady Ebony would come back to the high country. He was roused by -Shorty’s amused voice. - -“What’s eatin’ you? You look like you was seein’ angels or somethin’. -Me, I’m plumb sick to my stummick.” Shorty moved over to where he could -see the trail the band had made in escaping. He bent forward and stared -at it. “You don’t mean to say some of ’em went over the side here?” - -Tex nodded, reloaded his carbine, and made ready to end the misery of -the mare who had broken her leg. - -“How many got away?” Shorty asked. He had a sudden suspicion that Tex -had not taken full advantage of his chance to clean out the band. -Certainly the slope where the wild ones had plunged down to safety was -open and within easy range of the spot where Tex was planted. - -“Ten head and a stud,” Tex said and spoke as though to himself. - -“Must have been a fire-eater of a stud to force them mares down over a -cliff like that,” Shorty said with a quick grin. - -“He’s a fire-eater,” Tex agreed softly. - -The other boys had ridden up and were looking at the trail. Cal spoke -in his slow drawl. - -“I passed up one shot an’ you can report it to the major if you want. -I had a broadside at a black stud but jest couldn’t find my sights for -watchin’ him tear into those mares.” - -“That stud learned something here today that he won’t forget,” Tex said -grimly. - -“I’ll bet a month’s pay we don’t ever catch that bunch in a place like -this again,” Shorty said. - -The others grinned. They knew the stallion would be wiser and more -wary now that he had met the guns of men. They were not sorry he had -got away. Any horse that would lead a crazy charge down the face of a -brush-matted cliff deserved a break and was no scrub. One of the others -said: - -“I caught a glimpse of him through the dust. He’d make any of the -major’s blooded stuff look like a broom tail if they were stood up side -by side. Can’t figure where such a hoss could have come from, must be a -freak.” - -Tex grinned but said nothing. He knew where the big black came from. As -he moved away he remarked: - -“I reckon he might have some good blood in him.” - -A plan was forming in the mind of the range boss and he was eager to -work it out. He wanted to be alone so that he could get it all ready. -He turned to his men. - -“You boys ride on down to the ranch and report to the boss. Tell him -I’m staying on the trail of the ones that got away. I’ll be in late -tonight.” - -Shorty grinned. “Figure you might be lucky enough to dab a rope on that -black?” he asked. - -“I’d trade every horse in my string but the bay for him,” Tex admitted. - -Shorty laughed. He had missed the real significance of the remark. He -thought Tex wanted the black as a saddler. Tex was a nut when it came -to saddle stock. He remarked in an amused voice: - -“It’ll be a case of sneaking and trailing from now on, and when you do -dab a rope on him you’d best have some help handy. That baby bites and -kicks like a cougar.” - -Tex nodded full agreement as he rode away from the men. He took the -regular trail off the mesa and rode around to the foot of the cliff. -He had no desire to send the bay down over the trail the black had -made for the mares. At the bottom of the cliff he picked up the trail -and followed it. He did not have to dismount to tell the tracks of the -stallion and those of the mares. The tracks of the leader were clean -and deep, with perfect alignment. The trail led up the mountain in an -almost straight line and the horses did not halt until they reached the -barrens high under the rims of the Crazy Kill peaks. - -As he rode along Tex planned his course of action. He would ambush the -black and drop a rope on him. Taking him now would be possible, Tex -figured, because the black was still a colt and could be handled if -properly worked. If he stayed in the wild another year he might develop -into a horse that could never be broken. He was just learning the -tricks of leadership; that was shown by the trap the mares had walked -into. Tex grinned eagerly as he planned. He was sure he could convince -the major, once he looked at the midnight black, that his theory about -Lady Ebony was correct. - -He was also sure that, once convinced that Sam had not stolen the mare, -the major would get the old man out of the pen quickly. Major Howard -was an influential man and a determined one when he set out to do -anything. He was a shrewd judge of blooded horses, and that would help. - -Tex was eager to capture the black at once. He had a feeling that if -Sam was ever to come back to his high mesa he would have to be set -free that summer. He had talked to the warden and to the doctor at the -prison and both agreed with him. It was Tex’s way never to consider -failure. The bay he rode was the fastest horse on the range and Tex -had accumulated some money and a great many possessions betting on his -speed. He was at his best in rough country where sure-footed accuracy -counted for more than speed, and he was powerful enough to handle the -black once Tex roped him. The bay could lay a five-year-old maverick on -his side without budging when the bulk of the critter hit the rope. - -Tex halted behind a clump of bushes on a ridge and sat looking up a -long, narrow valley. His keen eyes lighted up with excitement as they -rested on a small band of horses feeding close to the timbered edge of -the valley. He spotted the black stallion with a pinto filly feeding -beside him. Deliberately Tex studied the ground and laid plans. It -would take most of an hour to circle the band so as to have the timber -as a screen for his approach and the wind right. And his plan called -for sending them back into the lower country instead of higher into the -barrens where trailing would be tough. He was sure the band would feed -for at least an hour. The mares were fagged and hungry, he could see -that, even at a great distance. Heading the bay up a narrow ledge, he -climbed to the top of the rim overlooking the valley and dropped down -on the far slope. - -The pace Midnight had set in driving the mares into the high barrens -had taxed their strength. They had finally refused to go any further -and he had let them pause to feed and rest. But he was nervous and -kept moving about, jerking his head high, sniffing and snorting. -The excitement of the battle on the mesa below was still in him. He -lacked the experience of the chestnut stallion and he did not know the -country into which he was headed. Instinct had made him strike for the -barrens, but he did not know where to go now that he had reached the -rough country. So he let the mares feed while he moved about pulling -a mouthful of grass here and there. The pinto stayed close by him as -though sure he would protect her from all danger. - -Midnight fed above the mares and close to the narrow trail leading up -to a saddle on the ridge above. The meadow was really a bench with a -rock wall on one side and a slope on the other. It lay along the edge -of a deep canyon but it was not a trap as the little meadow had been; -it was wide open at both ends and timber grew close, affording shelter -which could be reached in a few seconds. Midnight watched the trail -above and the meadow below, he tested the air, and he listened. - -Suddenly he stiffened, his nostrils flaring as he listened intently. -The sound of a loosened stone had come to him. The pinto sensed -something and edged close to his side. Midnight snorted warningly and -the mares instantly lifted their heads, ready to leap to cover. - -Then Midnight saw a rider come charging out of the timber above him. -The man was mounted on a bay gelding and he was standing up in his -stirrups whirling a rope around his head. The bay was reaching out with -powerful strides which carried him over the rough ground at terrific -speed. Midnight shrilled a warning to the mares. The pinto froze into -terrified stillness. She did not run but stood rooted beside Midnight, -staring at the oncoming rider. Midnight expected the roar of guns but -no explosions came. He was sure other men were hidden below to cut -off any retreat. But he was on the wrong side of the band of mares to -drive them upward. He did what the charging cowboy least expected, -something the chestnut stallion never would have done. He laid back his -ears, bared his teeth and charged straight at the bay, screaming his -challenge as he leaped forward. - -Tex was startled by the action. He gave the bay his head so the big -horse could save himself. The bay swerved, dodging aside as he would -have dodged the charge of an infuriated bull. The loop Tex was swinging -sagged and jerked into a useless snarl as the bay lunged aside. -Midnight plunged in and reared, lashing out with his hoofs, reached for -the bay with his teeth. His pounding hoofs missed the saddler but his -teeth nipped a gash in the horse’s flank. The bay was a high-spirited, -nervous beast. He plunged and ducked his head. Grunting and snorting -he started to pitch. Tex had to ride as he had never ridden before to -control his mount. He saw Midnight whirl past, then wheel to charge -again--the black stallion had gone stark mad. His hand dropped to -the butt of his forty-five. He might have to shoot the big fellow to -save himself. He jerked out his gun and fired twice into the air over -Midnight’s head. - -The crashing reports jarred some of the rage out of the black stallion. -He pivoted rapidly. In that moment Tex got the bay under control and -jerked in his rope. The shot had helped quiet the saddler. With the -pinto at his side Midnight broke for the trail leading upward. - -Tex set his spurs and sent the bay thundering after the black stallion. -This was just what he wanted. He worked desperately to swing out a -loop. The black had a hundred yards of go in the open the way he was -headed. With the big colt running away Tex could drop a rope on him -and pull him down. He raised himself in the stirrups and swung out his -loop. Then Tex’s eager grin vanished. The black stallion was running -away from his bay! He was leaving the fast saddler behind in a way that -made the saddler seem slow. Tex overhauled the pinto and passed her. -She was running her best, with neck stretched out and mane flowing, -heading upward in an attempt to follow the black. - -Tex held on until the black stallion thundered out into the saddle -above and vanished down the far slope. He had not used his spurs on the -bay. He knew his horse had given everything he had. On the ridge Tex -pulled up while the bay blew and pawed. Suddenly Tex laughed. He had -never seen such speed. Now he was certain he had to capture the big -fellow. He just couldn’t have a horse on the range that was faster than -the one he owned. Then his laugh died away. He had a more important -reason for catching the black; in the excitement he had forgotten it. - -Midnight charged through the timber and kept going until he reached -the bottom of a canyon. He halted in a dense growth of river alder and -called long and loud to the pinto. From far up the mountainside she -answered him. Her call was frantic and excited. Midnight listened and -heard a shout from the man who had chased him. He kept still for a long -time. Finally he called to the pinto again and she answered him from -lower down the slope. She was hurrying to him as fast as she could -make her way down the rough slope. Midnight waited and listened. After -a time he decided the bay and his rider were not coming down into the -canyon. He could hear the pinto rattling stones and nickering eagerly -but there was no other sound. - -The pinto broke into the alder stand in answer to Midnight’s call -as she reached the bottom of the canyon. They stood close together, -watching and listening. - -Up on the ridge Tex turned the bay and headed him back down to the long -meadow. Night would soon settle and he would have no chance to trail -the black after dark. His best course was to follow the mares and drive -them into the lower country so that the black stallion would have to -come down to round them up. He sent the bay galloping along the trail -the fleeing mares had made as they raced off the bench. - -Deep in the canyon Midnight was undecided what he should do. He was -certain he could not stay where he was. The man would be sure to follow -them. He finally followed his instinct, which was to put many miles -between himself and the country which had proved so dangerous. He did -not have a strong urge to follow the mares and round them up. His -instincts for leadership were not strong enough to make him look for -them. He knew of only one place where he had always found safety and -where he had never been attacked. That place was the little meadow -under the rim below the high mesa. With a snort he headed up the -sloping side of the canyon. - -The high mesa was far across the mountain on the southern edge of Major -Howard’s range lands. The old mares had led the band along the backbone -of the continental divide and down into the lower valleys. Midnight’s -wild instinct led him unerringly toward the place of his birth and -early colthood. All that first night the two horses moved steadily -south and east, climbing upward, following the twisting course of the -divide. At dawn Midnight and the pinto fed close to a stand of balsam -and spruce. Five mule deer and a band of elk fed on the same meadow. -Midnight had a feeling that the deer and the elk would take alarm if -anyone approached, or it might have been his early friendship with the -old timber-line buck that made him select the spot as a feed ground. - -The deer and the elk paid little attention to the two horses. They -recognized them as friends and harmless. Neither of them was tainted by -man smell or the reek of a saddle blanket pungent with leather oil. - -Midnight had learned another of the lessons of the wild, a lesson that -had long since been mastered by the elk and the deer. He would feed at -dawn and at dusk, when the dim light made rifle sights blur and when -the eyes of the upright walking killer play tricks on him. All other -wild things had learned that this was the law. The sunlighted meadows -were death traps by day, but in the soft dusk of early morning or -evening there was safety. The big killers obeyed the rule but they did -it as much because their prey came out of hiding at that time as for -protection. - -The band of elk was headed by a lordly bull who was master of the ten -cows by virtue of his power and savage willingness to battle any other -bull who challenged him. As soon as his own sons grew to the age where -their antlers began to spread into sweeping weapons and their desires -led them to notice the cows he drove them out of the band. They were -then lone bulls for a time until they were able to win a harem of their -own. Nor was he satisfied with defense of his cows. He challenged the -world to come and try to wrest supremacy from him. His battle moods -came in midsummer and fall when his shoulder veins were swelling with -hot blood, and his antlers had hardened to polished lances of bone. - -The old wapiti bull was beginning to feel this pugnacious mood. For -weeks he had been rubbing and polishing his antlers. They gleamed like -the varnished surface of a piece of fine furniture. During the gray -of dawn he had fed near the cows. Now that the white light from the -sun-bathed peaks above was making the meadow bright he began to show -signs of restlessness. The cows fed on, eager to fill their paunches -before they sought deep cover to lie down. The old wapiti shook his -horns and lifted his muzzle. He trotted to a little knoll well above -his band. He was filled with courage and desire, proud of his fine -antlers, conscious of the power within his twelve hundred pounds of -weight. He halted and filled his lungs with air, raised his muzzle, -and poured forth a guttural roar that increased in pitch to bugle -tones, higher and higher until it was a blasting whistle which screamed -through the still air of the mountainside. The high notes quavered -and faded, ending in a half dozen savage grunts. The old bull seemed -to know that he had just executed one of the most inspiring pieces of -music in all nature’s mountain songs. He shook his head and listened -intently. - -From a ridge above the challenge of the lord of the band was answered. -The challenger’s bugle was not so high and shrill nor so powerful, -but it was eager and defiant. The bull on the knoll shook his head and -grunted angrily, then he lifted his muzzle and sent his call ringing -out through the high, thin air. Again the challenge was answered. A -young bull was coming down the slope. - -In a few minutes the challenger appeared, breaking out of the spruce at -a trot, his head swinging back and forth. He was lighter than the old -bull by a few pounds and his antlers were not so well filled, but he -was big boned and young, a lone knight seeking the end of the lonesome -trail, desiring to take his place at the head of a band of cows. - -The old bull squealed a few short, sharp blasts, his horns swept low, -he charged to meet the invader. The young bull came on, his pace -increasing to a fast lope. The two great brutes crashed together, their -horns locking as they grunted and twisted. For several minutes they -tussled in this manner, each trying to sweep the other off his feet. -The young bull was forced to his knees but came up with a lunge which -set the old one back. Then they parted and backed away, heads still -lowered, spreading horns protecting vital parts of their bodies. For -a moment they halted with eyes glaring and breath whistling into the -grass, then they charged again and the force of the impact sent them -both to their knees. The old bull was well aware of the advantage his -few extra pounds gave him and he kept hammering away, thrusting the -youngster to his knees, eager to weaken him so that he would expose -himself to the ripping thrust of horns. - -The combatants had moved down the slope and the young bull was now on -the downhill side, moving slowly toward the spot where Midnight and the -pinto stood watching the battle. A yellow band of sunlight had slipped -out across the grass. The mule deer, led by an old doe, had slipped -into the timber to seek a hiding place for the day. The cow elk ceased -feeding and stood watching the combat out of calm eyes which betrayed -no hint of favor for either warrior. They would accept the lordship of -the winner without question. After all, their real leader was a wise -old cow who knew the ways of the trail and the best hiding places. The -lord of the herd was master only for the time of the love moon. - -The smaller bull began to retreat a little before the onslaught of -the old bull. They had been fighting a quarter of an hour and the -youngster’s wind was beginning to give out. They had backed away, the -challenger still savagely willing to charge but very short of breath. -As they lunged together, the young bull went down; this time one foot -slipped and he fell sidewise. Instantly the monarch shook his horns -free, backed away a step and lunged, his lances lowered. The sharp -daggers of bone ripped into the side and flank of the young bull. He -floundered and struggled as the death wound racked him, then he got to -his feet with an effort. Staggering but with his defenses again down -and ready he lunged at the old bull. The monarch smashed at him. This -time he was down with his whole side exposed and the victor was on him. - -But the old bull was at the end of his strength, too. He tried to tear -his adversary into shreds but did not have the power. After a half -dozen weak thrusts he backed away and stood, blowing and grunting -savagely, while the youngster got to his feet and staggered toward the -woods seeking a secluded spot where he could lie down. - -Midnight snorted and pawed. The cows shook their heads and turned -toward the woods following the lead of the wise old cow. With a savage -grunt the monarch trotted after them. - -Midnight turned away. With the pinto filly at his side he trotted -into the timber and there they bedded down for the day. That night -they moved again, heading along a ridge with the white stars lighting -the rocky trail. All night Midnight kept going and dawn found them at -the edge of the high mesa. With the gray light about them they fed -close to Sam’s deserted cabin. Midnight felt safer in these familiar -surroundings. Even the cabin seemed to give a friendly protection -to him. He crossed the meadow and halted near the head of the trail -leading down into Shadow Canyon. The pinto was afraid of the cabin at -first but when Midnight walked up to it in passing across the meadow -and sniffed about, she joined him. The man smell was dead and old. It -lacked the pungent freshness which roused fear and caused flight. - -The old yellowbelly whistler mounted his perch on the high rock and -sounded an “all’s-well” whistle. The mesa came to life with the -chipmunks singing their chorus, the prairie dogs barking, and the other -chips racing about. With the coming of life to the meadow Midnight -headed down the trail to cover. - -The two horses came to the crevice which lay across the ledge trail. -It was no longer a barrier, being filled with rocks and torn tree -trunks with gravel piled in the cracks. Midnight moved down into the -sunken mass and over it. Together the two plunged up the far side. Now -Midnight felt secure. With the high walls towering above him and the -sheer drop into Shadow Canyon guarding the lower side, there was only -the entrance across the debris-filled crevice and that was hidden from -the main trail by bushes screening the rocky ledge. - -He set to feeding and the pinto joined him. They stayed in the shade -of the aspen grove which afforded them complete protection from anyone -who might halt on the rim above and look down. All such a pair of eyes -would see was the pale-green canopy of the aspen grove. They grazed -peacefully until they had eaten their fill, then Midnight led the pinto -to the bed of needles under the Engelmann’s spruce over near the wall. -There they lay down in the cool shade. - - - - -13. Tex Takes the Trail - - -Tex followed the trail of the mares until almost dark. He came up with -them several times and sent them galloping into the lower valleys. -He did not shoot any of them because he wished to leave them as an -attraction for the black stallion. With less than half an hour of -daylight left he headed over a ridge to one of the high-country -cabins where food and horse feed were always kept ready for wandering -cowpunchers and for the boys who rode the high range during the summer. - -As he slid from his saddle he saw that someone else was using the -cabin for the night. Yellow light streamed out of its one dusty window -and the smell of frying bacon and boiling coffee floated down to the -corral. Tex unsaddled the bay, watered and grained him, then rubbed him -down. He always cared for his horse before thinking of his own comfort. - -As he shoved open the cabin door he saw Major Howard and Shorty sitting -at the plank table nailed to the wall under the window. They were just -finishing a meal of hot biscuit, sugar syrup, bacon, and coffee which -Shorty had fixed. - -“Hello,” Tex greeted them. “Any grub left?” - -Shorty grinned widely and the major nodded. Shorty shoved aside the -packing box he had been sitting on. - -“I’ll scorch some bacon and warm up the coffee,” he said. “I -overestimated the boss’s appetite for biscuits, so there’s plenty.” - -“Shorty made enough biscuits for six men,” the major said. - -Tex eased his lank frame down on the packing box. He was ravenously -hungry. Reaching for a biscuit he broke it, exposing its snowy center. -The major watched him as he crammed half the biscuit into his mouth. - -“I have been down to the meadow where you trapped those wild horses. -You did a nice job, Tex.” - -Tex grunted as he shoved the other half of the biscuit into his mouth. - -The major added by way of defending himself against killing the mares: - -“Not a single head worth rounding up.” - -“I reckon not,” Tex agreed. Then he leaned forward and spoke with -considered slowness: “The stud got away and he’s a winner. He outran my -bay on level ground in a straightaway run.” - -The major showed his interest at once. He had always wanted to capture -a real wild stallion that had quality. He had an idea he could do some -crossbreeding that might have interesting results. - -“Stallion?” he asked. - -“A black stud, long two-year-old. Fine racin’ legs, big chest, and the -heart of a winner. He turned on me and come near knockin’ me out of my -saddle.” Tex grinned as he remembered that charge. - -The major smiled too, an eager smile. “He must have spirit. Racing legs -and body--h-mmm.” He picked up a biscuit absently and crumbled the -corner of it. Then he shot a penetrating glance at Tex and asked, “And -you think you know his sire and dam?” - -“That colt is out of Lady Ebony by the chestnut stud that led the -wild band. The chestnut is the thief that stole your mare, major. The -chestnut is gone, can’t figure exactly how he got killed, but I’m sure -he’s dead. The black colt couldn’t handle him, not yet. But the black -was running the band and he got the job too young.” Tex reached for -another biscuit. “I reckon he’s learning fast, though.” - -Major Howard got out his pipe. He loaded it carefully, then lighted it. -He was watching Tex narrowly. For a full minute he puffed deeply, the -blue-white smoke curling up around his graying hair. When he spoke his -voice lacked the assurance it usually carried. - -“You never give up once you get an idea, do you, Tex?” - -“It’s as clear as day to me,” Tex said simply. - -“This long two-year-old can outrun anything on my ranch.” The major -spoke almost to himself. - -“And rest while he’s doing it,” Tex said. - -“You better bring him in. He may not be so good as he looked today, but -if he has the markings of that black mare I’ll know it. I’d like to -experiment with a stallion like that.” - -“I figure on bringing him in if it takes all summer.” Tex leaned -forward. The bacon Shorty had set before him went unnoticed. “If you -figure I’m right you could do something for Sam?” Tex knew he was -treading on dangerous ground. Mention of Sam always irritated the major. - -“When I’m convinced, I’ll do what I can,” he said gruffly. - -Tex knew there was no use talking any more about it. He would round up -the black and bring him in. Once the major set eyes on the stallion he -would know the black was Lady Ebony’s son. Then the major would get Sam -out of his cell. Tex had the major figured that way. - -With supper over the men rolled up in their blankets. The major slept -in the wall bunk while Tex and Shorty bedded down on the floor. They -did not stay up longer than the time it took to wash the dishes and -split some wood for the breakfast fire. They would all be up and in the -saddle by daylight the next morning. Tex meant to ride the upper range -and to map out his campaign. He had a feeling there was need for haste. -The black stallion would have to be brought in that summer. Sam had to -be got back to his high mesa if he was to come at all. - -The next morning Tex was up before the other two men had wakened. He -made coffee in the blackened pot and finished up what had been left -of Shorty’s biscuits. With a can of tomatoes, a tin of fish and some -coffee from the cupboard he left the cabin. - -The rising sun found him on a high ridge overlooking the sweep of the -lower slopes of the Crazy Kills. He studied the meadows below, watching -the timbered edges of the clearings, but he saw no sign of the black -stallion. After that he set about checking the meadows, following the -trails from valley to valley. About noon he came on two of the wild -mares. He did not alarm them and they did not know he had seen them. -Later he came on three more in a meadow far from where he had located -the first two. At four that afternoon he found two others feeding -beside a stream miles from the others. And he had come across no sign -of the black stallion, not even his tracks. He began to wonder what -had happened to the colt. And he was beginning to wonder if the band -had not separated for good. The mares he had come on had been feeding -or lying down. They had not seemed to be looking for the others. Tex -refused to be worried, but he rode until darkness forced a halt. He -built a little fire to heat water for coffee. He had eaten the tinned -fish and tomatoes at noon. But he was determined to camp where he was -and go on with the search in the morning. - -The next day Tex rode until evening without coming on the black -or crossing his trail. He was convinced now that the stallion was -making no effort to round up the mares, that he was too young and -inexperienced to have developed band leadership. He knew he faced a -tough job but he had no idea of quitting. He would need a pack horse -and supplies to stay in the hills more than two days. That meant he -would have to return to the home ranch. - -He rode back to the high-line cabin and cooked a meal. There was no one -at the cabin and he rolled up on the bunk as soon as he had eaten. The -next day he headed for the home ranch. - -The major did not object when Tex told him his plans. But Tex knew -that a week would probably be all he would be allowed for the hunt. -The major would be calling him in to take charge of other work. He was -convinced his boss was giving him this time so that he would have a -chance to settle the matter that had been between them since Sam was -taken away. - -Tex rode into the high country. He laid his plans carefully. He meant -to cover the range from timber line down in a careful check of all -meadows and feed grounds. He was sure he would miss no spot where a -wild horse would stay because he had ridden the Crazy Kill slopes for -fifteen years and knew every foot of the ground. - -Methodically he worked, from the north limits toward the south. He -accounted for all the wild horses except Midnight and the pinto filly. -At the end of the week he was worried. The black stallion must have -gone down into the desert or over the divide into the wild country -beyond Major Howard’s range. He had to admit he had failed in a job -that seemed to him important. He knew there was no use trying to make a -ride into the desert. That vast expanse of sand and canyons stretched -clear to the Mexican border, while the wild country beyond the Crazy -Kills was worse than the desert. It was canyon-slotted and grown dense -with timber. No ranchers used it as a range. It was virgin wilderness -and it was a hundred miles deep. - -When Major Howard ordered Tex to take charge of the drive that would -bring the new herds of cattle to the high country from the railroad -yards he did not object. He had had his chance and had failed. - - * * * * * - -At the foot of the high walls overlooking Shadow Canyon, Midnight and -the pinto stayed hidden in the aspen grove by day. At night they either -fed in the little meadow or climbed up to the high mesa. When they were -on the high mesa they raced and played. They never stayed after dawn -broke. Twice they scented man smell on the wind and dashed to cover -along the ledge trail. - -The day Tex checked the high mesa for tracks or signs they were feeding -below and had not been on top for several days. Rain had come and their -tracks had been washed out. He had passed on after looking inside Sam’s -cabin and noting how it was falling apart from disuse. - -The pinto pony trusted Midnight and he had his past experience to make -him feel secure in his hideout. But he did not forget the lessons he -had learned, and no buck deer was more alert and watchful than he. - -Many times Midnight led the pinto around the track he had laid out. -They often ran by daylight, around and around, leaping over logs and -rocks and pounding in a reckless chase over the rough trail. Midnight -could easily outdistance the filly, but he never ran away from her when -she dropped behind. - -As the days passed, both horses became sleek and fat, but Midnight -did not lose his speed or power. He never became lazy, because of the -nervous, high spirits which filled him. He was fast coming to the place -where he would not be satisfied with the company of one filly, but -another season would pass before he was ready to go forth. - - * * * * * - -In a town below the ridges and wild barrens, behind drab, gray walls -old Sam had at last given up the fight. One morning he did not answer -early call and they found him lying on his cot peacefully sleeping. -He would not stir and seemed not to have the wiry strength that had -carried him along. The warden and the doctor came. Sam was taken to the -hospital and placed on a white bed. Outside the door of his room the -doctor faced the warden. - -“The state will not be burdened over a couple of months longer by that -old codger,” he said. - -“What ails him?” the warden asked. - -“What would ail any wild thing that was cooped up in one of your -cells?” the doctor asked, then turned abruptly away. - -The warden went back to his office and looked into Sam’s file. No one -had taken any interest in the case except Tex and he had written only -one letter because writing was something he seldom did. The warden put -the file away and made a note of what the doctor had said. - - - - -14. Beside the Castle Rocks - - -With an uneasy jerk Tex tore open the envelope the major handed him. -He was not used to getting letters and this one was postmarked at the -state prison. He fished out a single sheet of paper and stared at it. -The major had read the postmark and stood waiting for Tex to speak. - -There was a brief line at the beginning of the letter. The message was -from Sam and the warden had written the letter for him. Tex turned away -from the major and walked down to the horse corral before he read any -further. He wanted to be alone. Leaning over the pole gate he finished -the letter. The message was brief, very much like Sam. Tex’s lips moved -as he repeated the words to himself. - -“I put off writin’ figurin’ to see you. Reckon I won’t, so the warden -is writin’ this to you. They got a buryin’ spot down here they call -Woodpecker Hill. It’s good enough fer an old gopher miner but I still -got a hankerin’ to get back to the top of the world. If it won’t put -you out too much, Tex, I’d like to be planted near the ledge trail at -the foot of the castle rocks. Jest lift the rock under the right front -leg of the stove and you’ll find a poke of dust I cached. There’ll be -enough in it to do the job. I want you should keep what’s left over. -Figure I’ll hang on till I get a letter back from you. The doc says no, -but I’ve fooled ’em before. Sam.” - -Tex folded the sheet into a wad and shoved it into the pocket of his -chaps. He stared for a long time through the white sunlight. His bay -gelding came over to the fence and nudged his arm. Tex turned around. - -“We shore let old Sam down,” he said grimly. “But this time we’ll not -flop on him.” - -He reached over and caught the horn of his saddle which was tossed -across the top pole of the corral. As he was jerking the cinch tight -around the belly of the bay a few minutes later, the major’s shadow -appeared near the gate. Tex did not turn around. He did not feel like -telling the major anything. The last time he had tried to talk to him -about getting Sam freed his boss had been irritated and short in his -refusal. Tex had a feeling the major even believed he had invented the -story about the black stud, with the help of Shorty, in order to get -his sympathy. The major watched in silence until Tex faced the gate, -then he spoke. - -“I want to have a look at the new stock. You can ride into the aspen -range with me and show me around.” - -Tex nodded. There was no use in writing to Sam now. The mail would not -be picked up until the next day. He could take a couple of days off and -ride in, but he didn’t feel equal to facing the old man after the way -he had let him down. - -By midafternoon the pair were high in the aspen country and close to -the spruce belt. Tex had taken the major to the meadows where the new -stock grazed. They had halted on a ridge as the major had a way of -doing and were gazing over the vast country below. The major always got -a thrill out of looking over his vast domain. He never tired of the -rolling foothills and the wide, grassy valleys, all his. - -Tex could see the high mesa on the rim of Shadow Canyon. He could see -the castle rocks where Sam wanted to be planted. A desire to ride down -to the spot laid hold of him. He could get the poke of gold while he -was there. When the major was ready to move on, Tex headed down the -slope. Within an hour they broke out on the high meadow. The major -looked across at Tex questioningly but said nothing. He knew none of -the new stock were run that far south. But he was more interested in -the letter Tex had got than he cared to show and was sure this visit -had something to do with it. He feared the old man had died in prison, -and the thought stirred the old train of doubts as to the course he had -followed. - -They rode down to the castle rocks before going to the cabin. Tex -dismounted and stood at the base of the rocks where Sam had said he -wanted to lie. When he looked over the expanse of country below he knew -why Sam had picked this spot. From the ledge he could see far across -the hazy lower valley to the distant peaks of the Sleepy Range, while -on the right he could look out over the purple expanse of the desert -with its spires and red rims gleaming in the late sunlight. At his feet -yawned Shadow Canyon. From its twilight depths came the rumble of a -rushing stream. The music rose and fell in steady cadence. Tex drew in -his breath sharply and turned toward the major. - -As he turned a flash of movement below caught his eye. He stepped -closer to the canyon rim and looked down on a little meadow. At first -he saw nothing but a little beaver lake, a grove of aspens, and a stand -of spruce. Then a black horse flashed out of the timber running madly. -Close on his heels came a pinto filly. They were heading straight at -a barrier of logs. They reached the barrier and lifted like birds, -sailing over it easily. Their manes and tails flowed out as they -pounded along. - -“Look!” Tex called hoarsely as he pointed downward. - -The major slid from his horse and stood beside Tex. The flying horses -had vanished into the aspen grove and Tex grunted disgustedly. In a -moment they appeared again and took the log barrier in a mad leap. Both -men stood in silence watching the big black stallion as he cleared the -barrier and raced away. The horses vanished but appeared again as they -charged around the little circle below. Then they vanished and did not -appear again. - -For a long minute the two men faced each other. It was the major who -spoke. - -“Tex,” he said gruffly, “I’m a stubborn fool.” He held out his hand. -“Let me see that letter you got from the state prison.” - -Tex dug out the letter and handed it to him. The major read it quickly. -When he had finished he folded it carefully and handed it back to Tex. -Relief and eagerness showed on his face, as he turned toward his horse. - -“We’ll ride for the ranch. If I hit the trail hard enough I can catch -the midnight train at Painted Rocks.” - -Tex grinned. He said nothing, but he was in his saddle before the major -reached his horse. - - - - -15. Home to Stay - - -The old yellowbelly whistler was uneasy. He scented the coming of -a cold snap, a heavy snow perhaps. The aspens were flaming yellow, -the oak brush purple and red, its rounded clumps looking like fine -upholstery laid on an immense piece of furniture. The calico chips -darted around in frantic haste as they gathered seeds to add to their -bulging granaries. Even the rockchips were more active than usual. They -did not spend so much time hugging their fat bellies and mooning into -the distance. The dog colony was as noisy and busy as usual but there -was a difference in their chatter. This was a time of uncertainty. -Indian summer had to end. It had held the high country in its drowsy -spell for many days. Now the air had a different feel. - -Down by the castle rocks there was a newly made pile of rocks. This -disturbance of the scenery had upset the small folk of the meadow for -a while but now they were used to it. The calico chips used it as a -hiding place and even the whistlers had explored it carefully. - -Suddenly the meadow rang with an eager whinny, followed by a loud -snort and the pounding of hoofs against the dry, hard ground. A black -stallion and a pinto filly broke from the head of the Shadow Canyon -trail. They raced wildly around the mesa, kicking and dodging. -They swung down past the castle rocks and the black stallion made a -magnificent show of shying and plunging as they passed the pile of -rocks. Saluting the mound with a flash of his heels he raced back -toward the old cabin. - -Midnight slid to a halt before the cabin and called loudly. He advanced -toward the door shaking his head and snorting, his eyes rolling wildly. - -The door of the cabin hung open. A blue-white wreath of smoke curled -out and up into the air, then old Sam stepped through the doorway. He -stood for a moment steadying himself, one hand against the casing, then -he shuffled outside and sank down on the ancient willow chair. As he -seated himself he dug into a pocket of his worn jacket and brought out -a handful of dingy lump sugar. - -“No human critter could of got me outside today the way my rheumatiz -joints is shoutin’ fer a storm,” he said. - -He held out one hand with two lumps of sugar in it. The black stallion -edged closer, his legs trembling, his nostrils flaring eagerly. The -pinto filly crowded ahead of him and her pink nose deftly whisked the -sugar out of Sam’s palm. Old Sam chuckled as he placed two more lumps -in his palm. - -“Lady, you act plumb scandalous fer a wild hoss,” he said. - -Midnight had edged close now. He gathered up the two lumps and crunched -them eagerly. Even after weeks of coaxing and tempting Sam had not -quieted all the fears in the heart of the stallion. Sam doled out the -sweets slowly, making them last as long as possible. When they were -gone he got to his feet, and picked up a tin pail beside the door. -Walking to a bare spot of ground near the corner of the cabin he -poured out a liberal measure of oats. - -Midnight stood watching, ready to charge away. The pinto shouldered up -close to Sam, letting him run his hand along her neck. Watching her -gather up the oats was too much for the black; he crowded in to get his -share, but not until Sam had backed away. - -Midnight and the pinto gathered up every grain of oats, then they -trotted out into the meadow and began feeding. Sam filled his pipe and -settled back to let the sun warm his joints. He was glad his visitors -had routed him out. The sun was really fine. After a few minutes of its -warmth he began thinking about walking down to the new prospect hole -he had dug at the base of the castle rocks. He chuckled to himself as -he thought about it but he did not move. He was remembering how he had -written to Tex asking him to dig a hole on that very spot. He wondered -what Tex would have done if he had dug that hole and then discovered -he had uncovered a vein of gold-bearing quartz. Sam had a feeling Tex -would have dug a buryin’ hole and let it go at that. That was what he -thought of Tex. - -Out on the meadow a chipmunk had mounted a stone. His voice rang out. -“Chock! Chock! Chock!” like the rattle of an old alarm clock. Instantly -every chipmunk in the meadow raced to his sing perch and the meadow -rang with their song. The fat yellowbelly on guard stretched his neck -and blasted a short whistle, then pulled in his neck with a deep -chuckle. He always disapproved such a chatter. - -Sam’s pipe rolled to the corner of his mouth and turned upside down. -One fumbling hand found the gold chain of his big watch. He pulled it -out and bent above the dial. His lips moved as he counted. When the -chorus died away he was grinning happily. - -“One hunnert eighty a minnit,” he mumbled. “That there’s a youngster -jest comin’ into his growth. Come spring he’ll do two hunnert.” - -As he tucked the ancient watch back into his pocket he sniffed the -air. Twisting his neck he looked up at the spruce ridge. Gray clouds -raced above the tops of the trees, and he could hear the moaning of -a cold wind rushing through the needles. Below the clouds moved a -curtain of white, swirling flakes. Sam got to his feet. His watery eyes -rested for a moment on a pile of baled hay stacked against the end -of the cabin and flanked by a great stack of split firewood. Tex had -fixed everything. Let the snows come, he’d be snug as any one of the -yellowbellies. And the two horses would not have to worry either. - -“I reckon I’ll jest hole up fer a spell,” he said. - -Down on the meadow Midnight had jerked up his head and was watching the -storm sweep across the mesa. Sam stood at the door looking out on the -scene until the form of the big stallion was swallowed by the wall of -snow. - - - - -As handsome as he is wild--that’s - -MIDNIGHT - -Son of a beautiful purebred mare and a wild stallion, the gangling colt -grows up under the stern law of the wild ... until his flying hooves -and bitterly learned store of experience make him leader of his own -untamed band. - -The thrilling tale of a freedom-loving horse in the Western mountains. - - SCHOLASTIC BOOK SERVICES - =SBS= New York · London · Richmond Hill, Ontario - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -Spelling and hyphenation have been retained as they appear in the -original publication except as follows: - - Page 20 - and cerainly limited _changed to_ - and certainly limited - - Page 95 - Midnight back away a few yards _changed to_ - Midnight backed away a few yards - - Page 103 - One moonlight night as Midnight _changed to_ - One moonlit night as Midnight - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Midnight, by -Rutherford George Montgomery (1894-1985) - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MIDNIGHT *** - -***** This file should be named 60458-0.txt or 60458-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/5/60458/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Laura Brown and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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