diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-0.txt | 5324 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-0.zip | bin | 108765 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h.zip | bin | 756421 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/63745-h.htm | 7782 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-e.jpg | bin | 13396 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-f.jpg | bin | 13493 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-i.jpg | bin | 13598 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-j.jpg | bin | 13980 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-l.jpg | bin | 13821 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-o.jpg | bin | 13506 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-q.jpg | bin | 13849 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-r.jpg | bin | 13768 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cap-t.jpg | bin | 14429 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 254685 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/i001.jpg | bin | 10184 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/i004.jpg | bin | 248527 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63745-h/images/publogo.jpg | bin | 22742 -> 0 bytes |
20 files changed, 17 insertions, 13106 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c4babac --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63745 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63745) diff --git a/old/63745-0.txt b/old/63745-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 16bf979..0000000 --- a/old/63745-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5324 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Beyond Rope and Fence, by David Grew - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Beyond Rope and Fence - -Author: David Grew - -Release Date: November 13, 2020 [EBook #63745] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEYOND ROPE AND FENCE *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - BEYOND ROPE - AND FENCE - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - Beyond Rope - and Fence - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - _DAVID GREW_ - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - _Boni and Liveright_ - - _Publishers ~ New York_ - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - _Copyright, 1922, by_ - BONI AND LIVERIGHT, INC. - - ─────── - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -_To you, dear old Dora, who inspired this book, I dedicate it. I regret -most poignantly that life has ordained that you may never know, despite -my caresses and my quart measures filled to overflowing with oats, how -deeply I have sympathised with you in those moments when you stood -motionless before me and I could see by the strange, sad light in your -eyes that you were dreaming of long departed, happy years of freedom on -the plains._ - - D. G. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - FOREWORD i - - I. FOR THE LOVE OF HER FOAL 1 - - II. TO THE NORTH! 25 - - III. DEATH IN THE HOWL OF COYOTES 35 - - IV. A SEEKING THAT FOUND 48 - - V. MAN, THE USURPER 59 - - VI. HOW MAN BREAKS THE SPIRIT AND 75 - THE BODY - - VII. THE CONSPIRACY OF MAN AND 87 - COYOTE - - VIII. RETRIBUTION 116 - - IX. SLOWLY MAN CREPT NORTHWARD 123 - - X. THE DOORS OF THE TRAP SHUT 133 - - XI. ROPE, IRON AND FIRE 163 - - XII. THE STRENGTH OF THE WEAK 178 - - XIII. LABOUR WITHOUT LOVE OR WAGE 195 - - XIV. ONLY JUSTICE HAD BEEN DONE 201 - - XV. THE TRAIL OF THE MOOSE 225 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FOREWORD - - -In the fall of the year, the farmers and the ranchers of the northwest -prairies of Canada release their horses for the winter. Strange as it -may seem to those of us who shudder at the very thought of raging -blizzards on the open plains, the horses that are left free to roam over -unsheltered space and are obliged to dig down through feet of snow for -their grass, not only survive the severest winters but are generally -found fat and strong the next spring. - -If while you are out riding you happen upon a group of these free -horses, they will stare at you curiously until they begin to fear that -you have come to gather them up and to take them back to the farm yard, -then with angry, defiant tossing of heads they will turn and gallop out -of reach, going so fast that you will not see them for snow dust. The -horse you are riding, if he has ever enjoyed a winter of that freedom, -will struggle to get away from you so that he may join them. Because you -will not let him go, he will show his displeasure like a petulant child -and long after you have forced him to abandon the attempt to get loose, -long after the happier group has disappeared, he will keep turning his -head back and calling yearningly to them. - -The farmer who releases his horses in the fall rarely loses any of them. -Every farmer knows every horse within a radius of twenty-five miles or -more, knows them by name and colour, knows their histories and -peculiarities. When the farmer is in doubt as to who some distant rider -may be, you can hear him think aloud thus: - -“That’s Skinner’s sorrel, Billy. Skinner’s goin’ for his mail.” Or: -“That’s Spicer’s white nag, Madge. I’ll bet Spicer’s comin’ to see about -them oats.” - -So in the spring of the year, when the farmers are all out searching for -their horses, they know those they come upon, and if some farmer sees -Skinner’s sorrel, Billy, he will drive him in the direction of Skinner’s -homestead, talking to Billy as he does so, in some such fashion as this: - -“Well, Billy, you little devil, you ain’t any the worse for the worst -winter in twenty years. You’re fat as a pig. Go on now, get home! I know -you don’t like the idea of gettin’ back to work, but it’s soon seedin’ -time, you know!” - -The farmer who works beside his horses daily, who gets to understand -every expression of these beautiful, intelligent creatures, always talks -seriously to them. This sounds strange to us until we have come in -contact with these animals for a short time, when, hardly being -conscious of it, we soon start talking to them ourselves. They certainly -understand many words and I have seen evidences of horses recognising at -once what sort of temper or mood men happen to be in as soon as they -approach them. - -Just as they learn to understand us, we learn to understand them. Every -neigh or whinny takes on the meaning of a word, and their scowling or -angry shaking of heads, and their protests against certain discomforts -we impose upon them appear as clearly as the similar expressions of -people. The most amazing fact, however, that slowly dawns upon us, is -the fact that these lovely animals live in a conscious world of their -own, not half so different from ours as we had allowed ourselves to -think. - -The rancher is not as intimate with the horses he breeds and rears in -virtual wildness on the vast ranges which he leases from the government -and about which he builds his barbed wire fences. Naturally so. He has -from several hundred to several thousand horses and they are virtually -in a wild state until he sells them, when they are broken-in and most of -the untamed spirit is crushed out of them by heavy labour. - -A rancher can rarely tell you how many horses he has. During the spring -when colts are most often born, his stock may double for all he knows. -He does not attempt to find out until the fall, when he rounds them up. -The young colts are separated from their mothers and branded. The poor -young things are tied and thrown and the red hot iron, with the shape of -each rancher’s particular brand, is pressed upon the shoulder till the -insignia is burned through hair and skin, where the mark remains as long -as the creature lives. - -The ranch horses are wilder and more spirited than the farm horses, but -when the latter are released for the winter, they often mix with the -former, breaking up into groups of those who seem to feel themselves -more congenial to each other. Every animal has a character and -personality of his own, and while he will get along beautifully with one -horse, he will fight all the time with another. From my observation, it -seems to me that the wild free horse does much less quarrelling than the -horse that has toiled on the farm, which would indicate quite clearly -how much like ours his nature is. - -Very few of the great herds that rustle for themselves all winter long -die while they are away. Those that die are horses that either have been -kept in the barn too late in the season or else that were in a starved -condition when they were released. A horse that has been kept in the -barn till after the cold season has set in and has been inured to the -warmth of the barn, when suddenly exposed to the unsheltered open -plains, if the weather happens to be severe, will sometimes die because -it finds it is unable to adjust itself to the change in temperature. - -But there is one peculiarity of horse nature which sometimes kills the -best horse, not only in the wilds but in the pasture or barn yard, if no -one is about to come to its assistance. Every horse loves to roll. He -will lie down on a sandy spot or on the snow and roll over from side to -side. It sometimes happens that he selects a spot that has a deep rut, -or that is near a wall, a stone, or a straw-stack. He will roll over and -strike the wall or the straw-stack or get caught in the rut in such a -way that he cannot force himself back. He will remain helpless on his -back till some one comes to his rescue. If he gets no assistance he will -die in a very short time, sometimes within less than an hour. - -But I am interested in the horse as a fellow being, subject as we are to -limitations; and, to a degree less perhaps than we are, capable of joy -and sorrow. In so far as these beautiful creatures are able to -communicate to others an indication of the emotions out of which their -lives are built, I have taken my story directly from them. My story, -too, comes fresh from the prairies. I did most of its planning while -riding on horseback over hundreds of miles of rolling Alberta plains, -often coming upon hills from which I could see a perfectly circular -horizon without a sign of human life, save perhaps some telltale -arrangement of stones, laid on the hilltop by Indians whom fate had long -since swept from the plains of their fatherland. At such times my pony, -whose wild and exciting history forms the greater part of this story, -seemed as much moved by the open vastness and the stillness as I; and, -each in his own way, we held communion with the spirit of the -wilderness. - - D. G. - -Langmark, Alberta, Canada. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - BEYOND ROPE AND FENCE - - - - - CHAPTER I - - FOR THE LOVE OF HER FOAL - - -ROLLING hills and shallow valleys—an ocean of brown waves with fast -drying sloughs, like patches of sunshine on the surface of the sea—such -was the Canadian prairie that autumn day—such were the miles and miles -of Alberta range, bounded by a barbed wire fence that was completely -lost in the unobstructed play of sunshine. It was an open wilderness, so -vast that it seemed to stretch on almost endlessly beyond the horizon, -which lay desolate and unbroken like a rusty, iron ring, girding the -earth. Its immensity, by an inexorable contrast, dwarfed everything that -crept over the surface of the plains into a helpless puniness. - -The hundred horses on the range, scattered and grouped by their -predilections for each other, looked, in the distance, like ants -crawling over the surface of a rock. Within sight of each other, bound -by the ties of race, they nevertheless had their loves and their -preferences. Most of the mothers with their little colts grazed in a -group by themselves; while a few mothers, as if they felt that their -children were better than their neighbour’s children, kept themselves -apart from the herd, though always within sight. - -Among the latter was a shapely, light-brown or buckskin mare who was -grazing peacefully about her precious, buckskin coloured daughter. The -little one was asleep on the grass. Her graceful little legs were -stretched as far as she could stretch them. Her lovely little head lay -flat on the ground. Her fluffy tail was thrown back on the grass with a -delicious carelessness. - -She was only six months old, but already the very image of her mother. -From the white strip on her forehead and the heavy black mane down to -the unequal white spots on her two hind fetlocks, she was like her. Only -her wiry, delicately wrought little legs seemed somewhat too long for -her. - -Suddenly the old mare’s head went up high in the air; her grinding teeth -ceased grinding as a broken machine comes to a dead stop; and the round, -dilated, knowing eyes pierced the slight haze in the atmosphere. The -little head on the grass raised just a bit, looked inquiringly at her -beloved mother—quite near; then with the innocent confidence of -childhood, dropped back again, rubbing the soft fragrant grass in an -ecstasy of contentment. - -But the old mare continued to gaze intently, standing motionless as a -stone. She saw that all the other horses were gazing just as intently as -she was. Small moving objects—two men on horseback—had broken over the -line of shadow along the southern horizon. One of them was loping away -to the right and the other to the left. The old buckskin mare had -already lived more than twenty years. Not only had she herself suffered -at the hands of man, but she had had so many of her babies taken from -her and cruelly abused—often before her very eyes. Her mother’s heart -began beating fast and apprehensively. - -The other mares, not far from her, also showed signs of extreme -nervousness. The buckskin saw them run off for a short distance as if in -panic, then stop and gaze anxiously at the approaching riders. It was -time to act. She looked questioningly a moment toward the north; but she -realised that that direction would soon be closed to her, for she could -tell that the riders, loping straight north, meant to turn in time and -come back upon them. - -She called nervously to her little one. The little thing sprang to its -feet, sidled up to her and gazed at the dark specks that were coming -together in the north, with fear glowing moist in her large, round eyes. - -Until she had seen a group of horsemen dismount, one day, she had -thought that man was a monstrous sort of horse with a frightful hump on -its back. What little she had been able to learn about him since that -time had served only to intensify her fear of him; and despite her -abiding confidence in her mother, she trembled timorously as she heard -the ominous hoof-beats in the distance. - -The animals instinctively gathered into a bunch and started away at full -speed. While one of the horsemen remained some distance behind, ready to -prevent the group from going off to either side, the other plunged into -the midst of them and deftly separated the mothers and their colts from -the rest of the bunch. Then they allowed the single horses to run off to -the north at their will; while they came together behind the mothers and -their colts and drove them southward toward the long line of shadow that -lay like a black elongated reptile, below the horizon and parallel to -it. - -That long line of shadow, which widened as they neared it, was a great -canyon which the Red Deer River had cut out of the level plains. From -the jaws of the mouth of the canyon, which were a mile or so apart, the -floor of the prairies fell away sheer in places, to a depth of a -thousand feet. In many spots there were several parallel cuts in the -edge of that floor. Where, during the ages, the elements had been unable -to remove the loose earth, it lay along the bank in steep hills which -rose up from the bottom of the canyon like gigantic teeth, all crumbling -more or less, all dotted with stones and covered here and there with -blotches of sagebrush and cacti. - -In the centre of the flat-bottomed canyon, as if an ancient torrential -flood had spent itself and narrowed down at last to a small, shining -stream, a quarter of a mile in width, ran the Red Deer River. In the -middle of the half-mile wide space between the river and the hills that -made the wall of the canyon, stood the buildings of the ranch. The -house, a small shingled structure, stood on the east end of the -spacious, sandy yard; while opposite and facing it was the long, red -barn with its open door below and the gaping window space in the loft -above. North of the barn and against its blind wall there was a big -corral, divided into two parts by a partition. The corral walls as well -as the partition were made of logs laid horizontally, a foot apart and -rising to a height of some eight feet. Each of these two sections had -huge swinging gates which opened inward. - -As helplessly as the waters of Niagara, the frantic mothers, stealing -side glances at their little ones and feeling them at their sides, -poured down the steep incline, between the giant teeth, into the mouth -of the canyon, slipping, sliding, and leaping downward riskily, in haste -and fear. On the level bottom of the canyon, the buckskin mare made an -attempt to turn from the path which led to the rancher’s buildings in -the hope of getting to the river beyond; but one of the horsemen divined -her rebellious intention and shot by her like a flash of light, heading -her off and forcing her back. She realised the futility of baffling -their superior wills; but went back with an angry shake of her wise old -head and a deliberate scowl of hatred for the tormenting man and the -servile horse under him who was betraying his kind. - -However the old mare happened to feel, the little buckskin, since the -forces of evil had as yet made no attempt to separate her from her -mother, shook the fear from her heart and took all the delight there was -to take in this unexpected excitement of the day. Healthy to the last -cell in her body, the race had merely accelerated the circulation of her -blood; and the ease with which she was able to keep up with her mother -made her conscious of a great and thrilling power. Her eyes and nostrils -dilated, her mane bristling and her tail unfurled, her springy legs -carrying her with ease, there was an expression of boundless joy in the -motion of her graceful body. - -The gates of the corral stood wide open. Being so driven that they could -not swerve from the path, half the group poured into one section of the -corral and the other half into the other. When they turned at the -opposite walls realising that there, there was no way out again, and -came back toward the gates, they saw the men closing them. - -Only the soul that has been trapped knows the crushing torment of four -relentless walls. Round and round they went, madly and stupidly, and -clouds of beaten earth rose from under their feet and choked them. -Finally becoming aware of the fact that the men were not pursuing them -any longer, they packed into a corner of the corral and, looking over -the corral walls and between the logs, sought to learn what they were -doing. They saw one man building a fire in the open, but a few paces -from the corral; while the other was calmly and portentously making -preparations that were only too familiar to the old mares. - -The little buckskin, beside her mother, always beside her mother, -clinging to that big beloved body as the soul clings to life, was wedged -into the very corner and right against the logs of the wall, so that her -frightened eye, in the middle of the open space between two logs, could -see the rancher’s house some four rods away. - -Her sides were still throbbing violently when she saw the house door -open. A little girl appeared. The little filly did not know what kind of -animal that was except that she guessed that it was some sort of man. -She perceived with renewed trepidation that the little girl was hopping -and skipping directly toward her. In her fright she pressed tight -against her mother, but her mother, much more concerned with the men and -apparently indifferent to the little girl, would not move an inch. When -suddenly the little buckskin felt the touch of the little girl’s hand on -her back, she called out frantically to her mother. But the old mare -bent down her long neck, touched the little head with her soft, warm -lips, murmured reassuringly and then looked away again. By that time the -filly realised, uncomfortable though she was, that the little hand was -not going to hurt her. - -The little girl climbed up two of the logs, moved slowly toward the -little buckskin’s head, talking softly and coaxingly as she moved. The -filly listened with ears pricked high. In the stream of meaningless -prattle, the foal became aware of the existence of the combination of -sounds, “Queen,” as one becomes aware of a constantly repeated melody in -a piece of music. By the time the little girl had carefully pushed her -head through the space between two logs, directly in front of the -filly’s muzzle, the little buckskin, though frightened again, became -exceedingly curious. There was something very disarming about that soft -voice and the soothing repetition of the word, “Queen.” She cautiously -stretched her muzzle, sniffing at the little mouth, moving it closer and -closer and just when she touched the little girl’s face, with a cry of -delight the little girl kissed her fervently on the nose. - -She drew her muzzle away quickly and looked with a frightened eye. It -had interrupted her attempt to sniff, however, and once more assured -that there was nothing harmful about the little girl, she made a second -attempt. The little girl continued calling her, “Queen,” coaxingly, till -the little muzzle touched her lips again and once more she kissed her, -crying out again with delight. - -This sweet, unofficial christening might have resulted in a beautiful, -enduring friendship, but a sudden, terrific patter of feet in the next -corral came through the air accompanied by a nauseating cloud of smoke, -and all was confusion again. Round and round their section of the corral -they swept again till they realised that the men were not yet molesting -them. When they stopped to investigate, little Queen saw a man in the -other section of the corral rush toward a mare with a long hideous -stick. She saw him strike the colt that tried to follow her and saw the -colt run back into the corral while the mother had run out. She could -not quite understand what he was doing; but she experienced an -overwhelming fear of losing her mother, and clung to her beloved sides -with more tenacity than ever. - -The other section of the corral was finally cleared of all the mares -who, standing on the outside, would not go away; but in concert rent the -air with their cries of protest. Queen was so curious that, despite her -beating heart, she moved to where she could see what was going on. She -saw ropes flash through the air and immediately after, a little colt -fell to the dusty ground. The cry from the little one’s mother was -answered by a stifled cry from the ground and as Queen, unable to stand -still for fear, listened to that cry, there suddenly began coming to her -the odour of blood and burning flesh. Madness seized upon them once more -and the dizzying whirl round the choking corral gave them some relief. -They finally stopped to rest a while, only to have another colt thrown -and his cries and the smell of burning flesh set them through the -frenzied motion round the corral, all over again. - -Most of the afternoon it took before all the colts in the first section -had been branded and mutilated. It was a noisy, dusty, cruel process; -and the men, perspiring heavily, their faces wet and black with the dust -that settled on them, looked like tormenting imps of hell; but they were -no more to be blamed for the cruelty that was theirs to do than were -their helpless victims. - -All that clamour of pain and struggle could not disturb the mist-like -loneliness that brooded over the far-reaching distance. On the other -side of the river, visible beyond less rugged banks, stretched a -lifeless country of hills and plains, so desolate and so motionless that -the very stones that dotted them seemed with their feeble reflections to -be futilely protesting against their destitution. - -A pause came to the torturous struggle. The gate of the first corral was -opened and the sickened little colts shambled out into the open where -their frantic mothers caressed them, then led them away to the east. The -men walked off and disappeared in the house. Taking advantage of the -silence and the respite, the still captive colts, one after another, -took to sucking. It was not very long, however, before they were -interrupted by the reappearance of the men. The skin on every captive -began to tremble and the eight mothers with their eight colts packed -into one corner. - -One man, carrying a long stick, entered the section and advanced to the -middle while the other stationed himself at the gate. First the man with -the stick forced the group to move into the opposite corner, then, after -a long struggle, he singled out the buckskin mare. He had driven her -toward the gate but a few feet, when little Queen, bending so low that -she passed under the stick, rushed out of reach of it and gained her -mother’s side. Had it not been for the vigilance of the man at the gate -they would have both escaped. It was getting to be late in the afternoon -and the man was tired and impatient. As with most impatient people, his -common sense gave way to his impatience. He was not only determined to -get the buckskin mare out first, but he was even more anxious to punish -her. He singled her out again and reaching her, struck her with his -stick. In pain and fright, the mare rushed for the gate. It was -partially opened and she was half way out when a cry from little Queen, -who saw her leaving her, brought her to her senses. - -Rebelliously, she reared and fell with full force upon the gate. It -swung violently backward, striking the man who held it so severely that -it knocked him off his feet and sent him rolling to the wall. The second -man who was trying to prevent Queen from following her mother was away -over at the other end of the corral. The gateman’s cry and the image of -him on the dusty ground, so confused the other that for a few moments he -stood still, unable to move a muscle. When he saw his partner pick -himself up, he realised that he should have hurried to the gate and -closed it; but by that time the whole group had escaped and were racing -for the hills, the buckskin mare in the lead and her precious Queen -eagerly behind her. - -With a majestic toss of her head, conscious of having scored a victory, -and determined to keep it, the buckskin mare fled across the flats. It -was now not only the overwhelming desire to get away. Vaguely she -realised that she had crossed the man’s will and that that was a -punishable offence. - -The mothers whose foals had been branded were off on a field at the foot -of the hills. The field had yielded a crop of oats and the oats had been -reaped and taken from the field; but there was still enough grain left -to make it worth their while to remain there. If, when they followed the -fugitives with their eyes, they had any desire to go along, they knew -that their sickened colts would not go with them. - -The buckskin mare gave them hardly a glance. She struck up the steep -incline with risky speed, bent upon getting out of the men’s reach, as -soon as was possible. The men, on the other hand, were at a -disadvantage. Before they could saddle their ponies, the mares, they -knew, would be off somewhere at the other end of the range. They -realised, too, that the mares were now so excited that they would have -very great difficulty in rounding them up. They were angry at the -rebellious mare, but these animals were their property and they did not -want to hurt them. Another struggle at that time, they felt, might even -endanger their own lives. The man who had been knocked over was not only -as tired as the other fellow was, but he was aching from head to foot. -Besides, the afternoon was rapidly giving way to early evening. They -decided to finish the branding on the following day. - -But to the buckskin mare the spaces behind her seemed peopled with -imaginary pursuers, and she struggled up the slippery incline as if her -very life depended upon getting to the top and away. The rest of the -mares that fled with her and their little ones seemed to find greater -difficulty in getting to the top, but they followed as eagerly. Rocks -and sand rolled thunderously down behind them and the dust rose from the -mouth of the canyon like volcanic smoke. - -When they finally reached the level plains above, the old mare was white -with foam. They had that afternoon been rounded up in a hollow toward -the northeast of where they now were and fear of being rounded up again -sent the buckskin mare to the west. Her usual fear of man, many times -intensified by the feeling that now she would be severely punished for -breaking loose, aroused in her old head the instinctive desire of the -animal that is pursued, to get under cover. Though there was neither -sight nor sound of any one behind her, she ran with might and main for -the coulee that she knew was a mile and a half to the west, and until -she had turned over the lip of the coulee and had reached the very end -of its slope, she did not slacken her pace, several times almost -breaking a leg in badger holes that she avoided by only a hair’s -breadth. Down in the gulch there was a path, made by the water of the -melted snow in spring as it had wound its way to the river. Along this -path, which led northward, they trotted without stopping till they came -to where the range fence forced them to halt. - -Here at last they rested, though the buckskin mare kept anxious vigil -for the first sign of any one pursuing them. The mothers began grazing -slowly while their young, moving with them, strove to get the milk they -felt belonged to them. As soon as the colts had had all the milk there -was for them they went leisurely in search of tender grasses and soon -all were grazing as if nothing had ever happened. - -But the buckskin mare was still worried. She walked to the two wires -that barred her way and with her head above the upper wire she gazed to -the north. A quarter of a mile away, the coulee ended. Its floor curved -upward like the bottom of a ship. Where it ended and the prairie floor -began there was a cluster of sagebrush. The evening was rapidly turning -the sage into a silhouette against the bright background of the sky. -Fear of pursuit came back with the coming of the night and the old mare -roused herself. With a sudden impulse she backed away from the wires and -dropped to her knees. Pushing her head under the lower wire she moved -cautiously forward, an inch at a time. Slowly she felt the wire move -backward over her body and each time the barb dug through her skin she -stopped and tried to crouch lower. With a sharp scratch it rolled over -her withers and stuck painfully into her back. She tried again to crouch -down lower, but failing to rid herself of the barb, she rested a moment. - -The barb hurt her considerably and she made a strenuous effort to lower -herself out of its reach, and in so doing pressed her outstretched -muzzle right into a rosebush. While the pain of thorns still pricked her -lips there was a sudden flash of white right before her eyes and a thump -on the ground as if a rock had been thrown at her. With all the strength -in her body, forgetting in her fright the wire on her back, she sprang -backward to her feet, snapping the lower wire and stretching the upper -one as if it had been a string. - -Her frightened jump, the momentary struggle with the upper wire that had -caught in her mane, and the cry that escaped her, set the group into a -stampede, and she herself, when finally freed from the entangling wire, -dashed off to the rear for a dozen rods. The slopes of the coulee were -dotted with the mares and colts who had fled in every direction. Outside -the range and on the rim of the coulee lay a silly rabbit, stretching -himself and gazing down with foolish eyes. - -There was nothing dangerous visible and nothing in the air to worry her, -so the old mare started slowly and cautiously back again toward the one -wire now hanging limply, and, in one place, less than two feet from the -ground. There she sniffed about carefully and suddenly raising her head, -she caught sight of the rabbit, as he was bounding away. - -There were many things that the old buckskin was afraid of, but a rabbit -was not one of them. Realising that she had allowed herself to become -alarmed at nothing, she went at her task with greater determination. She -was about to get down to her knees again when she realised that the -remaining wire was now low enough for her to step over it. Carefully -lifting each leg, her skin quivering with her excitement, the buckskin -mare stepped over the wire into freedom; and little Queen, frightened to -see her mother beyond the fence, made it with a single leap. - -The old buckskin was for running now as fast as she could for the north, -but she wanted the rest of the mares to go with her. She turned to look -at them. There they were grazing at various points with absolute -indifference to the great achievement she had consummated. She called to -them to follow, but beyond a busy reply they paid no heed to her. When, -however, they heard the sound of her tearing the more abundant grass -outside the range, they awoke to the fact that they were not getting all -they might get. Whereas the ideal of liberty had been an abstraction to -them, the fact of abundant grass was a reality, and it was not many -minutes before, one by one, they had all made their way over the hanging -wire. - -The late autumn nights had steadily grown colder and, since hollows are -colder than the higher portions of the prairie at night, they moved -rapidly to the plains above. Round about them lay the silent night, dark -and infinite, and the stars looked down upon its hidden desolation. -Closely together they grazed, lips fairly touching lips, without protest -or impatience. As they grazed, they moved on to the north, and the -rhythmic _tear-tear_ of grass interspersed with rhythmic footfalls was -the accompanying cadence of their half-unconscious flight. - -Some four miles from the range, they slept for the night on a low round -hill and when dawn came they found the earth covered white with frost. -The sun rose, putting a slight tinge of red into the whiteness, and -Queen was so curious about it she went looking for the spots where it -was thickest and licked it off the sage or rosebushes. - -To warm up they raced for half an hour, following the old buckskin to -the north, then spent the rest of the morning grazing and moving -leisurely. It was well on toward the middle of the day when an open -triangle of honking geese, high in the air, made them look up. The old -mare watched the geese move across the sky till they were lost in the -south and was just about to return to her grazing when she saw two small -objects appear on the horizon. They were so far away that they were -indiscernible, but she did not wait to make certain what they were. With -a call that frightened the little herd she turned north and fled. - -For several hours they raced on toward the heart of the wilderness; then -complaint on the part of the little ones, who did not like this endless -running, stopped them. But they had rested only a few minutes when they -discovered the rancher and his assistant rounding a hill about two miles -behind them. The frantic mothers, remembering yesterday’s struggle, fled -at top speed, never slackening for a moment till, nearly twelve miles -farther north, the little ones deliberately hung back. When, however, -half an hour later, their pursuers surprised them by coming up on top of -a hill only half a mile to their rear, the colts fully realised the -danger and from that time on they sped along without a murmur. - -The afternoon wore along toward evening and though, as the shadows began -lengthening, they felt that their pursuers had abandoned the pursuit, -they did not cease running until the thickening darkness gave them a -greater feeling of security. Even then their rest was a nervous one. -They grazed with ears pricked and when they felt that their little ones -would follow they started off again, going at a steady trot. - -They came, late in the night, to a hollow in the middle of which was a -huge shadow, which they recognised was a stack of hay. There were no -lights about anywhere, nor was there the slightest trace of man in the -air. A cold wind had blown up from the west and their wet bodies were -made uncomfortably cold. Lying down on the open plains in that -condition, they knew, would not give them much rest. They felt the need -of rest even more strongly than that of food and the haystack offered -protection against the wind. So they approached very cautiously. - -Something white at its base seemed to have moved as they neared it, and -the whole herd stopped to look and to sniff. The old buckskin mare, who -was now, as she had been all the time, in the lead, took a few steps -farther and sniffed again. She smelled rotten hay and with that smell -came the smell of warm bodies of horses. She called out inquiringly. - -In answer to her call, the white object at the base of the stack, raised -itself laboriously from the ground and replied with a lazy, sleepy -whinny. Immediately the little herd started toward the stack. She found -the white object to be a white mare and in the rotten hay lay her jet -black colt, complaining impatiently because his mother had disturbed him -by getting up, and he felt disagreeably cold. - -The hay was very old and very rotten, but they had not come there to -feast. What they wanted was shelter from the hard wind and each one went -looking for a good place to rest in. The buckskin mare almost stepped on -the leg of an old work-horse. In spite of her annoying him, he whinnied -so good-naturedly that she decided to stay right there near him. Queen -pushed herself into the hay beside the old work-horse and her mother lay -down in front of her. Protected against the wind on all sides she was -soon very comfortable and cosy and fell fast asleep. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II - - TO THE NORTH! - - -IT was in the very early hours of the morning when little Queen was -rudely awakened by the sudden rising of her mother, upon whose warm -flank her little head was lying. As her consciousness lighted up, she -became aware of a most disturbing odour in the air. Forms of restless -horses moved about in the semi-darkness and the rhythmic sound of -hoof-beats told of threatening danger. Her mother was standing next to -the white mare in a group that seemed transfixed by a reddish light -which came from the southwest. In the distance, on the horizon, was a -low crescent of fire. Far away as the fire was, Queen could see the -flames creeping. It looked very much like a vast herd of glowing -creatures, among which, now and then, one leaped high above the others. - -Terrified so that the very muscles in her body quivered, she sprang -toward her mother and pushed her way in between the two mares. Fire had -been part of the horrible process in the corral, but that fire had been -as nothing to this. She was afraid! She wanted to run, and she worried -about their standing still. - -The black colt on the other side of his white mother was not the least -bit frightened. He had as yet met with nothing baneful in fires and they -only interested him. At that moment, having slept well and fed well and -feeling unusually good, he wanted very much to frisk about and play. He -trotted over to Queen and mischievously butted her from behind, pushing -her half way out from between the two mares. Queen was much too nervous -to tolerate his playfulness. With an impatient toss of her head she -moved back against her mother and called for help. The old buckskin -herself was in no mood for trifling and drove the black colt away with -an angry threat. The white mare, who was as indulgent a mother as the -buckskin, took the matter so seriously that there would have been -trouble but for a sudden blast of wind, loaded with smoke. - -There was a hurried clatter of hoofs and the herd started away as with -one impulse. Down slopes, through wide hollows, up hills, leaping over -badger holes and stones, they ran, half enjoying the excitement. -Occasionally they stopped to look back with glaring eyes upon the flames -that swept along in their wake, still far, but unmistakably nearer every -time they stopped. - -With the coming of full daylight the flames lost their brilliance and -the colts, tired of running, would stop every once in a while and -noisily protest to their mothers, who kept a short distance ahead of -them. They would then walk slowly and whinny till a new gust of wind -with a new offensive cloud of smoke would frighten them and send them on -again with renewed energy. - -But their endurance was rapidly giving out and toward the middle of the -day they refused to run any more. Their mothers, a few paces ahead of -them, called to them solicitously, ran on as if they meant to desert -them, then seeing that that did not move them, they came back calling -coaxingly and tried to encourage them. A step at a time, their heads -bobbing wearily, their sides wet, they lumbered along complainingly. - -The prairie fire kept gaining upon them. The mothers’ anxiety turned -into desperation. They came back to them and getting behind them fairly -pushed them along. Suddenly a blazing thistle, driven by the gale, -rolled into their midst. All weariness, all aches and pains were at once -forgotten. As if they were controlled by a single mind, they bounded -forward, re-entering the race for life with an energy which they -themselves did not know they had. - -The sun with smiling indifference moved rapidly down the lower half of -its diurnal arc. The wind tore along behind them with irregular force -and with a constant changing of direction. The smoke it had borne all -day had grown less and less perceptible. The weight of Queen’s body -dragged more and more irresistibly downward. Her head began swimming in -waves of weariness that were inundating the whole of her body; but she -struggled on bravely, though she vaguely felt that it would not be long -before she would be forced to give up the struggle. Then, as she reached -the top of a hill, she beheld through the film of moisture on her eyes, -the mares and the stronger colts who had gone on ahead, now grazing on -the other side of a long, black, dried mud spot down in the hollow. - -That the wind had veered decidedly, taking smell and smoke and fire off -to the east, they had not even noticed. They had been running -unnecessarily for some time, impelled by the fear of the burning -thistle. The sight of the herd grazing with apparent fearlessness -reassured them. Most of the stragglers walked on ahead to join them, but -Queen selected a soft spot on the grass and dropped to the ground with a -sigh. - -Hunger had no power over her now. She stretched out her legs and her -head and relaxed, sinking willingly into the stupor that swept over her. -Her mother near her cropped the delicious grass with avidity; but the -long-drawn sighs that came from her little one and the rapid sinking and -swelling of her wet sides, worried her. She walked over to Queen, -whinnied softly and licked the perspiration from her little body. Little -Queen continued to breathe heavily but a note of relief entered the -sound of her breathing, and now more comfortable she fell asleep. - -But if Queen had gone to sleep thinking that her exhausting journey was -over, she was doomed to disappointment. She woke shortly after she had -fallen asleep, with a most intense desire to drink. On the hill above -the hollow she saw the greater part of the herd already moving on. Some -of the mares and their colts near Queen were starting away and her -mother was calling her, very evidently moved by the same urge. There was -nothing behind them forcing them to go. There was no discussion of any -sort to make clear the need for going. In the mind of each of them there -was the image of a slough. It was a sort of composite image of all the -sloughs they had ever drunk from and with that image like a mirage on -the prairie distance before them, they doggedly hit once more the -unbroken trail to the north. - -All day and most of the evening they continued the discouraging advance -without coming even to the bed of a dried-up slough. That night they -grazed a little and slept a little, but the thirst for water, somewhat -weakened by the coldness of the early night, soon reasserted itself and -sent them restlessly going again. The morning brought some relief. The -ground was covered with a thick frost and the grass they ate partially -quenched their thirst. But by the time the sun was quite high on its arc -they were as thirsty as ever and soon commenced the weary march once -more. - -It was in the early evening that they came at last upon a half-dried -slough toward one end of which there was a good sized hole full of -water. The surface of the water was covered with a layer of ice. With -her hoof one of the mares made a large hole in the ice and as many as -could squeeze into the first circle around it, drank till some of the -others began to fear that there would be no water left for them. Some -pushed the drinkers greedily and even nipped at them but the others just -waited patiently. - -Her mother was one of the first to drink, but little Queen waited till -she saw two of the horses—strangers to her—turn away. The old work-horse -whose good nature had impressed itself upon her at the haystack, and who -by daylight seemed even more kindly disposed, his sorrel coat somehow -intensifying his harmlessness, took half the space they left and Queen -walked up beside him. The old fellow’s upper lip trembled in soft -assurance of his friendship. Very grateful to him Queen bent down and -drank, a few inches away from his head, keeping her eyes on the -reflections in the water, raising her head hastily just as soon as one -of the reflections moved. - -The world seemed altogether different to her after that drink. It seemed -as if every wish of her little soul had been gratified. She was still -tired but it was not a very painful tiredness and not strong enough to -keep her from preferring the tender grasses in the old slough to -resting. - -Night came again. The wind completely changed. It blew strong and cold -now from the southeast. The sky was very clear and in the north just -above the horizon many lights quivered. The old buckskin mare settled -down comfortably in the midst of the other mares and little Queen -nestled up against her warm body. With her head upon her mother’s flank -she delighted in her comfort and gazed at the northern lights, whose -brilliant display did not seem to worry the older horses. Yet so long as -Queen’s eyes were open they were fastened upon those lights; and so long -as the little brain was awake it kept wondering with a bit of fear what -they might mean, for they were different from fire yet moved as fire -did. - -She had slept a long time when she was awakened by the sound of anxious -neighing that seemed far away and yet filled the air above the little -valley. Upon opening her eyes she beheld the northern lights so clear -and so near that she trembled for fear of them, and was certain that the -disorderly running about that she heard was due to the same fear. But -when her mother jumped up and she followed, she discovered that the -frightful odour of fire was coming on the wind from the south, where she -had last seen the flames creeping behind her. - -The same confusion, the same bewildering excitement and again the -wearing race for life began. That they ran directly toward the northern -lights convinced her that these were as harmless as the moon and stars. -With very few differences this flight was like the first. Though the -discomfort of it was even more hateful to her, Queen felt no impending -breakdown and without realising it, she was stronger now. - -Dawn came and soon gave way to a somewhat dull day. The wind changed -several times and finally for a while died down altogether. There was no -trace of smoke in the air; but the south was now established as a region -of horror and they continued their flight northward till late in the -afternoon. - -They ran down a steep hillside dotted with many knolls and stones and -came into an elongated, bowl-like valley toward one end of which there -was a small spring lake. There they stopped to drink, to graze and to -rest. - -Just as the air in that valley bore no trace of smoke, the plains that -stretched away from that valley bore no trace of man. A few -grass-overgrown buffalo trails led from the lands above to the deepest -part of the ancient lake and a bleached buffalo skull beside the main -trail told the story of a day and its life that had passed. - -A coyote den at the opposite end of the bowl and half way up the slope -gave the only evidence of life about the lake. The rim of the bowl shut -away the barrenness of the prairies above. The very dome of heaven -rested upon the rim of that bowl and vast primordial spaces interposed -protection against man’s greedy intrusions. - -Little Queen drank some water at the ice hole, drank the milk that -nature had prepared for her with all the care and concern of her -mother’s love, then slept away another night at her beloved mother’s -side, never even dreaming that this night was shutting fast forever the -doors behind which lay the closed first period of her life. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III - - DEATH IN THE HOWL OF COYOTES - - -LITTLE QUEEN was awake at the very first peep of dawn. With her soft -muzzle pressed against her mother’s warm flank, she watched the -beautiful unfolding of morning. Red streaks appeared above the -southeastern horizon and tinted the heavy clouds that were slowly and -ominously coming out of the north and packing the centre of the sky. The -air was clear and cold. The earth and all things on it were covered with -a thick layer of frost. Every blade of grass was dressed in fanciful and -luxuriant whiteness. Every hair on her mother’s body had turned white -and thick save on a small spot on her flank where the warmth of her -little head had driven the frost away. - -All around her lay the still forms of mares and colts and horses. Many -of the strangers had already distinguished themselves from the others in -her mind. The whiteness that covered them all interested little Queen. -She had seen that whiteness on them before, but never had she seen them -so completely covered with it. - -She turned her little head to see whether her own body was covered with -it. The discovery that it was rather pleased her; but the lifting of her -head resulted in a slight annoyance. Her lip touched the frost and -became wet and cold. She began to rub the wet lip on the warm spot of -her mother’s flank. Her mother called sleepily to her as if the movement -bothered her, so she pressed the lip tight against the warm spot, -delighting in its comfort. In that position she watched the details of -the world about her as they appeared in the growing light. - -A short distance before her, beyond two mares’ backs in front and nearer -to her, she spied the black head of the mischievous colt only partially -covered with frost. He was apparently still sound asleep. She was gazing -at the two frost-covered ears with uneasiness and irritation, when -suddenly as she raised her eyes a bit, she saw a coyote come out of his -den way off on the other slope of the valley. She watched him with fear -and absorbed attention. She remembered having seen one, once before, -somewhere. She remembered too that her mother had become alarmed at -sight of him and she began to worry as she watched. She saw that he was -interested in the forms lying about her. She saw him stretch lazily, -yawn and gaze down at them. He trotted away up to the very rim of the -bowl and there he sat down on his haunches and continued looking at -them. - -Little Queen lowered her head not to be conspicuous and continued from -that position to watch his every move. She had been looking so intently -at him that she did not notice a second coyote only a few paces from the -first. When she did notice it, one of the horses jumped to his feet, -shook the frost from his body and began running about to warm up. -Another of the horses followed the first and when little Queen turned to -look at them, she lost sight of the coyotes. She searched for them on -the whiteness, for some time, then discovered them sitting so still that -she had mistaken them for stones; but the horses that had got up ran off -in their direction and she saw the two coyotes take to their heels. - -The manner in which they loped away, continually looking back as they -went, showing that they were afraid that the horses meant to run after -them, lessened Queen’s fear of them slightly; and, tired of lying there, -she too, rose to her feet and shook the frost from her body. Like the -big horses she felt that she wanted exercise so she frisked about her -mother, keeping an eye all the while upon the black colt who had by this -time awakened and who was now sleepily watching her. - -But as her blood began to circulate rapidly, her delight in motion grew -apace and in her delight she forgot the black colt and the coyotes. The -circle about her mother was altogether too small for the expression of -her joy and she undertook to make a circuit about the lake with the two -other horses that were running. She had gone only half way when she -became aware of the black colt, racing after her. - -She did not see him till she had turned and as soon as she spied him she -sent an urgent call for help to her mother, and bounded away with eyes -aglow. Her call brought her mother to her feet. The old mare galloped -away in the opposite direction, intending to meet her before the black -colt got to her. The excitement roused the last of the sleepers and soon -the air was filled with the thumping of lively hoofs. Only the old -sorrel work-horse got safely out of the way and went on, indifferent to -the racket, to eat his breakfast. - -The buckskin mare got to her daughter in time to prevent the colt from -fleeing and nipped him savagely on the hip. In the meantime his white -mother had reached him and quite naturally interceded in his behalf. She -made an attempt to nip the buckskin mare, but backed away in time to -avoid two buckskin legs which had shot into the air. The white mare then -turned quickly around and with her hind legs replied in kind. - -The rest of the horses seemed to think it just the proper fun to -accompany morning exercises and after a few moments of exhilarating -kicking there followed a joyous stampede resulting at last in their -division into smaller groups, each group in its own corner grazing away -peacefully as if nothing had ever happened. - -After a preliminary breakfast of milk, little Queen joined her mother in -a profitable search for the sweetest blades of grass, and grazing side -by side they wandered from the lake shore, up the slope and away over a -level bit of prairie to another hollow where a slough had completely -dried up, leaving a small, barren, muddy bottom exposed. The grass was -exceptionally good around that spot and when little Queen had eaten all -she could eat, she stretched out on the ground in the early afternoon -and slept a long while. - -She awoke suddenly. She was very cold and felt that she had been cold -for a long time. A gloomy heaviness hung in the air and the sky was -thick with threatening clouds. All the desires in her little soul merged -into the one great desire to get to her mother. She jumped to her feet -intending to stretch and rid the joints of the sleepy feeling, when -there came upon her the fear that she was alone. She looked anxiously -and rapidly in several directions and then sprang off into space. A -great wave of uneasiness reached up from her heart and confused her. - -She had been running around for some time when she discovered four -buckskin legs sticking up out of a trough-like hollow in the dried mud. -She rushed with fear to her mother who lay motionless upon her back, -either unable to get up or strangely unwilling to. She was very glad to -see her and much of the fear that she had just experienced left her at -the very sight of her beloved mother; but she slowly became conscious of -something incomprehensibly dreadful in the situation. - -Queen looked at her curiously and called half anxiously, half -admonishingly, as if to say, “Why do you lie there like that when I want -you, and want you standing up straight as one ought to stand?” Receiving -no answer to her calling Queen ceased and gazed at her with growing -terror. There was something so frightfully unusual about her. Queen -began to shake herself as if she hoped to shake off the something that -seemed to cling to her and dim and blur everything for her. She sniffed -at the dear old head and sprang away in terror. There was a pool of -blood near the open mouth and the beloved lips, always so warm and so -soft, were cold and strangely hard. She became more and more alarmed and -confused. But in her little soul there was still hope. Her beloved -mother, so capable of solving the hardest problems, would solve this -one. She approached again and sniffed and sniffed and called and called. -But the more she sniffed and called in vain, the more intense grew her -fear. - -She raised her little head high and gazed anxiously away through the -thickening gloom. A last flock of geese was flying south and the -familiar honking which before this had only aroused her curiosity, now -filled her with foreboding and loneliness. Loneliness was a state of -mind heretofore unknown to her; but now it brooded over the plains like -a nebulous dragon dropped from some other world, waiting for an -opportunity to devour her. - -She walked off slowly and listlessly to where she had been asleep, -intending to while away the time by grazing until her mother should wake -up; but she could not eat. It was not many minutes before she was -walking right back again, calling more loudly than ever. Getting no -response, she stood still, and looked at the body she loved, trying very -hard to understand. - -All the while the day waned. The sky grew blacker. The wind blew -stronger and in the air the something that had been threatening all day -seemed to have come nearer. Grass blades and rosebushes nodded -mournfully over all the lonely earth, and little Queen imagined, as she -turned round and round to look into every gloomy direction, that the -prairie had become peopled with dangerous forms who always fled from -sight just as she turned her eyes toward them. - -She made several attempts to graze; but she could not eat. A sickening -feeling like a lump in her throat barred the way for food and she had -strangely lost all desire to eat. At her mother’s side she remained as -the long, fearful moments dragged, sniffing at her occasionally, calling -to her at times in the tone of one who expects no response and looking -off into the desolate wastes with a half-formed wish that something -would arrive to help her, yet fearfully worried of what might come. - -Darkness began lowering more rapidly and the wind swept over the plains -moaning with disturbing sadness. Little Queen became desperate. She -pushed at her mother with her nose in passion born of fear, then -realising how useless that effort was, called with all her strength and -ran about her without plan or purpose. - -Flakes of snow had been falling now and then for some time. They began -to fall more rapidly and to choke up the atmosphere, whirling through it -with a sort of light indifference and cruelly, boastingly foreshadowing -the approach of a more heartless blizzard. Queen decided at last that -there was nothing for her to do but to lie down beside her cold mother -and to wait for morning. She was whimperingly lowering herself to the -ground when she caught sight of the skulking form of a coyote in the -gloom to her side and sprang back upon her feet. - -Again she began to urge her mother to get up. She pushed the rock-like -side with her little nose, but she stopped very soon with the conviction -that it was useless and that she had better keep her eyes on the coyote. -She centred her attention now upon the form that moved about in the dark -grey gloom and discovered a second form behind the first. In an effort -to move nearer to her mother, she stepped on the hard side, tripped and -fell; and as she got up to her feet again, there came out of the -boundless horror of the wind-swept night a blood-curdling howl. Leaping -clearly over her mother’s body she fled from it, and loped away in the -direction of the bowl-like valley and the lake. - -Some of the horses were still grazing near the lake, as if they realised -that a blizzard was coming and desired to store away in their bodies all -the food they could gather. They cropped the grass most rapidly as the -wind tore at their tails and manes. Most of the mares were lying down -with their colts and one horse was drinking at a hole in the ice; while -the old sorrel work-horse stood near him patiently waiting for his turn -at the water. With an anxious whimper she sidled up to the old sorrel -who replied at once with his soft, tremulous whinny of good will. When -at last he drank, she cautiously lowered her head too, and seeing that -he had no objections, she drank as if there were fires in her little -heart that she would quench. When he raised his head and started away, -she pulled her head out of the water and ran after him as if it had been -her mother that had started away and was about to leave her behind. - -The old sorrel lumbered off to the spot where he had slept the night -before and Queen forlornly followed him, stopping several times as she -went to look into the darkness where she had left her mother and where -she still hoped to find her when the day came again. - -The old fellow painfully lowered his body, groaning like a rheumatic old -man. Many years had he toiled in the harness and his limbs were stiff. -Queen waited till he was at rest, then she approached him humbly and -whinnied questioningly. From the ugly old head came a soft, barely -audible neigh which was different from that of any horse she had ever -heard. It encouraged and consoled her little heart with a friendliness -without which she might have died that stormy night. - -She whimpered like a baby that was cold and lay down beside him. Then as -the wind annoyed her she moved as near to him as she could get. There -came upon the cold, stinging, moaning wind another coyote howl, -long-drawn, shrill, mad, and lustful. It seemed far away but -inexpressibly terrifying. Little Queen raised her trembling head. The -old sorrel pricked his ears. But she saw the big pointed ears go back -into place again and the big shadowy head take its former sleepy -position. He was not afraid, she was glad of that; but she was afraid. -Strange images, visions she sought to drive from her mind by closing her -eyes, tormented her. - -She was lying right against his back. Slowly she lowered her head upon -his neck, testing his willingness by degrees. When her head was finally -resting fully on his neck, he only whinnied softly, and Queen tried her -best to reply gratefully. A feeling of ineffable gratitude swept over -her with the warmth of his body. - -All through the night she thought of her mother, when awake, and dreamed -of her when asleep. A thousand times she broke from her light snatches -of slumber, from her horrible dreams of coyotes, to pierce the -storm-filled gloom with her terrified eyes, expecting hopefully to find -her mother standing over her and looking down upon her; but only the -emptiness of the night, obliterating the world she had known, shrieked -with an uncertainty that filled up her soul. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - A SEEKING THAT FOUND - - -IT is only the foolish who bewail the inevitable with wasting passion; -it is after all the wise who accept it and make the most of things. -Because the inevitable is so much more the ruling force in animal life, -animals adjust themselves more quickly to new conditions. Conceited man -attributes that early adjustment to a lack of feeling. Yet when little -Queen awoke on the first morning of her orphanage, there had already -come into her eyes and upon her head a perceptible sadness, the sadness -of resignation. - -A great change had come over the world in that single night and so -different did it seem from what she had known it to be, that as far as -she could think, the night might have been a space of years; that years -might have elapsed since her mother, who hitherto had always warmed and -fed and protected her, now had ceased to warm and feed and protect her. - -How white the world was! The little white flakes that had fluttered -about in the air at nightfall had covered up all things with a heavier -whiteness than that of any frosty morning in her experience. And she -expected that with the coming of the warmth of day it would all -disappear. Yesterday it had taken the forms of the things it had -covered, this morning only the heads of the horses stuck up out of the -drifts of it; while stones and coyote dens had been completely wiped out -of existence. Her own feet were out of sight. She jumped up to see -whether it would interfere with her jumping up, and was glad to note how -easily it was shaken from her body. She took a few steps, discovered -that it was disagreeable to wade through and stopped. On the white rim -of the bowl stood a flock of prairie chickens as if they had been -discussing the great change. She watched them half interestedly. They -were birds, and birds were not to be feared. She looked over them and -beyond them. There, somewhere, she felt was her mother. She took a hasty -step in that direction and stopped again. She was afraid to go. - -She lowered her head and listlessly tasted some of the snow. It was not -food, she knew that at once; and it turned into water in her mouth. One -wants water badly when one wants it, but one cannot live on water. How -was one to eat when there was no grass in sight and no mother about with -the more substantial milk? She looked and looked away over the whiteness -till her eyes, taxed by its reflection, ceased seeing altogether for a -few minutes. But as soon as she could see once more, Queen began to -search for her mother and this search, each succeeding day with less -hope and enthusiasm, she never wholly abandoned. She sniffed at every -mare about her, calling plaintively and knowing her mistake in the -indifference with which some of them listened to her appeal or the -annoyance which others were too ready to show. - -The old sorrel got up at last and shook the snow from his back. She -watched it falling in showers of white dust and through the sides of her -eyes she saw a number of other horses do as he had done. She saw him -take big bites of snow and shake his head quickly as he did so, so she -too ate some more of it and shook her head up and down. When he lumbered -away, sinking into the deep drifts as he went, she followed him. - -Off on the slope horses were energetically pawing the snow and Queen -wondered what they were doing. When the old sorrel, somewhat clumsily, -beat the snow with his heavy front foot, she watched him curiously. She -saw him laboriously expose the brown grass underneath and the sight of -the grass relieved her, for she had been worrying about its -disappearance. Though the snow was still packed in between the blades, -he cropped up the grass just as soon as it appeared. She then watched -for the next bit to appear and tried to get a bite before he had it all. -She succeeded in getting only a few blades and since he did not seem to -mind it, she tried to be quicker next time. She did get a mouthful -occasionally but it was not enough for her appetite and it finally -dawned on her that she ought to work for herself. She pawed the snow -very close to him and as soon as she spied him eating, she would seize -as much of the grass he had uncovered as she could, then quickly go back -to her own. - -A hundred times that morning she wearied of pawing snow, and each time -her head would raise and she would look wistfully off into space with -the irrepressible impulse to go looking for her mother; but she did not -know which way to go. In every respect, in every aspect, her life and -the earth had changed in the night. When, as she looked, it seemed to -her that a certain direction was the right one, she would think of the -coyotes and fear would extinguish the impulse. She made several attempts -to get the old sorrel to go with her. She would start off in what -appeared to her the right direction, and walking a few paces would stop -and call to him. He would pay no attention to her for a while; then as -if to stop her calling, he would walk over to where she was and begin to -paw the snow there. But it took so much energy and so much time to get -him over each bit of space, that she made little headway; and when -darkness began dulling the whiteness, her fear of the coyotes who seemed -to people the shadows became so intense, she did not dare to leave the -sorrel even to the extent of a few paces. - -Several very sad, dull days went by. Then came a day during which the -sun shone for a while and made her feel better. But it melted the -surface of the snow and the cold evening froze it into ice. The struggle -for grass became harder and her constant slipping made life very -disagreeable. - -She saw the black colt now and then. Though he was livelier and far more -happy than she, he made no attempts to molest her. Tolerance -characterised every move of every member of the herd. The rigours of the -sudden winter seemed to strengthen the racial bonds of these -good-natured creatures. Each one went his plodding way, thankful for the -silent companionship of the herd and showing his appreciation by -refraining from any offence to his neighbour. - -Queen clung to the old sorrel though she did not thrive on his passive -fosterage. She was losing weight rapidly. Her eyes dulled, her head -began hanging low and even her long winter hair could not fill in the -hollows between her ribs. - -In pawing snow she found that her strength was not equal to the desire -for food; and, resting often, she was almost always hungry. As she -became weaker from day to day, she became more and more unhappy, and -longed more and more intensely for her mother, who was nevertheless -growing dimmer and more distant in her mind. - -There came a grey day. A north wind whistled over the hard crust on the -snow and loaded, black clouds dropped more white flakes with listless -irregularity. Something pervaded the air of this day which was so -similar to the day when she had lost her mother that she became -irresistibly restless. All day this restlessness made it hard for her to -dig. Late in the afternoon she started away with a suddenness that she -herself could not understand. Up the slope and over the plains she went, -sinking into deep drifts, pulling out again and going on without a -pause, pursuing the image of her beautiful mother that had suddenly -lighted up in her soul and as suddenly gone out again, before she could -touch it. Somewhere in the dismal swirl it was and she struggled bravely -but blindly after it, calling in vain as she went. - -For fully an hour she plodded through snows that were piling up a foot -above the harder crust, slipping, bruising herself on the jagged ice, -resting when she could not go on any farther and coming at last to an -understanding that she had been madly pursuing nothing, that she was -lost, and that she wanted the protection of the old sorrel. She called -to him again and again before she stopped to listen for a reply and -suddenly became aware of an agreeable sound floating on the wind. - -She called again striking out meanwhile in the direction from which she -instinctively felt the sound had come. Night was close at hand. The -light that was still left was weakened by the showers of snow flakes -that now fell rapidly and without interruption. Again it seemed to her -she heard a reply. She spent more energy in calling than she did in -pushing on, occasionally falling into a deep drift and remaining there -for some time before she made an effort to extricate herself. Who it was -answering her in the fast darkening night, she did not know. All she -knew and felt with every living cell of her being was that in the cold -desolation that was submerging her, the thing that was answering her -could save her from the unthinkable horror of being alone. - -Her strength ebbed fast from her limbs, only the steadily nearing whinny -made her last efforts possible. Then suddenly, much sooner than she -expected it, a black object appeared in the darkened snows before her. -The last whinny was more distinct than any of the others. Before her, -struggling toward her as she had been struggling toward him, was the -black colt. If Queen had had any strength left, she would have bounded -off to the side; but she could not move. - -It did not take her long, however, to learn that the black colt had not -come to molest her. Where he had been, how he came there, or that he -might all this time have been following her, did not concern her. His -whinny was most conciliating and in the warmth of his body was comfort -and salvation. He was almost as completely worn out as she was. She -rallied enough strength to kick the snow from her legs so that she could -lie down. Whinnying all the while, he cleared a space beside her and -there they spent the howling night. - -It was somewhere about the middle of the next day before the cutting -wind subsided and the snow ceased falling. The black colt who was -completely covered with snow, broke out first and Queen followed him at -once. They had not gone more than a few yards when they saw the head of -the white mare rise above the rim of the bowl-like valley. As soon as -she spied her colt the white mare began to neigh eagerly, her piercing -call echoing from the hills and bringing her the baby response that -thrilled her out of patience. Snorting and puffing she plowed the deep -snow which fell away from her like spray from the keel of a ship. - -When she reached him at last, she caressed him with tremulous lips, -running them along his little forehead, between the two small ears, and -down his mane and back. Caresses make life worth while, but they have -their time and their use and the black colt was hungry. He struck out at -once for his milk. But his mother had whinnied for him all through the -long dark night and her excitement at having found him again was so -great she hardly knew what she was doing. He slipped from her caresses. -Her lips craved the touch of him. Little Queen had come with him out of -the unknown where she had feared he had been swallowed up. So it -happened that her exuberant caresses fell partly upon little Queen. - -It was like having refound her mother to Queen. Changed, yes; but life -is all change! She switched her little tail and danced about the white -mare, finally sliding along her other side and reaching out and seizing -the second dug. The black colt, little Queen’s erstwhile tormentor, -touched noses with her as she drank, and shared his milk with her -without the slightest sign of objection. - -No figures affected his philanthropy. Fractions, division, these -abstractions never entered the sphere of his mind. The philosophy of -that period of his life may be summed up in the precept: “Drink all -there is to drink, all you happen to find, and if still hungry, eat -grass and try again later.” - -Every time he went for his milk, Queen took the other side as if she had -never known another mother. Though the white mare often showed a natural -predilection for her son, she adopted little Queen because no thought -presented itself to her mind against tolerating her, especially since -she and her little son had become inseparable. - -They played together, rested side by side, drank and thrived together; -and so over little Queen’s grievous orphanage rose the sun of a happier -youth. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V - - MAN, THE USURPER - - -THE winter was a hard one. The skies were persistently and monotonously -dull. A few moments of sunshine were invariably followed by days of -howling winds and leaden skies. Blizzard succeeded blizzard and the -hollows filled so full of snow that it became dangerous for colts to -wander off alone and they clung to their mothers’ sides. - -During the short periods of daylight, the horses, the mares, and the -colts broke up into groups and wandered away as far as the deeps allowed -or hunger urged; but each night they congregated in the same corner of -the valley. This nightly congregating kept the snow in one big spot -firmly trodden to the ground and raised two walls with the rest of it, -in the lee of which they obtained the comforts of an airy barn. - -Many a night when the shrieking wind overhead poured shower after shower -of dry snow over them, covering them as with a blanket, little Queen, -lying close to the black colt and his white mother, indulged in a happy -gratefulness for the comforts she experienced. Where man thinks and -knows, animals feel. Experience had taught her in sensations and -emotions, which she had not forgotten, what discomfort and -disagreeableness were. The change in conditions which she now -experienced brought into her mind sensations of a gratefulness which -expressed itself in an ardent love for the colt and the white mare, a -love which slowly overflowed toward and encompassed all the horses of -the herd. - -The nights were very long. The sun rose and set so far to the south and -the arc it made in its daily course was so small that a drink or two of -her share of the black colt’s milk and the procuring of a single meal on -the deep, hidden grass, spent the day. When the shadows of one night, -driven out by the dawn, came back so soon in the next night and there -was nothing to do but sleep, sleeping became tiresome, and the necessary -shifting from side to side kept the mind awake and active. Impressions -made and forgotten rekindled like embers in the windblown ashes of a -fire. These impressions, varied as they were, and so largely without -order of time or place, were nevertheless as useful to her as experience -is useful to us. It was out of this experience that she built the -individuality of her character, and only those who are totally ignorant -of animalkind can deny that they have character and individuality. - -Often the phantom form of the old buckskin mare came to haunt the dreams -of little Queen and always on the following day she pawed the snow less -energetically and gazed wistfully away over the endless prairie snows, -puzzled over the incongruity of her mother’s coming in the dark hours -and never by daylight when she could enjoy her most. - -She was comfortable and happy in her second fosterage and thrived well -upon it; yet these persistent dreams of her nights haunted her wakeful -days and in time left on her beautiful head marks of sorrow, vague and -intangible, but unmistakably there, adding a charm to that head that it -never lost. - -Then the days began lengthening. The sun climbed higher in the sky and -broke through the spell of winter’s clouds with a smiling kindness that -stirred every cell in Queen’s body. Spring came upon the stern winter as -a rosy dawn breaks upon an unpleasant night. The white-packed hollows -began smiling to cloudless skies with a silent and radiating wetness and -the snows shrank away, exposing brown spots. The earth began to emit -intoxicating odours of growth and the valleys filled with cool, -trembling water. Like living things born in the night these rippling -pools appeared everywhere. - -Birds came daily in greater numbers from the south and their songs -augmented the nameless urge that the south winds bore and filled the -desolate wilds with friendliness and goodwill. Before the snows had -completely disappeared, a layer of thick green grass began carpeting the -earth and myriads of delicate crocuses studded the green with -colour-illumined stars. - -Long as the days were becoming, the colts found them all too short for -the full expression of the joy that spring was giving them. Nights came -altogether too soon and the vapoury light of early dawn revealed them -already romping over the plains, seeking to rid their joints of the -sleepy feeling that the long winter had given them. In wide circles they -ran, plunging through sloughs, jumping, kicking at the air, pretending -to bite each other in violent anger, stopping only when hunger demanded -it. - -Changes met them wherever they looked. The earth itself and all life -upon it seemed to have become an endless play of the forces of change. -Just as each day was in itself a succession of changes, white light -merging into the tinted colours of evening, fading out in night and -breaking again into the colours and the light of a new day, so one day -was different from another and they felt themselves each day changing -from what they had been the day before. - -Queen was only vaguely conscious of these changes in herself, and in her -companions, but one change was clearest of all. Most easily perceptible -of all, this change, in a way, represented them all. It was the change -which she one day realised was taking place in the black colt. Something -was very apparently happening to him. His black hair fell rapidly, as -she had realised her own hair was falling; but the black colt was -steadily growing less black, turning white as night turns to day. When -he was white enough to startle her, she realised that henceforth he was -to be white as his mother was. So distracting was this change, however, -that she sometimes looked at him with the feeling that he was another -colt, and in those rare moments she experienced a peculiar depressive -emotion, like the feeling she had experienced when she was standing -before her dead mother, looking confusedly down upon her. Yet she knew -that it was he. There were fortunately other characteristics that -remained unchanged. In time, of course, she got quite used to the change -in his appearance; but she never forgot that he had been black. The -image of him, the picture that rose in her mind when she thought of him -and when he was not immediately before her, was a changeable image which -was black one moment and white the next. - -If Queen had been in the habit of applying to every image in her mind -some name, she would have called him, “White-black.” Possibly she might -have added the word or the idea, “big,” for he was much bigger than he -had been; but, since that quality applied to all the colts, she would -probably have left that off. - -By the varying degrees of this quality in the many colts, as well as by -the many other qualities she learned belonged to all or to each of them, -Queen knew one from the other. All through the long winter her -companionship had been restricted to the black colt and his mother, but -now, the common desires of youth brought the colts together and led them -in time to abandon the companionship of the mares and the adult horses. -Some of them went back every day to their mothers for milk, but they all -played by themselves and even at night they rested in a group together, -away from their mothers. Though their mothers had their own social life -and activities to occupy them and did not mind the daily absence of -their overgrown foals, their maternal instincts, their anxiety over -their erstwhile babies, was still very great. In spite of this division -of interests, in spite of this habitual grouping, they lived near each -other and at the first sound or sign of danger, they gathered and fled -in concert. - -The old desire for her mother, the longing, the urge to go forth and to -seek, had lost what little definiteness it had had and had turned into -an impulse to go, which spasmodically welled up in Queen and sent her -loping over the plains without purpose. Always as soon as he saw her -start away, White-black loped after her and always the rest of the colts -followed. Sometimes the older horses and mares, mistaking the escapade -for a sign of danger, would lope after them. - -First happening occasionally, this game began to take place daily and -even several times a day. Just as the colts and other horses got into -the habit of following her, Queen acquired the habitual desire to be -followed. - -It happened one morning that the big brown colt led the race. Jealousy -seized at the heart and mind of Queen and she exerted herself to the -very end of her strength to get ahead of him, as if her life depended -upon doing so. She puffed and snorted and pumped away with her thin long -legs, but could not even get abreast of him. Behind her she could hear -the milder snorting of White-black. Suddenly she veered to the left. She -was exhausted and intended getting out of the way of the herd; but she -felt White-black veering with her and knew that the others were -following him. - -Quickly she seized the opportunity. She exerted herself with renewed -hope and sped on harder than ever and soon the brown colt found himself -alone. To the left was the whole herd racing madly after Queen, in an -ecstasy of motion. He turned and followed them, trying hard to catch up, -but realising that he had lost. On the other hand Queen had discovered a -trick whereby the newly acquired leadership could be kept, and she meant -to keep it. - -Their food grew in abundance wherever they turned. The grass was rich -and juicy; wild plants, sweet and delightful to the taste, grew -abundantly on the hillsides; and water, cool and refreshing, trembled in -every hollow. - -Plenty to eat and a great deal of exercise to sharpen the appetite -filled out all the depressions in Queen’s body and because she was too -active to be fat, she became delightfully plump. Her hair now shorter -was sleek and its gloss flashed in the sunlight. Her mane was -luxuriantly thick and wavy. Part of it came down between her ears and -over the white spot on her forehead, down to her eyes, giving her -magnificent head, with the imprint of sadness upon it, a touch of -queenliness that few queens possess. - -We all love beauty without being able to say just what it is. The colts -felt a something about her which aroused in them a sort of homage, -spontaneous and unquestioned. White-black, strong and good-natured, kept -the other colts at a safe distance; but they availed themselves of every -chance to touch her, to graze where she was grazing or to run alongside -of her. Sometimes White-black resented the attention some big fellow -offered and started a quarrel which resulted in his defeat. At such -times he would assume the attitude of one who had been convinced of -being wrong. After all he was yet too young to be serious in his love -affairs and his affection for Queen was due more to their having been -reared together than to anything else. - -Queen loved them all, but she loved White-black most and every colt knew -it. Many a quarrel ended in his victory because of her attitude rather -than his strength, but he did not know that. Next to him Queen favoured -the white mare and next to her, the old sorrel work-horse. White-black -understood her love for his mother; but he could not fathom her -predilection for the old horse. For a long time, when the old sorrel out -of pure reminiscent fondness approached Queen, White-black would lose -his temper, kick at the old horse and attempt to bite him; but where -Queen sometimes allowed the colts to fight it out between themselves, -she invariably interfered in any attempt to wrangle with the sorrel by -taking part in it on his side. In time, White-black learned to let him -alone. - -The lull of the summer began to creep into the long days, and mosquitoes -and nose-flies in vast numbers came to blight the sweetness of the -spring wilds. The mosquitoes, annoying as these bloody little pests -were, were not half so bad as the nose-flies. The very sight of their -long beaks and yellow backs would drive the colts frantic. Grazing -quietly, they would suddenly begin bobbing their heads up and down and -then start away over the plains as if something frightful were after -them. - -This murderous pest always started an attack by buzzing around the nose -like a bee, then landing on the breast it would creep up the neck till -it reached the muzzle, where it would quietly settle down. Puncturing a -hole in the tender nose, it would insert its beak and drink freely and -unshakeably, then fly away leaving a hurt that burned for hours. When -they first appeared, the older horses, knowing them, would keep their -noses in the grass as they grazed, or they would, when through grazing, -gather in groups and rest their chins firmly upon each other’s backs, -thus giving the pest no chance to creep up. In time the colts learned to -protect themselves in the same way. - -When sultry spells were suddenly broken by gusts of unbridled winds, -which would carry the pests away, the colts would give themselves over -to eating and drinking and merrymaking. - -There came a sultry spell in the early days of summer. Every chin was -resting upon some friend’s back. Tails switched ceaselessly and feet -stamped the ground with drowsy rhythm. The air was still. Not a blade of -grass moved. The silence was broken only by the nauseous singing of -mosquitoes and the monotonous droning of nose-flies. - -Suddenly there came upon the still, warm air the tattoo of distant -hoof-beats. Two horsemen, coming up over a hill to the south, were just -in the act of separating with the obvious intention of coming together -on the other side of them, when Queen discovered them. Instantly the -group broke up, and colts and mares and horses mixed in a noisy -stampede. - -When the older horses wearied of the race, they stopped to look back -anxiously at the pursuing riders; but Queen, in whom the fear of man, -dormant all winter, had now awakened with great intensity, tore away to -the north, snorting as she went, her tail at an angle behind her, loping -as fast as she could despite the heat and the insects. - -She came breathlessly to the summit of a rather high hill and turned to -look back. Some of the colts and some of the faster adults were there -with her, but the white mare and the old sorrel were not there. Half a -mile behind them she could see the riders, now facing south; and beyond -them she saw the part of the herd which they had captured. - -White-black was standing beside Queen when he suddenly discovered the -loss of his mother. Neighing loudly and distractedly, he started down -the hill after the men. Queen was afraid to go with him, yet she did not -want to let him go alone. She followed him, calling to him as she went; -but White-black persisted. When they got within a quarter of a mile of -the men, they saw one of them turn off to the side and then turn -backward. White-black then realised the danger of continuing after them. -Judging by horses he had known, horses reared in barnyards, the man -thought that it would be a simple matter to get the rest of them, now -that he had captured some of them; but he was mistaken. - -It was anything but a simple matter. Queen stopped so short that one of -the colts, following along behind, hurt himself, running into her. With -a stamp of her strong front leg, she turned north and once more led the -race for freedom. - -All afternoon they ran as fast as their strength would allow. The smell -of man hung in the air before Queen’s nose, poisoning her blood with -hate of him. She had little time to question, yet her whole soul, -confused by fear and the urgent need to make distance, sought the why of -this two-legged creature, always breaking in upon their peace and always -hurting them. - -At last they began to feel that no one was pursuing them and stopped to -investigate. There was not the faintest glimpse of anything on hill or -horizon and in the air there was no trace of man. In the evening they -fed about a slough and at night they slept on the north side of it with -their heads turned toward the south. - -Early next morning White-black was seized again by an intense longing -for his mother and braving the terrors of captivity, he started again in -search of her. They were trotting and walking along leisurely, searching -the spaces constantly when they came upon a hill from where they spied a -number of horses galloping toward them. They got frightened and turned -back north, but soon stopped again to ascertain who it was that was -coming, and so these horses gained upon them. - -They proved to be three of the colts and a big mare who had somehow -broken free from the cunning little men. They were so excited that they -would not stop to sniff noses. While they passed through the group they -trotted, but as soon as they were on the other side they broke away in a -gallop. Queen and White-black and all the rest caught the contagion of -their fear, abandoned their search for those who were lost to them and -ran with the feeling that danger of captivity had become imminent once -more. And for almost a week they continued their desultory flight. - -When the fear of the little men creatures had lost some of its -intensity, White-black and Queen made several attempts to find the white -mare. Her form seemed to flash across the prairies like patches of -sunlight, seen only at the vanishing moment. Often they called loud and -long trying in vain to pierce the unknown and waiting hopelessly for a -reply. - -But this, too, was the inevitable, and railing and fretting was no -solution. In time the hunger for his mother shrank back into the depths -of White-black’s limited soul and the full ardour of his love fell to -the lot of Queen. And Queen felt in the touch and the presence of -White-black a compensation for the aches in her soul, which, like -wounds, had healed, but had left their scars for life. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - HOW MAN BREAKS THE SPIRIT AND THE BODY - - -THE summer days dragged along hot and enervating. Mosquitoes and -nose-flies in countless numbers became more and more annoying as the -sultry period prevailed. It made grazing during most of the daytime very -disagreeable. All through these long days they stood dozing in small -bunches, their chins resting upon each other’s backs, their tails -switching mechanically. When a momentary gust of wind came along, they -would run down to the sloughs for water. There they would drink till the -stinging of the pests, who were always in greater numbers above the -tall, wet, slough grass, would make the place unendurable, then they -would gallop away to the hill tops for relief. - -Beautifully tolerant of all things, always moved by the spirit of “live -and let live,” Queen could not understand men and insects. She could -easily see why one horse might kick at another when the other came along -and greedily seized upon his find of grass; but the desire to attack -without reason or excuse, as it seemed to be in the character of men and -insects, was unfathomable and wholly foreign to her nature. Whenever men -appeared there was fear and confusion and anguish. So, too, as soon as -insects arrived, there was pain and discomfort. - -Had she been a meat eater, she would have perceived some connection -between the joy of eating and the tragedy of being eaten; but Queen -belonged to the sweetest-tempered race on earth, whose sustenance -required neither pain nor blood, and so she could not understand, and -being unable to understand, she feared. - -There followed a period of windstorms which carried the pests away. For -a long time the herd enjoyed once more the freedom of the wilds; but -another hot spell came and one day as they were eagerly seeking the -higher places, they ran into a cloud of a new kind of insect, which was -worse than anything they had ever experienced. This new pest settled -upon them in such numbers that they changed the appearance of their -heads and when in fear they tried to shake them off, the insects crept -into their ears and noses, stinging viciously. - -It was now the last part of the summer, the time of the year when young -ants, having acquired their wings, began swarming; and this was one of -the summers when these ants were more annoying than they usually are. -Queen did not remember ever having come upon this pest before, and felt -that it was peculiar to the particular neighbourhood in which they -happened to be at the time. Accordingly, when first attacked by an -unusually large swarm, she turned to the south, and the herd loped at -her heels. By running, they rid themselves of the young ants and so -continued running, till the cool of the evening cleared the air of all -insects. - -Next day, however, they ran into another swarm and again took to flight. -Thus they were driven back again into the vicinity of the bowl-like -valley. There because things seemed familiar they remained. - -A season of constant raining followed. The cold, the excessive wetness, -and the strong winds drove all pests from the plains. The rainy season -passed and frosts came night after night, spreading layers of white dew -on the grass and freezing the surface of the spring lake. The -exhilarating days of autumn were at hand, cool, clear, and sunny. The -peaceful nights scintillated with the colours of the aurora borealis and -the unhindered brightness of the stars. Life became again a protracted -festival. - -They were startled one afternoon by the sudden appearance of four -strange horses who came plodding along in single file from the south. -Queen discovered them first as they were coming down the slope of a -hill. Like the rest of the herd she stopped grazing and stared at them -curiously. Because she saw no men on them or near them and because they -came so wearily, so unenergetically, she was not afraid of them, though -she regarded them with suspicion. - -When they came within a few hundred feet, the herd moved off to the -side, from where they studied them curiously to learn their intentions. -But the strangers did not even look toward them. Doggedly bobbing their -weary heads, they made straight for the lake. The leader was a big, red -horse with an ugly pugnacious face, the nose bone of which curved, very -peculiarly, outward. His hip bones protruded out of deep hollows in his -back and his sides, fallen in, revealed distinctly every hair covered -rib. Behind him lumbered a white mare so bent upon limping fast enough -to keep up with him that she did not take her eyes off him. The third -was a miserable-looking bay pony and the last was an old jade, black as -a crow. All were thin and bedraggled and two of them had sores on their -necks and breasts. The white mare seemed to have suffered most, for one -of her hind legs was swollen to twice its normal size, and she limped -very painfully. - -When the queer-looking procession caught sight of the lake, they broke -the line and ran down to the water, where they drank as if they had been -without water for many days. While they were drinking the herd -surrounded them, intending peacefully to sniff noses with them and to -find out who and what manner of horses they were; but the ugly leader -met the first approach with a kick and an angry whinny. They soon -discovered that though the other three horses were not as mean, they, -too, were ill-tempered and disagreeable. The first attempt at -understanding resulted in a noisy quarrel and a stampede. When they -settled down to grazing, the herd was off by itself and the four -strangers were in a corner of the valley not any too near each other. - -Queen did not like these strangers at all. She felt that they were -responsible for the unpleasant feeling that now seemed to hang in the -very atmosphere. She did not know then that slavery and cruelty such as -these poor creatures had endured would sour the best-tempered horse. -What that slavery really meant she had yet to learn. - -In spite of her feelings toward the four newcomers, there was something -about the white mare that made Queen interested in her. She kept raising -her head and looking toward her and one time as she did so, she saw -White-black approaching her. When Queen saw them sniffing noses and -touching each other eagerly, she trotted over to them. This time instead -of limping away at her approach, the white mare waited for her. She -seemed glad to touch noses with Queen; but Queen felt uncomfortable. The -old kindly spirit that had made the white mare so lovable had given way -to a disagreeable impatience and suspicion; and her presence set two -emotions struggling with each other in Queen’s heart. The subtle odour -that made Queen think of some of those distant, weary, winter nights -when she lay close against her old foster mother, drew her emotionally -to the old mare; while the odour of man and barn repelled her. Over -these emotions like a black cloud in the sky, hovered a new-born fear as -if she had discerned in the poor mare’s condition the warning: “Beware -of man for thus he breaks the spirit and the body.” - -At dusk Queen led the herd in a race over the plains. The poor white -mare who now clung to Queen and to White-black tried to follow; but she -did not go very far before in her eagerness she tripped and fell. Queen -and White-back went back to her and grazed about her. They began to feel -that there was something terrible going to happen to her and they -watched her curiously. - -That night all three of them lay near each other. White-black and Queen -were fast asleep in the latter part of the cold night, when they were -awakened by a cry from the white mare. Queen jumped up in time to get -out of the black old jade’s way. The night was cold and he was very -thin-blooded. Unable to keep warm he had gone in search of a warmer -place and in his clumsy way had stepped upon the white mare’s swollen -leg. White-black nipped him on the back and with a cry of protest he -lumbered away into the darkness. When Queen went back to sleep she was -very much disturbed by the white mare’s groaning. Several times she woke -up and whinnied to her, but the groaning continued at intervals all -through the night. - -Next day Queen noticed that blood was running from her swollen leg, and -by nightfall the white mare was nowhere to be seen. Queen looked for her -for a while and she saw that White-black too was anxious about her, but -they did not find her that day nor the next, though they searched for -her constantly as they went about their grazing. - -The dull days of early winter came back, grey and silent and ominous. -Geese flew over them daily on their way to the south and their honking -filled Queen with an ineffable sadness. Suddenly one day as she was -grazing by herself she came upon the body of the white mare. She touched -the cold, hard nose with her own and sprang away frightened. She did not -try to sniff again. Now she knew that this was death and hurried away. - -White-black was grazing almost a quarter of a mile away. Queen trotted -over to him and whinnied repeatedly. He answered her, but he did not -know what ailed her. She walked away a short distance and called him. -First he replied while grazing, then at the second call, he raised his -head and walked toward her. But he was no sooner pulling away at some -grass there, when he discovered that she was some distance away again -and calling as hard as ever. For some reason known only to her she was -leading him away to the north again and though he went reluctantly at -first, with the rest of the herd following him, they were soon well on -their way. A few miles from the lake, they stopped, however, for fear -that they might not come upon water. There were in this group no more -than a dozen of them, all colts that had been brought up together, and -they were glad to be by themselves, though as they moved on, the rest of -the horses, miles behind, moved after them. When a snowstorm came and -filled all the hollows, they began once more moving northward in -earnest. Forces they could not understand impelled them. Thus they -abandoned forever the scenes of their youth. - -The winter passed like a night of pleasure. Protected on the north by a -strip of woodland many miles long, Queen and her companions slept the -long nights away. The snow, deep in many places, was not very deep near -the wall of poplars and feeding came comparatively easily. On sunny days -they spent as much time chasing each other through the deepest drifts as -they did in pawing for grass. The dry snows made warm blankets and the -howling winds, shrieking in the poplars, provided music for their -enjoyment of life, often sad, but for all its sadness, sweet. - -They were big and strong now. Blood flowed rich and freely through their -veins and the hair on their bodies, which was as long as the hair on the -bears that at very rare intervals showed themselves and disappeared, -kept them warm. The elements, no matter how savagely they raged, could -not become disagreeable. - -A few weeks of springtime with open plains to lope over and new grass, -and they grew daily stronger and fleeter. Sorrows of the dead past were -forgotten and the joys of the present were so all absorbing that even -man seemed to have become extinct, as far as they were concerned. - -To the joy of unlimited space, of surging healthy blood, of plenty to -eat and drink, of peaceful and constant companionship was added the -aesthetic pleasures of love. Having first discovered in themselves -preferences for members of the opposite sex, they began to see traits -and characteristics in their choice which thrilled them. - -There were, of course, petty quarrels now and then, since love will not -come unaccompanied by strife, and nature is not always provident, or -when she is provident, so often disorderly. There were some -disappointments and the weak, helpless here as the weak are helpless -everywhere, often had to give way to the strong; but the tragedy that -follows love among ferocious and greedy animals never marred their -happier relations; and even the weaker ones found love requited. Life on -the rim of love was so rich, Nature beyond love was so lavish, hurts -healed before the wounds reached the flesh. - -But to Queen and White-black life was a game in which even tiredness had -its delight. Strong and healthy and beautiful, admired by the rest and -followed in their every whim, they played through the uninterrupted -carnival of laughing spring and smiling, drowsy summer. When winter came -again, they met it without fear, willing to wade through deep snows, -accepting the violent lashes of wind and blizzard, warming their hearts -in the expectant joy of another spring and another summer, looking upon -life, in their innocence, as an endlessly interesting cycle in which -winter was the greatest discomfort and spring its eternal retribution. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE CONSPIRACY OF MAN AND COYOTE - - -THEN came an early spring. Geese returned from the south. The sadness in -their honking had given way to the exaltation of rebirth. The snows -melted almost in a day. Hundreds of wild ducks populated the many -sloughs in the hollows, and filled the delightful evenings with the soft -calling of their love-making. In the still nights or as she lay through -the rest periods which she now so strangely needed, Queen kept her ears -pricked high to catch the last faint sound of every love call and the -air now almost always vibrated with some one form or another of these -calls. - -White-black, still a playful colt, thrilled her with his presence or the -touch of his lovely nose; but something sweet and remote was -mysteriously laying hold upon the love in her heart. She liked to half -close her eyes and doze, floating as she dozed, on the waves of this new -emotion. It seemed a joyous feeling all her own and unlike any joy she -had ever experienced before. It was a joy she felt within, a joy that -expressed itself best in dreaming rather than in the activity that her -other joys had always stimulated. - -She liked to wander away by herself. White-black would follow her about -a good deal and sought to arouse her old play spirit; but when he -realised that he could not influence her any more as he used to, he -learned to let her alone. She seemed to have lost her agility and -preferred to be on the outskirts of the circle of the herd where she -could move about with less excitement. She liked to wander around the -small ponds and listen to the croaking of frogs, always lingering till -the night shadows lay thick over all things and she heard the ineffable -half murmur, half song of wild ducks, as they paddled along in the -stillness of the night. - -Often by day she would stop her shuffling gait and with her nose down -among the blades of grass, she would watch the little sandpiper, -wondering what he meant with his heart-rending _pee-weet_ and his -eternal seeking. Sometimes she would stand for a long time and watch the -brown curlew and listen to his persistent, lugubrious complaint. All -these sounds, these melodious cries of strange little souls, somehow -responded harmoniously to voices and emotions in her own soul, and she -looked upon them as fellow beings of the wilds she loved, knowing each -by the sound of his voice. - -So too the woods interested her, though she had never penetrated them -very far, because the woods were confining and she loved the open where -one could see and run in all directions. Yet she loved the trees because -these new emotions which had mysteriously come to her made her more -observant than she had been. She realised more fully than ever before -that woods and plains and skies had moods in each of which they were -different, and these revelations broadening her outlook upon her -surroundings made her, in a way, more capable of joy. - -To White-black she was a puzzle. Yielding to her desire to be alone and -interesting himself in other friends, he nevertheless kept an eye on -her. There came a period in which he missed her entirely. Day after day, -he went looking for her and then one day he found her in the woods, on -an open grassy spot, cut off from the plains by a small pond and a thin -wall of poplars. She was licking a small black colt that was trying very -hard to stand on its long, shaky legs. - -White-black was so glad to see her he began to neigh excitedly and caper -about the water’s edge. Then, wading across the pond, he ran toward her; -but she sprang between him and her baby with an angry whinny, ears down, -eyes glowing and her lips curling threateningly. He stopped a few paces -from her and whinnied placatingly; but she threatened him again and he -was afraid to approach. He gazed at her from where he was for a few -minutes, then like a man who, failing to understand, shrugs his -shoulders, he lowered his head and began to graze, looking up -occasionally to see if she had changed her attitude in any way. At last, -discouraged, he walked to the pond, took a long drink, waded across and -disappeared. - -For several days Queen kept to herself in her own little pasture in the -woods. She knew just where the herd was and what they were doing at all -times for she watched them almost as anxiously as she watched over her -little son. Her baby grew stronger every day, spending most of his time -romping about the limited space, learning to use his awkward legs; and -as he grew stronger, the desire to return to the herd began to make -Queen restless. - -At last she led the little fellow carefully around the pond, but just as -she reached the open space she saw the herd gathering as if danger -threatened. She stopped short, raised her beautiful head and with one -long nervous sniff took in the whole situation. - -Man again! - -She could not see the horseman, but she heard the faint, far away patter -of hoofs and the scent of man trickled through the air. She turned about -and looked at her little one who was innocently indifferent to what -worried her and extremely interested in the open space of which, being -behind her, he had caught but a glimpse. She knew that if she attempted -to join the herd and fly with them, he could not follow her. She could -hear, as she tried to decide what to do, the sudden clamour of -hoof-beats as the herd broke into a race for safety. She did not even -turn to see them go. With utmost haste she glided under cover. - -She was not content with what safety the little pasture offered. As if -she had been a creature of the woods, she picked her way through thorny -shrubs and under heavy branches, till she came to a secluded spot that -satisfied her and there she lay down to regain her composure. - -For almost a week she lived like a deer, hiding in the woods and coming -out by night to graze and to seek the herd which she hoped would return. -Then as the days went by and she had come upon no trace of man in the -air of the open prairies, she ceased going back into the woods, and -divided her time between her baby, feeding, and looking wistfully and -hopefully over hill and hollow for her lost companions, calling, -calling, calling till the solitudes echoed with the anguish in her -heart. - -Her interest in the small living things that went about the daily -business of their little lives revived and the anxious searching of the -plains often gave way to an absorbed study of her little neighbours. She -came upon a mother duck, one day, who was waddling down the old buffalo -trail with a brood of tiny little ducklings, only a few yards away from -her. Queen slackened her pace when she saw that the mother duck was -getting excited, and watched them. The old duck walked on as rapidly as -she could, turning her head from side to side as she scrutinised Queen -first with one eye and then with the other, and though she did not seem -to consider her a very grave danger she called her little ones and -swerved off the path. The old duck was apparently leading them to the -slough, but she hadn’t gone very far when a lean and hungry-looking -coyote shot out from a cluster of rosebushes. - -Instantly there was a frantic whir of wings and while the mother duck -flew almost upon the coyote, the little ones scattered, dropping down -under bushes or flowers or disappearing in gopher holes. Queen was too -much worried about her own baby to notice at the time what happened to -the duck. She sprang protectingly toward her foal and then when she -looked up she saw the coyote running eagerly after the duck, who acted -as if one of her wings were broken. Flopping with one wing she cried -with fright and half flew, half ran on ahead of him. The foolish coyote -thought she was wounded and licked his chops as he ran, anticipating a -good meal. - -The old duck appeared to be losing; but always just as the coyote was -about to seize her she flew off with a cry. Thus she led him far away -and out of sight. But before Queen had started off again for the slough, -she saw the anxious mother duck come flying from the opposite direction. -Queen turned from her to where the coyote had disappeared wondering -whether he was coming back. The joyous peeping of the little brood who -appeared in all directions at the first call of their mother, reassured -her and she followed them down to the pond. - -The duck and the little ones set sail as soon as they touched the water, -and paddled away triumphantly to the centre of the slough where among -the rushes no foolish coyote could threaten them. The lesson of duck -wisdom impressed itself deeply on Queen’s mind in a series of pictures, -and she sensed acutely the trick the duck had played upon the coyote. -She hated the coyote because she feared him. The very sight of him made -her uncomfortable and she did not let the little one out of her sight -for an instant. Even when she drank, the image of the beast would come -into her mind and between sips she would raise her head and stare all -around her to make sure that he hadn’t come back; for from that time on, -she seemed to expect him to show up at any moment. - -Long as the days were at this time of the year, they succeeded each -other rapidly and each day added to the weight of loneliness on Queen’s -heart. Ducks came in great numbers, returning from their sojourns into -the land of motherhood with flourishing broods. Gophers appeared -everywhere. The saucy little fellows would sit up on their haunches a -yard away from Queen’s head and defy her with their queer little barks, -which betrayed much more fear than defiance. The colt would look at them -with his large, round eyes, sometimes making an attempt to approach them -but as soon as he came too near they fled. Coyotes began to show -themselves more and more often, and every time Queen came upon one, even -the clear memory of the duck playing her trick could not prevent her -heart from throbbing with fear. - -A variety of flowers appeared, one kind giving way to another, and the -sloughs on the open began to shrink daily. The woods retained their -ponds, cool and clear, and in the darker corners, among the tall -poplars, there were still shrunken drifts of snow. - -In spite of the abundance of food and water, in spite of her growing -interest in her baby who played about her in perfect contentment, and -played more and more delightfully, Queen’s longing for her companions -reached overwhelming proportions and at last she started away from those -solitudes in search of the herd. - -For several days she travelled toward the east along the wall of the -woods. She came to where the woods ended and a vast treeless plain -stretched away beyond vision. From the pointed end of the woods, an old, -partially overgrown buffalo trail cut diagonally across the prairie, -running comparatively straight southeast. There she remained for a few -days as if unable to decide which way to go. Then, one day, when she had -followed the buffalo trail for several miles she came upon signs of the -herd. This puzzled her, for experience had taught her not to go south; -yet here was unmistakable evidence that they had gone south; and _they_ -were her goal. Despite her disinclination to go in that direction, she -went on eagerly, moving each day as far as her colt would go without -protest, and resting when he refused to go any farther. - -One evening, long after the woods had faded out of sight, when her baby -balked at the daily increase in the distance she urged him to make and -deliberately lay down on the path, she saw what seemed to be two horses, -grazing. Queen broke the stillness with an impassioned whinnying that -puzzled the little fellow. The fact that she was standing with her back -to him and whinnying so frantically interested him. That she might be -calling to any one but himself was entirely beyond his experience. -Feeling that she was looking for him, he got up and sidled up to her, -touching her neck with his little nose. Queen bent down and covered him -with caresses; but to his dismay, she soon returned to her calling, -keeping her head high and looking away into the shadows. - -The darkness obliterated the two horses and Queen, unable to stand -still, started away again, the little fellow complaining plaintively as -he lumbered after her. When, however, he lay down once more, she yielded -and there they spent the night. - -Her night’s rest was a troubled one. What with other emotions tormenting -her, there was a strong scent of man in the air that kept her awake and -watchful. When dawn came at last, she saw the two horses, still grazing -but much nearer to her. Beyond them she saw two black mounds, like -malignant growths on the body of the plains. In these mounds, she knew, -lived man. - -She was afraid to go any closer to the mounds so she called loudly to -the two horses who finally responded by starting in her direction. When -she saw them coming, she hastened to meet them, despite her fear. She -whinnied loudly as she went and when the foremost of the two horses -replied to her, his voice sounded familiar. Who it was she did not know -but she started toward him on a gallop and as soon as she touched his -nose, she remembered the old sorrel work-horse of the spring lake in the -bowl-like valley of her childhood. - -Where he had been, how he had got up there, what he was doing, these -were facts Queen could not find out, nor did she experience any desire -to find out. Life to her was somewhat of an abysmal night with -beautiful, star-like gleams of understanding. The past to her was an -ally of death not to be thought about and the future became important -only when it turned into the present. The sole value of the impressions -that she carried in her memory lay in the help they offered for the -understanding of the impressions that the present was making and Queen -never wept over them. - -There was the old sorrel before her! The memory of what he had been to -her, inundated by floods of time and other experiences, had gone out -like the stars at dawn. But now, certain odours and sounds and qualities -too delicate for words, like the evening that follows every dawn, -brought the stars back to her sky and she strove to express the almost -inexpressible satisfaction she experienced. - -The other horse was a stranger and so Queen was wary of him. She sniffed -noses with him suspiciously and kept away, refusing to allow him to go -near her colt whereas the old sorrel sniffed all over him without her -protest. - -But the pleasure she derived from the momentary satisfaction of the -longing for companionship, inadequate as it was, had its price. Her -excitement was so great that she did not notice the coming of another -horse with a man on his back, till he was already dangerously close. -With an anxious call to her little one she dashed away in the direction -from which she had come. The two horses went with her. - -It was not long however before she saw the man through the corner of her -eye, urging his straining horse, apparently to get ahead of her. Queen -was not running as fast as she could, for she knew that her baby could -not keep up with her. But the sight of the man at the side of her -bewildered her. She leaped out of his way, leaving him a hundred feet -behind only to realise at once that her colt was not with her. She swung -off to the side and turned to see the man driving the old sorrel, his -companion, and her own colt off towards the black mounds. - -Her eyes fairly bulging out of her head, her lips frothing, Queen leaped -back after him, calling frantically to him as she ran. As soon as the -little thing heard her, he turned to run back, but instantly the man -threw a rope and caught him round the neck, hurling him to the ground. -The two horses ran on toward the mounds, but the man stopped, dismounted -and battled with her frightened, crying baby. - -The desire to hurt was foreign to Queen’s nature, but when she saw her -foal on the ground struggling with the man who was apparently getting -the better of it, she ran toward the monster with murder in her heart. -The man saw her coming and with the other end of his long rope he struck -her head a terrible blow. She jumped back in terror. Before she had -aroused enough courage to make another attack, the man had completely -tied the little thing so that it could not move a limb and, mounting his -horse again, he rode away. - -Queen rushed to her little son with a sense of relief but that feeling -soon gave way to one of painful solicitude. She had her baby and the man -had left, but the baby was helplessly tied. It was changed with a change -like death. The monstrous two-legged creature had cast a spell upon it. -She ran around it frantically, called to it encouragingly, licked it -tenderly, then ran off a few paces, urging it to exert itself and follow -her. - -Then to her horror, she saw the man coming back. This time he had the -sorrel and his companion with him. She grew desperate. She bit at the -rope with nervous haste, trying to drag her colt away with her, but her -efforts resulted only in hurting it and at the first cry of pain, she -stopped. Until the man was so near that he struck her with the long -binder whip which he had brought with him, she would not leave her baby -and then she only kept out of reach of the whip. Finally, in -desperation, unable to decide upon anything that she might try to do, -she stood and watched; while the man was busy, preparing the ropes on -the stone boat which the two horses had been dragging after them. - -One thing at once hurt and puzzled her, and that was the nonresistance -of the old sorrel. There he stood covered with the bewildering straps -with their glittering buckles, making no attempt to run from the man nor -to help her. He did not even call to her. - -She tried to make out how the man succeeded in holding the two horses -though he was not even looking at them. Her deliberations, however, were -suddenly interrupted by the man’s leaving the stone boat and going to -her little one. When she saw him drag the colt to the stone boat, she -went mad again and rushed at him with bared teeth; but as soon as he -straightened himself and turned to her, she fled. - -Her hatred included the old sorrel when she saw him start away dragging -her baby off. She sprang at him from the side and nipped him savagely. -The old fellow got frightened and backed up almost stepping upon the -helpless little colt on the stone boat. The man got angry. He jumped -from the stone boat and with his long whip struck her with all his -strength squarely upon her tender nose. The pain took her breath away. -She reared on her hind legs in a fit of agony, then dashed out of reach, -and the man drove off with her colt. - -Bewildered by her anguish, she ran after him, rending the air with her -cries, zigzagging from one side to the other. When the man reached one -of the black mounds, his sod barn, Queen remained at a distance, running -around the place in a wide circle and running steadily as if she found -relief in activity. - -The man disappeared in the black mound, but when Queen ventured nearer, -for fear that she would again attack the old sorrel, the man poked his -head out of a hole in the wall and yelled at her; and she turned and -ran. When she started for the barn again, the man came out altogether. -She was forty rods away when she turned and as she did so she heard the -strong, healthy call from her colt, muffled by the confinement of the -barn; but apparently free as if he were untied. She replied with all her -strength and ran toward the barn, stopping a hundred feet away and -watching the man, as he fastened the barn-door securely. - -She saw him unhook the horses from the stone boat and then drive them -over to a queer-looking instrument that lay near the house. Then she saw -them start away with the plow dragging behind the horses. They were -coming toward her so she loped away to the right. When she stopped, she -saw that they were not following her but were going off toward the -south. Considerably relieved she watched them go till they were lost -from view behind a hill. - -She trotted up to the first of the two mounds, the man’s small, sod -house and cautiously sniffed about for a few minutes to make sure that -there was no other man about. The odours there were unendurable, but -everything was motionless, and at a call from her little one, she ran to -the barn. For a while she ran round and round it as she called, then -suddenly she spied his little head through a hole in the wall. She -attempted to thrust her head in. She just managed to touch him with her -hot lips, but the fear of the evil-smelling barn forced her to withdraw -her head, in spite of her desire to keep touching him. She had the -feeling of being trapped herself and immediately loped away again. A -thorough examination of the house and the plains, however, assured her -that she was still free and that the man was not returning. - -Again and again she thrust her head into the hole, and despite the -nauseating odours she prolonged her caresses every succeeding time that -she put her head through the window. Yet she realised that that was not -giving her back her baby. At the same time the touch of his beloved head -intensified the fire in her heart and she began desperately to seek some -way of getting him out. - -There was a pile of manure back of the barn which sloped upward till it -almost reached the flat, straw roof. She ran around the barn in an -attempt to find some opening and every time she came to the heap of -manure she was forced to enlarge the circle she was making. With a look -in every direction, to make sure the man was not returning, she suddenly -started up the pile of manure and carefully stepped upon the roof of the -barn. - -She had only taken a step forward, though, when she felt the roof giving -way under her feet. This frightened her and she attempted to turn back -much too hastily. Before she could get back to the pile of dirt, half -the roof together with a part of the wall caved in, dropping her down -into the barn on top of the débris. She was very badly frightened. -Without stopping even to look for her colt, she leaped over the -remaining portion of the wall taking half of it with her. - -She did not turn to see what she had accomplished but fled in terror -over the fields. When her courage returned, she looked back and happily -discovered that still the man had not returned, nor was there any other -sign of danger. On the other hand her little colt was now standing near -the broken wall, his head and shoulder sticking up above it, calling -frantically. She then hurried back with all her speed, caressing him as -if she hadn’t seen him for weeks, and urging him, in her dumb way, to -come out. - -He tried very hard to get over the barrier, but could not make it. To -show him how to do it, she jumped in again and as she jumped she knocked -another layer of sod into the barn. Then as she was about to leap out a -second time she heard a familiar whinny behind her. Turning nervously, -she made out in the gloom of the other end of the barn, two horses, one -of them her mate. Poor White-black was standing listlessly in a -cage-like stall, securely tied to the manger. His voice was weaker than -it had ever been, and his calling seemed strangely half-hearted. A great -desire to touch his nose came over her, though the fear of the barn, the -frightfully nauseating odours and the slippery, dirty floor, all urged -her to fly before some mysterious force should seize her and hold her -there. All she was able to do was to call to him from where she stood -trembling near the opening in the wall, ready to jump at the first sign -of danger. The sound of her own voice in the confines of the gloomy barn -terrified her. With a single bound she leaped over the broken wall, -taking so much more of it with her, lowering it so decidedly that the -little fellow was able to climb over it. - -With a last heartfelt call to White-Black, appealing to him to follow -her as he used to follow her in the days that had gone, Queen raced once -more toward the haven of the north, ran against all feeble protest of -her little son, ran till the loathsome mounds vanished from the -undulating plains. - -In a hollow where a spring slough had turned much of the earth into mud -and then had partially dried up, Queen drank, fed her baby; and, because -he would go no further, she grazed while he rested. She felt very unsafe -and gazed incessantly and fearfully toward the hilltop behind her. Two -images she expected to see coming over the brow every time she looked -up. She expected and feared to see the man coming after her and she -expected and hoped to see White-black. Neither came, but both haunted -her stormy mind and allowed it no peace. - -Fear urged her to be off and away but every time she started, her little -fellow refused to go with her. He would raise his head painfully from -the grass and call to her but he would not get up. He had not taken all -the milk there was for him and he acted very peculiarly, but Queen’s -fear was implacable. She pretended to leave him and ran all the way up -the other slope of the hollow. He called to her in a frenzy of fear, but -though her heart beat fast for him, she did not reply and when she began -to disappear over the summit of the hill he got up in haste and ran with -all his strength till he found her but a few feet from the summit. She -whinnied to him lovingly but continued her trot and he wearily followed -her. - -A peculiar note in his cry, some distance farther on, made her turn -round to look at him. She saw him touch his shoulder with his little -nose and as he touched it she saw a swarm of insects fly off from the -spot. She walked back to him and discovered a deep gash that ran across -his breast and up his other shoulder. The hideous cut was covered by -lumps of coagulated blood and the insects settled back on it as soon as -he withdrew his nose. - -She proceeded at once to lick the wound till she found it was bleeding -again and stopped, bewildered by the dripping blood. But the bigger -problem presented itself anew. She looked up suddenly and spied, on the -horizon in the direction from which she had come, a black moving object. -She was certain that it was the man coming after her and springing -forward a few paces stopped suddenly when she found that her colt was -not following her. She stamped her foot frantically, calling to him with -more terror than urge. - -He started bravely after her, but the more he ran, the more his wound -opened, and the coagulation that had taken place and was trying to take -place failed to save him. Queen, who loved him with magnificent passion, -did not know that her running was killing him. What could she have done -if she had known? The man was fast gaining in the chase. Man always -gained, save where death entered the race and death was slowly defeating -this man. - -At last, the little fellow dropped, exhausted. When she hurried back to -caress and to urge him on, she knew that he could go no further. The man -had disappeared behind a hill. Queen ran back with a mad, desperate -impulse to bar his way to her little son. The image of a mother duck -flying into the face of a coyote, flashed through her brain. She ran -down one hillside and up another, her throbbing sides wet with -perspiration, and in the valley below that, she saw him. - -He was somewhat to the right of her. Seeing her he turned to the left. -She, too, turned left and she ran trying to keep a hill between them. As -soon as she heard him coming over the hill that was between them she -raced over the next hill. In that way she led him several miles north, -then running for the first time as fast as she could go, she fled west. - -On the top of one of the hills, she stopped finally and looked back. She -saw the man turn homeward and before he should see her, she dropped down -into a valley and there she started back to her colt, running now as -fast as ever, though her sides were white with foam. When she got to a -second hilltop and found that the man had disappeared and that there was -no trace of him in the air, she loped along a bit more easily. - -The belated summer evening was coming at last. The sun, very red and -big, lowered on one side of her and high in the heavens the moon grew -brighter. She came to a slough and drank. She gulped the water a moment, -then raising her noble head, pricked her ears and listened, the water -dripping from her mouth. It seemed to her that she had heard a coyote -somewhere in the distance. She grew troubled and fearful again, running -in her confusion beyond the hill where she should have turned. - -Instead of going right back she turned south and when she ran into the -trail of blood that his open wound had left on the grass, she was quite -some distance away from him. But she was on his trail and with her nose -low to the ground she trotted along hopefully till she was suddenly -startled by the hideous cry of a coyote. She stopped, completely -terrified, and listened. A cry of a second coyote, nearer, responded to -the first from the other side of the hill before her. - -With a few bounds she was at the top of the hill. Not a dozen feet down -the slope sat a coyote over the lifeless body of her colt. He had eaten -a great deal and was heavy with meat. He was so completely surprised -that he could not move for a moment. It was too late to move. She was so -close to him that he was afraid to turn. He bared his teeth in a feeble -effort at defiance and snarled, but Queen was too furious to think of -herself. With all the strength of madness she hurled herself upon him -and over him, leaping away in terror and carrying with her the sensation -of hoof crushing bone. When she was quite certain that there was nothing -pursuing her, she thought he had run away and so nervously trotted back -to her baby. - -She came back cautiously a step at a time, her eyes gleaming like -burning coals, her skin quivering with fear. She saw the black shadowy -mass that was her colt and then she made out a second black mass beside -it. A few steps nearer and she began to feel that she had rendered the -coyote motionless, but when she got quite close she saw the beast’s hind -legs kick backward in the throes of death. Queen did not know that he -was dying, but she did know by the motionlessness of his head that she -had him at a disadvantage and she approached with less fear and beat at -him with her hoof just as she had many a time beaten a hole in the ice -over a pond. - -Finally she revolted against a task so foreign to her nature and turned -as if with sudden realisation of something overwhelmingly terrible, to -the almost unrecognisable body of her foal. But she only sniffed once -and sprang away with a snort and cry. Round and round the hilltop she -ran expressing the agony in her soul with loud and plaintive, fearful -calls to which there was no answer in all the infinity of space. - -The odours were maddening. The place became unbearable and in her soul -the desire for the companionship of the herd flared up like a great -light in the torturous darkness. It was as if she saw them somewhere in -the gloomy spaces and running would bring her to them. So she loped and -trotted northward, all night. At dawn, too weary to continue on her -feet, she lay down to rest and as she rested she cropped the grass about -her. A few hours of rest and she was ready to continue her anxious -journey. - -When toward noon she came to where the familiar woods appeared on the -horizon Queen accelerated her pace. It was there in that woods that the -beloved little thing had come to her, and she loped as if she expected -to find it there again. Forgotten were all the aches in her muscles. -What pain of body can outweigh the pain of mother mind at the loss of -her baby? Deny the animal all the finer emotions you like! Mother love -is too obvious a quality of the lowest animal life to be denied. - -But the moment Queen saw the familiar trees, the moment she entered the -shadowy, fragrant atmosphere of the woods where the little thing had -been born, the image of it, wandering about elusively in the solitude, -came plaintively calling into her soul and she turned back upon the -trail of sorrow. Back over the plains she ran, as if her speed could -save it, ran as if some evil man creature were carrying it away, running -off with it, ahead of her, just out of sight. - -An overwhelming sense of bodily weariness came over her at sundown and -she lay down to sleep; and all through her heavy slumber, she pursued -her elusive baby and struggled with monstrous man and hungry coyote. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - RETRIBUTION - - -EVERY dawn on the plains is the miracle of creation, and the best -philosophy for man or animal lies in this daily beginning. “Endure -Sorrow’s night,” says the dawn, “then rise with me and plan for the -day.” - -Before her on the emerging plain lay a suspicious-looking stone. Without -moving her head, Queen regarded it a long time. It was altogether too -woolly for a stone. Her scrutiny brought strange sensations and her -heart began to beat rapidly. A gust of soft morning breeze swept down -from the hill and the stone moved. Queen sprang to her feet. - -With its hungry face turned toward her, the coyote glided away. Sorrow’s -night was over and Queen loped after him with a new notion of life. The -faster and the more fearfully he ran, the more faith Queen acquired in -her own superiority, the more consolation she derived from the hope and -the will to crush him, as she had crushed the other one. - -He swung off toward the northwest. She too turned northwest. He stopped -to sit down on his haunches and to look back at her, to learn if -possible the purpose of this uncanny mare. But as soon as he sat down -she seemed to increase her effort to reach him. When she got too near, -he bounded away out of reach. When he tried to turn in a new direction, -she turned and headed him off, forcing him north against his will. - -Wherever he went she pursued him doggedly. Over hills, down into -valleys, around sloughs, she went driven by emotions she had never -experienced before. But while these emotions drove her, others retarded -her and the coyote began to leave her farther and farther behind, -growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Finally Queen abandoned the -chase and turned with satisfaction to grazing. - -Long after he had disappeared, however, Queen scrutinised the indistinct -spaces in which he had sunk out of sight. She had been grazing a long -while and had almost forgotten about the coyote, when she looked up once -more and discovered a tiny object moving on the sky-line. There was no -doubt in Queen’s mind as to what that object was. She galloped away at -full speed and did not stop till she was out of breath. For a while she -lost sight of the object, because of a deep and winding hollow through -which she was obliged to pass, but when she reached a high place again, -she beheld with great joy a group of horses still so far away that they -did not notice her coming. - -She called constantly as she ran, though she did so more to express her -own excitement than with any hope of getting their attention. When at -last they heard her, every head went up and every pair of ears turned -forward. The big, brown colt, her old rival in the race, left the group -first and started for her. As soon as she recognised him, Queen knew -that she had found her old companions. Her joy was insuppressible. She -rushed from one to the other and caressed the little colts till they -fled in terror of her passion. - -There was a brown, fuzzy little fellow, the foal of a big, good-natured -sorrel mare. Queen caressed it emotionally. The little fellow endured it -without any kind of manifestation for a little while, then suddenly he -decided to take advantage of the situation. Queen gave him her milk most -willingly, but his mother watched the performance with growing -dissatisfaction. When he had had about all he could have she jumped at -him to prevent him from going back for more and incidentally showed her -jealousy by pretending to bite Queen. Queen sprang out of the way, -manifesting clearly her disinclination to fight over it. - -In spite of the big mare’s protests, Queen fed him again before -nightfall. When the mother objected again, she relinquished temporarily -and led the whole group in a merry race round the hill top. Her desire -to be active, born of emotions that would not down within her, was -contagious. She could not rest and every time she started off with a -toss of her head, the herd was at her heels. - -In spite of all the weary days of journeying in the tragic period that -had just passed out of her life, so tense was Queen’s joy at meeting her -companions, so full was her life again, now that she had friends to love -life with, and a colt to drink her milk, that she seemed to have lost -the faculty of feeling weariness, and frisked about in the shower of -moonlight like a gratified colt. - -Not far off lay the carcass of a dead horse, from which life, tired of -baffling snows all winter and toiling for man all summer, had departed. -Over this carcass a pack of coyotes were savagely feasting and their -hymns to the god of coyotedom disturbed Queen’s revelry. Several times -she ran off a short distance in the direction from which the insane -howling was coming. Every time she started off the herd started with -her. Locating the coyotes half way down the long slope, Queen first -circled around the hilltop, then suddenly turned down the slope at -breakneck speed. Like an ocean wave the herd swept down the incline. - -The coyotes were taken completely by surprise. Not until the herd was -almost upon them did they attempt to escape, fleeing then chaotically in -all directions. But the horses also spread out to avoid the carcass; and -with momentum stronger than their fear, they stampeded across the paths -of the fleeing pack. Most of the scavengers escaped but one was struck -down. At the foot of the hill Queen turned back to the dismay of the -herd. They watched her curiously as she trotted, some distance ahead of -them, up the incline. - -She came to the miserable creature whose back had been broken. Unable to -move his hind legs, he dragged them along behind as he crept away with -his forelegs. But Queen did not let him get away. The herd had by this -time timorously come after her. Stepping back a moment before the -flashing teeth and the gleaming eyes she rushed at him again and struck -him upon the head with a sharp, front hoof. She struck him again and -again as if moved by the terror of the thing she was doing. The herd had -come up toward her but when they saw her attacking the coyote they got -frightened and ran away. Queen then abandoned the lifeless form and ran -to join them. - -Far away on the moonlit sky-line sat the rest of the coyote pack, their -nozzles turning periodically to the moon and baying madly against the -betrayal of their god. Never in all their savage experience had they -come upon such a herd of horses and never again would they expose -themselves to its madness. - -Without vote or discussion, without struggle or rivalry, Queen assumed -her regency. Her will became the will of the herd. Queen she became in -earnest, in the highest sense of the word, ruling neither for gain nor -power, ruling solely for love of freedom and her companions. And her -ruling was the salvation of the herd and the consternation of the -homesteaders whose wretched shacks skirted her domains. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - SLOWLY MAN CREPT NORTHWARD - - -THE prairie grass began once more to wither and grow grey. The winds -assumed again their autumnal sadness and moaned with an aimless -complaint. Again dead thistles began rolling over the plains, expressing -somehow in their helpless rolling the relentlessness of change. Frosts -rewhitened the morning earth and geese honked again on their flight to -the south. - -The herd was grazing on a hillslope. On the top of the hill stood Queen. -The wind was tugging away at her mane and tail, but otherwise she was as -motionless as the hill she was standing on. Her eyes were fixed upon two -horses coming from the southeast and more than a mile away. - -Once or twice the brown colt, now a full grown stallion, fat and almost -clumsy, raised his head to look as she was looking; but most of the -others were busy seeking better grasses and wild plants they liked, -until Queen, with a partially suppressed whinny of excitement trotted -away to meet the newcomers. At once the peaceful scene broke into -activity. - -But when they had come within a quarter of a mile of the two horses, -they stopped. A white horse that made Queen think of White-black, tied -to a sorrel horse that made her think of the old sorrel work-horse, -running as fast as they could under the circumstances, were coming -toward them, by fits and starts. The white horse, as he came, kept -stepping backward and raising his head every once in a while, only to -leap forward again a few paces. Always as he leaped forward something -dragged him back by the head. They would run on together for a short -distance and then the same thing would happen again. - -When they got very near, in spite of her interest, Queen’s fear of the -scent of man which clung to them got the better of her and she led away -till the apparition was out of sight. There the herd waited for its -reappearance. When they did appear the herd fled again. This they kept -up for the greater part of the day. Toward evening Queen made another -attempt to find out just what was wrong. By this time she was convinced -that there was no man with them anywhere, and the labourious manner in -which these miserable creatures followed them mitigated her fear of -their being dangerous. - -She went round on a curve and stopped some fifty feet from the two weary -animals. The sorrel, now about a foot behind the white horse, snorting -as if he had great difficulty in breathing, took the opportunity during -the moment’s rest to brace his body with his front legs against the -pulling of the white one. The white one, driven by some fear, began -pulling and tugging as soon as he had caught his breath; but he couldn’t -budge the old fellow an inch. Queen advanced fearfully. The scent of -man, despite the fact that there was no man about, worried her even as -the growing certainty that these were her old companions drew her toward -them. Finally she ventured near enough to touch the white nose that came -forward a few inches to meet hers. White-black it was! Poor, abused -White-black, covered with barn dirt, his sides fallen in through -struggle and lack of sufficient food. - -A touch of the old sorrel’s nose brought him to his proper place in her -mind and Queen ran from one to the other, feeling vaguely that the spell -of the dirty barn was still holding both of them in captivity, and -trying to arrive at some plan of helping them, yet not having the -faintest idea of what to do. - -The old sorrel was by far the weaker one of the two. He was evidently -just about exhausted. His poor old sides expanded and contracted rapidly -and his dirty flanks were literally wet with foamy perspiration. Though -White-black took advantage of their halt and grazed as far as the -entanglement of straps that held him fast to his mate would allow; the -old sorrel made no attempt to eat. His harness had slipped down his side -and one of his front legs was caught in a loop in one of the straps that -hung from his neck. - -The weary old sorrel had hardly regained his breath, when Queen spied a -man on horseback coming after the pair. The herd dashed away to the -north while White-black, dragging the exhausted sorrel behind him, -brought up the rear. The old sorrel did the best he could. The lines -tying his bridle to White-black’s bridle pulled painfully at his lips, -the corners of which were red with blood. Strength was ebbing rapidly -from him and he moved through space as if he were dazed. - -Suddenly one of his front legs went into a badger hole. The old fellow -went down with a groan. The groan was immediately followed by several -sharp, successive snaps and White-black was free from his poor, -wretched, old mate. And the poor old sorrel, too, was free, free from -all future agony. - -The hanging straps impeded White-black’s flight, but the darkness came -to his rescue. The herd had ceased running. The hoof-beats of the man’s -saddle pony were dying away in the distance. By morning when the man -reappeared on the horizon, White-black, still burdened by his heavy -harness, was free enough to be able to keep up with the herd, for what -was left of the lines, stepped upon so many times during the night, now -hung above his knees. - -For more than a week, the man persisted in his futile attempt to catch -the white horse; then, because his saddle pony was completely exhausted, -racing daily with the weight on his back, he gave up the chase with a -vicious hope that White-black would strangle himself in the harness he -carried with him, and a curse upon the wild western broncos that were -“no good anyway.” - -But White-black had no inclination to pass out of existence that way, -nor did his notion of value coincide with that of his would-be owner. He -did everything he could think of doing to rid himself of his trying -encumbrance. He would lie down every once in a while and roll in the -hope of thus rubbing the harness off. In time, he managed to loosen the -crupper so that it let the greater part of the harness, the part that -covered his back and sides, slip down on one side of him and drag on the -ground. - -This only intensified his discomfort, for every horse that went near him -was sure to step on some strap. Every time some one stepped upon a -strap, however, there was one strap less dragging after him, and in a -few days the whole network of straps was torn from the hames. One day -while he was grazing, the hames suddenly loosened and fell off and the -collar fell down upon his head. A little help with one hoof got it -completely off his head, and so he was free from all but the bridle. The -bit was tormenting enough but since it did not entirely prevent his -grazing and his drinking, and the straps hanging down did not interfere -with his running, he was virtually free again. - -It was during the middle of the winter that he was relieved of this last -link in the chain of his captivity. There came a severe blizzard that -kept them lying huddled into each other with nothing to do for a long -time. Queen had always been annoyed by these straps that clung to -White-black and lying close to him, she stretched her neck and began to -chew at them. While she chewed at the straps, White-black ground his -teeth in his persistent effort to dislodge the bit, and suddenly it fell -from his mouth. - -When next spring the homesteader, in another vain attempt to recapture -his valuable white horse, got near enough to the herd to see that -White-black did not have on him a piece of all the harness with which he -had run away, he could hardly believe his eyes. That night he told his -neighbours: - -“That mare’s got the devil in her. She just took them there harness -right off him. I know it. How else could he get ’em off? When the -critters ran away they both had all their harness on. How in thunder did -he get his bridle off? Tell me that! She’s a devil, that mare! I’ll tell -y’u she went for me like a witch the day I got her colt. I went away and -left her round the barn thinkin’ I’d get her with the help of Colter; -but I reckoned on her bein’ a mare—not a devil! She opened her mouth -just like a wolf. I swear it!” - -Because she was able to defend herself against man’s tyranny, they -accused her of having the devil in her; because she was wise enough to -retain her liberty, they cursed and hated her. Yet they had ample reason -for hating her. Within two years after the loss of White-black, not a -homesteader dared release his horses in the fall as they had been in the -habit of doing. To release them was in all probability to lose them. - -But keeping them in the barns all winter meant the necessity for -gathering much greater quantities of hay than they were accustomed to -gather, and, worse than that, it meant horses with less energy for -seeding time in the spring. - -Every spring, all manner of attempts were made to capture Queen but -every attempt ended in costly failure. Some of the older and weaker -horses were taken from the herd each year, but Queen and all the younger -horses remained free. Once Queen learned that she was being pursued, it -was impossible for them to get within a mile of her. - -When these futile attempts to capture her became too annoying, Queen -would invariably turn to the north. The ominous barbed wire fences which -year after year encroached upon the wild, somehow never appeared on the -northern horizon. North, always north, she went, maneuvering with such -cunning about the hills and through the deeper valleys, that for every -mile she was able to put between herself and her pursuers, they were -obliged to travel five. - -The Canadian Government embarked upon a campaign of advertisement to -urge farmers in the United States to go north and take up homesteads in -Alberta. Men sold their farms in the northwestern states and moved -across the border. Every year a new crop of homesteader’s shacks -appeared to baffle the desolation. To be sure, many a shack built -hopefully one year stood gaping like a skull the next; but in spite of -the discouraging features of the country, much of the encroachment -yearly made upon Queen’s domains was permanent. - -Every springtime with the blossoming of the wild rosebushes and the -prairie cacti, new fence posts with their glittering lines of barbed -wire cut some small portion of her territory on the east, the south and -the west. Slowly man crept northward and with an inborn faith in the -justice and the security of the wilds, Queen fled at his approach. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE DOORS OF THE TRAP SHUT - - -THE years rolled by. Old tragic hurts were dulled by the mists of -passing time and every hour of the unfettered present came bringing some -new joy. New children came to Queen and in the love of each succeeding -one, Queen rejoiced as if it were the first and only one. Carefully she -led them all to the doorway of maturity and there, since life willed it -so, she gave them over to the herd, to live and provide for themselves -and to abide by the unwritten laws of the herd in the finest -exemplification of the Golden Rule on earth. The friends who died or who -suddenly disappeared she would miss for a long while, sometimes spending -months in search of them, then she would transfer her love of them to -some other member of the brotherhood, just as she transferred her -mother-love from the older to the younger of her offspring. - -The shadowy creatures of the receding past often came, walking into the -dozing memory at nightfall. Queen would remain lying, chewing -absent-mindedly and watching them, her contentment undisturbed, loving -the sadness that clung to them, as we love the sadness that clings to -our sweetest music. - -There came a spring of unusual activity on the part of man, and his -daily appearance intruded so threateningly upon the herd, that they -abandoned the land which had become endeared to them and journeyed north -almost steadily for many days. - -They came upon a pleasant valley abounding in delicious, virgin grass -and many small ponds; and they took possession of it. But at midnight, -while they were resting, they were suddenly aroused by a shrieking noise -which was followed by a long-drawn rattle, like distant thunder. - -The sound died out and did not come again, but an attenuated cloud of -smoke swept across the valley. Though the rest of that night was -undisturbed and the air, from then on, was clear, they kept awake and -fearfully restless. At dawn they abandoned the valley though they saw -nothing that was alarming; and as they moved northward, they came upon a -railroad track. - -On the other side of the track the land stretched away silent and -desolate, merging at the northern horizon in a long, narrow shadow, as -of woodland. The tracks remained perfectly motionless and the herd -slowly ventured near them. While some of the horses looked on curiously, -some of the headstrong young colts to the dismay of their mothers, -walked upon the tracks and sniffed at them. Seeing that nothing happened -to them, the herd started at once to cross. - -Half a mile north of that they came upon another elongated slough which -had been hidden by a hill. Always glad to see water, they trotted down -in concert and took possession, once more intending to end the journey. -But toward evening while the colts were expressing the joy of life in a -gambol about the water, they were startled by another shriek like the -one of the night before, and associating it somehow with the tracks, -they tore up the slope to see what it was. - -In the distant east glowed a light, like the harvest moon. It gleamed -from the centre of a black, fear-inspiring object from which clouds of -smoke poured into the air and streamed backward into space. They gazed -upon it for a few moments as if transfixed, then when they realised that -it was coming rapidly nearer, they broke down into the valley, splashing -through the slough and sped up the other slope. On the top of that hill, -they stopped to look back. The thing was already thundering past them, -shutting away the whole of the south with a long, black line of smoke in -which sparkled a thousand star-like eyes of fire. - -Had they remained to look at that line of smoke, they might have lost -the fear of it. Within a few minutes it went as it had come. The sweet -evening air cleared and settled down to the silence they loved. But such -is the way of destiny that a thing of smoke and illusion may wield a -power greater than that of iron or mind. - -They did not wait long enough to see what it really was. An impassable -wall had arisen behind them. A guard of ferocious beasts had rushed -across their path, shutting from them forever the old south world they -knew so well. To Queen it was, in the vaguest sense, somewhat more than -that. The apprehensions of the moment were dispelled by the widening -distance between them and this weird thing they feared; but a new -anxiety crept into Queen’s heart, like a snaky creature, and grew bolder -there as the danger it forecast approached. It was the fear of the -hunted for the cage. It was as if she had entered an enormous trap and -had seen the door shut upon her. - -They instinctively kept to a strip of wild prairie several miles in -width. On the eastern and western horizon they saw from time to time -shacks and barns and fences and huge squares of black, plowed earth; and -from the distances came at long intervals the muffled barking of dogs. -The feel and the smell of man was in the air, and they found that air -hard to breathe. They grazed when hunger asserted itself and rested when -the younger colts refused to go on, but continued their migration. - -They came to a country where there were no shacks and no fences, where -the evenness was broken only by promising patches of woodland. There the -earth seemed destitute of living things and in the moaning of the winds -as they blew through the swaying trees, the spirit of loneliness assured -them of safety. The grass on the open spaces grew high as if no living -thing had ever touched it, and swaying with the trees, it subtly -testified to the authenticity of that assurance. In Queen’s mind, -however, the shacks and the fences and the barking of dogs were as yet -too distinct to allow her to feel entirely secure; and she continued the -flight, fear urging her to go on till the last trace of man had faded -from the air and a wall of solitude and wilderness had covered it. But -they came one day to a very steep slope. Tall trees rose from the foot -of the slope and beyond their tops Queen saw the reflecting waters of -the Saskatchewan pouring along rapidly from west to east. - -The river was very wide and the darker waters beneath the brighter -surface indicated a perilous depth. The fear of the trap that had been -vague in Queen’s mind now became distinct as she gazed at the obscure -distance from which the river came and at the shadowy spaces into which -it rushed. Her faith in the north had given her a decade of precarious -freedom and had taken her two hundred miles from her birthplace. The -sight of those impassable volumes of water staggered that faith. She -grew nervous and restless and when the herd had drunk the treacherous -water, she led them away to the west. - -A half day’s journey brought them to where the Vermillion River tearing -along between high banks comes pouring down from the south and the west -and breaks into the Saskatchewan, with a threatening roar. Again Queen -felt that she had come to another wall of the trap and turning, led the -herd back toward the east. A few days of grazing and moving east along -the Saskatchewan brought them to a barbed wire fence that ran down the -banks to the very edge of the river. Ever as she had followed the -slightly winding river, she had searched in vain for a ford. The doors -of the north, too, had closed to them, and their freedom now depended -upon a battle of wits, the wits of the herd in the limited wilds against -the wits of man in his protecting civilisation. - -They returned to the middle of the unsettled belt and there Queen spent -a happy week of freedom, disturbed only by the promptings of the canker -within her which derived its sustenance from the frequent appearance of -men on horseback. - -Seeding time arrived and the homesteaders who lived south of the -railroad tracks went forth to hunt for the horses they had released the -preceding fall. The homesteaders who lived on the outskirts of these -wilds, in the hope of capturing some of the unclaimed horses, joined -them. But with a cunning that exasperated the hunters, Queen went from -one hiding place to another, detecting every approach so long before the -horsemen appeared that in the first full week of searching she was seen -only on two occasions. - -The homesteaders became desperate. The snows were fast disappearing and -the land was in best condition for their work. They appealed to the -Canadian Government and half a dozen members of the Royal Northwest -Mounted Police came out to reinforce them in the war to the knife that -was declared upon Queen and her followers. - -Several times a day Queen would run down the banks of the Saskatchewan. -At the river she would take a few sips of water as if she had come to -drink and then she would stand and look longingly across the roaring -deeps to the wilds beyond, suppressing the constantly rising impulse to -plunge into the rapid waters and beat her way to the freedom of the -north, which seemed, after half a lifetime of benefaction, to have -abandoned her. Then one day the impulse came with overwhelming -suddenness and she struck out madly for the other shore. But when she -felt the bottom drop away from under her feet, she became frightened. -The remnants of the huge snow drifts that were still melting kept the -river swollen to twice its volume. The current lifted her and carried -her several rods downstream, fortunately for her, hitting a bar and -depositing her there. - -Puffing and snorting and registering the promise that she would never -try it again, Queen finally clambered back upon the shore where she -shook the water from her body. Some of the horses who had watched the -whole performance with anxiety, came trotting toward her. Queen joined -them dejectedly, grateful to be out of the treacherous water, but -remembering that she was being hunted and realising now that there was -no chance of getting across the river and that her only hope lay in her -delicate legs and the cunning that many years of resistance to man had -developed. - -A few days passed by in which all hostilities on the part of the -homesteaders and the Mounted Police seemed to have ceased. Queen began -to feel that the war had been abandoned; but she was surprised one very -early morning by a formidable group of horsemen, less than a quarter of -a mile to the east from where the herd was grazing, who were coming at -full speed. A strong wind had been blowing from the west and had carried -the scent and sound of them away. A lull in the wind apprised her of the -enemy’s approach. - -They had been moving along the edge of a patch of dense woodland, the -wall of which stretched from the Saskatchewan to a point a little more -than a mile south of the river. There was no opening between the trees -and the brush. The only chance for escape lay in a wild dash south and -in reaching the end of the wooded wall before the horsemen could reach -it. That chance they took. - -The horsemen divided into groups. One group sped away southwest at an -angle, while another, going straight west, spread out on a long line to -prevent the herd from going back to the river. - -It was a close race. Every animal, pursuing or pursued, groaned in the -terrible exertion of it. The younger and the stronger of the herd led -the race, with Queen’s magnificent head in front. Behind the group of -fastest runners came the mothers with their colts, and the old work-worn -horses brought up the rear. Though spurs dug unmercifully into wet, -throbbing sides, staining them with small red spots, the forepart of the -herd, unencumbered by riders, won the end of the wall and broke away to -the west in safety. Not until the wall point was almost out of sight did -they stop to look back and when Queen finally felt it safe to do so and -swung round a knoll, she saw no sign of her pursuers; but the far -greater portion of the herd was gone with them. - -About a mile southwest of where they were, they knew of a slough. It was -down in a deep hollow and though they would rather have remained on the -hills where they could more easily spy any one coming after them, they -were very thirsty and trotted away for water. At the rim of the hollow -some of them stopped to look about before going down, others broke down -on a run. - -Queen drank very little. She was worried and very nervous. While most of -the horses walked into the pond, looking for deeper and clearer water, -she took a few hasty sips of the warm, muddy stuff on the edge and then -ran up the slope to take another look. There seemed to be nothing -untoward on the plains, but to make sure she remained there a while and -grazed. - -She had not been grazing more than a few minutes when she was startled -by a frantic splashing in the pond. She looked down in time to see -White-black whose forelegs had sunk into a mud-hole, attempt to turn -round. Half a dozen of the others began to struggle just as frantically. -Some of them managed to reach hard ground, but White-black and two -others seemed to sink deeper the harder they struggled. - -At first all this violent effort to get out made her think that some -awful danger had suddenly arisen in the centre of the pond, but the -light grey mud on the flanks of those who did get out, apprised her of -the fact that they had struck an alkali mud-hole. She had had her -experience with alkali mud-holes before. They had been in the habit of -drinking at the other end of the slough and had come to this end now -only because the other end was somewhat nearer to the territory from -which they had just escaped. - -She hurried down to the side of White-black and as he resumed his -struggling, she called to him anxiously. Finally the three of them -ceased struggling for a while and set up a helpless neighing to which -those on the shore responded just as helplessly. - -There was little danger of drowning for the water was very shallow, but -the fear of being caught, the fear of the pursued creature still warm in -their throbbing hearts, kept them struggling and their struggles tired -them out and drove them down deeper into the mud. Queen was perplexed. -It seemed as if everything were combining for their destruction, that -even the mud joined man in his effort to torture them. She called to the -helpless creatures ceaselessly, running up and down the slope in a -frenzy of fear. - -Suddenly while she was down at the edge of the pond, urging White-black -to exert himself and White-black was groaning for want of strength, the -wind shifted and brought from the northwest a message of danger. The -horses who were free ran up the slope to the southeast. Queen, who was -this time behind the others, suddenly stopped half way up the slope and -turning back called frantically to White-black. Her life long -association with White-black had endeared him more strongly to her than -the other two and it seemed hard for her to leave him in distress. - -She ran back to the edge of the water, stamping her foot and calling -with all her strength; but White-black only weakened himself. One of the -two other horses, in a violent last effort, pulled himself half way out, -and dropped back, but White-black ceased trying. - -The hoof beats of the free horses faded away in the distance and their -rhythmic patter was followed by those of the enemy’s horses. A man’s -head appeared at the rim of the hollow and with a last call to -White-black, Queen shot up the slope and away to the southwest. The men -had seen the other horses first and had veered to go after them, when -they discovered Queen. Trying to head her off, one man started down the -slope and as he did so he discovered White-black and his two companions -struggling in the mud. - -As Queen fled she heard the one man whistling to the others. She could -not hear anyone behind her but she did not stop to find out whether she -was being followed or not. In the distant west she saw the shadowy blue -of a clump of trees and she made for that with every bit of strength -left in her. When she reached the trees she first shot under cover, then -investigating to make sure that no dangerous animal was hidden there, or -that no men were coming from any other direction, she pushed her way out -to a thicket of buffalo berries, and stopped to scan the plains she had -covered. - -Not a living thing stirred on the monotonous level of the prairies. Only -heat waves danced above the narrow, blue strips of woodland shadows. -Within a few minutes she was convinced that no one was coming after her -and then despite her fear and restlessness, and her anxiety to get back -to the other horses that had escaped, she sank down to the ground, -snorting and panting like a dog. But within half an hour she was off -again in pursuit of the remnant of the herd. - -All through the afternoon she hunted them, stopping often to graze and -to drink, now trotting, now loping, going fast when something on the -horizon made her think that she had found them or walking slowly when -she realised that she had been mistaken; calling often, sometimes with -all her strength as if she hoped they would hear her and sometimes -calling softly and hopelessly only because she felt an urge to express -the feeling that had taken complete possession of her. - -Toward evening when the light began fading and the shadows grew long, -she trotted cautiously to the pond where she had left White-black in the -mud. The desire to find him grew stronger as the evening progressed -toward night and Queen went at full speed. - -The unruffled surface of the pond was brightly reflecting the last rays -of daylight when she turned over the rim of the hollow and stopped there -to make sure that the men were gone. Even those thoughtless men who -hated her—they were not many—if they had been able to see her as she -slowly came walking over the rim a step at a time, would have admired -that beautiful head in the evening silhouette with its touch of -magnificence and the cunning that had kept her out of their greedy -reach. - -A few ducks were moving about in the glitter. Immediately upon seeing -her they rose into the air and flew away. Queen trotted down to the -muddy edge where White-black had been trapped. The mud that was not -covered with water was stippled with countless hoof prints. Here and -there on the stippled surface she saw impressions of the whole side of a -horse and she knew that the horses had fallen many times after coming -out of the mud-hole. Some of these impressions still bore the scent of -White-black and Queen excitedly read the story of his struggle with his -captors. For some time she walked round the slough, stopping now and -then to sniff or to break the heavy silence by long and nervous -whinnies, then realising the futility of her going round the slough and -feeling suddenly a sense of confinement in the hollow, she went up the -slope and on the rim began to feed. - -The ducks came back. They flew directly over her to see just what she -was. Assured that she was neither man nor coyote, they swept down to the -water’s surface, touching it gracefully with a melodious splash. Queen -lifted her head a trifle above the grass and stared at them -thoughtfully. The sight of the little black objects sailing about in the -bright reflection of the sky and the occasional murmur that came from -them out of the stillness, gladdened her. She felt somewhat less alone. - -It was a hard night for Queen. She needed rest very badly but she was -much too apprehensive and too lonely to rest well. When the ducks late -in the night flew away, the hollow became unbearable to her and she -wandered off over the plains searching and calling and tiring herself -out. - -During the day she rested some, then from one end of the wilds to the -other she rambled, searching for her companions and finding only fences -and lifeless shacks which stood on the level distances, stony sentinels -forever barring her way with threat of captivity. Along the east side of -her desolated domains she followed fence after fence for days without -coming upon a trace of the herd. With eyes alert for the first sign of -man, she stuck to the east, because she knew that her captured followers -had all been taken in that direction. - -She came to where the fence broke into two parts leaving an open roadway -between. She entered the roadway cautiously and walked farther and -farther, scanning the distances as she went. But when she had gone half -a mile, the feeling of having fences on both sides and so near to her, -began to worry her and she turned and raced back for the wilds. - -When she saw, however, that the avenue had not closed upon her, she -walked in again. She went about a mile this time and spied a group of -horses in one of these wiry enclosures. She started away in great haste, -but soon stopped still. There was a man’s shack only a quarter of a mile -away from where the horses were and she was afraid to go. She called to -them emotionally but besides raising their heads to look her way, they -made no attempt to come to her, and when she called again a dog came out -of the shack and started in her direction barking ferociously. - -On her way out of the avenue through which she had come, she noticed -half a mile from the furthest point she had reached, that the wires -turned leaving her another open avenue through which she could approach -the group of horses on the other side of the fence and very much farther -from the shack. Very cautiously and very nervously she followed that -avenue, stopping very often to make sure that she hadn’t already been -trapped, and when she reached the other side of the fence, some of the -horses who had been watching her, came forward to meet her. Here the -fence ended completely and when she saw the plains stretch from there -unfenced, she lost a good deal of her fear and trotted in their -direction, calling eagerly as she ran. - -Queen was so excited when a dozen noses reached over the wires to greet -her that she cut herself several times on the barbs without knowing that -she had cut herself. Having greeted her, however, the confined horses -went on grazing; while Queen capered about on the outside, calling again -and again and reaching over the wires recklessly, to the consternation -of the strangers who would just raise their heads a moment, look at her -curiously and go on about their business. - -White-black was not there and those whom she recognised were all horses -that had but the fall before attached themselves to her herd. But she -was happy to see them and to be with them and grazed with a better -appetite than she had had for a long time. She grazed just outside of -the fence, moving along as they moved within. - -She spent the night there outside of the fence and though the group of -horses kept walking away considerably they were yet near enough to -dispel the gloom and the loneliness that had been hanging over her world -since the herd had been taken from her. It was the pleasantest night she -had had for some time. Queen intended to remain there outside that -fence; but she was discovered next morning by a man who came for some of -the horses and his dog went after her. At first for fear of the man, she -ran as fast as she could go, the dog at her heels; but when she got to -where she was no longer afraid of the man, she turned upon the dog, -striking at him with a lifted foot. She did not hit him but he did not -wait for her second attempt. He fled surprised and badly frightened, -yelping for help. - -She experienced a good deal of satisfaction over his cowardly departure; -but she was afraid of the man who seemed to be coming in her direction -and who was calling loudly to the dog; and so she ran away. The -experience of the night was like a clue to her in her search for her -companions. From there she went to other fences. Fences were hateful -things but they were also hopeful affairs and she expected to find her -friends in one of them. Thus she penetrated farther and farther into -man’s dominion. Over the endless, deviating roadways, between the -endless lines of fence posts and the treacherous barbed wire, always -alert, she went, confident that she could find her way out in case of -danger. When she would come upon a group of horses in some fence she -would follow them on the outside, grazing as they grazed and lying down -when they were near her. - -She did not find those of her companions whom she was most anxious to -find, and those that she did come upon, though they always replied to -her, did not always come to her when she called. Queen began to feel -vaguely and painfully that her influence was gone, that her regency was -over. Like the dethroned leader that she was, she accepted the censure -that was due her for having failed, with almost evident humility. - -Her loneliness became harder to bear. She wearied of the life of -interminable limitations and the fence posts on all sides of her began -to hurt her as if the roadways had steadily grown narrower and the barbs -had penetrated her skin. - -So she started back toward the west, toward the wilds she loved, hoping -that there she might find the rest of the herd where the herd by the -natural right of things belonged. When she was back again upon the -unsettled wilds she was happier for a while; but as she went from one -familiar spot to another—the pond where White-black had been trapped, -the various patches and strips of woodland where they used to hide or -spend their nights, and the river—the loneliness grew heavier in her -heart and Queen began to lose interest in life. Grass and water there -was plenty, but the taste could no longer derive complete satisfaction -from grass and water. After every mouthful she cropped she would lift -her head and look so wistfully over the spaces that she would forget to -chew the grass between her teeth. She would start off and gallop away -over the prairie as if she had suddenly thought of some place where she -was sure she would find her companions and just as suddenly she would -stop and continue to graze. - -Her loneliness became unendurable. It seemed to have peopled the -solitudes with invisible creatures bent upon harming her. She was afraid -to rest, afraid even to graze or drink. Once more she took to the -labyrinthine avenues between fence posts, penetrating with impassioned -eagerness the very heart of the homesteading district, seeing many -homesteaders’ shacks and fighting many dogs, becoming reckless as she -became accustomed to them. Often as these remote farmers plowed their -fields, they would hear her call, sometimes finding her only a few rods -behind them; and their horses fettered as they were in their harness -would turn their heads and reply to her. When a farmer set his dog upon -her she would fight him; but when the farmer himself started for her, -she would lope away and he would not see her again for many days. - -She came upon a small group of horses in an enclosed pasture, one day, -among whom she spied the brown stallion and a little bay mare who had -nestled close to her many a cold winter night. This pasture was farther -in the area of wire fences than Queen had ever gone before. As soon as -she called, the group started in her direction. She was so overwhelmed -by the familiar scents of those she knew that she could not control -herself. First she ran along the fence a while, then she deliberately -trotted away from the fence. Going off for a few rods and coming back at -full speed she leaped over the wires. Though she was slightly cut on one -of her hind legs, she landed safely in the midst of the group. - -They were as happy to see her as she was to see them and the expression -of their excitement and joy attracted the attention of the farmer and -his dog in the shack a quarter of a mile away. She was sniffing noses -with a grey horse whom she had mistaken in the distance for White-black, -when she caught sound of the barking of the farmer’s dog, and turned to -see him coming toward her. - -He was a big, ferocious-looking, wolf-like dog, much bigger than the -average coyote and many times as savage. At his approach, the other -horses started away but Queen, who was not ready to part from her -companions again so soon, stopped to fight him. He remained a short -distance away from her, barking angrily, turning his head backward now -and then as if he waited for reinforcement, his eyes glaring at her -threateningly. The other horses had turned about and stopped to watch -the battle, and Queen, feeling encouraged by their watching, waited for -him to come nearer. - -But suddenly, taking her eyes off the beast for just a moment, she saw -two men lead two saddle ponies into the barbed wire enclosure and she -made a dash for the fence, hoping to jump over it before they arrived. -Just as soon as she started off the dog rushed at her with a bark and a -snarl. In terror of him, she turned to strike at him with her hoof, but -as soon as she turned the dog sprang out of reach. When she turned once -more for the fence the dog seized her tail. She struck him with a hind -leg. He let go his hold of the tail and dug his fangs into her leg. - -Had there been no men coming, she might have fought it out with him. As -it was they were already racing toward her and in desperation, Queen -loped after the rest of the horses who were now stampeding away to the -other end of the pasture. When she reached her companions she plunged -into their midst as if she expected them to protect her. - -The men first drove the entire group to the corner nearest to the shack -and there setting the dog upon her they separated her from the other -horses. They continued to urge the dog to go at her and his ferocious -teeth and the nerve wracking noise he was making so confused her that -she stopped to fight him almost disregarding the two men, whose ropes, -as she faced the dog, sailed over and dropped upon her head. - -The ropes so alarmed her that she paid no more attention to the dog. She -reared in an effort to pull her head from the loops but this only -tightened their hateful grip. While she was uselessly struggling the men -slipped from their saddles and fastened the ends of their ropes to a -fence post on each side of the corner. Then slowly they pulled the ropes -in, forcing her back. Despite the pain it gave her, Queen tugged and -pulled and reared. The men then got some more ropes from a boy who came -with them from the shack and with these new ropes they first caught a -front leg and after a long struggle caught a hind one, then pulling on -the ropes they threw her to the ground. - -She fell with a sickening thud. A spell of dizziness came upon her and -she half shut her eyes as consciousness began slipping from her. But -fear and assailing odours brought her to her senses. She made a violent -effort to continue the struggle, but a man leaped for her head and -seized her nose bone with both his hands. With a quick twist he turned -her nose upward and she lay absolutely helpless. She snorted and groaned -but she could not rise. She felt the bony fingers of the man gripping -her nose bone and felt the other man winding ropes about her legs. - -What they wanted with her she could not know. She thought of the coyote -as she had seen him sitting over and feasting upon her colt. Her skin -quivered all over her body and she tried once more to throw off the -appalling weights that kept her down; but her attempts only proved to -her how hopelessly she was in their power, how easy it was for them to -do just what they liked with her. She expected them at any moment to -begin tearing the flesh from her body. - -The smell of man was nauseating, their voices were terrifying and it -seemed as if she just could not endure the pain that the man’s fingers -gave her as they dug round her nose bone; yet worse than all this was -the smoke and the smell of fire that suddenly filled the atmosphere, -bringing terrors out of her darkened past to help in her torture. - -Suddenly she felt a pain that was worse than any pain she had ever -experienced in her life before. They were pressing some terrible -instrument into her shoulder, an instrument that penetrated the skin -like the teeth of a dog but a thousand times more painfully. All her -hatred, all her fear combined, and with a strength that the greedy men -admired she began to struggle again. As she struggled, the man gripped -tighter on her nose bone and the pain of his digging fingers took her -mind off the burning pain in her shoulder. - -When she least expected it, the man sprang away from her head, leaving -it free. She made an attempt at once to get back upon her feet, but her -legs were still tied and she fell back again to the ground. She raised -her head and glared fearfully at her tormentors. In the far distance she -caught a glimpse of the other horses, grazing indifferently. The two men -stood a few feet away, looking down upon her and talking to each other. - -The smell of her burnt flesh in the welter of nauseating odours, the -pain in her shoulder growing momentarily worse, the lack of excitement -on the part of the men, the cool deliberateness with which they seemed -to have gone about her torture, together with the fear of what they were -yet to do, bewildered Queen; and out of this bewilderment emerged a -feeling that was worse than fear or pain, a feeling that was an ally of -both, the feeling of submission. But Queen’s submission was not a -servile one. Rather was it like the retreat of the general who hopes for -a more propitious moment in which to strike again and strike with all -his rallied force. - -The man who was, without any further doubt, stronger than she was might -burn her flesh; he might tie her legs so that she could not get up; he -might force his sharp fingers about her nose bone and torturously twist -her head so that she would be helpless; but he could not control or -limit her hate. And hate boiled in her blood and burned like a fever in -her body, restraining itself only as the tiger restrains his desire -before he springs upon his prey. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - ROPE, IRON AND FIRE - - -QUEEN was branded! A large letter _B_ had been burned through the hair -and almost through the skin on her right shoulder. The red hot metal had -broken through the skin in several spots on the curves and from these -spots oozed drops of blood. The air constantly passing over the wound -kept the pain of it at its original intensity. - -The ropes gave way. The two men stepped away quickly. Queen thought for -a moment that she was free. The ropes were still hanging from her neck -but they were hanging loosely. She sprang to her feet. A hasty look -around made her think, foolishly, that she could now get away. She -leaped forward eagerly and at once realised her mistake. The ropes -became taut. A front leg was drawn back to one of the hind legs and she -went down on one side with a shock that seemed to have disturbed every -organ in her body. - -She remained lying down but raised her head. With large round eyes, -radiating fear and hate, she looked from one to the other of her little -captors as if she were seeking some vulnerable point for attack; but -they were standing calmly and their calmness bespoke their power. Nearby -the fire that had heated the irons was still smouldering, poisoning the -air with its pungent significance. - -For a few moments Queen remained comparatively still. Their obvious -power over her crushed and confused her. From her shoulder came the -painful reminder of her captivity; and somehow, this gnawing pain, more -than the ropes that gripped her neck and feet, brought her the -overwhelming conviction that she was as much their property as the body -of her first beloved colt had been the property of the coyote that had -sat and feasted over it. - -That the rest of her flesh would be torn from her body as she felt a -piece had already been torn from her shoulder, there was no doubt in her -mind. But Queen had fought many battles and though the pain of the brand -was inescapable and unforgetable, though that moment she was well-nigh -hopeless, she still watched for her chance to get away. - -When she got up again she was afraid to move a foot. One of the men -pulled on the rope that gripped her neck. Queen expected to be hurt -again. She braced herself against the earth with all four legs, and -pulled back. A severe lash on the haunch sent her limping to the side. -The man behind followed her while the man in front ran off a few paces -ahead, and pulled again. Several repetitions of this performance brought -her to the open gateway of the fence. Near the gateway was the house and -beyond the house was the barn. Experience had taught her to keep away -from men’s shacks and the smell of the barn where she had once seen -White-black, and her colt had been imprisoned, came back faintly and -called upon her to resist. There were the men about her. There was the -boy and at his heels, barking ferociously, was the dog. But in spite of -them she made another attempt to get away and once more earned a violent -throw to the ground. - -The fall this time stunned her. She stretched out her head and lay -motionless a moment, breathing very heavily and groaning as if she were -dying. The man behind her struck her with his rope. Her skin quivered -and another groan forced its way out between her clenched teeth. Her -consciousness came back slowly. She heard the barking of the dog and the -voices of the men and above their voices the shriller voice of the boy. -She was sick at her heart and stomach. She felt as if she didn’t care -what they did any more. But a very severe blow with the end of the rope -striking a tender spot on her flanks brought her to her senses. She felt -as if a wave of cold water had swept over her. She managed to get to her -feet. As she stood, bewildered, not knowing what to do, and feeling the -terrible necessity of doing something, her whole body shook with an -uncontrollable tremour. - -The injustice of all this torture aroused an insane resentment; and, -casting a glance over the silent prairies that stretched away to the -hazy horizon, within her grasp, yet cruelly denied her, she leaped -toward the open with all her waning strength, so suddenly and so -unexpectedly that the man behind her, clinging to the rope, was thrown -to the ground and the man in front barely escaped her front legs. - -The cries of men and boy and dog broke fearfully upon her ears and the -ferocious dog leaped at her throat. He fell back without having touched -her but she lifted a hoof to strike him and thus pulling on the rope -that tied that foot to a hind leg she threw herself to the ground. She -fell outside of the gateway and within a dozen yards of the barn-door -which stood gapingly open and black, ready to swallow her. - -The man behind her beat her with his rope and kicked her unmercifully; -but even if she could have risen she would not have done so; and they -finally decided to let her rest a while. - -The beating commenced all over again and she was forced to her feet. -With another swing of the rope she started off nervously before it -struck her. The man in front ran on each time she went forward and in -that way they got her to the barn-door. But she was afraid to enter. The -boy had brought the man behind her a whip and when that came down upon -her back raising a welt, she involuntarily rushed into the barn to -escape it. - -Thus they got her into a stall and tied her securely. One man got into -the manger and against all her fearful protestations managed to force a -halter upon her head. With double ropes tied to the ring of the halter -they tied two rope ends to each side of the manger, then removed the -ropes with which they had first tied her; and she almost killed one of -the men in the process. Finally, they left her alone. - -It was so dark and damp and dirty in the barn. The foul smells were -revolting. When her eyes became accustomed to the gloom she made out a -horse, chewing contentedly a short distance away, and the sight of him -relieved her immeasurably. She called to him but he went on chewing and -ignored her call. Queen was hurt. She looked at him sadly, then half -closed her eyes. But in a few minutes she called to him again and more -forcibly. This time the old glutton replied to her but with little -enthusiasm, rather with annoyance, for he didn’t like it a bit that she -made him take time from his chewing to reply to her. - -The ropes did not allow her to see him very well, but she watched him a -moment out of the corner of her eye and felt as she watched him that -somehow he was in league with man, the usurper of her liberty. She hated -him and looked no more in his direction. Over her came full force the -horror of her bondage and the fearful realisation that her every effort -to escape it would prove futile. Yet her thoughts contradicted each -other and where some images came out of her memory and experience and -supported her fear, others came just as strongly and allayed it. She -remembered, for instance, White-black tied in his stall in the sod barn -where her colt had been imprisoned and then she saw him coming over the -plains tied to the old sorrel work-horse. So she saw him in many happier -moods on the open plains long after that. Together with the endless -stream of sensations of pain, from the wound on her shoulder and from -other wounds on her body, came visions of familiar nooks on the prairies -and in the woods. Like ghosts these visions came through the smelling -darkness and haunted her. - -At times these visions drove her frantic and she would pull and tug and -tear and kick till her energy was spent and after every momentary storm -there was some new wound to torment her. There was a deep gash on her -upper lip that bothered her almost as much as the burn on her shoulder, -for blood kept trickling from it into her nose and mouth and the taste -and the smell of blood were as tormenting as the pain. - -The man came back. She heard him coming and her eyes began to blaze -again and her sides throbbed for fear. He walked around to the front of -the manger and approaching her head, extended a hand carefully. She -pulled her head back as far as the ropes would allow her and snorted -with fright. He said something to her angrily and she listened in terror -to the sound of his voice. He made another attempt to touch her with his -hand, but this time she threateningly bared her teeth. He withdrew his -hand quickly and lifting the long end of one of her ropes he struck her -with it. It hit the sore on her upper lip and Queen pulling on the ropes -with all her might, cried out for pain. - -Then the second man appeared and the boy and the dog came behind him. -Queen expected a new battle, but they only brought her hay and water. -They stood near the manger watching her and talking. They took handfuls -of hay and touched her lips with it but she only shook her head -violently and whinnied fearfully. So, too, she disdained the water they -gave her. The man seemed to know that she wanted the water, however, and -so he set the pail down into the manger. When they finally went out -Queen looked after them anxiously. - -Night came down. The man came back again and offered her some oats in -his hands; but even if she had desired to eat the oats, the smell of his -hands would have destroyed that desire. Seeing that she had touched -neither hay nor water he threw the oats into the hay and walked away. -Suddenly as she looked sideways, she saw the man lead the horse out of -the barn. It was too dark to see clearly but she could feel that the -horse was going out and she could hear the tread of his heavy feet. -Forgetting all her previous emotions, Queen shamelessly begged him to -return and the terror in her voice seemed to break up the shadows that -filled the barn into monstrous creatures which she felt were surrounding -her. She called again and again till the fear of the sound of her own -voice finally hushed her. She hoped that the horse would return and -waited and listened for his coming, but he did not return. Faint queer -sounds of scratching came from above and behind her. Chickens roosting -somewhere in the darkness tortured her with their sleepy peeping. And a -bat flying around the barn, buzzing every few moments near her head, -kept her nerves on edge. But when the dog came into the barn, Queen went -mad. She had fought coyotes and dogs but she had never been helplessly -tied before. She pulled at her ropes and kicked with her legs till she -shattered one of the crate-like sides of her stall and tore the top -board of her manger loose at one end. - -The frightened dog ran out of the barn and barked so loud he brought the -man from the house. Queen heard him coming and when she saw rays of -light break through the cracks in the walls, she almost jumped over the -manger. He opened the door and a flood of light poured into the barn and -when he began to talk to her she calmed down a bit. - -He retied her and fixed the broken board of the manger. She seemed to -fear him less now than before and as he talked she listened, her eyes -fixed as if fascinated on the lantern he had hung up not far from her -head. Suddenly the dog reappeared. Queen jumped involuntarily. The man -kicked the dog and the dog ran out of the barn crying for pain. It was -then that the first slight sense of gratefulness came over Queen; but it -left her with the man’s going out and gave way to the puzzle of his -strange light, which for some time obscured everything else in her mind. - -The night dragged horribly and when dawn came at last she was exhausted. -She saw the barn-door open and was relieved by the shower of daylight. -Though the man came into the barn and seemed to have much to do there, -he did not come near her. Chickens moved around her, some of them even -jumping up on her manger to pick the grains of oats that she had -refused, and Queen watched them with interest. For a while she was -afraid of them, but their contented sing-songs as they ceaselessly -searched for food bespoke their harmlessness. - -The man had gone out and Queen was dozing from sheer exhaustion when the -boy appeared. He came over to Queen’s manger and seized the ropes, -drawing her head toward him. She resisted as best she could and because -she bared her teeth when he tried to touch her with his hand, opening -her mouth as with the intention of biting him just as soon as the hand -was near enough, he let go his hold on the rope and picking up a stick -began to prod her with it. At first she just struggled to pull her head -out of reach of the stick but when he persisted she became furious. -Snorting and whinnying she kicked right and left against her stall and -the boy, afraid that his father would come in, quietly sneaked out of -the barn. - -All day she stood stolidly without touching the hay, drinking a little -of the ill-tasting water only when alone and when she could not resist -the desire for it. When night came again Queen began feeling most uneasy -about the shadows and the strange nocturnal sounds; yet she seemed more -able to endure this night than the first. When the second dawn appeared -she was partially resigned to her evil-smelling confinement; but the -monotony of standing on her feet in one place, standing, standing, -standing endlessly, like a new kind of pain was far more distracting -than bodily pain. - -The pain of the brand seemed to grow dull and then it bothered her only -when the healing wound touched something. The other pains in the many -places about her body also kept growing less tormenting; but these -tortures of the first days of her captivity gave way to the less -perturbative, more gnawing anguish of imprisonment. - -Calls of distant horses sometimes penetrated her prison and Queen would -make the very walls surrounding her tremble with the agony of her -aimless replies. So, too, wafts bearing familiar fragrance often strayed -into the smelling atmosphere of the barn, rekindling smouldering fires. -The love of the plains, the desire to lope over them with the freedom -she had retained so long would at those times seize upon her with -maddening hold and she would kick and pull till she hurt herself or -until she realised once more, each new time more forcefully than the -last, that all her storming was as futile as it was hurtful. - -So Queen began to learn. She learned to eat the dead hay even though the -dirt often mixed with it was revolting. She learned to drink the water -though the taste and the smell of it was nauseating. “You’ll get over -your fussiness,” the man often said to her when he came into the barn. -Fortunately Queen did not understand what he said and the resentment she -would have experienced, had she understood, never interfered with her -“getting over it.” It was really better for Queen, as it is in similar -circumstances sometimes better for us, to “get over it.” - -But her “getting over it” was always a matter of weights and measures. -Every pain set itself against some other pain and the stronger pain -conquered her aversions. When so weary standing that her legs ached in -the joints, carrying the weight of her body, she lay down the first -time. The smell of the floor was so loathsome that she got up again -after a few minutes. She remained standing till the pain became more -tormenting than the smell of the floor, and then lay down again, -learning to endure the smell. And it proved to be a valuable lesson in -so far as it divided the endlessly dragging hours in half. Instead of -standing all day and all night shifting the weight of her body from foot -to foot, she would stand one hour and lie down for one hour and thus -broke the killing completeness of the excruciating monotony. - -The hay was constantly replaced when she had eaten what was in her -manger and the pail was always refilled with water when she had drained -it. This in time seemed to assure her that they did not mean to destroy -her or that destruction was not going to take place immediately. Her -hatred for man did not lose its intensity but her experience relegated -it to some more distant corner of her soul, moved it from where it had -dominated the whole of her consciousness so that she could endure her -bondage as she waited for the opportunity to escape it. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE STRENGTH OF THE WEAK - - -ONE day while Queen, for want of something better to do, was dozing over -her empty manger from which she had eaten up every spire of hay, she -heard the dog, outside, bark with unusual excitement. By the increasing -rapidity with which his barks succeeded each other, she knew that -something was coming. She soon heard the rumbling of a wagon and when -that sound came very close and stopped it was followed by the clatter of -many voices. She had allowed herself to worry about many sounds that had -resulted in no harm to her and experience was teaching her not to worry. -So she soon went back to her dozing, especially since the rapid patter -of hoofs, as the horses drawing the wagon pulled into the yard, had -quickened her memory of life with the herd. - -In the midst of her dreaming she was suddenly disturbed by the entrance -of two strange horses whose heavy feet beat the floor of the barn so -hard that she felt every beat. The harness on these two huge horses was -massy and bits of metal on it flashed with the reflection of the light -of the doorway. They were led into the stall next to Queen and with -absolute indifference to her they began to rummage in the manger and the -oats boxes, calling greedily for food. Queen watched them with no little -interest. She was afraid of the men who had come in with them but in -spite of the men she could not resist the desire to touch noses with the -horse nearest to her. She pushed her nose anxiously through an opening -in the partition and the big horse touched it with his nose a moment, -but immediately returned to his voracious search for oats. But the touch -of the big nose had only intensified the burning desire in her heart for -companionship, and she called more loudly and with greater appeal. - -Suddenly, she felt a slap upon her back and when she almost flounced -into her manger in fright, she heard laughter behind her. The man who -had slapped her then went round to the front of the manger and when -Queen’s eyes fell upon him she recognised him. It was he who had helped -the man of the place capture and brand her. The smell of him was most -repellent and she backed away as far as she could go; but he untied her -ropes and pulling their ends together, around a steading of the back -wall of the manger, he pulled on them, dragging her forward till her -knees struck the manger, and her head was over his shoulder as he -stooped. He held on to the ropes keeping her head immovable; while her -owner, coming from the other end of the barn with a bunch of straps, -threw them upon her head. - -She struggled desperately to pull her head away but the ropes were -relentless. The evil-smelling hands of her owner moved all over her face -and she was powerless even to show her resentment. His big thumb forced -its way between her teeth and while her jaws were apart a piece of iron -slipped in between her teeth; and before she could dislodge it, the -straps were forced over her ears and fastened around her neck. - -With teeth and tongue she struggled to eject the annoying iron from her -mouth but try as she would she could not move it to the edge of her -teeth. They then loosened the ropes and her owner seized them all with -one hand. Taking the reins which hung from the bridle bit in the other -hand, he jumped over the manger. Seeing him she sprang back nervously -and he followed her. She started for the doorway and when she got out -into the open, she was going a little too fast for him. With a vicious -jerk on the reins he halted her. The iron in her mouth was bent in the -centre and the least jerk on the reins forced the bend to strike the -tender palate with the force of a hammer. - -The full light of day to which she was no longer accustomed hurt her -eyes and her limbs seemed stiff, the joints paining her with the -exertion of her first activity in so long a time. A wagon stood not far -off with its tongue extended before it. On the seat was a fur robe. It -appeared to her like some sort of animal and she was afraid of it. -Against its wheel leaned the boy. He was pounding the earth with a stick -and was looking at her. Under the wagon sat the dog on his haunches. As -soon as he saw her he raised his muzzle and barked at her. - -She tried to back into the barn but the man who stood in its doorway -struck her with a stone which he threw at her. She dashed forward and -reared. Her owner pulled down on the reins and once more the bend in the -centre of the rider’s bit struck her tender palate. The pain terrified -her. It seemed as if her enemies were able to strike her from within. -She jumped involuntarily but she realised at once that every jump -inflicted its own punishment. So she tried very hard to control herself, -though her every nerve was on edge. - -The man then walked forward and pulled on the ropes. She did not know -what he wanted, so she braced herself against his pull. Again he jerked -the reins and to avoid the force of his pull she moved hastily toward -him. At once he moved off again and a few repetitions of this taught her -to follow when led. Around and around the yard the man led her and with -eyes aflame with fear, her skin quivering with nervousness, Queen -hastily followed him, desiring to resist but anxiously afraid to do so. - -She was beginning to think that that was all they wanted of her when the -man in the doorway of the barn came forward with a heavy leather affair -from which straps and things hung and dragged on the ground. She was -standing quite still, breathing rapidly when this new apparition -appeared. As the man swung it upon her she jumped to the side in fright. -The man at the bridle immediately jerked the reins and with impatient -force. Her palate by this time was sore and the pain was so excruciating -Queen again lost her temper and for ten minutes both men were obliged to -hang on the ropes and the reins as she reared and kicked and balked. But -in her enraged kicking one of her hind legs struck one of the rear -wheels of the wagon and the pain that shot through her whole body had a -quieting effect upon her. While they had her up against the wagon from -which the boy and the dog had fled, they placed the saddle upon her. - -The saddle securely fixed, they led her off again, but walking was now -difficult and painful. The cinch, the strap that keeps the saddle in -place, was so tight that it was almost completely hidden by the skin -which lopped over it from both sides. It cut her painfully every step -she took. In two places on her back some hard parts of the saddle -pressed against the backbone. - -But all this, miserable as it made her, was as nothing compared with the -horror that swept over her when the man suddenly seized the horn of the -saddle and threw himself upon her back like a beast of prey. She sprang -forward to get away from the farmyard; then on the open prairie she -began in real earnest the attempt to throw him. He pulled on the reins -till she felt the bend in the bit boring into her tongue. He dug his -spurs into her sides. He lashed her savagely with the knotted ends of -the ropes. But in her desire to rid herself of the frightful weight she -seemed to have lost her sensitiveness to pain. She shook her body as a -horse will shake water from him. She reared. She kicked backward. She -shook the rear of her body while she braced her front legs against the -earth. Then failing in all these attempts, she threw herself to the -ground. - -He jumped in time to avoid a broken leg. Thinking that she had conquered -she struggled to her feet intending to fly, but to her consternation, -she was no sooner on her feet than he jumped back upon the saddle. She -was determined to get rid of him and was about to throw herself again -when she received a blow upon one ear that almost stunned her. The man -had leaned forward and struck her with his hand in which he held his -hat; but she thought it was some ferocious bird come out of the air to -assist him. She turned in the opposite direction and dashed away. When -he wanted her to turn back he struck her on the other ear and this time -when his wing-like hat reached her ear, he sent forth a most fiendish -shriek. - -Away she leaped over the plains as if some awful monster were at her -heels. She seemed to get relief in the running. Her rider ceased pulling -on the reins and ceased poking her sides with his spurs. He showed no -displeasure in any way and Queen began to realise that that was what he -wanted. When with his reins he pulled her head sideways she -involuntarily turned in that direction and as soon as she turned he -stopped pulling. - -She was finally so worn out running, that she dropped back into a weary -walk and as she looked up she was surprised to find herself but a few -rods from the barn. Rebellion was futile. All her failures proved it to -her, yet when the man near the barn-door came forward to take hold of -her, she tossed her head wildly, gripped the bit between her teeth and -reared. Then when he ran off to the side to get away from her hoofs, she -fell back and rushed for the barn-door. - -But while her rider drew her head back till her ears touched him, the -man on the ground hurried over to the barn-door and seized her by the -bridle, holding her till the man jumped from the saddle. She was glad to -get back into her stall and allowed them to tie her without a protest. -The saddle was removed from her wet back and sides and the bit was -removed from her blood-stained mouth. - -She was dizzy and her heart pounded at her sides. From her wet distended -nostrils the breath came like the roar of the ocean. Two sores on her -back itched almost unendurably. Both sides were pierced by the cruel -spurs and blood-stained. An aching pain gnawed in her palate and she -could not throw off the painful sensation of grating iron from her -teeth. Her body throbbed as a steamer throbs with the pounding of its -engines. - -They threw hay into her manger but she only sprang back and looked at -them with moist, glowing eyes. They stopped in front of her manger and -talked. While they talked she held her terrified eyes upon them, -watching for what they might show evidence of wanting to do next. In the -next stall, the two big horses, apparently unconcerned about the weight -of harness still on their backs and indifferent to her troubles, stood -with their greedy heads right over the hay in their manger and noisily -and rapidly ground the hay in their mouths as if they were afraid that -they would be taken out before they could devour all that lay before -them. When the men walked into their stall and untying them started out -with them, each one eagerly stretched his head backward to take a last -large mouthful. - -Queen looked after them as they went and experienced a sense of relief -at their departure, worried only by the fear that they would be coming -back again. When a few minutes passed and the doorway remained -unobstructed, she turned her head back again and sank into a doze which -was constantly disturbed. What troubled Queen most was the shattered -condition of her nerves. The slightest sound sent her into paroxysms of -fear, making her heart beat with a sense of impending calamity and -sending chills and waves of heat, by turn, over her body. The voices she -heard coming from the yard oppressed her with a constant threatening -suggestion of the men’s return. - -Then, some time later, she became aware of the fact that the noises were -withdrawing. She heard the wagon rumbling away and even the barking of -the dog grew fainter in the distance. A sweet silence, as refreshing as -the cold water she longed for, fell upon the little farmyard; and the -feeling of being alone was like an opiate. - -But she was suddenly alarmed by the sensation as of some one present and -turning hastily about, discovered a woman in the doorway of the barn. -Queen was badly frightened. This creature was different from man but it -was only a different sort of man. She gazed at the apparition which was -talking in a voice that was softer than that of the men. The woman was -carrying a pail full of water and came with it to the front of the -manger. When she lifted it to set it down into the manger, Queen sprang -back, frightened. - -“Drink, Dora, you poor little wild thing,” said the woman, backing away -a bit and looking at her commiseratingly, “you’re taking it so hard, you -poor little Dora.” - -Despite her fears, Queen’s ears went up straight and the glow of fear in -her eyes dulled slightly. The woman went on talking to her in the same -low tones, so different from the harsh, staccato sounds of the men and -the boy. When the woman went out of the barn Queen turned her head and -looked after her till she had disappeared. Then she turned to the pail -of water and sticking her burning lips into the cool liquid she drank -without a stop until there wasn’t a drop of water left. - -The woman came back again driving a cow. Behind her, pushing its little -muzzle into her hand, came a little calf. The cow walked into the stall -next to Queen and there, like the horses, she rummaged about for food. -For some reason known only to the cow, she did not like the hay that the -horses had left, but cast her cowy eyes upon the hay that was heaped -much higher in Queen’s manger. She thrust her peculiar wide muzzle -between two beams into Queen’s manger and with her long tongue gathered -some of the hay and pulled it into her own stall where she chewed it -with apparent great relish. Queen took a mouthful and chewed it as if -the cow had reminded her of what she ought to do. - -“Some more water, Dora?” said the woman coming around to the front -again, and as Queen jumped back frightened, she went on, “Don’t be -afraid of me, Dora. I won’t hurt you.” - -She took the empty pail and went out with it, coming back a few minutes -later with the pail refilled and setting it once more into the manger. -She talked to her a few minutes, then went away. Queen saw her sit down -beside the cow and soon heard the peculiar sound of milk streams beating -against the walls of a tin pail. She watched her and listened for a -while but since the cow who was most concerned in the matter seemed not -the least worried, she turned to her water. - -When the woman was through milking, she drove out the cow and fed the -calf and then sending it out too, she came back to Queen. She stood -leaning forward against the manger and talked to her for a long time. -There was something about that voice that made Queen think of ducks -paddling on the surface of a pond at night, or the songs with which they -sang themselves to sleep. It was a sound as of birds on branches of -trees overhead pushing into each other and expressing the desire for -warmth or the comfort of having it. The words followed each other slowly -and softly and there was neither threat nor authority in them. Queen -studied the strange face with the light playing upon it. She was still -slightly uncertain about the eyes that she was afraid of and that -strangely fascinated her. She was afraid to look into them, yet there -was something in them that was in a way overcoming her. Was it the -wetness about those eyes that in some way, perhaps never to be known, -affected Queen? Was it the sympathy that the suffering have for the -suffering that Queen recognised and that made her blindly place her hope -in this new and mysteriously different human being? - -When the woman went out Queen felt as she had felt on many a winter -night in the wilds when some warm body next to her suddenly got up and -left one side of her disagreeably cold. For the rest of the afternoon -she kept turning her head toward the doorway and pricking her ears with -more hope than expectation, and throughout the long disappointing hours -the voice of the woman poured through her mind like a stream, like a -long persistent melody, and its even flow was rhythmically measured by -the one word that she remembered most clearly. “Dora!” What it meant she -did not know, but she felt in a vague way, when she heard it, that it -applied to her. - -Next morning her owner put the saddle on her again, and though she was -very nervous and afraid and would have fled at the first real -opportunity, the lesson went by without much of the pain and agony of -the first lesson. She began to understand what every pull of the reins -meant and even the differences she heard in the man’s voice helped her -to avoid trouble, as for instance, when by the sound of his voice she -knew that he was impatient with her going too slowly and she sprang -forward into a more rapid gait before the man felt it necessary to apply -the spurs. - -In the afternoon the woman came into the barn to give her water and to -talk to her. When she patted her forehead, Queen did not resist and in -time began to crave the touch of that hand, as she craved the sound of -that voice. - -Day after day she had her little run over the fields and as her fear of -the farmer lessened slightly, she began to enjoy the exercise. It broke -the crushing monotony of standing in the barn and gave her a chance to -look at the plains she loved. So too it gave her a chance to see the -other horses, none of whom were kept in the barn any longer. She found -that the group in the corral had been very greatly reduced and the -mysterious reduction worried her. The brown stallion was gone and with -him all the horses she had known, except the little bay mare, who did -not seem to be on friendly terms with the other two horses in the -corral. She was always off by herself and at the call of Queen would -come rushing to the wire fence and beg her to join her. - -One day the boy jumped upon her back. The man stood by and watched. The -boy annoyed her by the way he sat and by the way he held the reins and -she could hear the man angrily instructing him. She could feel him -changing his ways and realised that the man was taking her part, -somehow; but when they got away off on the fields, he tormented her. He -kept digging his spurs into her sides even while she was running her -best and he pulled steadily on the reins, hurting her palate and her -lips and making it difficult for her to see the stone or holes in her -path. But much as she hated and feared this boy, he was as yet afraid to -mistreat her. What he really was capable of doing to torment her, she -was yet to learn. - -The old touch of melancholy just barely perceptible on Queen’s beautiful -head deepened rapidly as submission took possession of her soul. She -learned her lessons hastily and learned them well for fear of the pain -that inevitably followed mistakes; yet somewhere in the very heart of -that submission crouched an indestructible hope that sometime, somehow, -she would break the chains of her bondage and go galloping back to her -wilds. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - LABOUR WITHOUT LOVE OR WAGE - - -JUST when Dora was resigning herself to the irksome but unavoidable duty -of carrying them about in the saddle; just when she had learned in this -state of her bondage to get from the plains she would cover, carrying -them, that finer sustenance which the soul requires; just when she had -learned to get all the happiness that it is possible to get in a -condition of physical encumbrance and spiritual domination by an -unshakable and hateful will, there came a change. The middle summer went -by and the winds that blew golden waves over oceans of ripe grain -ushered in the harvest season. - -When heavy harness was placed upon her body, Queen showed her -displeasure but curbed her impulses. The collar and the hames choked and -oppressed her and the blinders on her bridle tormented and frightened -her. But for something they did which they did not do for her sake at -all, Queen would have fought as hard as she had fought when the saddle -was first placed upon her. They had led her out and tied her to a wagon -wheel between two of three horses and she found herself next to the -little bay mare. A few moments of sniffing noses and Queen would have -endured almost anything rather than be taken away from her old friend -again. She had been harnessed first and Queen was willing to tolerate -anything she tolerated so long as she could be there with her; and the -farmer wondered at the constant whinnying that went on between the two. -All the while, the big horse on the other side of Queen and the big -horse on the other side of the bay mare stood with their heads at the -same level, motionless, like the mere machines that they were, awaiting -orders to move. - -They were hitched to a binder and ordered to move and Queen’s nerves -tingled with the strangeness of the situation. Every move she made -resulted in some disagreeable pull and the feeling of being trapped, of -being held in on every side was fast arousing her resentment and the -slumbering desire to rebel. But not only did the weight of the thing -they were dragging subdue that desire, but the horses on both sides of -her seemed to beat into her soul, with the beating of their hoofs, the -utter hopelessness of showing resentment or attempting to rebel. - -When they reached the wheat fields, the thing grew many times heavier, -many times harder to pull and the deafening noise it made was -distracting to Queen. But the morning was delightful; the creatures of -her own kind beside her gave her the feeling of having companionship; -and though her muscles found pulling most arduous, they were still fresh -from a night’s rest. When the morning wore along toward noon her -strength was well nigh exhausted and the struggle to keep from going -under, stimulated by the whip, suffused her soul with agony. The day was -hot and her sides dripped with perspiration. The new harness rubbed her -skin in a thousand places and made her very bones ache. The dust of the -fields and the particles of broken straw filled the air she breathed and -settled down in her nose and eyes. - -When her aching muscles began to wear out and the pain she felt -frightened her, she tried to lag a bit but the watchful eye of her owner -soon discovered her lagging and there was a threatening cry of “Dora!” -and the long whip came down upon her haunches without mercy. - -Noon came at last. Queen limped on her way back home, moving along as if -the other horses were carrying her, seeing nothing before her, feeling -only her agony of soul and body. Painful sores, under rubbing leather -and iron, smarted with the touch of perspiration, and the hard collar -choked her unmercifully. The weight of the harness seemed to be pressing -her to the ground. - -Her water she drank at once in great draughts, but her food she did not -touch for some time and though she stood next to the little bay mare all -through the noon-hour she did not turn to her once. Her misery was -overwhelming and in its salty waves she was alone. - -Though she had not eaten a full meal, she went back to work just the -same and a thousand times the whip came down upon her back adding pain -as a stimulant, as if she had not experienced pain enough. When at last -the seemingly endless day came to its close and the harness was removed, -leaving red bloody sores with rims of black dirt exposed, Queen lay down -at the feet of the little bay mare and with her eyes closed, lay as if -in a stupor for half the night before she rose to feed her hunger. - -Yet when the first few unspeakably torturous days went by, she seemed to -have become more able to endure the torment. The stolidity about the old -sorrel work-horse and other work-horses in Queen’s experience, which she -had so often wondered at in her limited way, now came down like a sort -of mask upon Queen’s head and put a strange dullness into her eyes. - -But with the end of the harvest period came the autumn plowing. Had that -been her first experience she would hardly have lived through it. It was -not only harder work to drag the plow, that so often struck the rocks in -its path and fairly pulled them from their feet, but the dust rising in -clouds from under them added to labour and pain the last ounce of -endurable agony. Life to Queen, in its endless repetition of toil and -pain and abysmal discomfort, relieved periodically by a few hours’ rest, -was not only without purpose but without excuse. Queen did not reason -her way to such a conclusion, she just felt; and in this feeling there -was not even the light of illusionary hope. The knowledge that a given -labour will end at a certain time, gave the hope and the courage to her -master which the strange ruling of life denied to Queen. - -So Queen lived through the days which she could not know were ever to -end, enduring labour without compensation, getting food and water that -was not as good as that which the wilds had lavishly bestowed upon her. -What it was to lead to, she did not know. She could not even ask. Death -was but a nameless fear and the relief of death was beyond her -understanding. The images of those she had known and loved in her -happier past came back often in dozing moments, coming into her dreamy -vision as imperceptibly as the evening comes into the day; and in going -they left in her soul something that resembled hope. That was all that -life offered her and it was as uncertain as were the whims of the -creatures who dominated and overshadowed her existence; yet never did -she reach a hilltop from which she caught a glimpse of the open prairie -spaces but the hope that freedom would come to her expressed itself like -a hazy light in the dark uncertainty that engulfed her. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - ONLY JUSTICE HAD BEEN DONE - - -THE reaping season passed and threshing time arrived. The farmer was -plowing his fields for the next year’s seeding because he had finished -reaping before most of the other farmers had finished. He worked himself -as hard as he worked his “critters.” That was his reputation among those -who did not have anything more serious against him, but they were few. -Every fall he, like most of the other homesteaders, left his farm and -joined a threshing crew some twenty miles south, remaining with it until -winter set in and until the wheat of the last farmer of their circuit -had been threshed. - -Came the last hot spell of the year. Cold winds and rain and cloud of -early autumn gave way to a short Indian summer, so warm that insects -long too stiff to appear more than for a few hours during the warmest -part of each day, came buzzing back to life as if it were springtime. -Nose-flies began to bother the horses and the dirty, old, wire-net -nose-baskets were brought back into use. - -The sunlit air sponged up the aroma that oozed from the wet earth, and -breathing it filled Dora with old longing. Sensations of loping free -over the unfenced earth, like spirits, danced enticingly before her -yearning eyes. Birds flitting through the sweet air sang with the -enthusiasm of spring and urged her to resist the forces of evil that -fettered her. But the harness on her back was heavy. The traces that -bound her to the plow and the lines that held her to the others who had -forgotten what freedom is, were inexorable as the will of the man, whose -whip was his only argument. - -They had been dragging the unyielding plow for a few hours on the first -of these delightful mornings, when, looking up as they turned at the end -of a furrow, Dora saw in the distant south a horse and buggy, coming at -a good pace. All the way down that furrow she saw the buggy steadily -grow larger and clearer. Coming up on the next furrow she could see -nothing and then as she turned once more she saw White-black coming. She -stopped for just a second and the whip came down with a stinging lash. -She sprang forward and pulled along with the rest; but her head was -higher than it had been for some time and from her trembling lips came -nervous whinnies which White-black did not hear. By the time the two -moving objects met, there was a long, melodious and very welcome “whoa,” -and the four horses stopped facing the one horse in the buggy. - -The three horses relaxed and stood with heads lowered, grateful for this -bit of rest, but Dora was too excited to stand still. With head erect, -ears pricked she called to her old mate with a call that shook the whole -of her weary body. White-black raised his head at the first call, looked -at the four horses, sniffed somewhat like a dog and then with all his -strength, replied. Hardly had he finished when Dora, exerting herself to -the limit of her strength, called again. White-black started forward as -he replied this time but the impatient man in the buggy, flaring up with -righteous wrath, cruelly jerked the lines. White-black raised his head -in pain and moved back a step. He called again but he did not attempt to -go to her any more. His head lowered like that of the horses beside Dora -and an expression of utter helplessness came over his white face. Dora, -too, dropped her head with the full realisation of the futility of -trying in any way to overcome the hold man had upon them. - -The ploughman left the buggy side where he had been standing, conversing -with the visitor, and walked back toward his plow a few feet, then -stopped, and continued the conversation. - -“Then I can depend upon you?” said the man in the buggy. - -“Oh, I’ll unhook right away,” replied the other, taking out his watch, -“and I’ll be there by supper time. I’ll start just as soon as I feed the -horses and get a bite myself.” - -“All right!” said the stranger, striking White-black a blow with the -whip that sent him forward at a bound. - -Dora called after him. From the distance, even as he was running away at -top speed, White-black called back, helplessly. Dora tried hard to keep -her eyes on the shrinking buggy and the two white ears that protruded -above it, but her eyes were hemmed in by the blinders and she found it -difficult. She was obliged to raise her head over the mane of the little -bay mare. Forgetting for the moment the man at the plow, she rested her -head upon the bay mare’s neck and called and called again. - -There was a sudden order to move on and Dora started off, expecting to -pull with all her might upon the traces. She was most agreeably -surprised to find that they had been unhooked and all the way to the -house, stirred by emotions which she had no other way of expressing, she -pulled ahead of the others, eager to get to the farmyard as if she -expected to be released there so that she could go back to the world and -the life for which she longed with old fervour again. - -Dora was unharnessed and taken to her stall in the barn. The little bay -mare was released in the corral, while the two big horses with their -harness on were put into the stall next to Dora and all were fed. In an -hour the farmer was ready to depart. He came into the barn and took the -two horses out, and soon after, Dora heard the wagon rumbling away. - -During the last few weeks, throughout the endless hours of wearing toil, -Dora had yearned for the stall; but now as she stood there, fresh from -the unexpected meeting with her lifelong companion, the enclosure of the -barn was as harassing as the slavery of harness, and without knowing why -she did it, realising fully that White-black was far out of hearing, she -called and called like a broken-hearted mother from whom her foal had -been taken. - -Her calling was suddenly answered by the loud voice of the boy, who -dashed into the barn and began quickly to saddle her. He tightened the -cinch, as he always did, till Dora protested, and then put into her -mouth the rider’s bit with its cruel bend. So, too, he put on the -wire-net nose basket and fastened it so high that the wire-net pressed -against her lips. - -As soon as Dora got outdoors she looked for signs of White-black. When -the boy jumped to the saddle she started away to the south, but with an -angry pull of the reins he turned her to the west. In spite of the fact -that she had been working to the limit of her strength, in spite of the -pain in her muscles and limbs, she leaped away like a racer, and in -spite of the fact that she was already going at her greatest speed, the -idiotic boy, as was his habit, kept applying the spurs. On the trail -along the wire fences she merely tossed her head with displeasure at -every dig, but when they reached the end of the fences and he turned her -diagonally across the trackless plains, the sight of the open, -unobstructed prairie helped her to make her show of resentment plainer. - -But the stupid boy not only failed to perceive that he might have been -wrong, he resented what struck him as a challenge to his authority. He -meant to show her that he was master. He jerked the reins back with all -his might and dug the spurs into her sides. - -“Go ahead!” he cried when she fled across the plains as if she had been -frightened and were running away, “You can’t go too fast to suit me!” - -Before Dora, as she sped, loomed an exceedingly large badger hole, the -freshly dug, yellow earth piled high to one side. She was used to badger -holes and had long ago learned to cunningly avoid them, no matter how -suddenly one appeared in her vision. But despite his tactics the boy was -surprised by Dora’s unusually nervous behaviour. He was not at all sure -that she wasn’t really trying to run away. In spite of his fear, he -could not allow himself to dispense with his bullying proclivities, and -as she neared the hole he turned her head sideways and once more plied -the spurs without reserve. - -Where she would have, without any difficulty, avoided it on her own -account, his turning her head drove her upon the mound of earth. Her leg -slipped on the loose, newly-dug earth and went down the hole and as the -boy attempted to leap from the saddle he was thrown forward six feet -from her head, landing with a thud and a shriek. - -He was not badly hurt, but he was so badly scared that he yelled like a -frightened baby. When he got to his feet there was an expression of -murderous intent on his face and he stretched his arms forward as he -started for her as if he meant to beat the life out of her when he got -hold of her. But he did not get hold of her. She had been frightened, -too, and had stood looking at him, unable to decide what to do; but when -she saw those hands, she reared high into the air in an effort to -prevent his seizing the reins. This time he backed away afraid of the -hoofs that rose threateningly before him. She turned with a gracefully -defiant toss of her head and bounded away as fast as the dragging reins -would allow her to go. She could hear his frantic threatening cries, but -that voice had lost its power. Her chance had come at last! - -By his futile cries she could tell how far she was leaving him behind -her. She dared not stop to look back even when she heard his cries no -more. The reins trailing on the ground impeded her flight and she felt -as if he were but a short distance behind her and would soon reach her. -In her mad race for freedom she kept stepping on the reins and every -step tore her lips and battered her palate; but not for a moment did -this actually halt her. She endured the pain like one who was aware of -the fact that the goal was worth it, till all that was left of the reins -dangled a few inches from her muzzle. - -A mile farther west from the badger hole was a patch of woodland. When -she reached it, Dora stopped for a second to look back; but she did not -see the boy. A hill, in between, obstructed her view. She felt somewhat -freer not seeing him; but still she went as fast as she could go working -her way through the woods. The branches of the trees caught in her -saddle and made going very fast impossible. Twigs hooked in the ring of -the bit outside of the basket and not only hurt her but frightened her -because sometimes she had sensations of being seized by some man. But -despite these pulls and digs and impediments, dodging the branches as -best she could, she came in half an hour to a large open space. Two or -three miles beyond that she saw another patch of woods and headed -straight for that. She got through this bit of woodland without much -trouble and reaching another open space she followed the wall of trees -in its irregular curve to the north. - -Still northward she fled, though the north had failed her. It was -evening, when after a steady trot for twenty-five miles she came to the -strip of forest that borders upon the Saskatchewan and there, coming -upon a deer path which was familiar to her, she plunged into the shadows -of the woods. She was too tired and still too weary of pursuit to think -of food. Coming to a windfall where she had many a time successfully -hidden in the days before her captivity, she lay down to rest. - -She had been down but a short time when the prodding of the hard wooden -stirrup upon which she was lying forced her up. She tried to lie down -again, but again the stirrup forced her to get up. Again and again she -tried it, but each time with the same result, and finally with the -growing fever of a new and threatening fear, she gave up the attempt to -rest and went instead for a drink of water at the river. When she -reached the river’s edge she stopped to stare across to the wilds -beyond. There was a wish in her heart that she could find some way of -getting across the moving water, but that wish was dulled by a vague -realisation of the fact that now, without her old followers, getting -across would not be wholly satisfactory. - -A great sad stillness brooded over the river, hanging over the silvery -reflections of the sky-line like a dome of mist that rested upon the -dreary shadows of the trees and banks on each side. Confinement and toil -had sickened Dora’s love of the wilds, though memory sought to exalt it -as of old, and the beauty of the wilderness, without her companions, was -only desolation. A nameless longing in her heart and a complexity of -fears she had never experienced before seized upon her like a disease. -It was as if she expected a fatal blow from some hidden enemy that moved -about her in every possible direction. - -She bent down and drank at her feet. It was hard and disagreeable to -drink with the wire-net on her muzzle and the iron bit in her mouth. She -lashed the fast flowing stream with her muzzle in the hope that somehow -the nasty basket would be washed away by the water, but she gave up the -attempt and drank as best she could. Suddenly she lifted her head and -stared away into the dark spaces. In the far distance a small shadowy -form swooped from the top of a tall poplar, like a bit of shadow -breaking away from the body of the night, and disappeared in the -whiteness of the sky, leaving behind the melancholy echo of its cry. She -followed it with her eyes till it was no more visible, then suddenly -turned and ran for the open. - -It was not only the open prairie she sought, because the open prairie -was the world she knew and loved best; but something else was driving -her. A fear that seemed to have been born of shadow and water and the -lonely cry of the loon. It was the sudden realisation that though she -had escaped from the detestable slavery of man and toil and dirty barn, -she had carried away from her bondage man’s inescapable curse. - -Her first act upon reaching the open was to search the shaded distances, -then out of the depths of her embittered, fear-infested heart, she sent -into the wilds she had longed for her earnest appeal for companionship; -but only the mocking echo of her own voice came back from the motionless -tree-walls on each side of her. She lowered her head to graze but raised -it at once again. Now she knew what she had feared. Now she grasped -something of the extent of man’s curse. The wire-net on her muzzle, like -a trap, forbade her to eat until she returned humbly to man and -submitted to his tyranny. - -In a frenzy of fear and anger she loped about in a circle for the -greater part of an hour, then she attempted to rub the cursed thing from -her lips. But rubbing on the ground pushed back the levers of the -rider’s bit and hurt her with every move. She stopped to think a moment, -gazing helplessly about. She lowered her head, pushing it along between -her hoofs, and pulling it forward, trying to rub it off that way; but -all that she did was to bend the strong wire of the basket, which after -that pressed painfully into her nose. She tried rubbing her muzzle -against the bark of a tree. A small twig point pierced the skin of her -lip and as she hastily pulled her head back the lever of the bit caught -in some way and she struggled for some time before she freed it. Then -she gave up, running off into space as if she were trying to flee from -some fearful thing she had just seen. - -The cinch was still tight and though it did not bother her much when she -was up on her feet, it seemed to grow tighter and cut into her skin when -she tried to lie down; and if, for want of rest, she lay down anyway, -the stirrups always fell in such a way as to press into some tender spot -as she lay upon one of them. She would endure that for a few minutes and -then she would get up again with a groan. - -The poplar woods about the Saskatchewan are not continuous. Patches and -strips covering spaces of from one to fifty acres cut up the rolling -plains. By running round about these she could keep herself invisible to -approaching enemies. Her old power to detect man’s approach seemed to -come back to her. Once that day she thought she detected some one -coming, and hid in the trees without even making sure, then coming out -on the other side and taking a roundabout run, left that section of the -country. Yet as she hastily put distance between herself and this -danger, she half realised that she might have to go back at last to the -man from whom she had escaped, who she knew could save her from the iron -grip on her muzzle. Two days later she saw some one coming on the -eastern horizon. She was certain that it was the boy pursuing her and -first going north to get under cover of a patch of woods, she fled west -for many miles. - -She came late in the afternoon to the pond in the wilderness where -White-black had been trapped in the mud. She remembered clearly -White-black’s floundering in the mud and avoided that side of the pond. -She walked leisurely around it, gazing over the silent water from whose -brightness she missed the remembered sight of ducks. Many a time in her -slavery she had had visions of this bit of water with its reflections -smiling up to the heavens. It seemed hard for her to believe that she -was really there. She had longed so often to be there; yet, now, she -experienced something like a feeling of disappointment. What it was or -why, she did not know. - -She was crossing a muddy spot when she slipped and fell on her side. She -was not hurt but slightly stunned and remained lying down. As she lay -there it occurred to her that the stirrup was not hurting her. She did -not think of its sinking into the mud, but thenceforth when she wanted -to lie down she came to that muddy spot. The pond came to her assistance -in another way. She had gone in some distance to get a drink of clear -water where the pond bottom was quite hard and as she drank, some of the -lower rushes penetrated the basket through the meshes of the net. She -lowered her muzzle carefully, keeping her jaws open; and when she felt -some of the rushes in her mouth, she cropped them quickly, chewing them -triumphantly as the water dripped from her muzzle. - -The rushes grew tallest in the centre of the pond. She was afraid to go -in very far, feeling constantly, as she would move inward, that this -time she was going to stick there. It was not long before what rushes -she could reach had all been cropped. She learned to get some grass by -doing with the grass what she had done with the rushes, but though this -was better food she could not get as much of the grass as she had gotten -of the rushes. She managed in that way, however, to keep life burning in -her bedraggled body. - -The fear of being pursued and captured again left her as the days went -by without a sign of man, but as this fear left came hunger. All day she -struggled to obtain enough grass to keep her alive and when the stirrup -resting on frozen mud kept her awake at night, she only thought of grass -and how to get more and more of it. The sweetness of the wilds she had -loved was gone, leaving them hollow and desolate and so cruelly -unresponsive as to be almost mocking. - -Day after day man’s curse grew heavier to bear and the strangle-hold it -had upon her life contracted with more telling effect. It was only a -matter of a short time when its contracting hold would finally and -mercifully put an end to her misery. - -The short Indian summer passed away. The nights became cold and the -frosts froze the mud into rock. When in lying down the stirrup pressed -into some tender spot, she would endure the pain, then rise next morning -and go limping over the plains. A layer of thick ice which no longer -melted by the middle of the day now covered the pond. What little frozen -dew that she could get, with the little grass she could crop, only -intensified her thirst and the desire for water drove her to -desperation. She tried to break a hole in the ice but she did not have -the necessary strength. The irresistible desire for water sent her out -upon the slippery ice in the hope of finding a weaker spot. A dozen feet -from the edge she slipped and fell with a crash, breaking through and -falling into the icy water. She was obliged to rest a while before she -could summon enough energy to get up. When she did get up she was aching -from head to foot and on her leg was an open, bleeding wound. She drank, -however, all she could hold, then she turned and looked helplessly to -the shore, afraid to step over the broken ice, falling again when at -last she ventured toward it, but finally getting back. - -Her sides pained her terribly and her open wound smarted and itched. She -tried to lick it but only hurt it with the wire-net. She stood stolidly -for a few moments, her addled brain trying to clarify the great -confusion that came over it. What was she to do? What was going to -become of her? Life was almost unendurable, and instincts of terrifying -force guarded against the death that would have relieved her. Paroxysms -of fear swept over her, filling the shadows of the desolation with -beasts of prey who, leering and licking their chops, waited with -terrifying patience for the weaker moment when they expected to pull her -down. - -Geese flew southward constantly and their ominous honking sang dirges to -the death of all that life had been to her in its happier past. The -skies grew grey and remained chronically grey and the atmosphere seemed -filled up with a great cosmic sorrow, like the face of a child -suppressing the impulse to cry. The winds reaching out from the frozen -north wailed with maddening grief. - -A taciturn old coyote began to worry her. He would sometimes pass her -while she grazed or struggled in her attempts to graze, each time -seemingly coming nearer. He filled her soul with terror. Sometimes he -woke her at night with his demoniac howling and she would spring to her -feet and shake and tremble with fear and cold, only to find that he was -sitting on the rim of the hollow, looking down at her, his black, -hateful form cut clearly against the dark grey sky. Then one morning, -she awoke to find him less than a rod away, sitting on his haunches and -watching her. He fled when she sprang weakly toward him with a fearful -cry in which she tried desperately to be defiant; but she decided then -to abandon the horror-infested basin. - -The great weakness was upon her. The coyote had long recognised it and -she knew it now. Whither she was to go or what she was to do, she did -not know. Only she felt the need of going and she went, limping slowly -and painfully, sick in body and soul, all her defiance of man crushed -out of her. Thus the erstwhile Queen of the wilds lumbered painfully -over the plains that seemed to no longer sustain her, going humbly back -to man to dumbly beg for mercy, for even in that state of mind she felt -that as man had placed his curse upon her only man could remove it. - -It was a dreary, dull afternoon. The sun struggled to show itself and -its weakest warmth was driven from her protruding bones by a cold, -cutting gale. In her lumbering along over the plains that seemed -strangely dim and uncertain she stopped every once in a while and stared -like a decrepit old woman. She came at last to an open space between two -patches of woodland and stopped to gaze wild-eyed upon a black shanty -covered with tar-paper, and a sod barn. - -The smells that came from that farmyard made it very hard for her to -advance, but the intense feeling of her desperation conquered each wave -of fear and step by step she made her way toward the house, stopping at -last, a hundred feet away, unable to go any farther. There was no sign -of life. Fear held her motionless yet hunger and thirst and weakness -urged her to call for help. Her call sounded weak and hollow. She called -again with greater exertion and in that call a note of conciliation was -unmistakably audible. - -Suddenly she saw the door of the shanty open and a woman came out. Had -it been a man, all her unworded resolution would have gone to naught and -Dora would have turned and fled; but a woman was a different experience. -She turned nervously and walked off a short distance, but when the woman -advanced toward her holding out a hand and calling with a most winning -voice, she stopped and waited. When the woman came nearer Dora heard her -own name. The recognition of that sound gave her so much hope and -courage that she deliberately turned toward the woman who by that time -was near enough to take hold of one of the pieces of strap that still -hung from the bit-ring. - -For a few minutes the woman patted her forehead lovingly and talked to -her in a way that warmed poor Dora as if the woman had placed a blanket -over her cold aching body. When the woman began leading her toward the -house she followed willingly till the door opened and a little girl came -out, then she stopped as if afraid; but when the woman urged she went -on, keeping her eyes upon the little girl. - -At the well, the little girl chopped a hole in the ice on the trough -while the woman removed the basket, bridle, halter and what was left of -the saddle and Dora lowered her head quickly into the water and drank as -rapidly as she could. - -“That dirty brute!” said the woman. - -“He never feeds his critters,” piped in the little girl. - -“He doesn’t feed his wife,” added the woman, not because she wanted to -tell this to the little girl, but rather because she wanted to express -the hatred of an old and bitter feud. - -“Take these rotten things,” said the woman, pointing to the bridle and -the halter, while she seized the remains of the saddle. “Let’s get them -out of the way, and don’t you ever open your mouth to tell any one, no -matter who it is, that his mare was here. I don’t want his rotten old -saddle and bridle. He never keeps anything looking decent enough for any -one to want any of his rotten things. Anyway it is a sin to send this -poor mare back to him. It ain’t up to me to catch his runaway critters -for him and I just can’t let the poor critter go off like this and die. -When Dad gets back from threshin’, he’ll take these things and drop ’em -on the road near his place where he will be sure to find them.” - -When Dora had drunk all she could, she turned immediately to some grass -near by and began voraciously to pull at it. The woman had befriended -her and she was not afraid of her. But to her surprise, when she came -back, the woman rushed at her with something in her hand which she waved -threateningly at her, clearly ordering her away. Dora ran off as fast as -she could go and when she got well out of the way, she turned to look -back with a puzzled expression on her face. Both the woman and the -little girl were calmly entering the shanty. - -Without an attempt to get at the motive behind the woman’s strange -conduct, Dora went on grazing there, moving off and looking back when -her mouth was too full to crop, eating so rapidly and so absorbedly that -she had no time to think about the phenomenal change that had thus -miraculously come over her. If she was not thinking gratefully, she did -feel grateful and possibly some higher intellectual force than hers, in -some way, realised for her that only justice had been done. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE TRAIL OF THE MOOSE - - -FOR several days after the woman had relieved her of the racking burden -of straps and iron and wire-net, Dora was troubled by the conflict of -recurrent impulses to go back to the farm yard and the fears that just -as ardently urged her to get far out of the reach of man. Months of -arduous toil followed by weeks of semi-starvation had robbed her of her -strength and her courage; the barn had so enervated her that she found -the cold, out doors, especially at night, very hard to endure; and her -captivity had deprived her of her companions without whom life was not -worth the struggle. - -One snow flurry followed another. The last spot of exposed earth -disappeared. The sun did not show itself for days and every hour seemed -to deepen the drifts. Never had the world seemed so bleak and -inhospitable to her. - -She was so miserably cold one windy night that she decided at last to go -back to the farmyard where she had been so magnanimously befriended. She -got up toward the end of the long night and started away, lumbering -along for many miles in the dark, driven by the image of the sheltering -barn; and then she stopped suddenly as the other image, that of the -woman driving her away, came into her mind. She stood still, unable to -decide what to do and as she stood the reddish streak in the south east -grew brighter and less red. - -She became very cold, having stood so long, and started off again more -for want of exercise than through any definite decision, and as she -neared the top of a wild rose bush that protruded from a deep drift, a -rabbit sprang out of its shadow and bounded away to the south. Dora -stopped through momentary fright, and followed him with her eyes as he -fled. She missed him when he was swallowed up in the great ocean of -whiteness and searching for him suddenly discovered a group of horses on -the ridge of a long hill, their dark bodies cut clearly against the end -of the light streak in the sky. - -Dora did not stop for her breakfast. Her eyes lighted up, her nostrils -distended and her thin legs plowed through the snows as if their old -strength had fully come back to them. There were many hills and valleys -lost to the sight in the level whiteness and, crossing them -over-anxiously, she was obliged to stop a few times to rest and to -regain her breath, before at last she reached the horses, by that time -down the side of the hill. - -There were about a dozen of them spread out considerably. While yet some -distance from them, she thought she recognised some of her old friends, -but as she came nearer she was overwhelmed with doubt. They were pawing -the snow very energetically and took little interest in her fervent -greetings. One or two heads raised up a moment, then went back to the -business of finding grass which the rest would not interrupt even for -that short time. This reception was a great disappointment to Dora, but -there were other disappointments in store for her. - -The three horses to whom she was nearest, watched her approach with -suspicion. They were, all three, hard working horses, who found the -pawing of snow a laborious task. They thought she meant to eat from -their find and drove her off with threats of angry whinnies and laying -ears. One of them, a miserable old nag, a red mare with two naked scars -on her shoulders, jumped across the hole she had dug, ran after Dora and -nipped her haunches several times, as poor Dora fled from her. - -Dora stopped running about a hundred yards from there, looked back at -the old nag and, seeing that she had returned to pawing, began to paw -the snow where she was. When she got to the grass and had taken a -mouthful, she raised her head and stared at the group, wondering what -had happened to the beautiful world from which she had been abducted by -man. She could not make out why that old nag had been so intent upon -hurting her. Dora did not know of those differences in temperament which -makes one creature mellow and sympathetic after an experience of great -suffering and another sour and pugnacious. - -Her reception was a sad disappointment to Dora, but even that -companionship was better than none. So she clung to it with all her -strength, content to move about on the outer edge of the group. When the -herd had fed well and for exercise started across the snows, Dora always -went with them, running with every ounce of energy in her body, striving -through her old revived habit to get to the lead; but Dora soon realised -that these were not the days of her supremacy. Strive as she would, she -could not keep up with even the poorest plug and long before the others -were ready to quit, she was obliged to drop out of the race, humiliated -and unhappy, puffing and panting for breath. - -Nevertheless, she took part in every race. Every time she made the same -strenuous attempt to do the impossible. The youngsters of two and three -years of age fairly laughed at her, reaching her while she struggled -with might and main and leaving her behind with a few easy bounds. But -it is a poor effort that accomplishes no result whatever, and though she -could at no time outrun the younger horses, she daily managed to leave -some older horse behind her. - -One day she tried her old trick. Very early in the race she happened to -be in the lead, having started the race. When the younger horses saw her -leading a few of the old plugs, they started after her, soon, of course, -overtaking her. Dora swerved to the side, in the hope that they would -follow her, and found herself alone. They not only refused to follow her -but they did not even look back to see what had happened to her. Dora -was so unhappy she started off again after them, but soon stopped, -realising that she could not catch up to them and that she would soon be -out of breath once more. She stood still a while and watched them -enviously. Then she turned, intending to paw the snow for grass, when -she saw another group of horses coming from the southeast. - -Dora raised her head and looked with absorbed interest. The wind lifted -her mane and fluttered it gracefully in the air. For a few moments, -absorbed in the creatures that moved toward her in single file, she -looked like Queen once more in all the glory of her regency. When they -were a hundred yards away, Queen neighed with all her strength. At once -the marching line stopped and all heads went up high in the air. Then -from the rear of the line a white horse broke from the path he had been -following and with a call of recognition started hastily toward her. It -was White-black and, with a strength born of the very sight of him, -Queen loped to meet him. - -Four of the other horses recognized her, too, and the air vibrated with -the music of that happy reunion. Noses touched noses and happy whinnies -greeted happy whinnies. With the five of them had come a young mother, a -sorrel mare with a fuzzy little colt who had been born in the spring. -When the others had gone to meet Queen she remained in her tracks, -hesitating to get into any kind of an assembly where through joy or -anger her colt might be hurt. He stood right behind her, his fuzzy -little head against her haunch, his eyes filled with wonderment. - -When Dora had greeted her old friends, she went to greet the mother and -her colt, running her old muzzle, on which were still the marks of her -struggle with the basket, down the fuzzy little fellow’s forehead, -murmuring tremulously. The proud young mother looked on almost eagerly -and commented softly and good-naturedly. - -But when the big group returned there was dissention at once. The ugly -red mare seemed to think that there was entirely too much fuss made over -Queen, and turned upon her with open mouth. White-black, right behind -the old nag, nipped her severely. A quarrel followed which spread to the -rest of the group and finally ended in a race which divided the two -groups, Dora going off with her friends. All day the two groups dug the -snow a goodly distance apart and in the evening came the worst storm of -the season. - -The storm approached quite suddenly, though all day there had been vague -signs of its coming. A northern gale blew up, tearing the weaker -branches from the trees and sending them sliding over the surface of the -snow, tearing up the looser snow and blowing it into their eyes and ears -and nostrils. Queen led her group to a fairly sheltered spot in among -the trees near by and together they lay down. - -The warmth of their bodies, one touching the other, was so comforting -that the slightest move on the part of any one of them brought a low, -patient protest from the rest. The night came rapidly. The wind grew -more and more furious, howling and shrieking overhead, and the tall -poplars groaned as they bent with its lashing. Gusts of wind, loaded -with snow, which it raised on the open, struck the trees and the snow -fell in powder upon them below, covering them as with a blanket. - -In the open the savage north wind went mad. It tore along at a terrific -rate, taking everything that was loose with it, then, as if it had in -its savage eagerness fallen over itself, there was a pause for a moment, -after which, picking itself up again, it went on with even greater -ferocity, shrieking as with some ineffable, primordial pain. It seized -the fallen snow and whirled it around with the falling snow, scattered -it high in the air, lifting it again when it had fallen and sending it -like waves across the plains, gathering great showers of it and hurling -them against the wall of the woods, sending these showers down upon the -tree tops, tearing it all up again as soon as it had fallen into drifts -below and once more hurling the restless dust into space—a display of -insane, futile effort—a cosmic passion bereft of purpose. - -But if this wild night could have been wilder and had raved with even -more threat in its raving, it could not have diluted the contentment in -Queen’s heart. The touch and the subtler feeling of the presence of her -companions did as much to keep her warm as the heat of their bodies, -and, like a light, illumined the long trail of life behind her. She -moved through the corridor of her past like a curious child, walking in -its sleep and dreaming of a beautiful, incoherent fairyland. The light -was silvery as that of the moon and in the shadows detached images which -she only half recognised glistened like reflections on the snow. And -when dawn ushered in a calm day, Queen rose with a feeling like that of -having returned home from a long visit and shook the snow from her body. - -Queen knew the country there as none other knew it. Leading the little -group to the best feeding grounds, she took her place once more at the -head, for at the head only could Queen be happy. In spite of the deep -snows through which they were obliged to plow to get their food, Queen -began to fill out rapidly and the greater part of her old strength came -back to her. With the return of her strength came the old fear of man. -Every move was accompanied by an investigation and in every sound of -wind and tree she seemed to hear the sound of a voice. - -There followed a long period of fair weather in which the snows hardened -and shrank and then one day, as they were digging for grass, they were -surprised by three men on horseback on a hill to the south and east, -less than a quarter of a mile away. The horsemen had come upon them so -suddenly that Queen, confounded, stood looking at them a few minutes, -transfixed with fear. She recognised the man who had captured her on the -big horse that had worked beside her in the plow. Next to him was the -boy on the little bay mare and his cry of “There she is!” fully aroused -Queen. - -The little herd, however, had no difficulty in getting away from them, -because they had no burdens on their backs and they were now more used -to the deep snows on the open plains than the horses that were chasing -them. The horsemen kept behind them for a long while and then -disappeared. But Queen was too wise to end her flight there. She knew -that even though the men gave up the chase that day they would appear -again the next, or soon after that. - -Out of the misery and discomfort of her captivity she had just emerged. -She had found her companions and the life for which she had hungered all -through those unhappy months. Hardly had she realised the full extent of -her good fortune when man reappeared to take it all away from her. But -Queen was in no submissive mood. She had fought for her freedom and she -would fight again. She would watch with such care that she would not -again be caught at a disadvantage. She hardly gave herself time to eat. -Her ears were constantly pricked high. Her eyes, afire with her -emotions, never for a moment abandoned their vigilance. But her nervous -dread of man soured the sweetness of the wilds and Queen moved over the -snows with the old feeling of the trap beating in her heart, moved -without resting and, out of habit, moved northward. - -They came next day to the strip of woodland whose heroic poplars -silently guard the Saskatchewan. There they stopped and there the full -horror of the trap took possession of Queen. She was afraid of her own -shadow and the slightest sound startled her. A partridge drumming in the -woods sent her madly loping through space. - -The winter evening came early. The distant sun lowered in the southwest -with a sad, yellow glare; and in the north a gleaming, pearly streak -foretold a brilliant display of northern lights. That streak interested -Queen and she watched it as the darkness thickened, and as she watched -it, looking up from time to time, it grew brighter. Faint shimmering -colours appeared at the eastern end of the streak and slowly moved -across it to the west, vanishing in the west and reappearing brighter in -the east. Many times she had seen these lights, but only once, somewhere -in her half-forgotten childhood, had she seen them so bright and so -fascinating. - -They were standing directly in front of a cleft in the shadowy wall of -trees. The cleft led like a roadway to the banks and the river below. -There they could see more of the lights, the portion that glowed in the -lower part of the sky and danced about over the shadowy tops of the -trees on the other shore. - -It was during a moment when the lights were so compelling that all of -them had stopped to look when there appeared in the cleft the giant body -of a moose, his antlers like a magnificent oak cut clearly against the -scintillating colours of the aurora borealis. His coming had been so -swift, so sudden and so imperceptible that it took them some time to -realise that a living thing stood within a few yards of them, looking at -them. The herd hastily retreated a short distance; but as soon as they -stopped to look back the enormous animal got frightened, turned and -vanished down the banks. - -Queen was very curious. She trotted carefully after him and the rest of -the herd kept to her tracks. When Queen’s head appeared where the plains -turn over the banks, the moose looked up at her a moment and then like a -rabbit shot straight across the river. Beyond the centre of the frozen -river he stopped for a moment to look back once more, then leaped on and -vanished in the woods beyond, leaving behind him, across the ice of the -erstwhile invincible Saskatchewan the defiant shadow of his trail. - -An overwhelming impulse flared up in Queen’s soul. A great confusion of -fear and hope seized upon her heart. So nervous that every muscle in her -body trembled, she made her way down the banks and with infinite fear -and caution she took the trail of the moose. She walked along slowly and -very carefully and stopped often to take bites of the snow on the ice as -if she were testing it and at the same time trying to quench the fires -that were burning within her. The others hesitated a moment, but when -they saw her nearly half way across, they faithfully followed her. - -In the woods north of the river, they camped for the night. Next day -they went on, penetrating the woods and following the trail of the moose -till they came upon an open space a mile beyond the river. There they -remained for the rest of the winter, feeding upon grass the like of -which they had only at rare times come upon. - -Succeeding snowfalls covered their tracks and when spring came, melting -the snows and filling the desolate hollows with quivering, rippling -ponds, loading the lonely air with the whir of duck wings and the -happier honking of geese, the roar of the swollen Saskatchewan had -placed the final seal upon their emancipation. - -And here the story of Queen Dora must end, for in that new world beyond -the trail of the moose her struggle against the usurpation of man was -over. It was long after her generation that man ventured into that -desolate region where she found perfect happiness, as perfect a -happiness as may come to living things. Grass and water, leisure and -activity, companionship and security, these were all Queen asked of -life, and these were as free in those unfenced wilds as the air and as -limitless in their abundance. No enemies, no contention, preferences -without hatred, joyous play and eternal good will, she looked toward -each coming moment with no fear; while the glowing sensations of fading -yesterdays only sweetened the music of her existence. - - - THE END - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Beyond Rope and Fence, by David Grew - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEYOND ROPE AND FENCE *** - -***** This file should be named 63745-0.txt or 63745-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/7/4/63745/ - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/63745-0.zip b/old/63745-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 871fd15..0000000 --- a/old/63745-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h.zip b/old/63745-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 509fd45..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/63745-h.htm b/old/63745-h/63745-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4c11009..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/63745-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7782 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> - <title>Beyond Rope and Fence, by David Grew--A Project Gutenberg eBook</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 8%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.4em; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.2em; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xlarge { font-size: x-large; } - .xxlarge { font-size: xx-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - ul.ul_1 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 2.78%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: disc; } - ul.ul_2 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 6.94%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: circle; } - em.gesperrt { font-style: normal; letter-spacing: 0.2em; margin-right: -0.2em; } - @media handheld { em.gesperrt { font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0; - margin-right: 0;} } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-bottom: 1em; } - @media handheld { hr.pb { display: none; } } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - .figright { clear: right; float: right; max-width: 100%; margin: 0.5em 0 1em 1em; - text-align: right; } - @media handheld { .figright { float: right; } } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .figright img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:600px; } - .id002 { width:100px; } - .id003 { width:627px; } - .id004 { width:150px; } - @media handheld { .id001 { margin-left:12%; width:75%; } } - @media handheld { .id002 { width:12%; } } - @media handheld { .id003 { margin-left:11%; width:78%; } } - @media handheld { .id004 { margin-left:41%; width:18%; } } - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .table0 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; margin-left: 14%; margin-right: 15%; - width: 71%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: left; margin: 0.5em 0; } - img.drop-capi { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; position: relative; z-index: 1; } - p.drop-capi0_8 { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - p.drop-capi0_9 { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - p.drop-capi1_1 { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - p.drop-capi0_8:first-letter { visibility: hidden; - margin-left: -0.8em; } - p.drop-capi0_9:first-letter { visibility: hidden; - margin-left: -0.9em; } - p.drop-capi1_1:first-letter { visibility: hidden; - margin-left: -1.1em; } - @media handheld { - img.drop-capi { display: none; visibility: hidden; } - p.drop-capi0_8:first-letter { color: inherit; visibility: visible; - margin-left: 0em; } - p.drop-capi0_9:first-letter { color: inherit; visibility: visible; - margin-left: 0em; } - p.drop-capi1_1:first-letter { color: inherit; visibility: visible; - margin-left: 0em; } - } - .c000 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c001 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 2em; } - .c002 { margin-top: 8em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c003 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c004 { margin-top: 12em; } - .c005 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c006 { font-size: 4.0em; } - .c007 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin: 1em auto; } - .c008 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin: 1em auto; margin-top: 2em; - } - .c009 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c010 { margin-top: 4em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c011 { text-align: right; } - .c012 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c013 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; padding-right: 1em; } - .c014 { vertical-align: top; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em; - padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; } - .c015 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; } - .c016 { margin-top: 2em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c017 { margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - body {width:80%; margin:auto; } - .tnbox {background-color:#E3E4FA;border:1px solid silver;padding: 0.5em; - margin:2em 10% 0 10%; } - .box1 {border-style: solid; border-width:thick; padding: 1em; margin: 0 10% 0 10% } - .box2 {border-style: double; border-width:thick; padding:1em; - margin: 0 1em 1em 1em } - .sans {font-family: "Ariel", sans-serif; } - h1 {font-size: 3em; text-align: right; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Beyond Rope and Fence, by David Grew - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Beyond Rope and Fence - -Author: David Grew - -Release Date: November 13, 2020 [EBook #63745] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEYOND ROPE AND FENCE *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div> - <h1 class='c001'><span class='xlarge'>BEYOND ROPE<br />AND FENCE</span></h1> -</div> -<p class='c002'> </p> -<div class='figright id002'> -<img src='images/i001.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<p class='c003'> </p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i004.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='box1'> - -<div class='sans'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='c006'>Beyond Rope</span></div> - <div><span class='c006'>and Fence</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c007' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='xlarge'><em class='gesperrt'>DAVID GREW</em></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c008' /> -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/publogo.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<hr class='c008' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='xlarge'><em class='gesperrt'>Boni and Liveright</em></span></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='large'><em class='gesperrt'>Publishers ~ New York</em></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c009'> - <div><i>Copyright, 1922, by</i></div> - <div><span class='sc'>Boni and Liveright, Inc.</span></div> - <div class='c000'>───────</div> - <div class='c000'>PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c009' /> -</div> -<p class='c010'><span class='large'><i>To you, dear old Dora, who inspired this book, -I dedicate it. I regret most poignantly that life -has ordained that you may never know, despite -my caresses and my quart measures filled to overflowing -with oats, how deeply I have sympathised -with you in those moments when you stood -motionless before me and I could see by the -strange, sad light in your eyes that you were -dreaming of long departed, happy years of freedom -on the plains.</i></span></p> -<div class='c011'><span class='large'>D. G.</span></div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c009' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c012'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='16%' /> -<col width='69%' /> -<col width='13%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c013'><span class='small'>CHAPTER</span></td> - <td class='c014'> </td> - <td class='c015'><span class='small'>PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'> </td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Foreword</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#frwd'>i</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>I.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>For the Love of Her Foal</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch01'>1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>II.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>To the North!</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch02'>25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>III.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Death in the Howl of Coyotes</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch03'>35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>IV.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>A Seeking That Found</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch04'>48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>V.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Man, the Usurper</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch05'>59</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>VI.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>How Man Breaks the Spirit and the Body</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch06'>75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>VII.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>The Conspiracy of Man and Coyote</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch07'>87</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Retribution</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch08'>116</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>IX.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Slowly Man Crept Northward</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch09'>123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>X.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>The Doors of the Trap Shut</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch10'>133</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>XI.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Rope, Iron and Fire</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch11'>163</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>XII.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>The Strength of the Weak</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch12'>178</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Labour Without Love or Wage</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch13'>195</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>XIV.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>Only Justice Had Been Done</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch14'>201</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'>XV.</td> - <td class='c014'><span class='sc'>The Trail of the Moose</span></td> - <td class='c015'><a href='#ch15'>225</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='frwd' class='c012'>FOREWORD</h2> -</div> -<p class='c016'>In the fall of the year, the farmers and the -ranchers of the northwest prairies of Canada -release their horses for the winter. Strange as -it may seem to those of us who shudder at the -very thought of raging blizzards on the open -plains, the horses that are left free to roam -over unsheltered space and are obliged to dig -down through feet of snow for their grass, not -only survive the severest winters but are generally -found fat and strong the next spring.</p> - -<p class='c003'>If while you are out riding you happen -upon a group of these free horses, they will -stare at you curiously until they begin to fear -that you have come to gather them up and to -take them back to the farm yard, then with -angry, defiant tossing of heads they will turn -and gallop out of reach, going so fast that you -will not see them for snow dust. The horse -you are riding, if he has ever enjoyed a winter -of that freedom, will struggle to get away -from you so that he may join them. Because -you will not let him go, he will show his -displeasure like a petulant child and long after -you have forced him to abandon the attempt to -get loose, long after the happier group has -disappeared, he will keep turning his head -back and calling yearningly to them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The farmer who releases his horses in the -fall rarely loses any of them. Every farmer -knows every horse within a radius of twenty-five -miles or more, knows them by name and -colour, knows their histories and peculiarities. -When the farmer is in doubt as to who some -distant rider may be, you can hear him think -aloud thus:</p> - -<p class='c003'>“That’s Skinner’s sorrel, Billy. Skinner’s -goin’ for his mail.” Or: “That’s Spicer’s -white nag, Madge. I’ll bet Spicer’s comin’ to -see about them oats.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>So in the spring of the year, when the -farmers are all out searching for their horses, -they know those they come upon, and if some -farmer sees Skinner’s sorrel, Billy, he will -drive him in the direction of Skinner’s homestead, -talking to Billy as he does so, in some -such fashion as this:</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Well, Billy, you little devil, you ain’t any -the worse for the worst winter in twenty years. -You’re fat as a pig. Go on now, get home! -I know you don’t like the idea of gettin’ back -to work, but it’s soon seedin’ time, you know!”</p> - -<p class='c003'>The farmer who works beside his horses -daily, who gets to understand every expression -of these beautiful, intelligent creatures, always -talks seriously to them. This sounds strange -to us until we have come in contact with these -animals for a short time, when, hardly being -conscious of it, we soon start talking to them -ourselves. They certainly understand many -words and I have seen evidences of horses -recognising at once what sort of temper or -mood men happen to be in as soon as they -approach them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Just as they learn to understand us, we learn -to understand them. Every neigh or whinny -takes on the meaning of a word, and their -scowling or angry shaking of heads, and their -protests against certain discomforts we impose -upon them appear as clearly as the similar -expressions of people. The most amazing -fact, however, that slowly dawns upon us, -is the fact that these lovely animals live in a -conscious world of their own, not half so -different from ours as we had allowed ourselves -to think.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The rancher is not as intimate with the -horses he breeds and rears in virtual wildness -on the vast ranges which he leases from -the government and about which he builds his -barbed wire fences. Naturally so. He has -from several hundred to several thousand -horses and they are virtually in a wild state -until he sells them, when they are broken-in -and most of the untamed spirit is crushed out -of them by heavy labour.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A rancher can rarely tell you how many -horses he has. During the spring when colts -are most often born, his stock may double for -all he knows. He does not attempt to find out -until the fall, when he rounds them up. The -young colts are separated from their mothers -and branded. The poor young things are tied -and thrown and the red hot iron, with the -shape of each rancher’s particular brand, is -pressed upon the shoulder till the insignia is -burned through hair and skin, where the -mark remains as long as the creature lives.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The ranch horses are wilder and more spirited -than the farm horses, but when the latter -are released for the winter, they often mix with -the former, breaking up into groups of those -who seem to feel themselves more congenial -to each other. Every animal has a character -and personality of his own, and while he will -get along beautifully with one horse, he will -fight all the time with another. From my -observation, it seems to me that the wild -free horse does much less quarrelling than the -horse that has toiled on the farm, which would -indicate quite clearly how much like ours his -nature is.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Very few of the great herds that rustle for -themselves all winter long die while they are -away. Those that die are horses that either -have been kept in the barn too late in the -season or else that were in a starved condition -when they were released. A horse that has -been kept in the barn till after the cold season -has set in and has been inured to the warmth of -the barn, when suddenly exposed to the unsheltered -open plains, if the weather happens to -be severe, will sometimes die because it finds -it is unable to adjust itself to the change in -temperature.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But there is one peculiarity of horse nature -which sometimes kills the best horse, not only -in the wilds but in the pasture or barn yard, -if no one is about to come to its assistance. -Every horse loves to roll. He will lie down -on a sandy spot or on the snow and roll over -from side to side. It sometimes happens that -he selects a spot that has a deep rut, or that is -near a wall, a stone, or a straw-stack. He -will roll over and strike the wall or the straw-stack -or get caught in the rut in such a way -that he cannot force himself back. He will -remain helpless on his back till some one comes -to his rescue. If he gets no assistance he will -die in a very short time, sometimes within less -than an hour.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But I am interested in the horse as a fellow -being, subject as we are to limitations; and, to -a degree less perhaps than we are, capable of -joy and sorrow. In so far as these beautiful -creatures are able to communicate to others -an indication of the emotions out of which -their lives are built, I have taken my story -directly from them. My story, too, comes -fresh from the prairies. I did most of its -planning while riding on horseback over hundreds -of miles of rolling Alberta plains, often -coming upon hills from which I could see a -perfectly circular horizon without a sign of -human life, save perhaps some telltale arrangement -of stones, laid on the hilltop by Indians -whom fate had long since swept from the -plains of their fatherland. At such times my -pony, whose wild and exciting history forms -the greater part of this story, seemed as much -moved by the open vastness and the stillness -as I; and, each in his own way, we held -communion with the spirit of the wilderness.</p> -<div class='c011'>D. G.</div> -<p class='c017'>Langmark, Alberta, Canada.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='xxlarge'>BEYOND ROPE AND FENCE</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch01' class='c012'>CHAPTER I<br /> <br />FOR THE LOVE OF HER FOAL</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-r.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -ROLLING hills and shallow valleys—an -ocean of brown waves with fast -drying sloughs, like patches of sunshine -on the surface of the sea—such -was the Canadian prairie that autumn -day—such were the miles and miles of Alberta -range, bounded by a barbed wire fence that -was completely lost in the unobstructed play of -sunshine. It was an open wilderness, so vast -that it seemed to stretch on almost endlessly -beyond the horizon, which lay desolate and -unbroken like a rusty, iron ring, girding the -earth. Its immensity, by an inexorable contrast, -dwarfed everything that crept over the -surface of the plains into a helpless puniness.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The hundred horses on the range, scattered -and grouped by their predilections for each -other, looked, in the distance, like ants crawling -over the surface of a rock. Within sight -of each other, bound by the ties of race, they -nevertheless had their loves and their preferences. -Most of the mothers with their little -colts grazed in a group by themselves; while -a few mothers, as if they felt that their children -were better than their neighbour’s children, -kept themselves apart from the herd, though -always within sight.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Among the latter was a shapely, light-brown -or buckskin mare who was grazing peacefully -about her precious, buckskin coloured daughter. -The little one was asleep on the grass. -Her graceful little legs were stretched as far -as she could stretch them. Her lovely little -head lay flat on the ground. Her fluffy tail -was thrown back on the grass with a delicious -carelessness.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was only six months old, but already -the very image of her mother. From the white -strip on her forehead and the heavy black -mane down to the unequal white spots on her -two hind fetlocks, she was like her. Only -her wiry, delicately wrought little legs seemed -somewhat too long for her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly the old mare’s head went up high -in the air; her grinding teeth ceased grinding -as a broken machine comes to a dead stop; and -the round, dilated, knowing eyes pierced the -slight haze in the atmosphere. The little -head on the grass raised just a bit, looked -inquiringly at her beloved mother—quite -near; then with the innocent confidence of -childhood, dropped back again, rubbing the -soft fragrant grass in an ecstasy of contentment.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But the old mare continued to gaze intently, -standing motionless as a stone. She saw that -all the other horses were gazing just as -intently as she was. Small moving objects—two -men on horseback—had broken over the -line of shadow along the southern horizon. -One of them was loping away to the right and -the other to the left. The old buckskin mare -had already lived more than twenty years. -Not only had she herself suffered at the hands -of man, but she had had so many of her babies -taken from her and cruelly abused—often -before her very eyes. Her mother’s heart -began beating fast and apprehensively.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The other mares, not far from her, also -showed signs of extreme nervousness. The -buckskin saw them run off for a short distance -as if in panic, then stop and gaze anxiously at -the approaching riders. It was time to act. -She looked questioningly a moment toward -the north; but she realised that that direction -would soon be closed to her, for she could tell -that the riders, loping straight north, meant -to turn in time and come back upon them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She called nervously to her little one. The -little thing sprang to its feet, sidled up to -her and gazed at the dark specks that were -coming together in the north, with fear glowing -moist in her large, round eyes.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Until she had seen a group of horsemen -dismount, one day, she had thought that man -was a monstrous sort of horse with a frightful -hump on its back. What little she had been -able to learn about him since that time had -served only to intensify her fear of him; and -despite her abiding confidence in her mother, -she trembled timorously as she heard the -ominous hoof-beats in the distance.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The animals instinctively gathered into a -bunch and started away at full speed. While -one of the horsemen remained some distance -behind, ready to prevent the group from going -off to either side, the other plunged into the -midst of them and deftly separated the mothers -and their colts from the rest of the bunch. -Then they allowed the single horses to run -off to the north at their will; while they came -together behind the mothers and their colts -and drove them southward toward the long -line of shadow that lay like a black elongated -reptile, below the horizon and parallel to it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>That long line of shadow, which widened as -they neared it, was a great canyon which the -Red Deer River had cut out of the level plains. -From the jaws of the mouth of the canyon, -which were a mile or so apart, the floor of -the prairies fell away sheer in places, to a -depth of a thousand feet. In many spots there -were several parallel cuts in the edge of that -floor. Where, during the ages, the elements -had been unable to remove the loose earth, it -lay along the bank in steep hills which rose -up from the bottom of the canyon like gigantic -teeth, all crumbling more or less, all dotted -with stones and covered here and there with -blotches of sagebrush and cacti.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In the centre of the flat-bottomed canyon, as -if an ancient torrential flood had spent itself -and narrowed down at last to a small, shining -stream, a quarter of a mile in width, ran the -Red Deer River. In the middle of the half-mile -wide space between the river and the hills -that made the wall of the canyon, stood the -buildings of the ranch. The house, a small -shingled structure, stood on the east end of -the spacious, sandy yard; while opposite and -facing it was the long, red barn with its open -door below and the gaping window space in -the loft above. North of the barn and against -its blind wall there was a big corral, divided -into two parts by a partition. The corral -walls as well as the partition were made of -logs laid horizontally, a foot apart and rising -to a height of some eight feet. Each of these -two sections had huge swinging gates which -opened inward.</p> - -<p class='c003'>As helplessly as the waters of Niagara, the -frantic mothers, stealing side glances at their -little ones and feeling them at their sides, -poured down the steep incline, between the -giant teeth, into the mouth of the canyon, -slipping, sliding, and leaping downward -riskily, in haste and fear. On the level bottom -of the canyon, the buckskin mare made an -attempt to turn from the path which led to -the rancher’s buildings in the hope of getting -to the river beyond; but one of the horsemen -divined her rebellious intention and shot by -her like a flash of light, heading her off and -forcing her back. She realised the futility of -baffling their superior wills; but went back -with an angry shake of her wise old head and -a deliberate scowl of hatred for the tormenting -man and the servile horse under him who was -betraying his kind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>However the old mare happened to feel, -the little buckskin, since the forces of evil had -as yet made no attempt to separate her from -her mother, shook the fear from her heart and -took all the delight there was to take in this -unexpected excitement of the day. Healthy -to the last cell in her body, the race had merely -accelerated the circulation of her blood; and -the ease with which she was able to keep up -with her mother made her conscious of a great -and thrilling power. Her eyes and nostrils -dilated, her mane bristling and her tail -unfurled, her springy legs carrying her with -ease, there was an expression of boundless joy -in the motion of her graceful body.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The gates of the corral stood wide open. -Being so driven that they could not swerve -from the path, half the group poured into one -section of the corral and the other half into -the other. When they turned at the opposite -walls realising that there, there was no way -out again, and came back toward the gates, -they saw the men closing them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Only the soul that has been trapped knows -the crushing torment of four relentless walls. -Round and round they went, madly and -stupidly, and clouds of beaten earth rose from -under their feet and choked them. Finally -becoming aware of the fact that the men were -not pursuing them any longer, they packed into -a corner of the corral and, looking over the -corral walls and between the logs, sought to -learn what they were doing. They saw one -man building a fire in the open, but a few -paces from the corral; while the other was -calmly and portentously making preparations -that were only too familiar to the old mares.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The little buckskin, beside her mother, -always beside her mother, clinging to that -big beloved body as the soul clings to life, -was wedged into the very corner and right -against the logs of the wall, so that her -frightened eye, in the middle of the open -space between two logs, could see the rancher’s -house some four rods away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her sides were still throbbing violently -when she saw the house door open. A little -girl appeared. The little filly did not know -what kind of animal that was except that -she guessed that it was some sort of man. -She perceived with renewed trepidation that -the little girl was hopping and skipping -directly toward her. In her fright she pressed -tight against her mother, but her mother, much -more concerned with the men and apparently -indifferent to the little girl, would not move -an inch. When suddenly the little buckskin -felt the touch of the little girl’s hand on her -back, she called out frantically to her mother. -But the old mare bent down her long neck, -touched the little head with her soft, warm -lips, murmured reassuringly and then looked -away again. By that time the filly realised, -uncomfortable though she was, that the little -hand was not going to hurt her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The little girl climbed up two of the logs, -moved slowly toward the little buckskin’s -head, talking softly and coaxingly as she -moved. The filly listened with ears pricked -high. In the stream of meaningless prattle, -the foal became aware of the existence of the -combination of sounds, “Queen,” as one becomes -aware of a constantly repeated melody -in a piece of music. By the time the little -girl had carefully pushed her head through -the space between two logs, directly in front -of the filly’s muzzle, the little buckskin, -though frightened again, became exceedingly -curious. There was something very disarming -about that soft voice and the soothing repetition -of the word, “Queen.” She cautiously -stretched her muzzle, sniffing at the little -mouth, moving it closer and closer and just -when she touched the little girl’s face, with a -cry of delight the little girl kissed her fervently -on the nose.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She drew her muzzle away quickly and -looked with a frightened eye. It had interrupted -her attempt to sniff, however, and once -more assured that there was nothing harmful -about the little girl, she made a second attempt. -The little girl continued calling her, “Queen,” -coaxingly, till the little muzzle touched her -lips again and once more she kissed her, crying -out again with delight.</p> - -<p class='c003'>This sweet, unofficial christening might have -resulted in a beautiful, enduring friendship, -but a sudden, terrific patter of feet in the next -corral came through the air accompanied by -a nauseating cloud of smoke, and all was -confusion again. Round and round their -section of the corral they swept again till they -realised that the men were not yet molesting -them. When they stopped to investigate, little -Queen saw a man in the other section of the -corral rush toward a mare with a long hideous -stick. She saw him strike the colt that tried -to follow her and saw the colt run back into -the corral while the mother had run out. She -could not quite understand what he was doing; -but she experienced an overwhelming fear of -losing her mother, and clung to her beloved -sides with more tenacity than ever.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The other section of the corral was finally -cleared of all the mares who, standing on the -outside, would not go away; but in concert -rent the air with their cries of protest. Queen -was so curious that, despite her beating heart, -she moved to where she could see what was -going on. She saw ropes flash through the -air and immediately after, a little colt fell -to the dusty ground. The cry from the little -one’s mother was answered by a stifled cry -from the ground and as Queen, unable to -stand still for fear, listened to that cry, there -suddenly began coming to her the odour of -blood and burning flesh. Madness seized upon -them once more and the dizzying whirl round -the choking corral gave them some relief. -They finally stopped to rest a while, only to -have another colt thrown and his cries and -the smell of burning flesh set them through the -frenzied motion round the corral, all over -again.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Most of the afternoon it took before all the -colts in the first section had been branded and -mutilated. It was a noisy, dusty, cruel process; -and the men, perspiring heavily, their faces -wet and black with the dust that settled on -them, looked like tormenting imps of hell; -but they were no more to be blamed for the -cruelty that was theirs to do than were their -helpless victims.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All that clamour of pain and struggle -could not disturb the mist-like loneliness that -brooded over the far-reaching distance. On -the other side of the river, visible beyond -less rugged banks, stretched a lifeless country -of hills and plains, so desolate and so motionless -that the very stones that dotted them -seemed with their feeble reflections to be -futilely protesting against their destitution.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A pause came to the torturous struggle. The -gate of the first corral was opened and the -sickened little colts shambled out into the open -where their frantic mothers caressed them, -then led them away to the east. The men -walked off and disappeared in the house. -Taking advantage of the silence and the -respite, the still captive colts, one after -another, took to sucking. It was not very -long, however, before they were interrupted -by the reappearance of the men. The skin -on every captive began to tremble and the -eight mothers with their eight colts packed -into one corner.</p> - -<p class='c003'>One man, carrying a long stick, entered the -section and advanced to the middle while the -other stationed himself at the gate. First the -man with the stick forced the group to move -into the opposite corner, then, after a long -struggle, he singled out the buckskin mare. -He had driven her toward the gate but a few -feet, when little Queen, bending so low that -she passed under the stick, rushed out of reach -of it and gained her mother’s side. Had it -not been for the vigilance of the man at the -gate they would have both escaped. It was -getting to be late in the afternoon and the -man was tired and impatient. As with most -impatient people, his common sense gave way -to his impatience. He was not only determined -to get the buckskin mare out first, but he was -even more anxious to punish her. He singled -her out again and reaching her, struck her -with his stick. In pain and fright, the mare -rushed for the gate. It was partially opened -and she was half way out when a cry from -little Queen, who saw her leaving her, brought -her to her senses.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Rebelliously, she reared and fell with full -force upon the gate. It swung violently backward, -striking the man who held it so severely -that it knocked him off his feet and sent him -rolling to the wall. The second man who was -trying to prevent Queen from following her -mother was away over at the other end of the -corral. The gateman’s cry and the image of -him on the dusty ground, so confused the other -that for a few moments he stood still, unable -to move a muscle. When he saw his partner -pick himself up, he realised that he should -have hurried to the gate and closed it; but -by that time the whole group had escaped and -were racing for the hills, the buckskin mare -in the lead and her precious Queen eagerly -behind her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>With a majestic toss of her head, conscious -of having scored a victory, and determined to -keep it, the buckskin mare fled across the flats. -It was now not only the overwhelming desire -to get away. Vaguely she realised that she -had crossed the man’s will and that that was a -punishable offence.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The mothers whose foals had been branded -were off on a field at the foot of the hills. The -field had yielded a crop of oats and the oats -had been reaped and taken from the field; but -there was still enough grain left to make it -worth their while to remain there. If, when -they followed the fugitives with their eyes, -they had any desire to go along, they knew -that their sickened colts would not go with -them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The buckskin mare gave them hardly a -glance. She struck up the steep incline with -risky speed, bent upon getting out of the men’s -reach, as soon as was possible. The men, on -the other hand, were at a disadvantage. Before -they could saddle their ponies, the mares, they -knew, would be off somewhere at the other -end of the range. They realised, too, that -the mares were now so excited that they would -have very great difficulty in rounding them -up. They were angry at the rebellious mare, -but these animals were their property and they -did not want to hurt them. Another struggle -at that time, they felt, might even endanger -their own lives. The man who had been -knocked over was not only as tired as the other -fellow was, but he was aching from head to -foot. Besides, the afternoon was rapidly giving -way to early evening. They decided to -finish the branding on the following day.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But to the buckskin mare the spaces behind -her seemed peopled with imaginary pursuers, -and she struggled up the slippery incline as -if her very life depended upon getting to the -top and away. The rest of the mares that fled -with her and their little ones seemed to find -greater difficulty in getting to the top, but -they followed as eagerly. Rocks and sand -rolled thunderously down behind them and -the dust rose from the mouth of the canyon -like volcanic smoke.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When they finally reached the level plains -above, the old mare was white with foam. -They had that afternoon been rounded up in -a hollow toward the northeast of where they -now were and fear of being rounded up again -sent the buckskin mare to the west. Her usual -fear of man, many times intensified by the -feeling that now she would be severely -punished for breaking loose, aroused in her -old head the instinctive desire of the animal -that is pursued, to get under cover. Though -there was neither sight nor sound of any one -behind her, she ran with might and main for -the coulee that she knew was a mile and a half -to the west, and until she had turned over the -lip of the coulee and had reached the very -end of its slope, she did not slacken her pace, -several times almost breaking a leg in badger -holes that she avoided by only a hair’s breadth. -Down in the gulch there was a path, made by -the water of the melted snow in spring as it -had wound its way to the river. Along this -path, which led northward, they trotted without -stopping till they came to where the range -fence forced them to halt.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Here at last they rested, though the buckskin -mare kept anxious vigil for the first sign -of any one pursuing them. The mothers began -grazing slowly while their young, moving -with them, strove to get the milk they felt -belonged to them. As soon as the colts had -had all the milk there was for them they went -leisurely in search of tender grasses and soon -all were grazing as if nothing had ever -happened.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But the buckskin mare was still worried. -She walked to the two wires that barred her -way and with her head above the upper wire -she gazed to the north. A quarter of a mile -away, the coulee ended. Its floor curved -upward like the bottom of a ship. Where it -ended and the prairie floor began there was a -cluster of sagebrush. The evening was rapidly -turning the sage into a silhouette against the -bright background of the sky. Fear of pursuit -came back with the coming of the night and -the old mare roused herself. With a sudden -impulse she backed away from the wires and -dropped to her knees. Pushing her head under -the lower wire she moved cautiously forward, -an inch at a time. Slowly she felt the wire -move backward over her body and each time -the barb dug through her skin she stopped -and tried to crouch lower. With a sharp -scratch it rolled over her withers and stuck -painfully into her back. She tried again to -crouch down lower, but failing to rid herself -of the barb, she rested a moment.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The barb hurt her considerably and she -made a strenuous effort to lower herself out -of its reach, and in so doing pressed her outstretched -muzzle right into a rosebush. While -the pain of thorns still pricked her lips there -was a sudden flash of white right before her -eyes and a thump on the ground as if a rock had -been thrown at her. With all the strength in -her body, forgetting in her fright the wire on -her back, she sprang backward to her feet, -snapping the lower wire and stretching the -upper one as if it had been a string.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her frightened jump, the momentary struggle -with the upper wire that had caught in -her mane, and the cry that escaped her, set -the group into a stampede, and she herself, -when finally freed from the entangling wire, -dashed off to the rear for a dozen rods. The -slopes of the coulee were dotted with the mares -and colts who had fled in every direction. -Outside the range and on the rim of the coulee -lay a silly rabbit, stretching himself and gazing -down with foolish eyes.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was nothing dangerous visible and -nothing in the air to worry her, so the old mare -started slowly and cautiously back again -toward the one wire now hanging limply, and, -in one place, less than two feet from the -ground. There she sniffed about carefully and -suddenly raising her head, she caught sight of -the rabbit, as he was bounding away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There were many things that the old buckskin -was afraid of, but a rabbit was not one of -them. Realising that she had allowed herself -to become alarmed at nothing, she went at her -task with greater determination. She was -about to get down to her knees again when -she realised that the remaining wire was now -low enough for her to step over it. Carefully -lifting each leg, her skin quivering with her -excitement, the buckskin mare stepped over -the wire into freedom; and little Queen, frightened -to see her mother beyond the fence, made -it with a single leap.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old buckskin was for running now as -fast as she could for the north, but she wanted -the rest of the mares to go with her. She -turned to look at them. There they were -grazing at various points with absolute indifference -to the great achievement she had -consummated. She called to them to follow, -but beyond a busy reply they paid no heed to -her. When, however, they heard the sound -of her tearing the more abundant grass outside -the range, they awoke to the fact that they -were not getting all they might get. Whereas -the ideal of liberty had been an abstraction -to them, the fact of abundant grass was a -reality, and it was not many minutes before, -one by one, they had all made their way over -the hanging wire.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The late autumn nights had steadily grown -colder and, since hollows are colder than the -higher portions of the prairie at night, they -moved rapidly to the plains above. Round -about them lay the silent night, dark and -infinite, and the stars looked down upon its -hidden desolation. Closely together they -grazed, lips fairly touching lips, without protest -or impatience. As they grazed, they moved -on to the north, and the rhythmic <i>tear-tear</i> of -grass interspersed with rhythmic footfalls was -the accompanying cadence of their half-unconscious -flight.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Some four miles from the range, they slept -for the night on a low round hill and when -dawn came they found the earth covered white -with frost. The sun rose, putting a slight -tinge of red into the whiteness, and Queen was -so curious about it she went looking for the -spots where it was thickest and licked it off -the sage or rosebushes.</p> - -<p class='c003'>To warm up they raced for half an hour, -following the old buckskin to the north, then -spent the rest of the morning grazing and -moving leisurely. It was well on toward the -middle of the day when an open triangle of -honking geese, high in the air, made them look -up. The old mare watched the geese move -across the sky till they were lost in the south -and was just about to return to her grazing -when she saw two small objects appear on the -horizon. They were so far away that they -were indiscernible, but she did not wait to -make certain what they were. With a call -that frightened the little herd she turned north -and fled.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For several hours they raced on toward the -heart of the wilderness; then complaint on the -part of the little ones, who did not like this -endless running, stopped them. But they had -rested only a few minutes when they discovered -the rancher and his assistant rounding a hill -about two miles behind them. The frantic -mothers, remembering yesterday’s struggle, -fled at top speed, never slackening for a moment -till, nearly twelve miles farther north, -the little ones deliberately hung back. When, -however, half an hour later, their pursuers -surprised them by coming up on top of a hill -only half a mile to their rear, the colts fully -realised the danger and from that time on they -sped along without a murmur.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The afternoon wore along toward evening -and though, as the shadows began lengthening, -they felt that their pursuers had abandoned -the pursuit, they did not cease running until -the thickening darkness gave them a greater -feeling of security. Even then their rest was -a nervous one. They grazed with ears pricked -and when they felt that their little ones would -follow they started off again, going at a steady -trot.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They came, late in the night, to a hollow -in the middle of which was a huge shadow, -which they recognised was a stack of hay. -There were no lights about anywhere, nor -was there the slightest trace of man in the -air. A cold wind had blown up from the west -and their wet bodies were made uncomfortably -cold. Lying down on the open plains in that -condition, they knew, would not give them -much rest. They felt the need of rest even -more strongly than that of food and the haystack -offered protection against the wind. So -they approached very cautiously.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Something white at its base seemed to have -moved as they neared it, and the whole herd -stopped to look and to sniff. The old buckskin -mare, who was now, as she had been all -the time, in the lead, took a few steps farther -and sniffed again. She smelled rotten hay -and with that smell came the smell of warm -bodies of horses. She called out inquiringly.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In answer to her call, the white object at -the base of the stack, raised itself laboriously -from the ground and replied with a lazy, -sleepy whinny. Immediately the little herd -started toward the stack. She found the white -object to be a white mare and in the rotten -hay lay her jet black colt, complaining impatiently -because his mother had disturbed him -by getting up, and he felt disagreeably cold.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The hay was very old and very rotten, but -they had not come there to feast. What they -wanted was shelter from the hard wind and -each one went looking for a good place to -rest in. The buckskin mare almost stepped -on the leg of an old work-horse. In spite of -her annoying him, he whinnied so good-naturedly -that she decided to stay right there -near him. Queen pushed herself into the hay -beside the old work-horse and her mother lay -down in front of her. Protected against the -wind on all sides she was soon very comfortable -and cosy and fell fast asleep.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch02' class='c012'>CHAPTER II<br /> <br />TO THE NORTH!</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-i.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi0_8'> -IT was in the very early hours of the -morning when little Queen was rudely -awakened by the sudden rising of her -mother, upon whose warm flank her -little head was lying. As her consciousness -lighted up, she became aware of a -most disturbing odour in the air. Forms of -restless horses moved about in the semi-darkness -and the rhythmic sound of hoof-beats -told of threatening danger. Her mother was -standing next to the white mare in a group that -seemed transfixed by a reddish light which -came from the southwest. In the distance, on -the horizon, was a low crescent of fire. Far -away as the fire was, Queen could see the -flames creeping. It looked very much like a -vast herd of glowing creatures, among which, -now and then, one leaped high above the -others.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Terrified so that the very muscles in her -body quivered, she sprang toward her mother -and pushed her way in between the two mares. -Fire had been part of the horrible process in -the corral, but that fire had been as nothing -to this. She was afraid! She wanted to run, -and she worried about their standing still.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The black colt on the other side of his white -mother was not the least bit frightened. He -had as yet met with nothing baneful in fires -and they only interested him. At that moment, -having slept well and fed well and feeling -unusually good, he wanted very much to frisk -about and play. He trotted over to Queen -and mischievously butted her from behind, -pushing her half way out from between the -two mares. Queen was much too nervous to -tolerate his playfulness. With an impatient -toss of her head she moved back against her -mother and called for help. The old buckskin -herself was in no mood for trifling and drove -the black colt away with an angry threat. The -white mare, who was as indulgent a mother as -the buckskin, took the matter so seriously that -there would have been trouble but for a sudden -blast of wind, loaded with smoke.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was a hurried clatter of hoofs and -the herd started away as with one impulse. -Down slopes, through wide hollows, up hills, -leaping over badger holes and stones, they -ran, half enjoying the excitement. Occasionally -they stopped to look back with glaring -eyes upon the flames that swept along in their -wake, still far, but unmistakably nearer every -time they stopped.</p> - -<p class='c003'>With the coming of full daylight the flames -lost their brilliance and the colts, tired of -running, would stop every once in a while and -noisily protest to their mothers, who kept a -short distance ahead of them. They would -then walk slowly and whinny till a new gust -of wind with a new offensive cloud of smoke -would frighten them and send them on again -with renewed energy.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But their endurance was rapidly giving out -and toward the middle of the day they refused -to run any more. Their mothers, a few paces -ahead of them, called to them solicitously, ran -on as if they meant to desert them, then seeing -that that did not move them, they came -back calling coaxingly and tried to encourage -them. A step at a time, their heads bobbing -wearily, their sides wet, they lumbered along -complainingly.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The prairie fire kept gaining upon them. -The mothers’ anxiety turned into desperation. -They came back to them and getting behind -them fairly pushed them along. Suddenly a -blazing thistle, driven by the gale, rolled into -their midst. All weariness, all aches and pains -were at once forgotten. As if they were controlled -by a single mind, they bounded forward, -re-entering the race for life with an -energy which they themselves did not know -they had.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The sun with smiling indifference moved -rapidly down the lower half of its diurnal arc. -The wind tore along behind them with irregular -force and with a constant changing of direction. -The smoke it had borne all day had -grown less and less perceptible. The weight -of Queen’s body dragged more and more irresistibly -downward. Her head began swimming -in waves of weariness that were inundating -the whole of her body; but she struggled -on bravely, though she vaguely felt that it -would not be long before she would be forced -to give up the struggle. Then, as she reached -the top of a hill, she beheld through the film -of moisture on her eyes, the mares and the -stronger colts who had gone on ahead, now -grazing on the other side of a long, black, -dried mud spot down in the hollow.</p> - -<p class='c003'>That the wind had veered decidedly, taking -smell and smoke and fire off to the east, they -had not even noticed. They had been running -unnecessarily for some time, impelled by the -fear of the burning thistle. The sight of the -herd grazing with apparent fearlessness reassured -them. Most of the stragglers walked -on ahead to join them, but Queen selected a -soft spot on the grass and dropped to the -ground with a sigh.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Hunger had no power over her now. She -stretched out her legs and her head and relaxed, -sinking willingly into the stupor that -swept over her. Her mother near her cropped -the delicious grass with avidity; but the long-drawn -sighs that came from her little one and -the rapid sinking and swelling of her wet -sides, worried her. She walked over to -Queen, whinnied softly and licked the perspiration -from her little body. Little Queen -continued to breathe heavily but a note of relief -entered the sound of her breathing, and -now more comfortable she fell asleep.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But if Queen had gone to sleep thinking that -her exhausting journey was over, she was -doomed to disappointment. She woke shortly -after she had fallen asleep, with a most intense -desire to drink. On the hill above the hollow -she saw the greater part of the herd already -moving on. Some of the mares and their colts -near Queen were starting away and her mother -was calling her, very evidently moved by the -same urge. There was nothing behind them -forcing them to go. There was no discussion -of any sort to make clear the need for going. -In the mind of each of them there was the -image of a slough. It was a sort of composite -image of all the sloughs they had ever drunk -from and with that image like a mirage on the -prairie distance before them, they doggedly -hit once more the unbroken trail to the north.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All day and most of the evening they continued -the discouraging advance without coming -even to the bed of a dried-up slough. That -night they grazed a little and slept a little, but -the thirst for water, somewhat weakened by -the coldness of the early night, soon reasserted -itself and sent them restlessly going again. -The morning brought some relief. The -ground was covered with a thick frost and the -grass they ate partially quenched their thirst. -But by the time the sun was quite high on its -arc they were as thirsty as ever and soon commenced -the weary march once more.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was in the early evening that they came -at last upon a half-dried slough toward one -end of which there was a good sized hole full -of water. The surface of the water was covered -with a layer of ice. With her hoof one -of the mares made a large hole in the ice and -as many as could squeeze into the first circle -around it, drank till some of the others began -to fear that there would be no water left for -them. Some pushed the drinkers greedily and -even nipped at them but the others just waited -patiently.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her mother was one of the first to drink, -but little Queen waited till she saw two of the -horses—strangers to her—turn away. The -old work-horse whose good nature had impressed -itself upon her at the haystack, and -who by daylight seemed even more kindly disposed, -his sorrel coat somehow intensifying his -harmlessness, took half the space they left and -Queen walked up beside him. The old fellow’s -upper lip trembled in soft assurance of -his friendship. Very grateful to him Queen -bent down and drank, a few inches away from -his head, keeping her eyes on the reflections -in the water, raising her head hastily just as -soon as one of the reflections moved.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The world seemed altogether different to -her after that drink. It seemed as if every -wish of her little soul had been gratified. She -was still tired but it was not a very painful -tiredness and not strong enough to keep her -from preferring the tender grasses in the old -slough to resting.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Night came again. The wind completely -changed. It blew strong and cold now from -the southeast. The sky was very clear and in -the north just above the horizon many lights -quivered. The old buckskin mare settled -down comfortably in the midst of the other -mares and little Queen nestled up against her -warm body. With her head upon her mother’s -flank she delighted in her comfort and gazed -at the northern lights, whose brilliant display -did not seem to worry the older horses. Yet -so long as Queen’s eyes were open they were -fastened upon those lights; and so long as the -little brain was awake it kept wondering with -a bit of fear what they might mean, for they -were different from fire yet moved as fire did.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She had slept a long time when she was -awakened by the sound of anxious neighing -that seemed far away and yet filled the air -above the little valley. Upon opening her -eyes she beheld the northern lights so clear -and so near that she trembled for fear of them, -and was certain that the disorderly running -about that she heard was due to the same fear. -But when her mother jumped up and she followed, -she discovered that the frightful odour -of fire was coming on the wind from the south, -where she had last seen the flames creeping -behind her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The same confusion, the same bewildering -excitement and again the wearing race for life -began. That they ran directly toward the -northern lights convinced her that these were -as harmless as the moon and stars. With very -few differences this flight was like the first. -Though the discomfort of it was even more -hateful to her, Queen felt no impending -breakdown and without realising it, she was -stronger now.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Dawn came and soon gave way to a somewhat -dull day. The wind changed several times -and finally for a while died down altogether. -There was no trace of smoke in the air; but -the south was now established as a region of -horror and they continued their flight northward -till late in the afternoon.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They ran down a steep hillside dotted with -many knolls and stones and came into an -elongated, bowl-like valley toward one end of -which there was a small spring lake. There -they stopped to drink, to graze and to rest.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Just as the air in that valley bore no trace -of smoke, the plains that stretched away from -that valley bore no trace of man. A few grass-overgrown -buffalo trails led from the lands -above to the deepest part of the ancient lake -and a bleached buffalo skull beside the main -trail told the story of a day and its life that -had passed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A coyote den at the opposite end of the bowl -and half way up the slope gave the only evidence -of life about the lake. The rim of the -bowl shut away the barrenness of the prairies -above. The very dome of heaven rested upon -the rim of that bowl and vast primordial -spaces interposed protection against man’s -greedy intrusions.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Little Queen drank some water at the ice -hole, drank the milk that nature had prepared -for her with all the care and concern of her -mother’s love, then slept away another night -at her beloved mother’s side, never even -dreaming that this night was shutting fast -forever the doors behind which lay the closed -first period of her life.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch03' class='c012'>CHAPTER III<br /> <br />DEATH IN THE HOWL OF COYOTES</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-l.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi0_9'> -LITTLE QUEEN was awake at the -very first peep of dawn. With her -soft muzzle pressed against her -mother’s warm flank, she watched the -beautiful unfolding of morning. Red -streaks appeared above the southeastern horizon -and tinted the heavy clouds that were -slowly and ominously coming out of the north -and packing the centre of the sky. The air -was clear and cold. The earth and all things -on it were covered with a thick layer of frost. -Every blade of grass was dressed in fanciful -and luxuriant whiteness. Every hair on her -mother’s body had turned white and thick -save on a small spot on her flank where the -warmth of her little head had driven the frost -away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All around her lay the still forms of mares -and colts and horses. Many of the strangers -had already distinguished themselves from the -others in her mind. The whiteness that covered -them all interested little Queen. She -had seen that whiteness on them before, but -never had she seen them so completely covered -with it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She turned her little head to see whether -her own body was covered with it. The discovery -that it was rather pleased her; but the -lifting of her head resulted in a slight annoyance. -Her lip touched the frost and became -wet and cold. She began to rub the wet lip -on the warm spot of her mother’s flank. Her -mother called sleepily to her as if the movement -bothered her, so she pressed the lip -tight against the warm spot, delighting in its -comfort. In that position she watched the details -of the world about her as they appeared -in the growing light.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A short distance before her, beyond two -mares’ backs in front and nearer to her, she -spied the black head of the mischievous colt -only partially covered with frost. He was apparently -still sound asleep. She was gazing -at the two frost-covered ears with uneasiness -and irritation, when suddenly as she raised -her eyes a bit, she saw a coyote come out of -his den way off on the other slope of the valley. -She watched him with fear and absorbed -attention. She remembered having seen one, -once before, somewhere. She remembered too -that her mother had become alarmed at sight -of him and she began to worry as she watched. -She saw that he was interested in the forms -lying about her. She saw him stretch lazily, -yawn and gaze down at them. He trotted away -up to the very rim of the bowl and there he sat -down on his haunches and continued looking -at them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Little Queen lowered her head not to be -conspicuous and continued from that position -to watch his every move. She had been looking -so intently at him that she did not notice -a second coyote only a few paces from the first. -When she did notice it, one of the horses -jumped to his feet, shook the frost from his -body and began running about to warm up. -Another of the horses followed the first and -when little Queen turned to look at them, she -lost sight of the coyotes. She searched for -them on the whiteness, for some time, then -discovered them sitting so still that she had -mistaken them for stones; but the horses that -had got up ran off in their direction and she -saw the two coyotes take to their heels.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The manner in which they loped away, continually -looking back as they went, showing -that they were afraid that the horses meant to -run after them, lessened Queen’s fear of them -slightly; and, tired of lying there, she too, -rose to her feet and shook the frost from her -body. Like the big horses she felt that she -wanted exercise so she frisked about her -mother, keeping an eye all the while upon the -black colt who had by this time awakened and -who was now sleepily watching her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But as her blood began to circulate rapidly, -her delight in motion grew apace and in her -delight she forgot the black colt and the coyotes. -The circle about her mother was altogether -too small for the expression of her joy -and she undertook to make a circuit about the -lake with the two other horses that were running. -She had gone only half way when she -became aware of the black colt, racing after -her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She did not see him till she had turned and -as soon as she spied him she sent an urgent -call for help to her mother, and bounded away -with eyes aglow. Her call brought her -mother to her feet. The old mare galloped -away in the opposite direction, intending to -meet her before the black colt got to her. The -excitement roused the last of the sleepers and -soon the air was filled with the thumping of -lively hoofs. Only the old sorrel work-horse -got safely out of the way and went on, indifferent -to the racket, to eat his breakfast.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The buckskin mare got to her daughter in -time to prevent the colt from fleeing and -nipped him savagely on the hip. In the meantime -his white mother had reached him and -quite naturally interceded in his behalf. She -made an attempt to nip the buckskin mare, but -backed away in time to avoid two buckskin -legs which had shot into the air. The white -mare then turned quickly around and with her -hind legs replied in kind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The rest of the horses seemed to think it -just the proper fun to accompany morning exercises -and after a few moments of exhilarating -kicking there followed a joyous stampede -resulting at last in their division into smaller -groups, each group in its own corner grazing -away peacefully as if nothing had ever happened.</p> - -<p class='c003'>After a preliminary breakfast of milk, little -Queen joined her mother in a profitable search -for the sweetest blades of grass, and grazing -side by side they wandered from the lake -shore, up the slope and away over a level bit -of prairie to another hollow where a slough -had completely dried up, leaving a small, barren, -muddy bottom exposed. The grass was -exceptionally good around that spot and when -little Queen had eaten all she could eat, she -stretched out on the ground in the early afternoon -and slept a long while.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She awoke suddenly. She was very cold -and felt that she had been cold for a long time. -A gloomy heaviness hung in the air and the -sky was thick with threatening clouds. All -the desires in her little soul merged into the -one great desire to get to her mother. She -jumped to her feet intending to stretch and rid -the joints of the sleepy feeling, when there -came upon her the fear that she was alone. -She looked anxiously and rapidly in several -directions and then sprang off into space. A -great wave of uneasiness reached up from her -heart and confused her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She had been running around for some time -when she discovered four buckskin legs sticking -up out of a trough-like hollow in the dried -mud. She rushed with fear to her mother who -lay motionless upon her back, either unable -to get up or strangely unwilling to. She was -very glad to see her and much of the fear -that she had just experienced left her at the -very sight of her beloved mother; but she -slowly became conscious of something incomprehensibly -dreadful in the situation.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen looked at her curiously and called -half anxiously, half admonishingly, as if to -say, “Why do you lie there like that when I -want you, and want you standing up straight -as one ought to stand?” Receiving no answer -to her calling Queen ceased and gazed at -her with growing terror. There was something -so frightfully unusual about her. -Queen began to shake herself as if she hoped -to shake off the something that seemed to cling -to her and dim and blur everything for her. -She sniffed at the dear old head and sprang -away in terror. There was a pool of blood -near the open mouth and the beloved lips, -always so warm and so soft, were cold and -strangely hard. She became more and more -alarmed and confused. But in her little soul -there was still hope. Her beloved mother, -so capable of solving the hardest problems, -would solve this one. She approached again -and sniffed and sniffed and called and called. -But the more she sniffed and called in vain, -the more intense grew her fear.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She raised her little head high and gazed -anxiously away through the thickening gloom. -A last flock of geese was flying south and -the familiar honking which before this had -only aroused her curiosity, now filled her with -foreboding and loneliness. Loneliness was a -state of mind heretofore unknown to her; -but now it brooded over the plains like a -nebulous dragon dropped from some other -world, waiting for an opportunity to devour -her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She walked off slowly and listlessly to -where she had been asleep, intending to while -away the time by grazing until her mother -should wake up; but she could not eat. It -was not many minutes before she was walking -right back again, calling more loudly than -ever. Getting no response, she stood still, -and looked at the body she loved, trying very -hard to understand.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All the while the day waned. The sky -grew blacker. The wind blew stronger and -in the air the something that had been threatening -all day seemed to have come nearer. -Grass blades and rosebushes nodded mournfully -over all the lonely earth, and little Queen -imagined, as she turned round and round to -look into every gloomy direction, that the -prairie had become peopled with dangerous -forms who always fled from sight just as she -turned her eyes toward them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She made several attempts to graze; but she -could not eat. A sickening feeling like a -lump in her throat barred the way for food -and she had strangely lost all desire to eat. -At her mother’s side she remained as the long, -fearful moments dragged, sniffing at her occasionally, -calling to her at times in the tone of -one who expects no response and looking off -into the desolate wastes with a half-formed -wish that something would arrive to help her, -yet fearfully worried of what might come.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Darkness began lowering more rapidly and -the wind swept over the plains moaning with -disturbing sadness. Little Queen became desperate. -She pushed at her mother with her -nose in passion born of fear, then realising -how useless that effort was, called with all her -strength and ran about her without plan or -purpose.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Flakes of snow had been falling now and -then for some time. They began to fall more -rapidly and to choke up the atmosphere, -whirling through it with a sort of light indifference -and cruelly, boastingly foreshadowing -the approach of a more heartless blizzard. -Queen decided at last that there was nothing -for her to do but to lie down beside her cold -mother and to wait for morning. She was -whimperingly lowering herself to the ground -when she caught sight of the skulking form -of a coyote in the gloom to her side and sprang -back upon her feet.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Again she began to urge her mother to get -up. She pushed the rock-like side with her -little nose, but she stopped very soon with the -conviction that it was useless and that she -had better keep her eyes on the coyote. She -centred her attention now upon the form that -moved about in the dark grey gloom and discovered -a second form behind the first. In an -effort to move nearer to her mother, she -stepped on the hard side, tripped and fell; -and as she got up to her feet again, there -came out of the boundless horror of the wind-swept -night a blood-curdling howl. Leaping -clearly over her mother’s body she fled from -it, and loped away in the direction of the bowl-like -valley and the lake.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Some of the horses were still grazing near -the lake, as if they realised that a blizzard -was coming and desired to store away in their -bodies all the food they could gather. They -cropped the grass most rapidly as the wind -tore at their tails and manes. Most of the -mares were lying down with their colts and -one horse was drinking at a hole in the ice; -while the old sorrel work-horse stood near him -patiently waiting for his turn at the water. -With an anxious whimper she sidled up to -the old sorrel who replied at once with his -soft, tremulous whinny of good will. When -at last he drank, she cautiously lowered her -head too, and seeing that he had no objections, -she drank as if there were fires in her little -heart that she would quench. When he raised -his head and started away, she pulled her head -out of the water and ran after him as if it had -been her mother that had started away and -was about to leave her behind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old sorrel lumbered off to the spot -where he had slept the night before and Queen -forlornly followed him, stopping several times -as she went to look into the darkness where -she had left her mother and where she still -hoped to find her when the day came again.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old fellow painfully lowered his body, -groaning like a rheumatic old man. Many -years had he toiled in the harness and his limbs -were stiff. Queen waited till he was at rest, -then she approached him humbly and whinnied -questioningly. From the ugly old head -came a soft, barely audible neigh which was -different from that of any horse she had ever -heard. It encouraged and consoled her little -heart with a friendliness without which she -might have died that stormy night.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She whimpered like a baby that was cold -and lay down beside him. Then as the wind -annoyed her she moved as near to him as she -could get. There came upon the cold, stinging, -moaning wind another coyote howl, long-drawn, -shrill, mad, and lustful. It seemed far -away but inexpressibly terrifying. Little -Queen raised her trembling head. The old -sorrel pricked his ears. But she saw the big -pointed ears go back into place again and the -big shadowy head take its former sleepy position. -He was not afraid, she was glad of that; -but she was afraid. Strange images, visions -she sought to drive from her mind by closing -her eyes, tormented her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was lying right against his back. -Slowly she lowered her head upon his neck, -testing his willingness by degrees. When her -head was finally resting fully on his neck, he -only whinnied softly, and Queen tried her best -to reply gratefully. A feeling of ineffable -gratitude swept over her with the warmth of -his body.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All through the night she thought of her -mother, when awake, and dreamed of her -when asleep. A thousand times she broke -from her light snatches of slumber, from her -horrible dreams of coyotes, to pierce the storm-filled -gloom with her terrified eyes, expecting -hopefully to find her mother standing over -her and looking down upon her; but only the -emptiness of the night, obliterating the world -she had known, shrieked with an uncertainty -that filled up her soul.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch04' class='c012'>CHAPTER IV<br /> <br />A SEEKING THAT FOUND</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-i.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi0_8'> -IT is only the foolish who bewail the -inevitable with wasting passion; it -is after all the wise who accept it and -make the most of things. Because -the inevitable is so much more the ruling -force in animal life, animals adjust themselves -more quickly to new conditions. -Conceited man attributes that early adjustment -to a lack of feeling. Yet when little -Queen awoke on the first morning of her -orphanage, there had already come into her -eyes and upon her head a perceptible sadness, -the sadness of resignation.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A great change had come over the world -in that single night and so different did it -seem from what she had known it to be, that -as far as she could think, the night might have -been a space of years; that years might have -elapsed since her mother, who hitherto had -always warmed and fed and protected her, now -had ceased to warm and feed and protect her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>How white the world was! The little white -flakes that had fluttered about in the air at -nightfall had covered up all things with a -heavier whiteness than that of any frosty -morning in her experience. And she expected -that with the coming of the warmth of day -it would all disappear. Yesterday it had -taken the forms of the things it had covered, -this morning only the heads of the horses -stuck up out of the drifts of it; while stones -and coyote dens had been completely wiped -out of existence. Her own feet were out of -sight. She jumped up to see whether it would -interfere with her jumping up, and was glad -to note how easily it was shaken from her body. -She took a few steps, discovered that it was -disagreeable to wade through and stopped. -On the white rim of the bowl stood a flock -of prairie chickens as if they had been discussing -the great change. She watched them -half interestedly. They were birds, and birds -were not to be feared. She looked over them -and beyond them. There, somewhere, she felt -was her mother. She took a hasty step in that -direction and stopped again. She was afraid -to go.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She lowered her head and listlessly tasted -some of the snow. It was not food, she knew -that at once; and it turned into water in her -mouth. One wants water badly when one -wants it, but one cannot live on water. How -was one to eat when there was no grass in sight -and no mother about with the more substantial -milk? She looked and looked away over the -whiteness till her eyes, taxed by its reflection, -ceased seeing altogether for a few minutes. -But as soon as she could see once more, Queen -began to search for her mother and this search, -each succeeding day with less hope and enthusiasm, -she never wholly abandoned. She -sniffed at every mare about her, calling plaintively -and knowing her mistake in the indifference -with which some of them listened to -her appeal or the annoyance which others -were too ready to show.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old sorrel got up at last and shook the -snow from his back. She watched it falling -in showers of white dust and through the sides -of her eyes she saw a number of other horses -do as he had done. She saw him take big -bites of snow and shake his head quickly as -he did so, so she too ate some more of it and -shook her head up and down. When he lumbered -away, sinking into the deep drifts as -he went, she followed him.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Off on the slope horses were energetically -pawing the snow and Queen wondered what -they were doing. When the old sorrel, somewhat -clumsily, beat the snow with his heavy -front foot, she watched him curiously. She -saw him laboriously expose the brown grass -underneath and the sight of the grass relieved -her, for she had been worrying about its disappearance. -Though the snow was still -packed in between the blades, he cropped up -the grass just as soon as it appeared. She -then watched for the next bit to appear and -tried to get a bite before he had it all. She -succeeded in getting only a few blades and -since he did not seem to mind it, she tried to -be quicker next time. She did get a mouthful -occasionally but it was not enough for her -appetite and it finally dawned on her that she -ought to work for herself. She pawed the -snow very close to him and as soon as she spied -him eating, she would seize as much of the -grass he had uncovered as she could, then -quickly go back to her own.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A hundred times that morning she wearied -of pawing snow, and each time her head -would raise and she would look wistfully off -into space with the irrepressible impulse to go -looking for her mother; but she did not know -which way to go. In every respect, in every -aspect, her life and the earth had changed in -the night. When, as she looked, it seemed to -her that a certain direction was the right one, -she would think of the coyotes and fear would -extinguish the impulse. She made several -attempts to get the old sorrel to go with her. -She would start off in what appeared to her -the right direction, and walking a few paces -would stop and call to him. He would pay no -attention to her for a while; then as if to stop -her calling, he would walk over to where she -was and begin to paw the snow there. But -it took so much energy and so much time to -get him over each bit of space, that she made -little headway; and when darkness began -dulling the whiteness, her fear of the coyotes -who seemed to people the shadows became -so intense, she did not dare to leave the sorrel -even to the extent of a few paces.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Several very sad, dull days went by. Then -came a day during which the sun shone for a -while and made her feel better. But it melted -the surface of the snow and the cold evening -froze it into ice. The struggle for grass became -harder and her constant slipping made -life very disagreeable.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She saw the black colt now and then. -Though he was livelier and far more happy -than she, he made no attempts to molest her. -Tolerance characterised every move of every -member of the herd. The rigours of the sudden -winter seemed to strengthen the racial -bonds of these good-natured creatures. Each -one went his plodding way, thankful for the -silent companionship of the herd and showing -his appreciation by refraining from any offence -to his neighbour.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen clung to the old sorrel though she -did not thrive on his passive fosterage. She -was losing weight rapidly. Her eyes dulled, -her head began hanging low and even her -long winter hair could not fill in the hollows -between her ribs.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In pawing snow she found that her -strength was not equal to the desire for food; -and, resting often, she was almost always hungry. -As she became weaker from day to day, -she became more and more unhappy, and -longed more and more intensely for her -mother, who was nevertheless growing dimmer -and more distant in her mind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There came a grey day. A north wind -whistled over the hard crust on the snow and -loaded, black clouds dropped more white -flakes with listless irregularity. Something -pervaded the air of this day which was so -similar to the day when she had lost her -mother that she became irresistibly restless. -All day this restlessness made it hard for her -to dig. Late in the afternoon she started -away with a suddenness that she herself -could not understand. Up the slope and over -the plains she went, sinking into deep drifts, -pulling out again and going on without a -pause, pursuing the image of her beautiful -mother that had suddenly lighted up in her -soul and as suddenly gone out again, before -she could touch it. Somewhere in the dismal -swirl it was and she struggled bravely but -blindly after it, calling in vain as she went.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For fully an hour she plodded through -snows that were piling up a foot above the -harder crust, slipping, bruising herself on the -jagged ice, resting when she could not go on -any farther and coming at last to an understanding -that she had been madly pursuing -nothing, that she was lost, and that she wanted -the protection of the old sorrel. She called to -him again and again before she stopped to -listen for a reply and suddenly became aware -of an agreeable sound floating on the wind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She called again striking out meanwhile in -the direction from which she instinctively felt -the sound had come. Night was close at -hand. The light that was still left was weakened -by the showers of snow flakes that now -fell rapidly and without interruption. Again -it seemed to her she heard a reply. She spent -more energy in calling than she did in pushing -on, occasionally falling into a deep drift and -remaining there for some time before she -made an effort to extricate herself. Who it -was answering her in the fast darkening night, -she did not know. All she knew and felt with -every living cell of her being was that in the -cold desolation that was submerging her, the -thing that was answering her could save her -from the unthinkable horror of being alone.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her strength ebbed fast from her limbs, -only the steadily nearing whinny made her last -efforts possible. Then suddenly, much sooner -than she expected it, a black object appeared -in the darkened snows before her. The last -whinny was more distinct than any of the -others. Before her, struggling toward her as -she had been struggling toward him, was the -black colt. If Queen had had any strength -left, she would have bounded off to the side; -but she could not move.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It did not take her long, however, to learn -that the black colt had not come to molest -her. Where he had been, how he came there, -or that he might all this time have been following -her, did not concern her. His whinny -was most conciliating and in the warmth of -his body was comfort and salvation. He was -almost as completely worn out as she was. -She rallied enough strength to kick the snow -from her legs so that she could lie down. -Whinnying all the while, he cleared a space -beside her and there they spent the howling -night.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was somewhere about the middle of the -next day before the cutting wind subsided and -the snow ceased falling. The black colt who -was completely covered with snow, broke out -first and Queen followed him at once. They -had not gone more than a few yards when they -saw the head of the white mare rise above the -rim of the bowl-like valley. As soon as she -spied her colt the white mare began to neigh -eagerly, her piercing call echoing from the -hills and bringing her the baby response that -thrilled her out of patience. Snorting and -puffing she plowed the deep snow which fell -away from her like spray from the keel of a -ship.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When she reached him at last, she caressed -him with tremulous lips, running them along -his little forehead, between the two small ears, -and down his mane and back. Caresses make -life worth while, but they have their time and -their use and the black colt was hungry. He -struck out at once for his milk. But his -mother had whinnied for him all through the -long dark night and her excitement at having -found him again was so great she hardly knew -what she was doing. He slipped from her -caresses. Her lips craved the touch of him. -Little Queen had come with him out of the -unknown where she had feared he had been -swallowed up. So it happened that her exuberant -caresses fell partly upon little Queen.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was like having refound her mother to -Queen. Changed, yes; but life is all change! -She switched her little tail and danced about -the white mare, finally sliding along her other -side and reaching out and seizing the second -dug. The black colt, little Queen’s erstwhile -tormentor, touched noses with her as she -drank, and shared his milk with her without -the slightest sign of objection.</p> - -<p class='c003'>No figures affected his philanthropy. Fractions, -division, these abstractions never entered -the sphere of his mind. The philosophy -of that period of his life may be summed -up in the precept: “Drink all there is to -drink, all you happen to find, and if still hungry, -eat grass and try again later.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>Every time he went for his milk, Queen took -the other side as if she had never known another -mother. Though the white mare often -showed a natural predilection for her son, she -adopted little Queen because no thought presented -itself to her mind against tolerating -her, especially since she and her little son -had become inseparable.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They played together, rested side by side, -drank and thrived together; and so over little -Queen’s grievous orphanage rose the sun of -a happier youth.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch05' class='c012'>CHAPTER V<br /> <br />MAN, THE USURPER</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-t.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -THE winter was a hard one. The skies -were persistently and monotonously -dull. A few moments of sunshine -were invariably followed by days of -howling winds and leaden skies. -Blizzard succeeded blizzard and the hollows -filled so full of snow that it became dangerous -for colts to wander off alone and they -clung to their mothers’ sides.</p> - -<p class='c003'>During the short periods of daylight, the -horses, the mares, and the colts broke up into -groups and wandered away as far as the deeps -allowed or hunger urged; but each night they -congregated in the same corner of the valley. -This nightly congregating kept the snow in -one big spot firmly trodden to the ground and -raised two walls with the rest of it, in the lee -of which they obtained the comforts of an airy -barn.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Many a night when the shrieking wind overhead -poured shower after shower of dry snow -over them, covering them as with a blanket, -little Queen, lying close to the black colt and -his white mother, indulged in a happy gratefulness -for the comforts she experienced. -Where man thinks and knows, animals feel. -Experience had taught her in sensations and -emotions, which she had not forgotten, what -discomfort and disagreeableness were. The -change in conditions which she now experienced -brought into her mind sensations of -a gratefulness which expressed itself in an -ardent love for the colt and the white mare, a -love which slowly overflowed toward and encompassed -all the horses of the herd.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The nights were very long. The sun rose -and set so far to the south and the arc it made -in its daily course was so small that a drink or -two of her share of the black colt’s milk and -the procuring of a single meal on the deep, -hidden grass, spent the day. When the -shadows of one night, driven out by the dawn, -came back so soon in the next night and there -was nothing to do but sleep, sleeping became -tiresome, and the necessary shifting from side -to side kept the mind awake and active. Impressions -made and forgotten rekindled like -embers in the windblown ashes of a fire. -These impressions, varied as they were, and -so largely without order of time or place, -were nevertheless as useful to her as experience -is useful to us. It was out of this -experience that she built the individuality of -her character, and only those who are totally -ignorant of animalkind can deny that they have -character and individuality.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Often the phantom form of the old buckskin -mare came to haunt the dreams of little Queen -and always on the following day she pawed the -snow less energetically and gazed wistfully -away over the endless prairie snows, puzzled -over the incongruity of her mother’s coming -in the dark hours and never by daylight when -she could enjoy her most.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was comfortable and happy in her second -fosterage and thrived well upon it; yet -these persistent dreams of her nights haunted -her wakeful days and in time left on her beautiful -head marks of sorrow, vague and intangible, -but unmistakably there, adding a charm -to that head that it never lost.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Then the days began lengthening. The sun -climbed higher in the sky and broke through -the spell of winter’s clouds with a smiling -kindness that stirred every cell in Queen’s -body. Spring came upon the stern winter as -a rosy dawn breaks upon an unpleasant night. -The white-packed hollows began smiling to -cloudless skies with a silent and radiating wetness -and the snows shrank away, exposing -brown spots. The earth began to emit intoxicating -odours of growth and the valleys filled -with cool, trembling water. Like living -things born in the night these rippling pools -appeared everywhere.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Birds came daily in greater numbers from -the south and their songs augmented the nameless -urge that the south winds bore and filled -the desolate wilds with friendliness and goodwill. -Before the snows had completely disappeared, -a layer of thick green grass began -carpeting the earth and myriads of delicate -crocuses studded the green with colour-illumined -stars.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Long as the days were becoming, the colts -found them all too short for the full expression -of the joy that spring was giving them. Nights -came altogether too soon and the vapoury light -of early dawn revealed them already romping -over the plains, seeking to rid their joints of -the sleepy feeling that the long winter had -given them. In wide circles they ran, plunging -through sloughs, jumping, kicking at the -air, pretending to bite each other in violent -anger, stopping only when hunger demanded -it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Changes met them wherever they looked. -The earth itself and all life upon it seemed to -have become an endless play of the forces of -change. Just as each day was in itself a succession -of changes, white light merging into -the tinted colours of evening, fading out in -night and breaking again into the colours and -the light of a new day, so one day was different -from another and they felt themselves each -day changing from what they had been the -day before.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen was only vaguely conscious of these -changes in herself, and in her companions, but -one change was clearest of all. Most easily -perceptible of all, this change, in a way, represented -them all. It was the change which -she one day realised was taking place in the -black colt. Something was very apparently -happening to him. His black hair fell rapidly, -as she had realised her own hair was -falling; but the black colt was steadily growing -less black, turning white as night turns to -day. When he was white enough to startle -her, she realised that henceforth he was to be -white as his mother was. So distracting was -this change, however, that she sometimes -looked at him with the feeling that he was -another colt, and in those rare moments she -experienced a peculiar depressive emotion, -like the feeling she had experienced when she -was standing before her dead mother, looking -confusedly down upon her. Yet she knew that -it was he. There were fortunately other characteristics -that remained unchanged. In time, -of course, she got quite used to the change in -his appearance; but she never forgot that he -had been black. The image of him, the picture -that rose in her mind when she thought of -him and when he was not immediately before -her, was a changeable image which was black -one moment and white the next.</p> - -<p class='c003'>If Queen had been in the habit of applying -to every image in her mind some name, she -would have called him, “White-black.” -Possibly she might have added the word or -the idea, “big,” for he was much bigger than -he had been; but, since that quality applied -to all the colts, she would probably have left -that off.</p> - -<p class='c003'>By the varying degrees of this quality in -the many colts, as well as by the many other -qualities she learned belonged to all or to each -of them, Queen knew one from the other. -All through the long winter her companionship -had been restricted to the black colt and -his mother, but now, the common desires of -youth brought the colts together and led them -in time to abandon the companionship of the -mares and the adult horses. Some of them -went back every day to their mothers for milk, -but they all played by themselves and even -at night they rested in a group together, away -from their mothers. Though their mothers -had their own social life and activities to occupy -them and did not mind the daily absence -of their overgrown foals, their maternal instincts, -their anxiety over their erstwhile -babies, was still very great. In spite of this -division of interests, in spite of this habitual -grouping, they lived near each other and at -the first sound or sign of danger, they gathered -and fled in concert.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old desire for her mother, the longing, -the urge to go forth and to seek, had lost what -little definiteness it had had and had turned -into an impulse to go, which spasmodically -welled up in Queen and sent her loping over -the plains without purpose. Always as soon -as he saw her start away, White-black loped -after her and always the rest of the colts followed. -Sometimes the older horses and -mares, mistaking the escapade for a sign of -danger, would lope after them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>First happening occasionally, this game began -to take place daily and even several times -a day. Just as the colts and other horses got -into the habit of following her, Queen acquired -the habitual desire to be followed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It happened one morning that the big -brown colt led the race. Jealousy seized at -the heart and mind of Queen and she exerted -herself to the very end of her strength to get -ahead of him, as if her life depended upon -doing so. She puffed and snorted and pumped -away with her thin long legs, but could not even -get abreast of him. Behind her she could hear -the milder snorting of White-black. Suddenly -she veered to the left. She was exhausted -and intended getting out of the way -of the herd; but she felt White-black veering -with her and knew that the others were following -him.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Quickly she seized the opportunity. She -exerted herself with renewed hope and sped -on harder than ever and soon the brown colt -found himself alone. To the left was the -whole herd racing madly after Queen, in an -ecstasy of motion. He turned and followed -them, trying hard to catch up, but realising -that he had lost. On the other hand Queen -had discovered a trick whereby the newly acquired -leadership could be kept, and she -meant to keep it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Their food grew in abundance wherever -they turned. The grass was rich and juicy; -wild plants, sweet and delightful to the taste, -grew abundantly on the hillsides; and water, -cool and refreshing, trembled in every hollow.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Plenty to eat and a great deal of exercise -to sharpen the appetite filled out all the depressions -in Queen’s body and because she -was too active to be fat, she became delightfully -plump. Her hair now shorter was sleek -and its gloss flashed in the sunlight. Her -mane was luxuriantly thick and wavy. Part -of it came down between her ears and over -the white spot on her forehead, down to her -eyes, giving her magnificent head, with the -imprint of sadness upon it, a touch of queenliness -that few queens possess.</p> - -<p class='c003'>We all love beauty without being able to -say just what it is. The colts felt a something -about her which aroused in them a sort -of homage, spontaneous and unquestioned. -White-black, strong and good-natured, kept -the other colts at a safe distance; but they -availed themselves of every chance to touch -her, to graze where she was grazing or to run -alongside of her. Sometimes White-black resented -the attention some big fellow offered -and started a quarrel which resulted in his -defeat. At such times he would assume the attitude -of one who had been convinced of being -wrong. After all he was yet too young to be -serious in his love affairs and his affection for -Queen was due more to their having been -reared together than to anything else.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen loved them all, but she loved White-black -most and every colt knew it. Many a -quarrel ended in his victory because of her -attitude rather than his strength, but he did -not know that. Next to him Queen favoured -the white mare and next to her, the old sorrel -work-horse. White-black understood her love -for his mother; but he could not fathom her -predilection for the old horse. For a long -time, when the old sorrel out of pure reminiscent -fondness approached Queen, White-black -would lose his temper, kick at the old -horse and attempt to bite him; but where -Queen sometimes allowed the colts to fight it -out between themselves, she invariably interfered -in any attempt to wrangle with the sorrel -by taking part in it on his side. In time, -White-black learned to let him alone.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The lull of the summer began to creep into -the long days, and mosquitoes and nose-flies -in vast numbers came to blight the sweetness -of the spring wilds. The mosquitoes, annoying -as these bloody little pests were, were not -half so bad as the nose-flies. The very sight of -their long beaks and yellow backs would drive -the colts frantic. Grazing quietly, they would -suddenly begin bobbing their heads up and -down and then start away over the plains as -if something frightful were after them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>This murderous pest always started an attack -by buzzing around the nose like a bee, -then landing on the breast it would creep up -the neck till it reached the muzzle, where it -would quietly settle down. Puncturing a hole -in the tender nose, it would insert its beak -and drink freely and unshakeably, then fly -away leaving a hurt that burned for hours. -When they first appeared, the older horses, -knowing them, would keep their noses in the -grass as they grazed, or they would, when -through grazing, gather in groups and rest -their chins firmly upon each other’s backs, -thus giving the pest no chance to creep up. -In time the colts learned to protect themselves -in the same way.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When sultry spells were suddenly broken by -gusts of unbridled winds, which would carry -the pests away, the colts would give themselves -over to eating and drinking and merrymaking.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There came a sultry spell in the early days -of summer. Every chin was resting upon -some friend’s back. Tails switched ceaselessly -and feet stamped the ground with -drowsy rhythm. The air was still. Not -a blade of grass moved. The silence was -broken only by the nauseous singing of -mosquitoes and the monotonous droning of -nose-flies.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly there came upon the still, warm -air the tattoo of distant hoof-beats. Two -horsemen, coming up over a hill to the south, -were just in the act of separating with the -obvious intention of coming together on the -other side of them, when Queen discovered -them. Instantly the group broke up, and -colts and mares and horses mixed in a noisy -stampede.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When the older horses wearied of the race, -they stopped to look back anxiously at the -pursuing riders; but Queen, in whom the fear -of man, dormant all winter, had now awakened -with great intensity, tore away to the -north, snorting as she went, her tail at an angle -behind her, loping as fast as she could despite -the heat and the insects.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She came breathlessly to the summit of a -rather high hill and turned to look back. -Some of the colts and some of the faster adults -were there with her, but the white mare and -the old sorrel were not there. Half a mile -behind them she could see the riders, now -facing south; and beyond them she saw the -part of the herd which they had captured.</p> - -<p class='c003'>White-black was standing beside Queen -when he suddenly discovered the loss of his -mother. Neighing loudly and distractedly, he -started down the hill after the men. Queen -was afraid to go with him, yet she did not -want to let him go alone. She followed him, -calling to him as she went; but White-black -persisted. When they got within a quarter -of a mile of the men, they saw one of them -turn off to the side and then turn backward. -White-black then realised the danger of continuing -after them. Judging by horses he -had known, horses reared in barnyards, the -man thought that it would be a simple matter -to get the rest of them, now that he had captured -some of them; but he was mistaken.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was anything but a simple matter. Queen -stopped so short that one of the colts, following -along behind, hurt himself, running into her. -With a stamp of her strong front leg, she -turned north and once more led the race for -freedom.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All afternoon they ran as fast as their -strength would allow. The smell of man hung -in the air before Queen’s nose, poisoning her -blood with hate of him. She had little time -to question, yet her whole soul, confused by -fear and the urgent need to make distance, -sought the why of this two-legged creature, -always breaking in upon their peace and always -hurting them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>At last they began to feel that no one was -pursuing them and stopped to investigate. -There was not the faintest glimpse of anything -on hill or horizon and in the air there -was no trace of man. In the evening they -fed about a slough and at night they slept on -the north side of it with their heads turned -toward the south.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Early next morning White-black was seized -again by an intense longing for his mother -and braving the terrors of captivity, he started -again in search of her. They were trotting -and walking along leisurely, searching the -spaces constantly when they came upon a hill -from where they spied a number of horses galloping -toward them. They got frightened -and turned back north, but soon stopped again -to ascertain who it was that was coming, and -so these horses gained upon them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They proved to be three of the colts and a -big mare who had somehow broken free from -the cunning little men. They were so excited -that they would not stop to sniff noses. While -they passed through the group they trotted, -but as soon as they were on the other side they -broke away in a gallop. Queen and White-black -and all the rest caught the contagion of -their fear, abandoned their search for those -who were lost to them and ran with the feeling -that danger of captivity had become imminent -once more. And for almost a week -they continued their desultory flight.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When the fear of the little men creatures -had lost some of its intensity, White-black and -Queen made several attempts to find the white -mare. Her form seemed to flash across the -prairies like patches of sunlight, seen only at -the vanishing moment. Often they called loud -and long trying in vain to pierce the unknown -and waiting hopelessly for a reply.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But this, too, was the inevitable, and railing -and fretting was no solution. In time the -hunger for his mother shrank back into the -depths of White-black’s limited soul and the -full ardour of his love fell to the lot of Queen. -And Queen felt in the touch and the presence -of White-black a compensation for the aches -in her soul, which, like wounds, had healed, -but had left their scars for life.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch06' class='c012'>CHAPTER VI<br /> <br />HOW MAN BREAKS THE SPIRIT AND THE BODY</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-t.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -THE summer days dragged along hot -and enervating. Mosquitoes and nose-flies -in countless numbers became -more and more annoying as the sultry -period prevailed. It made grazing -during most of the daytime very disagreeable. -All through these long days they stood dozing -in small bunches, their chins resting upon each -other’s backs, their tails switching mechanically. -When a momentary gust of wind came -along, they would run down to the sloughs for -water. There they would drink till the stinging -of the pests, who were always in greater -numbers above the tall, wet, slough grass, -would make the place unendurable, then they -would gallop away to the hill tops for relief.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Beautifully tolerant of all things, always -moved by the spirit of “live and let live,” -Queen could not understand men and insects. -She could easily see why one horse might kick -at another when the other came along and -greedily seized upon his find of grass; but the -desire to attack without reason or excuse, as it -seemed to be in the character of men and insects, -was unfathomable and wholly foreign to -her nature. Whenever men appeared there -was fear and confusion and anguish. So, too, -as soon as insects arrived, there was pain and -discomfort.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Had she been a meat eater, she would have -perceived some connection between the joy of -eating and the tragedy of being eaten; but -Queen belonged to the sweetest-tempered race -on earth, whose sustenance required neither -pain nor blood, and so she could not understand, -and being unable to understand, she -feared.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There followed a period of windstorms -which carried the pests away. For a long -time the herd enjoyed once more the freedom -of the wilds; but another hot spell came and -one day as they were eagerly seeking the higher -places, they ran into a cloud of a new kind -of insect, which was worse than anything they -had ever experienced. This new pest settled -upon them in such numbers that they changed -the appearance of their heads and when in -fear they tried to shake them off, the insects -crept into their ears and noses, stinging viciously.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was now the last part of the summer, the -time of the year when young ants, having acquired -their wings, began swarming; and this -was one of the summers when these ants were -more annoying than they usually are. Queen -did not remember ever having come upon this -pest before, and felt that it was peculiar to -the particular neighbourhood in which they -happened to be at the time. Accordingly, -when first attacked by an unusually large -swarm, she turned to the south, and the herd -loped at her heels. By running, they rid themselves -of the young ants and so continued running, -till the cool of the evening cleared the -air of all insects.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Next day, however, they ran into another -swarm and again took to flight. Thus they -were driven back again into the vicinity of -the bowl-like valley. There because things -seemed familiar they remained.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A season of constant raining followed. The -cold, the excessive wetness, and the strong -winds drove all pests from the plains. The -rainy season passed and frosts came night after -night, spreading layers of white dew on the -grass and freezing the surface of the spring -lake. The exhilarating days of autumn were -at hand, cool, clear, and sunny. The peaceful -nights scintillated with the colours of the -aurora borealis and the unhindered brightness -of the stars. Life became again a protracted -festival.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They were startled one afternoon by the -sudden appearance of four strange horses who -came plodding along in single file from the -south. Queen discovered them first as they -were coming down the slope of a hill. Like -the rest of the herd she stopped grazing and -stared at them curiously. Because she saw no -men on them or near them and because they -came so wearily, so unenergetically, she was -not afraid of them, though she regarded them -with suspicion.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When they came within a few hundred feet, -the herd moved off to the side, from where -they studied them curiously to learn their intentions. -But the strangers did not even look -toward them. Doggedly bobbing their weary -heads, they made straight for the lake. The -leader was a big, red horse with an ugly pugnacious -face, the nose bone of which curved, -very peculiarly, outward. His hip bones protruded -out of deep hollows in his back and -his sides, fallen in, revealed distinctly every -hair covered rib. Behind him lumbered a -white mare so bent upon limping fast enough to -keep up with him that she did not take her eyes -off him. The third was a miserable-looking -bay pony and the last was an old jade, black -as a crow. All were thin and bedraggled and -two of them had sores on their necks and -breasts. The white mare seemed to have suffered -most, for one of her hind legs was swollen -to twice its normal size, and she limped -very painfully.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When the queer-looking procession caught -sight of the lake, they broke the line and ran -down to the water, where they drank as if they -had been without water for many days. While -they were drinking the herd surrounded them, -intending peacefully to sniff noses with them -and to find out who and what manner of -horses they were; but the ugly leader met -the first approach with a kick and an angry -whinny. They soon discovered that though -the other three horses were not as mean, they, -too, were ill-tempered and disagreeable. The -first attempt at understanding resulted in a -noisy quarrel and a stampede. When they settled -down to grazing, the herd was off by itself -and the four strangers were in a corner -of the valley not any too near each other.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen did not like these strangers at all. -She felt that they were responsible for the unpleasant -feeling that now seemed to hang in -the very atmosphere. She did not know then -that slavery and cruelty such as these poor -creatures had endured would sour the best-tempered -horse. What that slavery really -meant she had yet to learn.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In spite of her feelings toward the four newcomers, -there was something about the white -mare that made Queen interested in her. She -kept raising her head and looking toward her -and one time as she did so, she saw White-black -approaching her. When Queen saw -them sniffing noses and touching each other -eagerly, she trotted over to them. This time -instead of limping away at her approach, the -white mare waited for her. She seemed glad -to touch noses with Queen; but Queen felt -uncomfortable. The old kindly spirit that -had made the white mare so lovable had given -way to a disagreeable impatience and suspicion; -and her presence set two emotions -struggling with each other in Queen’s heart. -The subtle odour that made Queen think of -some of those distant, weary, winter nights -when she lay close against her old foster -mother, drew her emotionally to the old mare; -while the odour of man and barn repelled her. -Over these emotions like a black cloud in the -sky, hovered a new-born fear as if she had discerned -in the poor mare’s condition the warning: -“Beware of man for thus he breaks -the spirit and the body.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>At dusk Queen led the herd in a race over -the plains. The poor white mare who now -clung to Queen and to White-black tried to -follow; but she did not go very far before in -her eagerness she tripped and fell. Queen -and White-back went back to her and grazed -about her. They began to feel that there was -something terrible going to happen to her and -they watched her curiously.</p> - -<p class='c003'>That night all three of them lay near each -other. White-black and Queen were fast -asleep in the latter part of the cold night, when -they were awakened by a cry from the white -mare. Queen jumped up in time to get out of -the black old jade’s way. The night was cold -and he was very thin-blooded. Unable to keep -warm he had gone in search of a warmer place -and in his clumsy way had stepped upon -the white mare’s swollen leg. White-black -nipped him on the back and with a cry of -protest he lumbered away into the darkness. -When Queen went back to sleep she was very -much disturbed by the white mare’s groaning. -Several times she woke up and whinnied to -her, but the groaning continued at intervals -all through the night.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Next day Queen noticed that blood was -running from her swollen leg, and by nightfall -the white mare was nowhere to be seen. -Queen looked for her for a while and she saw -that White-black too was anxious about her, -but they did not find her that day nor the -next, though they searched for her constantly -as they went about their grazing.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The dull days of early winter came back, -grey and silent and ominous. Geese flew over -them daily on their way to the south and their -honking filled Queen with an ineffable sadness. -Suddenly one day as she was grazing -by herself she came upon the body of the -white mare. She touched the cold, hard nose -with her own and sprang away frightened. -She did not try to sniff again. Now she knew -that this was death and hurried away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>White-black was grazing almost a quarter of -a mile away. Queen trotted over to him and -whinnied repeatedly. He answered her, but -he did not know what ailed her. She walked -away a short distance and called him. First -he replied while grazing, then at the second -call, he raised his head and walked toward -her. But he was no sooner pulling away at -some grass there, when he discovered that she -was some distance away again and calling as -hard as ever. For some reason known only to -her she was leading him away to the north -again and though he went reluctantly at first, -with the rest of the herd following him, they -were soon well on their way. A few miles -from the lake, they stopped, however, for fear -that they might not come upon water. There -were in this group no more than a dozen of -them, all colts that had been brought up together, -and they were glad to be by themselves, -though as they moved on, the rest of -the horses, miles behind, moved after them. -When a snowstorm came and filled all the -hollows, they began once more moving northward -in earnest. Forces they could not understand -impelled them. Thus they abandoned -forever the scenes of their youth.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The winter passed like a night of pleasure. -Protected on the north by a strip of woodland -many miles long, Queen and her companions -slept the long nights away. The snow, -deep in many places, was not very deep near -the wall of poplars and feeding came comparatively -easily. On sunny days they spent as -much time chasing each other through the -deepest drifts as they did in pawing for -grass. The dry snows made warm blankets -and the howling winds, shrieking in the -poplars, provided music for their enjoyment -of life, often sad, but for all its sadness, -sweet.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They were big and strong now. Blood -flowed rich and freely through their veins and -the hair on their bodies, which was as long as -the hair on the bears that at very rare intervals -showed themselves and disappeared, kept -them warm. The elements, no matter how -savagely they raged, could not become disagreeable.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A few weeks of springtime with open plains -to lope over and new grass, and they grew daily -stronger and fleeter. Sorrows of the dead past -were forgotten and the joys of the present -were so all absorbing that even man seemed -to have become extinct, as far as they were -concerned.</p> - -<p class='c003'>To the joy of unlimited space, of surging -healthy blood, of plenty to eat and drink, of -peaceful and constant companionship was -added the aesthetic pleasures of love. Having -first discovered in themselves preferences for -members of the opposite sex, they began to -see traits and characteristics in their choice -which thrilled them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There were, of course, petty quarrels now -and then, since love will not come unaccompanied -by strife, and nature is not always -provident, or when she is provident, so often -disorderly. There were some disappointments -and the weak, helpless here as the weak are -helpless everywhere, often had to give way to -the strong; but the tragedy that follows love -among ferocious and greedy animals never -marred their happier relations; and even the -weaker ones found love requited. Life on the -rim of love was so rich, Nature beyond love -was so lavish, hurts healed before the wounds -reached the flesh.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But to Queen and White-black life was a -game in which even tiredness had its delight. -Strong and healthy and beautiful, admired by -the rest and followed in their every whim, -they played through the uninterrupted carnival -of laughing spring and smiling, drowsy -summer. When winter came again, they -met it without fear, willing to wade through -deep snows, accepting the violent lashes of -wind and blizzard, warming their hearts in -the expectant joy of another spring and another -summer, looking upon life, in their innocence, -as an endlessly interesting cycle in -which winter was the greatest discomfort and -spring its eternal retribution.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch07' class='c012'>CHAPTER VII<br /> <br />THE CONSPIRACY OF MAN AND COYOTE</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-t.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -THEN came an early spring. Geese returned -from the south. The sadness -in their honking had given way to the -exaltation of rebirth. The snows -melted almost in a day. Hundreds of -wild ducks populated the many sloughs in the -hollows, and filled the delightful evenings -with the soft calling of their love-making. In -the still nights or as she lay through the rest -periods which she now so strangely needed, -Queen kept her ears pricked high to catch -the last faint sound of every love call and the -air now almost always vibrated with some one -form or another of these calls.</p> - -<p class='c003'>White-black, still a playful colt, thrilled -her with his presence or the touch of his lovely -nose; but something sweet and remote was -mysteriously laying hold upon the love in her -heart. She liked to half close her eyes and -doze, floating as she dozed, on the waves of -this new emotion. It seemed a joyous feeling -all her own and unlike any joy she had ever -experienced before. It was a joy she felt -within, a joy that expressed itself best in -dreaming rather than in the activity that her -other joys had always stimulated.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She liked to wander away by herself. -White-black would follow her about a good -deal and sought to arouse her old play spirit; -but when he realised that he could not influence -her any more as he used to, he learned to -let her alone. She seemed to have lost her -agility and preferred to be on the outskirts of -the circle of the herd where she could move -about with less excitement. She liked to wander -around the small ponds and listen to the -croaking of frogs, always lingering till the -night shadows lay thick over all things and she -heard the ineffable half murmur, half song of -wild ducks, as they paddled along in the stillness -of the night.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Often by day she would stop her shuffling -gait and with her nose down among the blades -of grass, she would watch the little sandpiper, -wondering what he meant with his heart-rending -<i>pee-weet</i> and his eternal seeking. -Sometimes she would stand for a long time -and watch the brown curlew and listen to his -persistent, lugubrious complaint. All these -sounds, these melodious cries of strange little -souls, somehow responded harmoniously to -voices and emotions in her own soul, and she -looked upon them as fellow beings of the wilds -she loved, knowing each by the sound of his -voice.</p> - -<p class='c003'>So too the woods interested her, though she -had never penetrated them very far, because -the woods were confining and she loved the -open where one could see and run in all directions. -Yet she loved the trees because these -new emotions which had mysteriously come -to her made her more observant than she had -been. She realised more fully than ever before -that woods and plains and skies had moods -in each of which they were different, and -these revelations broadening her outlook upon -her surroundings made her, in a way, more -capable of joy.</p> - -<p class='c003'>To White-black she was a puzzle. Yielding -to her desire to be alone and interesting himself -in other friends, he nevertheless kept an -eye on her. There came a period in which he -missed her entirely. Day after day, he went -looking for her and then one day he found her -in the woods, on an open grassy spot, cut off -from the plains by a small pond and a thin -wall of poplars. She was licking a small -black colt that was trying very hard to stand -on its long, shaky legs.</p> - -<p class='c003'>White-black was so glad to see her he began -to neigh excitedly and caper about the -water’s edge. Then, wading across the pond, -he ran toward her; but she sprang between -him and her baby with an angry whinny, ears -down, eyes glowing and her lips curling -threateningly. He stopped a few paces from -her and whinnied placatingly; but she threatened -him again and he was afraid to approach. -He gazed at her from where he was for a few -minutes, then like a man who, failing to understand, -shrugs his shoulders, he lowered his -head and began to graze, looking up occasionally -to see if she had changed her attitude -in any way. At last, discouraged, he walked -to the pond, took a long drink, waded across -and disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For several days Queen kept to herself in -her own little pasture in the woods. She -knew just where the herd was and what they -were doing at all times for she watched them -almost as anxiously as she watched over her -little son. Her baby grew stronger every day, -spending most of his time romping about the -limited space, learning to use his awkward -legs; and as he grew stronger, the desire to -return to the herd began to make Queen restless.</p> - -<p class='c003'>At last she led the little fellow carefully -around the pond, but just as she reached the -open space she saw the herd gathering as if -danger threatened. She stopped short, raised -her beautiful head and with one long nervous -sniff took in the whole situation.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Man again!</p> - -<p class='c003'>She could not see the horseman, but she -heard the faint, far away patter of hoofs and -the scent of man trickled through the air. -She turned about and looked at her little one -who was innocently indifferent to what worried -her and extremely interested in the open -space of which, being behind her, he had -caught but a glimpse. She knew that if she -attempted to join the herd and fly with them, -he could not follow her. She could hear, as -she tried to decide what to do, the sudden -clamour of hoof-beats as the herd broke into a -race for safety. She did not even turn to see -them go. With utmost haste she glided under -cover.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was not content with what safety the -little pasture offered. As if she had been a -creature of the woods, she picked her way -through thorny shrubs and under heavy -branches, till she came to a secluded spot that -satisfied her and there she lay down to regain -her composure.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For almost a week she lived like a deer, -hiding in the woods and coming out by night -to graze and to seek the herd which she hoped -would return. Then as the days went by and -she had come upon no trace of man in the air -of the open prairies, she ceased going back -into the woods, and divided her time between -her baby, feeding, and looking wistfully and -hopefully over hill and hollow for her lost -companions, calling, calling, calling till the -solitudes echoed with the anguish in her heart.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her interest in the small living things that -went about the daily business of their little -lives revived and the anxious searching of the -plains often gave way to an absorbed study of -her little neighbours. She came upon a mother -duck, one day, who was waddling down the -old buffalo trail with a brood of tiny little -ducklings, only a few yards away from her. -Queen slackened her pace when she saw that -the mother duck was getting excited, and -watched them. The old duck walked on as -rapidly as she could, turning her head from -side to side as she scrutinised Queen first with -one eye and then with the other, and though -she did not seem to consider her a very grave -danger she called her little ones and swerved -off the path. The old duck was apparently -leading them to the slough, but she hadn’t -gone very far when a lean and hungry-looking -coyote shot out from a cluster of rosebushes.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Instantly there was a frantic whir of wings -and while the mother duck flew almost upon -the coyote, the little ones scattered, dropping -down under bushes or flowers or disappearing -in gopher holes. Queen was too much worried -about her own baby to notice at the time -what happened to the duck. She sprang protectingly -toward her foal and then when she -looked up she saw the coyote running eagerly -after the duck, who acted as if one of her -wings were broken. Flopping with one wing -she cried with fright and half flew, half ran -on ahead of him. The foolish coyote -thought she was wounded and licked his chops -as he ran, anticipating a good meal.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old duck appeared to be losing; but -always just as the coyote was about to seize -her she flew off with a cry. Thus she led him -far away and out of sight. But before Queen -had started off again for the slough, she saw -the anxious mother duck come flying from the -opposite direction. Queen turned from her to -where the coyote had disappeared wondering -whether he was coming back. The joyous -peeping of the little brood who appeared in -all directions at the first call of their mother, -reassured her and she followed them down to -the pond.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The duck and the little ones set sail as soon -as they touched the water, and paddled away -triumphantly to the centre of the slough where -among the rushes no foolish coyote could -threaten them. The lesson of duck wisdom -impressed itself deeply on Queen’s mind in a -series of pictures, and she sensed acutely the -trick the duck had played upon the coyote. -She hated the coyote because she feared him. -The very sight of him made her uncomfortable -and she did not let the little one out of -her sight for an instant. Even when she drank, -the image of the beast would come into her -mind and between sips she would raise her -head and stare all around her to make sure -that he hadn’t come back; for from that time -on, she seemed to expect him to show up at -any moment.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Long as the days were at this time of the -year, they succeeded each other rapidly and -each day added to the weight of loneliness on -Queen’s heart. Ducks came in great numbers, -returning from their sojourns into the -land of motherhood with flourishing broods. -Gophers appeared everywhere. The saucy -little fellows would sit up on their haunches -a yard away from Queen’s head and defy her -with their queer little barks, which betrayed -much more fear than defiance. The colt -would look at them with his large, round eyes, -sometimes making an attempt to approach -them but as soon as he came too near they -fled. Coyotes began to show themselves more -and more often, and every time Queen came -upon one, even the clear memory of the duck -playing her trick could not prevent her heart -from throbbing with fear.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A variety of flowers appeared, one kind -giving way to another, and the sloughs on the -open began to shrink daily. The woods retained -their ponds, cool and clear, and in the -darker corners, among the tall poplars, there -were still shrunken drifts of snow.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In spite of the abundance of food and -water, in spite of her growing interest in her -baby who played about her in perfect contentment, -and played more and more delightfully, -Queen’s longing for her companions -reached overwhelming proportions and at last -she started away from those solitudes in search -of the herd.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For several days she travelled toward the -east along the wall of the woods. She came -to where the woods ended and a vast treeless -plain stretched away beyond vision. From the -pointed end of the woods, an old, partially -overgrown buffalo trail cut diagonally across -the prairie, running comparatively straight -southeast. There she remained for a few days -as if unable to decide which way to go. Then, -one day, when she had followed the buffalo -trail for several miles she came upon signs of -the herd. This puzzled her, for experience -had taught her not to go south; yet here was -unmistakable evidence that they had gone -south; and <i>they</i> were her goal. Despite her -disinclination to go in that direction, she went -on eagerly, moving each day as far as her colt -would go without protest, and resting when he -refused to go any farther.</p> - -<p class='c003'>One evening, long after the woods had -faded out of sight, when her baby balked at -the daily increase in the distance she urged -him to make and deliberately lay down on the -path, she saw what seemed to be two horses, -grazing. Queen broke the stillness with an -impassioned whinnying that puzzled the little -fellow. The fact that she was standing with -her back to him and whinnying so frantically -interested him. That she might be calling to -any one but himself was entirely beyond his -experience. Feeling that she was looking for -him, he got up and sidled up to her, touching -her neck with his little nose. Queen bent -down and covered him with caresses; but to -his dismay, she soon returned to her calling, -keeping her head high and looking away into -the shadows.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The darkness obliterated the two horses -and Queen, unable to stand still, started away -again, the little fellow complaining plaintively -as he lumbered after her. When, however, -he lay down once more, she yielded and -there they spent the night.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her night’s rest was a troubled one. What -with other emotions tormenting her, there was -a strong scent of man in the air that kept her -awake and watchful. When dawn came at -last, she saw the two horses, still grazing but -much nearer to her. Beyond them she saw -two black mounds, like malignant growths on -the body of the plains. In these mounds, she -knew, lived man.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was afraid to go any closer to the -mounds so she called loudly to the two horses -who finally responded by starting in her direction. -When she saw them coming, she hastened -to meet them, despite her fear. She -whinnied loudly as she went and when the -foremost of the two horses replied to her, his -voice sounded familiar. Who it was she did -not know but she started toward him on a gallop -and as soon as she touched his nose, she -remembered the old sorrel work-horse of the -spring lake in the bowl-like valley of her -childhood.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Where he had been, how he had got up -there, what he was doing, these were facts -Queen could not find out, nor did she experience -any desire to find out. Life to her was -somewhat of an abysmal night with beautiful, -star-like gleams of understanding. The past -to her was an ally of death not to be thought -about and the future became important only -when it turned into the present. The sole -value of the impressions that she carried in -her memory lay in the help they offered for -the understanding of the impressions that the -present was making and Queen never wept -over them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was the old sorrel before her! The -memory of what he had been to her, inundated -by floods of time and other experiences, had -gone out like the stars at dawn. But now, certain -odours and sounds and qualities too delicate -for words, like the evening that follows -every dawn, brought the stars back to her sky -and she strove to express the almost inexpressible -satisfaction she experienced.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The other horse was a stranger and so -Queen was wary of him. She sniffed noses -with him suspiciously and kept away, refusing -to allow him to go near her colt whereas the -old sorrel sniffed all over him without her -protest.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But the pleasure she derived from the momentary -satisfaction of the longing for companionship, -inadequate as it was, had its price. -Her excitement was so great that she did not -notice the coming of another horse with a man -on his back, till he was already dangerously -close. With an anxious call to her little one -she dashed away in the direction from which -she had come. The two horses went with her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was not long however before she saw the -man through the corner of her eye, urging his -straining horse, apparently to get ahead of -her. Queen was not running as fast as she -could, for she knew that her baby could not -keep up with her. But the sight of the man -at the side of her bewildered her. She leaped -out of his way, leaving him a hundred feet -behind only to realise at once that her colt -was not with her. She swung off to the side -and turned to see the man driving the old sorrel, -his companion, and her own colt off towards -the black mounds.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her eyes fairly bulging out of her head, her -lips frothing, Queen leaped back after him, -calling frantically to him as she ran. As soon -as the little thing heard her, he turned to run -back, but instantly the man threw a rope and -caught him round the neck, hurling him to the -ground. The two horses ran on toward the -mounds, but the man stopped, dismounted and -battled with her frightened, crying baby.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The desire to hurt was foreign to Queen’s -nature, but when she saw her foal on the -ground struggling with the man who was apparently -getting the better of it, she ran toward -the monster with murder in her heart. -The man saw her coming and with the other -end of his long rope he struck her head a terrible -blow. She jumped back in terror. Before -she had aroused enough courage to make another -attack, the man had completely tied the -little thing so that it could not move a limb -and, mounting his horse again, he rode away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen rushed to her little son with a sense -of relief but that feeling soon gave way to one -of painful solicitude. She had her baby and -the man had left, but the baby was helplessly -tied. It was changed with a change like -death. The monstrous two-legged creature -had cast a spell upon it. She ran around it -frantically, called to it encouragingly, licked -it tenderly, then ran off a few paces, urging -it to exert itself and follow her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Then to her horror, she saw the man coming -back. This time he had the sorrel and his -companion with him. She grew desperate. -She bit at the rope with nervous haste, trying -to drag her colt away with her, but her efforts -resulted only in hurting it and at the first cry -of pain, she stopped. Until the man was so -near that he struck her with the long binder -whip which he had brought with him, she -would not leave her baby and then she only -kept out of reach of the whip. Finally, in -desperation, unable to decide upon anything -that she might try to do, she stood and -watched; while the man was busy, preparing -the ropes on the stone boat which the two -horses had been dragging after them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>One thing at once hurt and puzzled her, -and that was the nonresistance of the old sorrel. -There he stood covered with the bewildering -straps with their glittering buckles, -making no attempt to run from the man nor -to help her. He did not even call to her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She tried to make out how the man succeeded -in holding the two horses though he -was not even looking at them. Her deliberations, -however, were suddenly interrupted by -the man’s leaving the stone boat and going to -her little one. When she saw him drag the -colt to the stone boat, she went mad again and -rushed at him with bared teeth; but as soon as -he straightened himself and turned to her, she -fled.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her hatred included the old sorrel when -she saw him start away dragging her baby off. -She sprang at him from the side and nipped -him savagely. The old fellow got frightened -and backed up almost stepping upon the helpless -little colt on the stone boat. The man got -angry. He jumped from the stone boat and -with his long whip struck her with all his -strength squarely upon her tender nose. The -pain took her breath away. She reared on -her hind legs in a fit of agony, then dashed out -of reach, and the man drove off with her colt.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Bewildered by her anguish, she ran after -him, rending the air with her cries, zigzagging -from one side to the other. When the -man reached one of the black mounds, his sod -barn, Queen remained at a distance, running -around the place in a wide circle and running -steadily as if she found relief in activity.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The man disappeared in the black mound, -but when Queen ventured nearer, for fear -that she would again attack the old sorrel, the -man poked his head out of a hole in the wall -and yelled at her; and she turned and ran. -When she started for the barn again, the man -came out altogether. She was forty rods away -when she turned and as she did so she heard -the strong, healthy call from her colt, muffled -by the confinement of the barn; but apparently -free as if he were untied. She replied -with all her strength and ran toward the barn, -stopping a hundred feet away and watching -the man, as he fastened the barn-door -securely.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She saw him unhook the horses from the -stone boat and then drive them over to a queer-looking -instrument that lay near the house. -Then she saw them start away with the plow -dragging behind the horses. They were coming -toward her so she loped away to the -right. When she stopped, she saw that they -were not following her but were going off -toward the south. Considerably relieved she -watched them go till they were lost from view -behind a hill.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She trotted up to the first of the two -mounds, the man’s small, sod house and cautiously -sniffed about for a few minutes to -make sure that there was no other man about. -The odours there were unendurable, but everything -was motionless, and at a call from her -little one, she ran to the barn. For a while -she ran round and round it as she called, then -suddenly she spied his little head through a -hole in the wall. She attempted to thrust her -head in. She just managed to touch him with -her hot lips, but the fear of the evil-smelling -barn forced her to withdraw her head, in spite -of her desire to keep touching him. She had -the feeling of being trapped herself and immediately -loped away again. A thorough -examination of the house and the plains, however, -assured her that she was still free and -that the man was not returning.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Again and again she thrust her head into -the hole, and despite the nauseating odours she -prolonged her caresses every succeeding time -that she put her head through the window. -Yet she realised that that was not giving her -back her baby. At the same time the touch -of his beloved head intensified the fire in her -heart and she began desperately to seek some -way of getting him out.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was a pile of manure back of the -barn which sloped upward till it almost -reached the flat, straw roof. She ran around -the barn in an attempt to find some opening -and every time she came to the heap of manure -she was forced to enlarge the circle she -was making. With a look in every direction, -to make sure the man was not returning, she -suddenly started up the pile of manure and -carefully stepped upon the roof of the barn.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She had only taken a step forward, though, -when she felt the roof giving way under her -feet. This frightened her and she attempted -to turn back much too hastily. Before she -could get back to the pile of dirt, half the roof -together with a part of the wall caved in, dropping -her down into the barn on top of the -débris. She was very badly frightened. Without -stopping even to look for her colt, she -leaped over the remaining portion of the wall -taking half of it with her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She did not turn to see what she had accomplished -but fled in terror over the fields. -When her courage returned, she looked back -and happily discovered that still the man had -not returned, nor was there any other sign of -danger. On the other hand her little colt was -now standing near the broken wall, his head -and shoulder sticking up above it, calling -frantically. She then hurried back with all -her speed, caressing him as if she hadn’t seen -him for weeks, and urging him, in her dumb -way, to come out.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He tried very hard to get over the barrier, -but could not make it. To show him how to -do it, she jumped in again and as she jumped -she knocked another layer of sod into the -barn. Then as she was about to leap out a second -time she heard a familiar whinny behind -her. Turning nervously, she made out in the -gloom of the other end of the barn, two horses, -one of them her mate. Poor White-black was -standing listlessly in a cage-like stall, securely -tied to the manger. His voice was weaker -than it had ever been, and his calling seemed -strangely half-hearted. A great desire to -touch his nose came over her, though the fear -of the barn, the frightfully nauseating odours -and the slippery, dirty floor, all urged her to -fly before some mysterious force should seize -her and hold her there. All she was able to do -was to call to him from where she stood trembling -near the opening in the wall, ready to -jump at the first sign of danger. The sound of -her own voice in the confines of the gloomy -barn terrified her. With a single bound she -leaped over the broken wall, taking so much -more of it with her, lowering it so decidedly -that the little fellow was able to climb over it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>With a last heartfelt call to White-Black, -appealing to him to follow her as he used to -follow her in the days that had gone, Queen -raced once more toward the haven of the -north, ran against all feeble protest of her -little son, ran till the loathsome mounds vanished -from the undulating plains.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In a hollow where a spring slough had -turned much of the earth into mud and then -had partially dried up, Queen drank, fed her -baby; and, because he would go no further, -she grazed while he rested. She felt very -unsafe and gazed incessantly and fearfully -toward the hilltop behind her. Two images -she expected to see coming over the brow -every time she looked up. She expected and -feared to see the man coming after her and -she expected and hoped to see White-black. -Neither came, but both haunted her stormy -mind and allowed it no peace.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Fear urged her to be off and away but every -time she started, her little fellow refused to go -with her. He would raise his head painfully -from the grass and call to her but he would -not get up. He had not taken all the milk -there was for him and he acted very peculiarly, -but Queen’s fear was implacable. She pretended -to leave him and ran all the way up the -other slope of the hollow. He called to her -in a frenzy of fear, but though her heart beat -fast for him, she did not reply and when she -began to disappear over the summit of the hill -he got up in haste and ran with all his strength -till he found her but a few feet from the summit. -She whinnied to him lovingly but continued -her trot and he wearily followed her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A peculiar note in his cry, some distance -farther on, made her turn round to look at -him. She saw him touch his shoulder with -his little nose and as he touched it she saw a -swarm of insects fly off from the spot. She -walked back to him and discovered a deep -gash that ran across his breast and up his other -shoulder. The hideous cut was covered by -lumps of coagulated blood and the insects settled -back on it as soon as he withdrew his -nose.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She proceeded at once to lick the wound till -she found it was bleeding again and stopped, -bewildered by the dripping blood. But the -bigger problem presented itself anew. She -looked up suddenly and spied, on the horizon -in the direction from which she had come, a -black moving object. She was certain that it -was the man coming after her and springing -forward a few paces stopped suddenly when -she found that her colt was not following her. -She stamped her foot frantically, calling to -him with more terror than urge.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He started bravely after her, but the more -he ran, the more his wound opened, and the -coagulation that had taken place and was trying -to take place failed to save him. Queen, -who loved him with magnificent passion, did -not know that her running was killing him. -What could she have done if she had known? -The man was fast gaining in the chase. Man -always gained, save where death entered the -race and death was slowly defeating this man.</p> - -<p class='c003'>At last, the little fellow dropped, exhausted. -When she hurried back to caress and to urge -him on, she knew that he could go no further. -The man had disappeared behind a hill. -Queen ran back with a mad, desperate impulse -to bar his way to her little son. The image -of a mother duck flying into the face of a -coyote, flashed through her brain. She ran -down one hillside and up another, her throbbing -sides wet with perspiration, and in the -valley below that, she saw him.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He was somewhat to the right of her. Seeing -her he turned to the left. She, too, turned -left and she ran trying to keep a hill between -them. As soon as she heard him coming over -the hill that was between them she raced over -the next hill. In that way she led him several -miles north, then running for the first time as -fast as she could go, she fled west.</p> - -<p class='c003'>On the top of one of the hills, she stopped -finally and looked back. She saw the man -turn homeward and before he should see her, -she dropped down into a valley and there she -started back to her colt, running now as fast -as ever, though her sides were white with -foam. When she got to a second hilltop and -found that the man had disappeared and that -there was no trace of him in the air, she loped -along a bit more easily.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The belated summer evening was coming at -last. The sun, very red and big, lowered on -one side of her and high in the heavens the -moon grew brighter. She came to a slough -and drank. She gulped the water a moment, -then raising her noble head, pricked her ears -and listened, the water dripping from her -mouth. It seemed to her that she had heard -a coyote somewhere in the distance. She grew -troubled and fearful again, running in her -confusion beyond the hill where she should -have turned.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Instead of going right back she turned -south and when she ran into the trail of blood -that his open wound had left on the grass, she -was quite some distance away from him. But -she was on his trail and with her nose low to -the ground she trotted along hopefully till she -was suddenly startled by the hideous cry of -a coyote. She stopped, completely terrified, -and listened. A cry of a second coyote, nearer, -responded to the first from the other side of -the hill before her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>With a few bounds she was at the top of the -hill. Not a dozen feet down the slope sat a -coyote over the lifeless body of her colt. He -had eaten a great deal and was heavy with -meat. He was so completely surprised that -he could not move for a moment. It was too -late to move. She was so close to him that he -was afraid to turn. He bared his teeth in a -feeble effort at defiance and snarled, but -Queen was too furious to think of herself. -With all the strength of madness she hurled -herself upon him and over him, leaping away -in terror and carrying with her the sensation -of hoof crushing bone. When she was quite -certain that there was nothing pursuing her, -she thought he had run away and so nervously -trotted back to her baby.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She came back cautiously a step at a time, -her eyes gleaming like burning coals, her skin -quivering with fear. She saw the black -shadowy mass that was her colt and then she -made out a second black mass beside it. A -few steps nearer and she began to feel that -she had rendered the coyote motionless, but -when she got quite close she saw the beast’s -hind legs kick backward in the throes of death. -Queen did not know that he was dying, but she -did know by the motionlessness of his head -that she had him at a disadvantage and she -approached with less fear and beat at him -with her hoof just as she had many a time -beaten a hole in the ice over a pond.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Finally she revolted against a task so foreign -to her nature and turned as if with sudden -realisation of something overwhelmingly -terrible, to the almost unrecognisable body of -her foal. But she only sniffed once and sprang -away with a snort and cry. Round and round -the hilltop she ran expressing the agony in -her soul with loud and plaintive, fearful calls -to which there was no answer in all the infinity -of space.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The odours were maddening. The place became -unbearable and in her soul the desire for -the companionship of the herd flared up like a -great light in the torturous darkness. It was -as if she saw them somewhere in the gloomy -spaces and running would bring her to them. -So she loped and trotted northward, all night. -At dawn, too weary to continue on her feet, -she lay down to rest and as she rested she -cropped the grass about her. A few hours -of rest and she was ready to continue her -anxious journey.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When toward noon she came to where -the familiar woods appeared on the horizon -Queen accelerated her pace. It was there in -that woods that the beloved little thing had -come to her, and she loped as if she expected -to find it there again. Forgotten were all the -aches in her muscles. What pain of body can -outweigh the pain of mother mind at the loss -of her baby? Deny the animal all the finer -emotions you like! Mother love is too obvious -a quality of the lowest animal life to be denied.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But the moment Queen saw the familiar -trees, the moment she entered the shadowy, -fragrant atmosphere of the woods where the -little thing had been born, the image of it, -wandering about elusively in the solitude, -came plaintively calling into her soul and she -turned back upon the trail of sorrow. Back -over the plains she ran, as if her speed could -save it, ran as if some evil man creature were -carrying it away, running off with it, ahead -of her, just out of sight.</p> - -<p class='c003'>An overwhelming sense of bodily weariness -came over her at sundown and she lay down -to sleep; and all through her heavy slumber, -she pursued her elusive baby and struggled -with monstrous man and hungry coyote.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch08' class='c012'>CHAPTER VIII<br /> <br />RETRIBUTION</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-e.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -EVERY dawn on the plains is the miracle -of creation, and the best philosophy -for man or animal lies in this -daily beginning. “Endure Sorrow’s -night,” says the dawn, “then rise with -me and plan for the day.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>Before her on the emerging plain lay a -suspicious-looking stone. Without moving -her head, Queen regarded it a long time. It -was altogether too woolly for a stone. Her -scrutiny brought strange sensations and her -heart began to beat rapidly. A gust of soft -morning breeze swept down from the hill and -the stone moved. Queen sprang to her feet.</p> - -<p class='c003'>With its hungry face turned toward her, the -coyote glided away. Sorrow’s night was over -and Queen loped after him with a new notion -of life. The faster and the more fearfully -he ran, the more faith Queen acquired in -her own superiority, the more consolation she -derived from the hope and the will to crush -him, as she had crushed the other one.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He swung off toward the northwest. She -too turned northwest. He stopped to sit down -on his haunches and to look back at her, to -learn if possible the purpose of this uncanny -mare. But as soon as he sat down she seemed -to increase her effort to reach him. When she -got too near, he bounded away out of reach. -When he tried to turn in a new direction, she -turned and headed him off, forcing him north -against his will.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Wherever he went she pursued him doggedly. -Over hills, down into valleys, around -sloughs, she went driven by emotions she had -never experienced before. But while these -emotions drove her, others retarded her and -the coyote began to leave her farther and -farther behind, growing smaller and smaller -in the distance. Finally Queen abandoned -the chase and turned with satisfaction to -grazing.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Long after he had disappeared, however, -Queen scrutinised the indistinct spaces in -which he had sunk out of sight. She had been -grazing a long while and had almost forgotten -about the coyote, when she looked up once -more and discovered a tiny object moving on -the sky-line. There was no doubt in Queen’s -mind as to what that object was. She galloped -away at full speed and did not stop till -she was out of breath. For a while she lost -sight of the object, because of a deep and -winding hollow through which she was -obliged to pass, but when she reached a high -place again, she beheld with great joy a group -of horses still so far away that they did not -notice her coming.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She called constantly as she ran, though she -did so more to express her own excitement -than with any hope of getting their attention. -When at last they heard her, every head went -up and every pair of ears turned forward. -The big, brown colt, her old rival in the race, -left the group first and started for her. As -soon as she recognised him, Queen knew that -she had found her old companions. Her joy -was insuppressible. She rushed from one to -the other and caressed the little colts till they -fled in terror of her passion.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was a brown, fuzzy little fellow, the -foal of a big, good-natured sorrel mare. -Queen caressed it emotionally. The little -fellow endured it without any kind of manifestation -for a little while, then suddenly he decided -to take advantage of the situation. -Queen gave him her milk most willingly, but -his mother watched the performance with -growing dissatisfaction. When he had had -about all he could have she jumped at him to -prevent him from going back for more and -incidentally showed her jealousy by pretending -to bite Queen. Queen sprang out of the -way, manifesting clearly her disinclination to -fight over it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In spite of the big mare’s protests, Queen -fed him again before nightfall. When the -mother objected again, she relinquished temporarily -and led the whole group in a merry -race round the hill top. Her desire to be -active, born of emotions that would not down -within her, was contagious. She could not -rest and every time she started off with a toss -of her head, the herd was at her heels.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In spite of all the weary days of journeying -in the tragic period that had just passed out -of her life, so tense was Queen’s joy at meeting -her companions, so full was her life again, -now that she had friends to love life with, and -a colt to drink her milk, that she seemed to -have lost the faculty of feeling weariness, and -frisked about in the shower of moonlight like -a gratified colt.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Not far off lay the carcass of a dead horse, -from which life, tired of baffling snows all -winter and toiling for man all summer, had -departed. Over this carcass a pack of -coyotes were savagely feasting and their -hymns to the god of coyotedom disturbed -Queen’s revelry. Several times she ran off a -short distance in the direction from which the -insane howling was coming. Every time she -started off the herd started with her. Locating -the coyotes half way down the long slope, -Queen first circled around the hilltop, then -suddenly turned down the slope at breakneck -speed. Like an ocean wave the herd swept -down the incline.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The coyotes were taken completely by surprise. -Not until the herd was almost upon -them did they attempt to escape, fleeing then -chaotically in all directions. But the horses -also spread out to avoid the carcass; and with -momentum stronger than their fear, they stampeded -across the paths of the fleeing pack. -Most of the scavengers escaped but one was -struck down. At the foot of the hill Queen -turned back to the dismay of the herd. They -watched her curiously as she trotted, some distance -ahead of them, up the incline.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She came to the miserable creature whose -back had been broken. Unable to move his -hind legs, he dragged them along behind as -he crept away with his forelegs. But Queen -did not let him get away. The herd had by -this time timorously come after her. Stepping -back a moment before the flashing teeth and -the gleaming eyes she rushed at him again and -struck him upon the head with a sharp, front -hoof. She struck him again and again as if -moved by the terror of the thing she was doing. -The herd had come up toward her but when -they saw her attacking the coyote they got -frightened and ran away. Queen then abandoned -the lifeless form and ran to join them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Far away on the moonlit sky-line sat the -rest of the coyote pack, their nozzles turning -periodically to the moon and baying madly -against the betrayal of their god. Never in -all their savage experience had they come -upon such a herd of horses and never again -would they expose themselves to its madness.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Without vote or discussion, without struggle -or rivalry, Queen assumed her regency. -Her will became the will of the herd. Queen -she became in earnest, in the highest sense of -the word, ruling neither for gain nor power, -ruling solely for love of freedom and her companions. -And her ruling was the salvation -of the herd and the consternation of the homesteaders -whose wretched shacks skirted her -domains.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch09' class='c012'>CHAPTER IX<br /> <br />SLOWLY MAN CREPT NORTHWARD</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-t.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -THE prairie grass began once more to -wither and grow grey. The winds -assumed again their autumnal sadness -and moaned with an aimless complaint. -Again dead thistles began -rolling over the plains, expressing somehow -in their helpless rolling the relentlessness of -change. Frosts rewhitened the morning earth -and geese honked again on their flight to the -south.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The herd was grazing on a hillslope. On -the top of the hill stood Queen. The wind -was tugging away at her mane and tail, but -otherwise she was as motionless as the hill she -was standing on. Her eyes were fixed upon -two horses coming from the southeast and -more than a mile away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Once or twice the brown colt, now a full -grown stallion, fat and almost clumsy, raised -his head to look as she was looking; but most -of the others were busy seeking better grasses -and wild plants they liked, until Queen, with -a partially suppressed whinny of excitement -trotted away to meet the newcomers. At -once the peaceful scene broke into activity.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But when they had come within a quarter of -a mile of the two horses, they stopped. A white -horse that made Queen think of White-black, -tied to a sorrel horse that made her think of -the old sorrel work-horse, running as fast as -they could under the circumstances, were -coming toward them, by fits and starts. The -white horse, as he came, kept stepping backward -and raising his head every once in a -while, only to leap forward again a few paces. -Always as he leaped forward something -dragged him back by the head. They would -run on together for a short distance and then -the same thing would happen again.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When they got very near, in spite of her interest, -Queen’s fear of the scent of man which -clung to them got the better of her and she led -away till the apparition was out of sight. -There the herd waited for its reappearance. -When they did appear the herd fled again. -This they kept up for the greater part of the -day. Toward evening Queen made another -attempt to find out just what was wrong. By -this time she was convinced that there was no -man with them anywhere, and the labourious -manner in which these miserable creatures -followed them mitigated her fear of their -being dangerous.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She went round on a curve and stopped -some fifty feet from the two weary animals. -The sorrel, now about a foot behind the white -horse, snorting as if he had great difficulty in -breathing, took the opportunity during the -moment’s rest to brace his body with his front -legs against the pulling of the white one. The -white one, driven by some fear, began pulling -and tugging as soon as he had caught his -breath; but he couldn’t budge the old fellow -an inch. Queen advanced fearfully. The -scent of man, despite the fact that there was -no man about, worried her even as the growing -certainty that these were her old companions -drew her toward them. Finally she ventured -near enough to touch the white nose -that came forward a few inches to meet hers. -White-black it was! Poor, abused White-black, -covered with barn dirt, his sides fallen -in through struggle and lack of sufficient food.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A touch of the old sorrel’s nose brought him -to his proper place in her mind and Queen -ran from one to the other, feeling vaguely -that the spell of the dirty barn was still holding -both of them in captivity, and trying to -arrive at some plan of helping them, yet not -having the faintest idea of what to do.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old sorrel was by far the weaker one of -the two. He was evidently just about exhausted. -His poor old sides expanded and -contracted rapidly and his dirty flanks were -literally wet with foamy perspiration. -Though White-black took advantage of their -halt and grazed as far as the entanglement of -straps that held him fast to his mate would -allow; the old sorrel made no attempt to eat. -His harness had slipped down his side and -one of his front legs was caught in a loop in -one of the straps that hung from his neck.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The weary old sorrel had hardly regained -his breath, when Queen spied a man on horseback -coming after the pair. The herd dashed -away to the north while White-black, dragging -the exhausted sorrel behind him, brought -up the rear. The old sorrel did the best he -could. The lines tying his bridle to White-black’s -bridle pulled painfully at his lips, -the corners of which were red with blood. -Strength was ebbing rapidly from him and he -moved through space as if he were dazed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly one of his front legs went into a -badger hole. The old fellow went down with -a groan. The groan was immediately followed -by several sharp, successive snaps and -White-black was free from his poor, -wretched, old mate. And the poor old sorrel, -too, was free, free from all future agony.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The hanging straps impeded White-black’s -flight, but the darkness came to his rescue. -The herd had ceased running. The hoof-beats -of the man’s saddle pony were dying -away in the distance. By morning when the -man reappeared on the horizon, White-black, -still burdened by his heavy harness, was free -enough to be able to keep up with the herd, -for what was left of the lines, stepped upon -so many times during the night, now hung -above his knees.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For more than a week, the man persisted -in his futile attempt to catch the white horse; -then, because his saddle pony was completely -exhausted, racing daily with the weight on -his back, he gave up the chase with a vicious -hope that White-black would strangle himself -in the harness he carried with him, and a -curse upon the wild western broncos that -were “no good anyway.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>But White-black had no inclination to pass -out of existence that way, nor did his notion -of value coincide with that of his would-be -owner. He did everything he could think of -doing to rid himself of his trying encumbrance. -He would lie down every once in a -while and roll in the hope of thus rubbing the -harness off. In time, he managed to loosen -the crupper so that it let the greater part of -the harness, the part that covered his back and -sides, slip down on one side of him and drag -on the ground.</p> - -<p class='c003'>This only intensified his discomfort, for -every horse that went near him was sure to -step on some strap. Every time some one -stepped upon a strap, however, there was one -strap less dragging after him, and in a few -days the whole network of straps was torn -from the hames. One day while he was grazing, -the hames suddenly loosened and fell off -and the collar fell down upon his head. A -little help with one hoof got it completely off -his head, and so he was free from all but the -bridle. The bit was tormenting enough but -since it did not entirely prevent his grazing -and his drinking, and the straps hanging down -did not interfere with his running, he was virtually -free again.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was during the middle of the winter that -he was relieved of this last link in the chain -of his captivity. There came a severe blizzard -that kept them lying huddled into each -other with nothing to do for a long time. -Queen had always been annoyed by these -straps that clung to White-black and lying -close to him, she stretched her neck and began -to chew at them. While she chewed at the -straps, White-black ground his teeth in his -persistent effort to dislodge the bit, and suddenly -it fell from his mouth.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When next spring the homesteader, in another -vain attempt to recapture his valuable -white horse, got near enough to the herd to see -that White-black did not have on him a piece -of all the harness with which he had run away, -he could hardly believe his eyes. That night -he told his neighbours:</p> - -<p class='c003'>“That mare’s got the devil in her. She -just took them there harness right off him. I -know it. How else could he get ’em off? -When the critters ran away they both had all -their harness on. How in thunder did he get -his bridle off? Tell me that! She’s a devil, -that mare! I’ll tell y’u she went for me like -a witch the day I got her colt. I went away -and left her round the barn thinkin’ I’d get -her with the help of Colter; but I reckoned -on her bein’ a mare—not a devil! She -opened her mouth just like a wolf. I swear -it!”</p> - -<p class='c003'>Because she was able to defend herself -against man’s tyranny, they accused her of -having the devil in her; because she was wise -enough to retain her liberty, they cursed and -hated her. Yet they had ample reason for -hating her. Within two years after the loss -of White-black, not a homesteader dared release -his horses in the fall as they had been in -the habit of doing. To release them was in all -probability to lose them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But keeping them in the barns all winter -meant the necessity for gathering much -greater quantities of hay than they were accustomed -to gather, and, worse than that, it -meant horses with less energy for seeding time -in the spring.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Every spring, all manner of attempts were -made to capture Queen but every attempt -ended in costly failure. Some of the older -and weaker horses were taken from the herd -each year, but Queen and all the younger -horses remained free. Once Queen learned -that she was being pursued, it was impossible -for them to get within a mile of her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When these futile attempts to capture her -became too annoying, Queen would invariably -turn to the north. The ominous barbed wire -fences which year after year encroached upon -the wild, somehow never appeared on the -northern horizon. North, always north, she -went, maneuvering with such cunning about -the hills and through the deeper valleys, that -for every mile she was able to put between -herself and her pursuers, they were obliged -to travel five.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The Canadian Government embarked upon -a campaign of advertisement to urge farmers -in the United States to go north and take up -homesteads in Alberta. Men sold their farms -in the northwestern states and moved across -the border. Every year a new crop of homesteader’s -shacks appeared to baffle the desolation. -To be sure, many a shack built hopefully -one year stood gaping like a skull the -next; but in spite of the discouraging features -of the country, much of the encroachment -yearly made upon Queen’s domains was permanent.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Every springtime with the blossoming of -the wild rosebushes and the prairie cacti, new -fence posts with their glittering lines of -barbed wire cut some small portion of her territory -on the east, the south and the west. -Slowly man crept northward and with an inborn -faith in the justice and the security of -the wilds, Queen fled at his approach.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch10' class='c012'>CHAPTER X<br /> <br />THE DOORS OF THE TRAP SHUT</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-t.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -THE years rolled by. Old tragic hurts -were dulled by the mists of passing -time and every hour of the unfettered -present came bringing some new joy. -New children came to Queen and in -the love of each succeeding one, Queen rejoiced -as if it were the first and only one. -Carefully she led them all to the doorway of -maturity and there, since life willed it so, -she gave them over to the herd, to live and -provide for themselves and to abide by the -unwritten laws of the herd in the finest exemplification -of the Golden Rule on earth. The -friends who died or who suddenly disappeared -she would miss for a long while, sometimes -spending months in search of them, then -she would transfer her love of them to some -other member of the brotherhood, just as she -transferred her mother-love from the older -to the younger of her offspring.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The shadowy creatures of the receding past -often came, walking into the dozing memory -at nightfall. Queen would remain lying, -chewing absent-mindedly and watching them, -her contentment undisturbed, loving the sadness -that clung to them, as we love the sadness -that clings to our sweetest music.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There came a spring of unusual activity on -the part of man, and his daily appearance intruded -so threateningly upon the herd, that -they abandoned the land which had become -endeared to them and journeyed north almost -steadily for many days.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They came upon a pleasant valley abounding -in delicious, virgin grass and many small -ponds; and they took possession of it. But -at midnight, while they were resting, they -were suddenly aroused by a shrieking noise -which was followed by a long-drawn rattle, -like distant thunder.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The sound died out and did not come again, -but an attenuated cloud of smoke swept across -the valley. Though the rest of that night -was undisturbed and the air, from then on, -was clear, they kept awake and fearfully restless. -At dawn they abandoned the valley -though they saw nothing that was alarming; -and as they moved northward, they came upon -a railroad track.</p> - -<p class='c003'>On the other side of the track the land -stretched away silent and desolate, merging -at the northern horizon in a long, narrow -shadow, as of woodland. The tracks remained -perfectly motionless and the herd -slowly ventured near them. While some of -the horses looked on curiously, some of the -headstrong young colts to the dismay of their -mothers, walked upon the tracks and sniffed -at them. Seeing that nothing happened to -them, the herd started at once to cross.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Half a mile north of that they came upon -another elongated slough which had been -hidden by a hill. Always glad to see water, -they trotted down in concert and took possession, -once more intending to end the journey. -But toward evening while the colts were expressing -the joy of life in a gambol about the -water, they were startled by another shriek -like the one of the night before, and associating -it somehow with the tracks, they tore up -the slope to see what it was.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In the distant east glowed a light, like the -harvest moon. It gleamed from the centre -of a black, fear-inspiring object from which -clouds of smoke poured into the air and -streamed backward into space. They gazed -upon it for a few moments as if transfixed, -then when they realised that it was coming -rapidly nearer, they broke down into the valley, -splashing through the slough and sped -up the other slope. On the top of that hill, -they stopped to look back. The thing was -already thundering past them, shutting away -the whole of the south with a long, black line -of smoke in which sparkled a thousand star-like -eyes of fire.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Had they remained to look at that line of -smoke, they might have lost the fear of it. -Within a few minutes it went as it had come. -The sweet evening air cleared and settled -down to the silence they loved. But such is -the way of destiny that a thing of smoke and -illusion may wield a power greater than that -of iron or mind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They did not wait long enough to see what -it really was. An impassable wall had arisen -behind them. A guard of ferocious beasts -had rushed across their path, shutting from -them forever the old south world they knew -so well. To Queen it was, in the vaguest -sense, somewhat more than that. The apprehensions -of the moment were dispelled by the -widening distance between them and this -weird thing they feared; but a new anxiety -crept into Queen’s heart, like a snaky creature, -and grew bolder there as the danger it forecast -approached. It was the fear of the -hunted for the cage. It was as if she had entered -an enormous trap and had seen the door -shut upon her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They instinctively kept to a strip of wild -prairie several miles in width. On the eastern -and western horizon they saw from time -to time shacks and barns and fences and huge -squares of black, plowed earth; and from the -distances came at long intervals the muffled -barking of dogs. The feel and the smell of -man was in the air, and they found that air -hard to breathe. They grazed when hunger -asserted itself and rested when the younger -colts refused to go on, but continued their -migration.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They came to a country where there were -no shacks and no fences, where the evenness -was broken only by promising patches of -woodland. There the earth seemed destitute -of living things and in the moaning of the -winds as they blew through the swaying trees, -the spirit of loneliness assured them of safety. -The grass on the open spaces grew high as if -no living thing had ever touched it, and swaying -with the trees, it subtly testified to the authenticity -of that assurance. In Queen’s mind, -however, the shacks and the fences and the -barking of dogs were as yet too distinct to -allow her to feel entirely secure; and she -continued the flight, fear urging her to go -on till the last trace of man had faded from -the air and a wall of solitude and wilderness -had covered it. But they came one day to -a very steep slope. Tall trees rose from the -foot of the slope and beyond their tops -Queen saw the reflecting waters of the Saskatchewan -pouring along rapidly from west -to east.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The river was very wide and the darker -waters beneath the brighter surface indicated -a perilous depth. The fear of the trap that -had been vague in Queen’s mind now became -distinct as she gazed at the obscure distance -from which the river came and at the shadowy -spaces into which it rushed. Her faith in the -north had given her a decade of precarious -freedom and had taken her two hundred miles -from her birthplace. The sight of those impassable -volumes of water staggered that -faith. She grew nervous and restless and -when the herd had drunk the treacherous -water, she led them away to the west.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A half day’s journey brought them to where -the Vermillion River tearing along between -high banks comes pouring down from the -south and the west and breaks into the Saskatchewan, -with a threatening roar. Again -Queen felt that she had come to another wall -of the trap and turning, led the herd back -toward the east. A few days of grazing and -moving east along the Saskatchewan brought -them to a barbed wire fence that ran down -the banks to the very edge of the river. Ever -as she had followed the slightly winding river, -she had searched in vain for a ford. The -doors of the north, too, had closed to them, and -their freedom now depended upon a battle of -wits, the wits of the herd in the limited wilds -against the wits of man in his protecting civilisation.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They returned to the middle of the unsettled -belt and there Queen spent a happy week -of freedom, disturbed only by the promptings -of the canker within her which derived its -sustenance from the frequent appearance of -men on horseback.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Seeding time arrived and the homesteaders -who lived south of the railroad tracks went -forth to hunt for the horses they had released -the preceding fall. The homesteaders who -lived on the outskirts of these wilds, in the -hope of capturing some of the unclaimed -horses, joined them. But with a cunning that -exasperated the hunters, Queen went from one -hiding place to another, detecting every approach -so long before the horsemen appeared -that in the first full week of searching she was -seen only on two occasions.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The homesteaders became desperate. The -snows were fast disappearing and the land -was in best condition for their work. They -appealed to the Canadian Government and -half a dozen members of the Royal Northwest -Mounted Police came out to reinforce them -in the war to the knife that was declared upon -Queen and her followers.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Several times a day Queen would run down -the banks of the Saskatchewan. At the river -she would take a few sips of water as if she -had come to drink and then she would stand -and look longingly across the roaring deeps -to the wilds beyond, suppressing the constantly -rising impulse to plunge into the rapid -waters and beat her way to the freedom of the -north, which seemed, after half a lifetime of -benefaction, to have abandoned her. Then -one day the impulse came with overwhelming -suddenness and she struck out madly for the -other shore. But when she felt the bottom -drop away from under her feet, she became -frightened. The remnants of the huge snow -drifts that were still melting kept the river -swollen to twice its volume. The current -lifted her and carried her several rods downstream, -fortunately for her, hitting a bar and -depositing her there.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Puffing and snorting and registering the -promise that she would never try it again, -Queen finally clambered back upon the shore -where she shook the water from her body. -Some of the horses who had watched the -whole performance with anxiety, came trotting -toward her. Queen joined them dejectedly, -grateful to be out of the treacherous -water, but remembering that she was being -hunted and realising now that there was no -chance of getting across the river and that -her only hope lay in her delicate legs and the -cunning that many years of resistance to man -had developed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A few days passed by in which all hostilities -on the part of the homesteaders and the -Mounted Police seemed to have ceased. -Queen began to feel that the war had been -abandoned; but she was surprised one very -early morning by a formidable group of -horsemen, less than a quarter of a mile to the -east from where the herd was grazing, who -were coming at full speed. A strong wind -had been blowing from the west and had carried -the scent and sound of them away. A -lull in the wind apprised her of the enemy’s -approach.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They had been moving along the edge of -a patch of dense woodland, the wall of which -stretched from the Saskatchewan to a point a -little more than a mile south of the river. -There was no opening between the trees and -the brush. The only chance for escape lay in -a wild dash south and in reaching the end of -the wooded wall before the horsemen could -reach it. That chance they took.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The horsemen divided into groups. One -group sped away southwest at an angle, while -another, going straight west, spread out on a -long line to prevent the herd from going -back to the river.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was a close race. Every animal, pursuing -or pursued, groaned in the terrible exertion -of it. The younger and the stronger of -the herd led the race, with Queen’s magnificent -head in front. Behind the group of fastest -runners came the mothers with their colts, -and the old work-worn horses brought up the -rear. Though spurs dug unmercifully into -wet, throbbing sides, staining them with small -red spots, the forepart of the herd, unencumbered -by riders, won the end of the wall and -broke away to the west in safety. Not until -the wall point was almost out of sight did they -stop to look back and when Queen finally felt -it safe to do so and swung round a knoll, she -saw no sign of her pursuers; but the far greater -portion of the herd was gone with them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>About a mile southwest of where they were, -they knew of a slough. It was down in a -deep hollow and though they would rather -have remained on the hills where they could -more easily spy any one coming after them, -they were very thirsty and trotted away for -water. At the rim of the hollow some of -them stopped to look about before going -down, others broke down on a run.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen drank very little. She was worried -and very nervous. While most of the horses -walked into the pond, looking for deeper and -clearer water, she took a few hasty sips of the -warm, muddy stuff on the edge and then ran -up the slope to take another look. There -seemed to be nothing untoward on the plains, -but to make sure she remained there a while -and grazed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She had not been grazing more than a few -minutes when she was startled by a frantic -splashing in the pond. She looked down in -time to see White-black whose forelegs had -sunk into a mud-hole, attempt to turn round. -Half a dozen of the others began to struggle -just as frantically. Some of them managed -to reach hard ground, but White-black and -two others seemed to sink deeper the harder -they struggled.</p> - -<p class='c003'>At first all this violent effort to get out made -her think that some awful danger had suddenly -arisen in the centre of the pond, but the -light grey mud on the flanks of those who did -get out, apprised her of the fact that they had -struck an alkali mud-hole. She had had her -experience with alkali mud-holes before. -They had been in the habit of drinking at the -other end of the slough and had come to this -end now only because the other end was somewhat -nearer to the territory from which they -had just escaped.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She hurried down to the side of White-black -and as he resumed his struggling, she -called to him anxiously. Finally the three -of them ceased struggling for a while and set -up a helpless neighing to which those on the -shore responded just as helplessly.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was little danger of drowning for the -water was very shallow, but the fear of being -caught, the fear of the pursued creature still -warm in their throbbing hearts, kept them -struggling and their struggles tired them out -and drove them down deeper into the mud. -Queen was perplexed. It seemed as if everything -were combining for their destruction, -that even the mud joined man in his effort -to torture them. She called to the helpless -creatures ceaselessly, running up and -down the slope in a frenzy of fear.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly while she was down at the edge -of the pond, urging White-black to exert himself -and White-black was groaning for want -of strength, the wind shifted and brought from -the northwest a message of danger. The -horses who were free ran up the slope to the -southeast. Queen, who was this time behind -the others, suddenly stopped half way up the -slope and turning back called frantically to -White-black. Her life long association with -White-black had endeared him more strongly -to her than the other two and it seemed hard -for her to leave him in distress.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She ran back to the edge of the water, -stamping her foot and calling with all her -strength; but White-black only weakened -himself. One of the two other horses, in a -violent last effort, pulled himself half way -out, and dropped back, but White-black -ceased trying.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The hoof beats of the free horses faded -away in the distance and their rhythmic patter -was followed by those of the enemy’s horses. -A man’s head appeared at the rim of the hollow -and with a last call to White-black, Queen -shot up the slope and away to the southwest. -The men had seen the other horses first and -had veered to go after them, when they discovered -Queen. Trying to head her off, one -man started down the slope and as he did so -he discovered White-black and his two companions -struggling in the mud.</p> - -<p class='c003'>As Queen fled she heard the one man -whistling to the others. She could not hear -anyone behind her but she did not stop to find -out whether she was being followed or not. -In the distant west she saw the shadowy blue -of a clump of trees and she made for that with -every bit of strength left in her. When she -reached the trees she first shot under cover, -then investigating to make sure that no dangerous -animal was hidden there, or that no -men were coming from any other direction, -she pushed her way out to a thicket of buffalo -berries, and stopped to scan the plains she -had covered.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Not a living thing stirred on the monotonous -level of the prairies. Only heat waves -danced above the narrow, blue strips of woodland -shadows. Within a few minutes she -was convinced that no one was coming after -her and then despite her fear and restlessness, -and her anxiety to get back to the other horses -that had escaped, she sank down to the ground, -snorting and panting like a dog. But within -half an hour she was off again in pursuit of -the remnant of the herd.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All through the afternoon she hunted them, -stopping often to graze and to drink, now -trotting, now loping, going fast when something -on the horizon made her think that she -had found them or walking slowly when she -realised that she had been mistaken; calling -often, sometimes with all her strength as if -she hoped they would hear her and sometimes -calling softly and hopelessly only because she -felt an urge to express the feeling that had -taken complete possession of her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Toward evening when the light began fading -and the shadows grew long, she trotted -cautiously to the pond where she had left -White-black in the mud. The desire to find -him grew stronger as the evening progressed -toward night and Queen went at full speed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The unruffled surface of the pond was -brightly reflecting the last rays of daylight -when she turned over the rim of the hollow -and stopped there to make sure that the men -were gone. Even those thoughtless men who -hated her—they were not many—if they had -been able to see her as she slowly came walking -over the rim a step at a time, would have -admired that beautiful head in the evening -silhouette with its touch of magnificence and -the cunning that had kept her out of their -greedy reach.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A few ducks were moving about in the glitter. -Immediately upon seeing her they rose -into the air and flew away. Queen trotted -down to the muddy edge where White-black -had been trapped. The mud that was not -covered with water was stippled with countless -hoof prints. Here and there on the -stippled surface she saw impressions of the -whole side of a horse and she knew that the -horses had fallen many times after coming -out of the mud-hole. Some of these impressions -still bore the scent of White-black and -Queen excitedly read the story of his struggle -with his captors. For some time she walked -round the slough, stopping now and then to -sniff or to break the heavy silence by long and -nervous whinnies, then realising the futility -of her going round the slough and feeling -suddenly a sense of confinement in the hollow, -she went up the slope and on the rim began -to feed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The ducks came back. They flew directly -over her to see just what she was. Assured -that she was neither man nor coyote, they -swept down to the water’s surface, touching it -gracefully with a melodious splash. Queen -lifted her head a trifle above the grass and -stared at them thoughtfully. The sight of the -little black objects sailing about in the bright -reflection of the sky and the occasional murmur -that came from them out of the stillness, -gladdened her. She felt somewhat less alone.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was a hard night for Queen. She needed -rest very badly but she was much too apprehensive -and too lonely to rest well. When -the ducks late in the night flew away, the hollow -became unbearable to her and she wandered -off over the plains searching and calling -and tiring herself out.</p> - -<p class='c003'>During the day she rested some, then from -one end of the wilds to the other she rambled, -searching for her companions and finding -only fences and lifeless shacks which stood on -the level distances, stony sentinels forever -barring her way with threat of captivity. -Along the east side of her desolated domains -she followed fence after fence for days without -coming upon a trace of the herd. With -eyes alert for the first sign of man, she stuck -to the east, because she knew that her captured -followers had all been taken in that direction.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She came to where the fence broke into two -parts leaving an open roadway between. She -entered the roadway cautiously and walked -farther and farther, scanning the distances as -she went. But when she had gone half a mile, -the feeling of having fences on both sides and -so near to her, began to worry her and she -turned and raced back for the wilds.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When she saw, however, that the avenue -had not closed upon her, she walked in again. -She went about a mile this time and spied a -group of horses in one of these wiry enclosures. -She started away in great haste, but -soon stopped still. There was a man’s shack -only a quarter of a mile away from where the -horses were and she was afraid to go. She -called to them emotionally but besides raising -their heads to look her way, they made no -attempt to come to her, and when she called -again a dog came out of the shack and started -in her direction barking ferociously.</p> - -<p class='c003'>On her way out of the avenue through -which she had come, she noticed half a mile -from the furthest point she had reached, that -the wires turned leaving her another open -avenue through which she could approach the -group of horses on the other side of the fence -and very much farther from the shack. Very -cautiously and very nervously she followed -that avenue, stopping very often to make sure -that she hadn’t already been trapped, and -when she reached the other side of the fence, -some of the horses who had been watching -her, came forward to meet her. Here the -fence ended completely and when she saw the -plains stretch from there unfenced, she lost -a good deal of her fear and trotted in their -direction, calling eagerly as she ran.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen was so excited when a dozen noses -reached over the wires to greet her that she -cut herself several times on the barbs without -knowing that she had cut herself. Having -greeted her, however, the confined horses -went on grazing; while Queen capered about -on the outside, calling again and again and -reaching over the wires recklessly, to the consternation -of the strangers who would just -raise their heads a moment, look at her curiously -and go on about their business.</p> - -<p class='c003'>White-black was not there and those whom -she recognised were all horses that had but -the fall before attached themselves to her -herd. But she was happy to see them and to -be with them and grazed with a better appetite -than she had had for a long time. She -grazed just outside of the fence, moving along -as they moved within.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She spent the night there outside of the -fence and though the group of horses kept -walking away considerably they were yet near -enough to dispel the gloom and the loneliness -that had been hanging over her world since -the herd had been taken from her. It was -the pleasantest night she had had for some -time. Queen intended to remain there outside -that fence; but she was discovered next -morning by a man who came for some of the -horses and his dog went after her. At first for -fear of the man, she ran as fast as she could go, -the dog at her heels; but when she got to where -she was no longer afraid of the man, she turned -upon the dog, striking at him with a lifted foot. -She did not hit him but he did not wait for her -second attempt. He fled surprised and badly -frightened, yelping for help.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She experienced a good deal of satisfaction -over his cowardly departure; but she was -afraid of the man who seemed to be coming in -her direction and who was calling loudly to -the dog; and so she ran away. The experience -of the night was like a clue to her in her -search for her companions. From there she -went to other fences. Fences were hateful -things but they were also hopeful affairs and -she expected to find her friends in one of them. -Thus she penetrated farther and farther into -man’s dominion. Over the endless, deviating -roadways, between the endless lines of fence -posts and the treacherous barbed wire, always -alert, she went, confident that she could find -her way out in case of danger. When she -would come upon a group of horses in some -fence she would follow them on the outside, -grazing as they grazed and lying down when -they were near her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She did not find those of her companions -whom she was most anxious to find, and those -that she did come upon, though they always -replied to her, did not always come to her -when she called. Queen began to feel -vaguely and painfully that her influence was -gone, that her regency was over. Like the -dethroned leader that she was, she accepted -the censure that was due her for having -failed, with almost evident humility.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her loneliness became harder to bear. She -wearied of the life of interminable limitations -and the fence posts on all sides of her began -to hurt her as if the roadways had steadily -grown narrower and the barbs had penetrated -her skin.</p> - -<p class='c003'>So she started back toward the west, -toward the wilds she loved, hoping that there -she might find the rest of the herd where the -herd by the natural right of things belonged. -When she was back again upon the unsettled -wilds she was happier for a while; but as she -went from one familiar spot to another—the -pond where White-black had been trapped, -the various patches and strips of woodland -where they used to hide or spend their nights, -and the river—the loneliness grew heavier in -her heart and Queen began to lose interest in -life. Grass and water there was plenty, but -the taste could no longer derive complete satisfaction -from grass and water. After every -mouthful she cropped she would lift her head -and look so wistfully over the spaces that she -would forget to chew the grass between her -teeth. She would start off and gallop away -over the prairie as if she had suddenly thought -of some place where she was sure she would -find her companions and just as suddenly she -would stop and continue to graze.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her loneliness became unendurable. It -seemed to have peopled the solitudes with invisible -creatures bent upon harming her. -She was afraid to rest, afraid even to graze or -drink. Once more she took to the labyrinthine -avenues between fence posts, penetrating with -impassioned eagerness the very heart of the -homesteading district, seeing many homesteaders’ -shacks and fighting many dogs, becoming -reckless as she became accustomed to -them. Often as these remote farmers plowed -their fields, they would hear her call, sometimes -finding her only a few rods behind -them; and their horses fettered as they were -in their harness would turn their heads and -reply to her. When a farmer set his dog -upon her she would fight him; but when the -farmer himself started for her, she would lope -away and he would not see her again for many -days.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She came upon a small group of horses in -an enclosed pasture, one day, among whom -she spied the brown stallion and a little bay -mare who had nestled close to her many a cold -winter night. This pasture was farther in the -area of wire fences than Queen had ever gone -before. As soon as she called, the group -started in her direction. She was so overwhelmed -by the familiar scents of those she -knew that she could not control herself. -First she ran along the fence a while, then -she deliberately trotted away from the fence. -Going off for a few rods and coming back at -full speed she leaped over the wires. Though -she was slightly cut on one of her hind -legs, she landed safely in the midst of the -group.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They were as happy to see her as she was -to see them and the expression of their excitement -and joy attracted the attention of the -farmer and his dog in the shack a quarter of -a mile away. She was sniffing noses with a -grey horse whom she had mistaken in the distance -for White-black, when she caught sound -of the barking of the farmer’s dog, and turned -to see him coming toward her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He was a big, ferocious-looking, wolf-like -dog, much bigger than the average coyote and -many times as savage. At his approach, the -other horses started away but Queen, who was -not ready to part from her companions again -so soon, stopped to fight him. He remained -a short distance away from her, barking angrily, -turning his head backward now and -then as if he waited for reinforcement, his -eyes glaring at her threateningly. The other -horses had turned about and stopped to watch -the battle, and Queen, feeling encouraged by -their watching, waited for him to come -nearer.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But suddenly, taking her eyes off the beast -for just a moment, she saw two men lead two -saddle ponies into the barbed wire enclosure -and she made a dash for the fence, hoping to -jump over it before they arrived. Just as -soon as she started off the dog rushed at her -with a bark and a snarl. In terror of him, -she turned to strike at him with her hoof, but -as soon as she turned the dog sprang out of -reach. When she turned once more for the -fence the dog seized her tail. She struck him -with a hind leg. He let go his hold of the -tail and dug his fangs into her leg.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Had there been no men coming, she might -have fought it out with him. As it was they -were already racing toward her and in desperation, -Queen loped after the rest of the -horses who were now stampeding away to the -other end of the pasture. When she reached -her companions she plunged into their midst -as if she expected them to protect her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The men first drove the entire group to the -corner nearest to the shack and there setting -the dog upon her they separated her from the -other horses. They continued to urge the dog -to go at her and his ferocious teeth and the -nerve wracking noise he was making so confused -her that she stopped to fight him almost -disregarding the two men, whose ropes, as she -faced the dog, sailed over and dropped upon -her head.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The ropes so alarmed her that she paid no -more attention to the dog. She reared in an -effort to pull her head from the loops but this -only tightened their hateful grip. While she -was uselessly struggling the men slipped from -their saddles and fastened the ends of their -ropes to a fence post on each side of the corner. -Then slowly they pulled the ropes in, -forcing her back. Despite the pain it gave -her, Queen tugged and pulled and reared. -The men then got some more ropes from a -boy who came with them from the shack and -with these new ropes they first caught a front -leg and after a long struggle caught a hind -one, then pulling on the ropes they threw her -to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She fell with a sickening thud. A spell of -dizziness came upon her and she half shut her -eyes as consciousness began slipping from her. -But fear and assailing odours brought her to -her senses. She made a violent effort to continue -the struggle, but a man leaped for her -head and seized her nose bone with both his -hands. With a quick twist he turned her nose -upward and she lay absolutely helpless. She -snorted and groaned but she could not rise. -She felt the bony fingers of the man gripping -her nose bone and felt the other man winding -ropes about her legs.</p> - -<p class='c003'>What they wanted with her she could not -know. She thought of the coyote as she had -seen him sitting over and feasting upon her -colt. Her skin quivered all over her body -and she tried once more to throw off the appalling -weights that kept her down; but her -attempts only proved to her how hopelessly -she was in their power, how easy it was for -them to do just what they liked with her. -She expected them at any moment to begin -tearing the flesh from her body.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The smell of man was nauseating, their -voices were terrifying and it seemed as if she -just could not endure the pain that the man’s -fingers gave her as they dug round her nose -bone; yet worse than all this was the smoke -and the smell of fire that suddenly filled the -atmosphere, bringing terrors out of her darkened -past to help in her torture.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly she felt a pain that was worse -than any pain she had ever experienced in her -life before. They were pressing some terrible -instrument into her shoulder, an instrument -that penetrated the skin like the teeth -of a dog but a thousand times more painfully. -All her hatred, all her fear combined, and -with a strength that the greedy men admired -she began to struggle again. As she struggled, -the man gripped tighter on her nose bone -and the pain of his digging fingers took her -mind off the burning pain in her shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When she least expected it, the man sprang -away from her head, leaving it free. She -made an attempt at once to get back upon her -feet, but her legs were still tied and she fell -back again to the ground. She raised her -head and glared fearfully at her tormentors. -In the far distance she caught a glimpse of -the other horses, grazing indifferently. The -two men stood a few feet away, looking down -upon her and talking to each other.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The smell of her burnt flesh in the welter -of nauseating odours, the pain in her shoulder -growing momentarily worse, the lack of excitement -on the part of the men, the cool deliberateness -with which they seemed to have -gone about her torture, together with the fear -of what they were yet to do, bewildered -Queen; and out of this bewilderment emerged -a feeling that was worse than fear or pain, a -feeling that was an ally of both, the feeling -of submission. But Queen’s submission was -not a servile one. Rather was it like the retreat -of the general who hopes for a more -propitious moment in which to strike again -and strike with all his rallied force.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The man who was, without any further -doubt, stronger than she was might burn her -flesh; he might tie her legs so that she could -not get up; he might force his sharp fingers -about her nose bone and torturously twist her -head so that she would be helpless; but he -could not control or limit her hate. And hate -boiled in her blood and burned like a fever -in her body, restraining itself only as the tiger -restrains his desire before he springs upon -his prey.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch11' class='c012'>CHAPTER XI<br /> <br />ROPE, IRON AND FIRE</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-q.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -QUEEN was branded! A large letter -<i>B</i> had been burned through the hair -and almost through the skin on her -right shoulder. The red hot metal -had broken through the skin in several -spots on the curves and from these spots -oozed drops of blood. The air constantly -passing over the wound kept the pain of it at -its original intensity.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The ropes gave way. The two men stepped -away quickly. Queen thought for a moment -that she was free. The ropes were still hanging -from her neck but they were hanging -loosely. She sprang to her feet. A hasty -look around made her think, foolishly, that -she could now get away. She leaped forward -eagerly and at once realised her mistake. The -ropes became taut. A front leg was drawn -back to one of the hind legs and she went -down on one side with a shock that seemed to -have disturbed every organ in her body.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She remained lying down but raised her -head. With large round eyes, radiating fear -and hate, she looked from one to the other of -her little captors as if she were seeking some -vulnerable point for attack; but they were -standing calmly and their calmness bespoke -their power. Nearby the fire that had heated -the irons was still smouldering, poisoning the -air with its pungent significance.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For a few moments Queen remained comparatively -still. Their obvious power over -her crushed and confused her. From her -shoulder came the painful reminder of her -captivity; and somehow, this gnawing pain, -more than the ropes that gripped her neck -and feet, brought her the overwhelming conviction -that she was as much their property as -the body of her first beloved colt had been -the property of the coyote that had sat and -feasted over it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>That the rest of her flesh would be torn -from her body as she felt a piece had already -been torn from her shoulder, there was no -doubt in her mind. But Queen had fought -many battles and though the pain of the -brand was inescapable and unforgetable, -though that moment she was well-nigh hopeless, -she still watched for her chance to get -away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When she got up again she was afraid to -move a foot. One of the men pulled on the -rope that gripped her neck. Queen expected -to be hurt again. She braced herself against -the earth with all four legs, and pulled back. -A severe lash on the haunch sent her limping -to the side. The man behind followed her -while the man in front ran off a few paces -ahead, and pulled again. Several repetitions -of this performance brought her to the open -gateway of the fence. Near the gateway was -the house and beyond the house was the barn. -Experience had taught her to keep away from -men’s shacks and the smell of the barn where -she had once seen White-black, and her colt -had been imprisoned, came back faintly and -called upon her to resist. There were the -men about her. There was the boy and at his -heels, barking ferociously, was the dog. But -in spite of them she made another attempt to -get away and once more earned a violent -throw to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The fall this time stunned her. She -stretched out her head and lay motionless a -moment, breathing very heavily and groaning -as if she were dying. The man behind her -struck her with his rope. Her skin quivered -and another groan forced its way out between -her clenched teeth. Her consciousness came -back slowly. She heard the barking of the -dog and the voices of the men and above their -voices the shriller voice of the boy. She was -sick at her heart and stomach. She felt as if -she didn’t care what they did any more. But -a very severe blow with the end of the rope -striking a tender spot on her flanks brought -her to her senses. She felt as if a wave of -cold water had swept over her. She managed -to get to her feet. As she stood, bewildered, -not knowing what to do, and feeling -the terrible necessity of doing something, her -whole body shook with an uncontrollable -tremour.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The injustice of all this torture aroused an -insane resentment; and, casting a glance over -the silent prairies that stretched away to the -hazy horizon, within her grasp, yet cruelly -denied her, she leaped toward the open with -all her waning strength, so suddenly and so -unexpectedly that the man behind her, clinging -to the rope, was thrown to the ground and -the man in front barely escaped her front -legs.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The cries of men and boy and dog broke -fearfully upon her ears and the ferocious dog -leaped at her throat. He fell back without -having touched her but she lifted a hoof to -strike him and thus pulling on the rope that -tied that foot to a hind leg she threw herself -to the ground. She fell outside of the gateway -and within a dozen yards of the barn-door -which stood gapingly open and black, ready -to swallow her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The man behind her beat her with his rope -and kicked her unmercifully; but even if she -could have risen she would not have done so; -and they finally decided to let her rest a while.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The beating commenced all over again and -she was forced to her feet. With another -swing of the rope she started off nervously before -it struck her. The man in front ran on -each time she went forward and in that way -they got her to the barn-door. But she was -afraid to enter. The boy had brought the -man behind her a whip and when that came -down upon her back raising a welt, she involuntarily -rushed into the barn to escape it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Thus they got her into a stall and tied her -securely. One man got into the manger and -against all her fearful protestations managed -to force a halter upon her head. With -double ropes tied to the ring of the halter they -tied two rope ends to each side of the manger, -then removed the ropes with which they -had first tied her; and she almost killed one -of the men in the process. Finally, they left -her alone.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was so dark and damp and dirty in the -barn. The foul smells were revolting. -When her eyes became accustomed to the -gloom she made out a horse, chewing contentedly -a short distance away, and the sight -of him relieved her immeasurably. She -called to him but he went on chewing and -ignored her call. Queen was hurt. She -looked at him sadly, then half closed her eyes. -But in a few minutes she called to him again -and more forcibly. This time the old glutton -replied to her but with little enthusiasm, -rather with annoyance, for he didn’t like it a -bit that she made him take time from his -chewing to reply to her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The ropes did not allow her to see him very -well, but she watched him a moment out of -the corner of her eye and felt as she watched -him that somehow he was in league with man, -the usurper of her liberty. She hated him -and looked no more in his direction. Over -her came full force the horror of her bondage -and the fearful realisation that her every effort -to escape it would prove futile. Yet her -thoughts contradicted each other and where -some images came out of her memory and experience -and supported her fear, others came -just as strongly and allayed it. She remembered, -for instance, White-black tied in his -stall in the sod barn where her colt had been -imprisoned and then she saw him coming over -the plains tied to the old sorrel work-horse. -So she saw him in many happier moods on the -open plains long after that. Together with -the endless stream of sensations of pain, from -the wound on her shoulder and from other -wounds on her body, came visions of familiar -nooks on the prairies and in the woods. Like -ghosts these visions came through the smelling -darkness and haunted her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>At times these visions drove her frantic and -she would pull and tug and tear and kick till -her energy was spent and after every momentary -storm there was some new wound to torment -her. There was a deep gash on her -upper lip that bothered her almost as much -as the burn on her shoulder, for blood kept -trickling from it into her nose and mouth and -the taste and the smell of blood were as tormenting -as the pain.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The man came back. She heard him coming -and her eyes began to blaze again and her -sides throbbed for fear. He walked around -to the front of the manger and approaching -her head, extended a hand carefully. She -pulled her head back as far as the ropes would -allow her and snorted with fright. He said -something to her angrily and she listened in -terror to the sound of his voice. He made -another attempt to touch her with his hand, -but this time she threateningly bared her -teeth. He withdrew his hand quickly and -lifting the long end of one of her ropes he -struck her with it. It hit the sore on her -upper lip and Queen pulling on the ropes with -all her might, cried out for pain.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Then the second man appeared and the boy -and the dog came behind him. Queen expected -a new battle, but they only brought her -hay and water. They stood near the manger -watching her and talking. They took handfuls -of hay and touched her lips with it but -she only shook her head violently and whinnied -fearfully. So, too, she disdained the -water they gave her. The man seemed to -know that she wanted the water, however, and -so he set the pail down into the manger. -When they finally went out Queen looked -after them anxiously.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Night came down. The man came back -again and offered her some oats in his hands; -but even if she had desired to eat the oats, the -smell of his hands would have destroyed that -desire. Seeing that she had touched neither -hay nor water he threw the oats into the hay -and walked away. Suddenly as she looked -sideways, she saw the man lead the horse out -of the barn. It was too dark to see clearly -but she could feel that the horse was going -out and she could hear the tread of his heavy -feet. Forgetting all her previous emotions, -Queen shamelessly begged him to return and -the terror in her voice seemed to break up the -shadows that filled the barn into monstrous -creatures which she felt were surrounding her. -She called again and again till the fear of the -sound of her own voice finally hushed her. -She hoped that the horse would return and -waited and listened for his coming, but he did -not return. Faint queer sounds of scratching -came from above and behind her. Chickens -roosting somewhere in the darkness tortured -her with their sleepy peeping. And a bat flying -around the barn, buzzing every few moments -near her head, kept her nerves on edge. But -when the dog came into the barn, Queen went -mad. She had fought coyotes and dogs but she -had never been helplessly tied before. She -pulled at her ropes and kicked with her legs -till she shattered one of the crate-like sides of -her stall and tore the top board of her manger -loose at one end.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The frightened dog ran out of the barn and -barked so loud he brought the man from the -house. Queen heard him coming and when -she saw rays of light break through the cracks -in the walls, she almost jumped over the manger. -He opened the door and a flood of light -poured into the barn and when he began to -talk to her she calmed down a bit.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He retied her and fixed the broken board -of the manger. She seemed to fear him less -now than before and as he talked she listened, -her eyes fixed as if fascinated on the -lantern he had hung up not far from her head. -Suddenly the dog reappeared. Queen jumped -involuntarily. The man kicked the dog and -the dog ran out of the barn crying for pain. -It was then that the first slight sense of gratefulness -came over Queen; but it left her with -the man’s going out and gave way to the -puzzle of his strange light, which for some -time obscured everything else in her mind.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The night dragged horribly and when dawn -came at last she was exhausted. She saw the -barn-door open and was relieved by the -shower of daylight. Though the man came -into the barn and seemed to have much to do -there, he did not come near her. Chickens -moved around her, some of them even jumping -up on her manger to pick the grains of -oats that she had refused, and Queen watched -them with interest. For a while she was -afraid of them, but their contented sing-songs -as they ceaselessly searched for food bespoke -their harmlessness.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The man had gone out and Queen was dozing -from sheer exhaustion when the boy appeared. -He came over to Queen’s manger -and seized the ropes, drawing her head toward -him. She resisted as best she could and because -she bared her teeth when he tried to -touch her with his hand, opening her mouth -as with the intention of biting him just as soon -as the hand was near enough, he let go his -hold on the rope and picking up a stick began -to prod her with it. At first she just struggled -to pull her head out of reach of the stick -but when he persisted she became furious. -Snorting and whinnying she kicked right and -left against her stall and the boy, afraid that -his father would come in, quietly sneaked out -of the barn.</p> - -<p class='c003'>All day she stood stolidly without touching -the hay, drinking a little of the ill-tasting -water only when alone and when she could -not resist the desire for it. When night came -again Queen began feeling most uneasy about -the shadows and the strange nocturnal sounds; -yet she seemed more able to endure this night -than the first. When the second dawn appeared -she was partially resigned to her evil-smelling -confinement; but the monotony of -standing on her feet in one place, standing, -standing, standing endlessly, like a new kind -of pain was far more distracting than bodily -pain.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The pain of the brand seemed to grow dull -and then it bothered her only when the healing -wound touched something. The other -pains in the many places about her body also -kept growing less tormenting; but these tortures -of the first days of her captivity gave -way to the less perturbative, more gnawing -anguish of imprisonment.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Calls of distant horses sometimes penetrated -her prison and Queen would make the -very walls surrounding her tremble with the -agony of her aimless replies. So, too, wafts -bearing familiar fragrance often strayed into -the smelling atmosphere of the barn, rekindling -smouldering fires. The love of the -plains, the desire to lope over them with the -freedom she had retained so long would at -those times seize upon her with maddening -hold and she would kick and pull till she -hurt herself or until she realised once more, -each new time more forcefully than the last, -that all her storming was as futile as it was -hurtful.</p> - -<p class='c003'>So Queen began to learn. She learned to -eat the dead hay even though the dirt often -mixed with it was revolting. She learned to -drink the water though the taste and the smell -of it was nauseating. “You’ll get over your -fussiness,” the man often said to her when he -came into the barn. Fortunately Queen did -not understand what he said and the resentment -she would have experienced, had she -understood, never interfered with her “getting -over it.” It was really better for Queen, as it -is in similar circumstances sometimes better -for us, to “get over it.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>But her “getting over it” was always a matter -of weights and measures. Every pain set -itself against some other pain and the stronger -pain conquered her aversions. When so -weary standing that her legs ached in the -joints, carrying the weight of her body, she -lay down the first time. The smell of the -floor was so loathsome that she got up again -after a few minutes. She remained standing -till the pain became more tormenting than -the smell of the floor, and then lay down again, -learning to endure the smell. And it proved -to be a valuable lesson in so far as it divided -the endlessly dragging hours in half. Instead -of standing all day and all night shifting -the weight of her body from foot to foot, -she would stand one hour and lie down for -one hour and thus broke the killing completeness -of the excruciating monotony.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The hay was constantly replaced when she -had eaten what was in her manger and the -pail was always refilled with water when she -had drained it. This in time seemed to assure -her that they did not mean to destroy her or -that destruction was not going to take place immediately. -Her hatred for man did not lose its -intensity but her experience relegated it to -some more distant corner of her soul, moved -it from where it had dominated the whole of -her consciousness so that she could endure -her bondage as she waited for the opportunity -to escape it.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch12' class='c012'>CHAPTER XII<br /> <br />THE STRENGTH OF THE WEAK</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-o.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -ONE day while Queen, for want of -something better to do, was dozing -over her empty manger from which -she had eaten up every spire of hay, -she heard the dog, outside, bark with -unusual excitement. By the increasing rapidity -with which his barks succeeded each other, -she knew that something was coming. She -soon heard the rumbling of a wagon and when -that sound came very close and stopped it was -followed by the clatter of many voices. She -had allowed herself to worry about many -sounds that had resulted in no harm to her -and experience was teaching her not to worry. -So she soon went back to her dozing, especially -since the rapid patter of hoofs, as the horses -drawing the wagon pulled into the yard, had -quickened her memory of life with the herd.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In the midst of her dreaming she was suddenly -disturbed by the entrance of two strange -horses whose heavy feet beat the floor of the -barn so hard that she felt every beat. The -harness on these two huge horses was massy -and bits of metal on it flashed with the reflection -of the light of the doorway. They were -led into the stall next to Queen and with absolute -indifference to her they began to rummage -in the manger and the oats boxes, calling -greedily for food. Queen watched them -with no little interest. She was afraid of the -men who had come in with them but in spite -of the men she could not resist the desire to -touch noses with the horse nearest to her. -She pushed her nose anxiously through an -opening in the partition and the big horse -touched it with his nose a moment, but immediately -returned to his voracious search -for oats. But the touch of the big nose had -only intensified the burning desire in her heart -for companionship, and she called more -loudly and with greater appeal.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly, she felt a slap upon her back and -when she almost flounced into her manger in -fright, she heard laughter behind her. The -man who had slapped her then went round -to the front of the manger and when Queen’s -eyes fell upon him she recognised him. It was -he who had helped the man of the place capture -and brand her. The smell of him was -most repellent and she backed away as far -as she could go; but he untied her ropes and -pulling their ends together, around a steading -of the back wall of the manger, he pulled -on them, dragging her forward till her knees -struck the manger, and her head was over -his shoulder as he stooped. He held on to -the ropes keeping her head immovable; while -her owner, coming from the other end of the -barn with a bunch of straps, threw them upon -her head.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She struggled desperately to pull her head -away but the ropes were relentless. The evil-smelling -hands of her owner moved all over -her face and she was powerless even to show -her resentment. His big thumb forced its -way between her teeth and while her jaws -were apart a piece of iron slipped in between -her teeth; and before she could dislodge it, the -straps were forced over her ears and fastened -around her neck.</p> - -<p class='c003'>With teeth and tongue she struggled to -eject the annoying iron from her mouth but -try as she would she could not move it to the -edge of her teeth. They then loosened the -ropes and her owner seized them all with one -hand. Taking the reins which hung from the -bridle bit in the other hand, he jumped over -the manger. Seeing him she sprang back -nervously and he followed her. She started -for the doorway and when she got out into -the open, she was going a little too fast for -him. With a vicious jerk on the reins he -halted her. The iron in her mouth was bent in -the centre and the least jerk on the reins forced -the bend to strike the tender palate with the -force of a hammer.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The full light of day to which she was no -longer accustomed hurt her eyes and her limbs -seemed stiff, the joints paining her with the -exertion of her first activity in so long a time. -A wagon stood not far off with its tongue -extended before it. On the seat was a fur robe. -It appeared to her like some sort of animal -and she was afraid of it. Against its wheel -leaned the boy. He was pounding the earth -with a stick and was looking at her. Under -the wagon sat the dog on his haunches. As -soon as he saw her he raised his muzzle and -barked at her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She tried to back into the barn but the man -who stood in its doorway struck her with a -stone which he threw at her. She dashed forward -and reared. Her owner pulled down on -the reins and once more the bend in the centre -of the rider’s bit struck her tender palate. -The pain terrified her. It seemed as if her -enemies were able to strike her from within. -She jumped involuntarily but she realised at -once that every jump inflicted its own punishment. -So she tried very hard to control herself, -though her every nerve was on edge.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The man then walked forward and pulled -on the ropes. She did not know what he -wanted, so she braced herself against his pull. -Again he jerked the reins and to avoid the -force of his pull she moved hastily toward -him. At once he moved off again and a few -repetitions of this taught her to follow when -led. Around and around the yard the man led -her and with eyes aflame with fear, her skin -quivering with nervousness, Queen hastily followed -him, desiring to resist but anxiously -afraid to do so.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was beginning to think that that was -all they wanted of her when the man in the -doorway of the barn came forward with a -heavy leather affair from which straps and -things hung and dragged on the ground. She -was standing quite still, breathing rapidly -when this new apparition appeared. As the -man swung it upon her she jumped to the side -in fright. The man at the bridle immediately -jerked the reins and with impatient force. -Her palate by this time was sore and the pain -was so excruciating Queen again lost her temper -and for ten minutes both men were obliged -to hang on the ropes and the reins as she reared -and kicked and balked. But in her enraged -kicking one of her hind legs struck one of the -rear wheels of the wagon and the pain that -shot through her whole body had a quieting -effect upon her. While they had her up -against the wagon from which the boy and the -dog had fled, they placed the saddle upon her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The saddle securely fixed, they led her off -again, but walking was now difficult and painful. -The cinch, the strap that keeps the saddle -in place, was so tight that it was almost -completely hidden by the skin which lopped -over it from both sides. It cut her painfully -every step she took. In two places on her -back some hard parts of the saddle pressed -against the backbone.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But all this, miserable as it made her, was -as nothing compared with the horror that -swept over her when the man suddenly seized -the horn of the saddle and threw himself upon -her back like a beast of prey. She sprang -forward to get away from the farmyard; then -on the open prairie she began in real earnest -the attempt to throw him. He pulled on the -reins till she felt the bend in the bit boring -into her tongue. He dug his spurs into her -sides. He lashed her savagely with the knotted -ends of the ropes. But in her desire to -rid herself of the frightful weight she seemed -to have lost her sensitiveness to pain. She -shook her body as a horse will shake water -from him. She reared. She kicked backward. -She shook the rear of her body while -she braced her front legs against the earth. -Then failing in all these attempts, she threw -herself to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He jumped in time to avoid a broken leg. -Thinking that she had conquered she struggled -to her feet intending to fly, but to her -consternation, she was no sooner on her feet -than he jumped back upon the saddle. She -was determined to get rid of him and was -about to throw herself again when she received -a blow upon one ear that almost -stunned her. The man had leaned forward -and struck her with his hand in which he held -his hat; but she thought it was some ferocious -bird come out of the air to assist him. She -turned in the opposite direction and dashed -away. When he wanted her to turn back he -struck her on the other ear and this time when -his wing-like hat reached her ear, he sent -forth a most fiendish shriek.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Away she leaped over the plains as if some -awful monster were at her heels. She seemed -to get relief in the running. Her rider ceased -pulling on the reins and ceased poking her -sides with his spurs. He showed no displeasure -in any way and Queen began -to realise that that was what he wanted. -When with his reins he pulled her head sideways -she involuntarily turned in that direction -and as soon as she turned he stopped -pulling.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was finally so worn out running, that -she dropped back into a weary walk and as -she looked up she was surprised to find herself -but a few rods from the barn. Rebellion -was futile. All her failures proved it to her, -yet when the man near the barn-door came -forward to take hold of her, she tossed her -head wildly, gripped the bit between her -teeth and reared. Then when he ran off to -the side to get away from her hoofs, she fell -back and rushed for the barn-door.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But while her rider drew her head back -till her ears touched him, the man on the -ground hurried over to the barn-door and -seized her by the bridle, holding her till the -man jumped from the saddle. She was glad -to get back into her stall and allowed them -to tie her without a protest. The saddle was -removed from her wet back and sides and the -bit was removed from her blood-stained -mouth.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was dizzy and her heart pounded at her -sides. From her wet distended nostrils the -breath came like the roar of the ocean. Two -sores on her back itched almost unendurably. -Both sides were pierced by the cruel spurs -and blood-stained. An aching pain gnawed -in her palate and she could not throw off the -painful sensation of grating iron from her -teeth. Her body throbbed as a steamer throbs -with the pounding of its engines.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They threw hay into her manger but she -only sprang back and looked at them with -moist, glowing eyes. They stopped in front -of her manger and talked. While they talked -she held her terrified eyes upon them, watching -for what they might show evidence of -wanting to do next. In the next stall, the two -big horses, apparently unconcerned about the -weight of harness still on their backs and indifferent -to her troubles, stood with their -greedy heads right over the hay in their manger -and noisily and rapidly ground the hay -in their mouths as if they were afraid that they -would be taken out before they could devour -all that lay before them. When the men -walked into their stall and untying them -started out with them, each one eagerly -stretched his head backward to take a last -large mouthful.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen looked after them as they went -and experienced a sense of relief at their departure, -worried only by the fear that they -would be coming back again. When a few -minutes passed and the doorway remained unobstructed, -she turned her head back again -and sank into a doze which was constantly -disturbed. What troubled Queen most was -the shattered condition of her nerves. The -slightest sound sent her into paroxysms of fear, -making her heart beat with a sense of impending -calamity and sending chills and waves of -heat, by turn, over her body. The voices she -heard coming from the yard oppressed her -with a constant threatening suggestion of the -men’s return.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Then, some time later, she became aware of -the fact that the noises were withdrawing. -She heard the wagon rumbling away and even -the barking of the dog grew fainter in the distance. -A sweet silence, as refreshing as the -cold water she longed for, fell upon the little -farmyard; and the feeling of being alone was -like an opiate.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But she was suddenly alarmed by the sensation -as of some one present and turning hastily -about, discovered a woman in the doorway -of the barn. Queen was badly frightened. -This creature was different from man but it -was only a different sort of man. She gazed -at the apparition which was talking in a voice -that was softer than that of the men. The -woman was carrying a pail full of water and -came with it to the front of the manger. When -she lifted it to set it down into the manger, -Queen sprang back, frightened.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Drink, Dora, you poor little wild thing,” -said the woman, backing away a bit and looking -at her commiseratingly, “you’re taking it -so hard, you poor little Dora.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>Despite her fears, Queen’s ears went up -straight and the glow of fear in her eyes dulled -slightly. The woman went on talking to her -in the same low tones, so different from the -harsh, staccato sounds of the men and the boy. -When the woman went out of the barn Queen -turned her head and looked after her till she -had disappeared. Then she turned to the pail -of water and sticking her burning lips into the -cool liquid she drank without a stop until -there wasn’t a drop of water left.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The woman came back again driving a -cow. Behind her, pushing its little muzzle -into her hand, came a little calf. The cow -walked into the stall next to Queen and there, -like the horses, she rummaged about for food. -For some reason known only to the cow, she -did not like the hay that the horses had left, -but cast her cowy eyes upon the hay that was -heaped much higher in Queen’s manger. She -thrust her peculiar wide muzzle between two -beams into Queen’s manger and with her long -tongue gathered some of the hay and pulled -it into her own stall where she chewed it with -apparent great relish. Queen took a mouthful -and chewed it as if the cow had reminded -her of what she ought to do.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Some more water, Dora?” said the woman -coming around to the front again, and as -Queen jumped back frightened, she went on, -“Don’t be afraid of me, Dora. I won’t hurt -you.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>She took the empty pail and went out with -it, coming back a few minutes later with the -pail refilled and setting it once more into the -manger. She talked to her a few minutes, -then went away. Queen saw her sit down beside -the cow and soon heard the peculiar sound -of milk streams beating against the walls of -a tin pail. She watched her and listened for -a while but since the cow who was most concerned -in the matter seemed not the least worried, -she turned to her water.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When the woman was through milking, she -drove out the cow and fed the calf and then -sending it out too, she came back to Queen. -She stood leaning forward against the manger -and talked to her for a long time. There -was something about that voice that made -Queen think of ducks paddling on the surface -of a pond at night, or the songs with which -they sang themselves to sleep. It was a sound -as of birds on branches of trees overhead pushing -into each other and expressing the desire -for warmth or the comfort of having it. The -words followed each other slowly and softly -and there was neither threat nor authority in -them. Queen studied the strange face with the -light playing upon it. She was still slightly -uncertain about the eyes that she was afraid -of and that strangely fascinated her. She was -afraid to look into them, yet there was something -in them that was in a way overcoming -her. Was it the wetness about those eyes that -in some way, perhaps never to be known, -affected Queen? Was it the sympathy that -the suffering have for the suffering that Queen -recognised and that made her blindly place -her hope in this new and mysteriously different -human being?</p> - -<p class='c003'>When the woman went out Queen felt as -she had felt on many a winter night in the -wilds when some warm body next to her suddenly -got up and left one side of her disagreeably -cold. For the rest of the afternoon she -kept turning her head toward the doorway -and pricking her ears with more hope than -expectation, and throughout the long disappointing -hours the voice of the woman -poured through her mind like a stream, like -a long persistent melody, and its even flow -was rhythmically measured by the one word -that she remembered most clearly. “Dora!” -What it meant she did not know, but she felt -in a vague way, when she heard it, that it -applied to her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Next morning her owner put the saddle on -her again, and though she was very nervous -and afraid and would have fled at the first -real opportunity, the lesson went by without -much of the pain and agony of the first lesson. -She began to understand what every pull of -the reins meant and even the differences she -heard in the man’s voice helped her to avoid -trouble, as for instance, when by the sound of -his voice she knew that he was impatient with -her going too slowly and she sprang forward -into a more rapid gait before the man felt it -necessary to apply the spurs.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In the afternoon the woman came into the -barn to give her water and to talk to her. -When she patted her forehead, Queen did -not resist and in time began to crave the touch -of that hand, as she craved the sound of that -voice.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Day after day she had her little run over -the fields and as her fear of the farmer lessened -slightly, she began to enjoy the exercise. -It broke the crushing monotony of standing -in the barn and gave her a chance to look at -the plains she loved. So too it gave her a -chance to see the other horses, none of whom -were kept in the barn any longer. She found -that the group in the corral had been very -greatly reduced and the mysterious reduction -worried her. The brown stallion was gone -and with him all the horses she had known, -except the little bay mare, who did not seem -to be on friendly terms with the other two -horses in the corral. She was always off by -herself and at the call of Queen would come -rushing to the wire fence and beg her to join -her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>One day the boy jumped upon her back. -The man stood by and watched. The boy -annoyed her by the way he sat and by the way -he held the reins and she could hear the man -angrily instructing him. She could feel him -changing his ways and realised that the man -was taking her part, somehow; but when they -got away off on the fields, he tormented her. -He kept digging his spurs into her sides even -while she was running her best and he pulled -steadily on the reins, hurting her palate and -her lips and making it difficult for her to see -the stone or holes in her path. But much as -she hated and feared this boy, he was as yet -afraid to mistreat her. What he really was -capable of doing to torment her, she was yet -to learn.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The old touch of melancholy just barely -perceptible on Queen’s beautiful head deepened -rapidly as submission took possession of -her soul. She learned her lessons hastily and -learned them well for fear of the pain that inevitably -followed mistakes; yet somewhere -in the very heart of that submission crouched -an indestructible hope that sometime, somehow, -she would break the chains of her bondage -and go galloping back to her wilds.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch13' class='c012'>CHAPTER XIII<br /> <br />LABOUR WITHOUT LOVE OR WAGE</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-j.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi0_9'> -JUST when Dora was resigning herself -to the irksome but unavoidable duty -of carrying them about in the saddle; -just when she had learned in this state -of her bondage to get from the plains -she would cover, carrying them, that finer sustenance -which the soul requires; just when -she had learned to get all the happiness that -it is possible to get in a condition of physical -encumbrance and spiritual domination by an -unshakable and hateful will, there came a -change. The middle summer went by and -the winds that blew golden waves over oceans -of ripe grain ushered in the harvest season.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When heavy harness was placed upon her -body, Queen showed her displeasure but -curbed her impulses. The collar and the -hames choked and oppressed her and the -blinders on her bridle tormented and frightened -her. But for something they did which -they did not do for her sake at all, Queen -would have fought as hard as she had fought -when the saddle was first placed upon her. -They had led her out and tied her to a wagon -wheel between two of three horses and she -found herself next to the little bay mare. A -few moments of sniffing noses and Queen -would have endured almost anything rather -than be taken away from her old friend again. -She had been harnessed first and Queen was -willing to tolerate anything she tolerated so -long as she could be there with her; and the -farmer wondered at the constant whinnying -that went on between the two. All the while, -the big horse on the other side of Queen and -the big horse on the other side of the bay mare -stood with their heads at the same level, motionless, -like the mere machines that they were, -awaiting orders to move.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They were hitched to a binder and ordered -to move and Queen’s nerves tingled with the -strangeness of the situation. Every move she -made resulted in some disagreeable pull and -the feeling of being trapped, of being held in -on every side was fast arousing her resentment -and the slumbering desire to rebel. But not -only did the weight of the thing they were -dragging subdue that desire, but the horses -on both sides of her seemed to beat into her -soul, with the beating of their hoofs, the utter -hopelessness of showing resentment or attempting -to rebel.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When they reached the wheat fields, the -thing grew many times heavier, many times -harder to pull and the deafening noise it made -was distracting to Queen. But the morning -was delightful; the creatures of her own kind -beside her gave her the feeling of having companionship; -and though her muscles found -pulling most arduous, they were still fresh -from a night’s rest. When the morning wore -along toward noon her strength was well nigh -exhausted and the struggle to keep from going -under, stimulated by the whip, suffused her -soul with agony. The day was hot and her -sides dripped with perspiration. The new -harness rubbed her skin in a thousand places -and made her very bones ache. The dust of -the fields and the particles of broken straw -filled the air she breathed and settled down -in her nose and eyes.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When her aching muscles began to wear out -and the pain she felt frightened her, she tried -to lag a bit but the watchful eye of her owner -soon discovered her lagging and there was a -threatening cry of “Dora!” and the long whip -came down upon her haunches without mercy.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Noon came at last. Queen limped on her -way back home, moving along as if the other -horses were carrying her, seeing nothing before -her, feeling only her agony of soul and -body. Painful sores, under rubbing leather -and iron, smarted with the touch of perspiration, -and the hard collar choked her unmercifully. -The weight of the harness seemed to -be pressing her to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her water she drank at once in great -draughts, but her food she did not touch for -some time and though she stood next to the -little bay mare all through the noon-hour she -did not turn to her once. Her misery was -overwhelming and in its salty waves she was -alone.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Though she had not eaten a full meal, she -went back to work just the same and a thousand -times the whip came down upon her back -adding pain as a stimulant, as if she had not -experienced pain enough. When at last the -seemingly endless day came to its close and -the harness was removed, leaving red bloody -sores with rims of black dirt exposed, Queen -lay down at the feet of the little bay mare and -with her eyes closed, lay as if in a stupor for -half the night before she rose to feed her -hunger.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Yet when the first few unspeakably torturous -days went by, she seemed to have become -more able to endure the torment. The -stolidity about the old sorrel work-horse and -other work-horses in Queen’s experience, -which she had so often wondered at in her -limited way, now came down like a sort of -mask upon Queen’s head and put a strange -dullness into her eyes.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But with the end of the harvest period came -the autumn plowing. Had that been her first -experience she would hardly have lived -through it. It was not only harder work to -drag the plow, that so often struck the rocks -in its path and fairly pulled them from their -feet, but the dust rising in clouds from under -them added to labour and pain the last -ounce of endurable agony. Life to Queen, in -its endless repetition of toil and pain and -abysmal discomfort, relieved periodically by -a few hours’ rest, was not only without purpose -but without excuse. Queen did not reason -her way to such a conclusion, she just felt; -and in this feeling there was not even the light -of illusionary hope. The knowledge that a -given labour will end at a certain time, gave -the hope and the courage to her master which -the strange ruling of life denied to Queen.</p> - -<p class='c003'>So Queen lived through the days which she -could not know were ever to end, enduring -labour without compensation, getting food and -water that was not as good as that which -the wilds had lavishly bestowed upon her. -What it was to lead to, she did not know. She -could not even ask. Death was but a nameless -fear and the relief of death was beyond -her understanding. The images of those she -had known and loved in her happier past came -back often in dozing moments, coming into -her dreamy vision as imperceptibly as the evening -comes into the day; and in going they left -in her soul something that resembled hope. -That was all that life offered her and it was -as uncertain as were the whims of the creatures -who dominated and overshadowed her -existence; yet never did she reach a hilltop -from which she caught a glimpse of the open -prairie spaces but the hope that freedom would -come to her expressed itself like a hazy light -in the dark uncertainty that engulfed her.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch14' class='c012'>CHAPTER XIV<br /> <br />ONLY JUSTICE HAD BEEN DONE</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-t.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -THE reaping season passed and threshing -time arrived. The farmer was -plowing his fields for the next year’s -seeding because he had finished reaping -before most of the other farmers -had finished. He worked himself as hard as -he worked his “critters.” That was his reputation -among those who did not have anything -more serious against him, but they were few. -Every fall he, like most of the other homesteaders, -left his farm and joined a threshing -crew some twenty miles south, remaining with -it until winter set in and until the wheat of the -last farmer of their circuit had been threshed.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Came the last hot spell of the year. Cold -winds and rain and cloud of early autumn -gave way to a short Indian summer, so warm -that insects long too stiff to appear more than -for a few hours during the warmest part of -each day, came buzzing back to life as if it -were springtime. Nose-flies began to bother -the horses and the dirty, old, wire-net nose-baskets -were brought back into use.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The sunlit air sponged up the aroma that -oozed from the wet earth, and breathing it -filled Dora with old longing. Sensations of -loping free over the unfenced earth, like -spirits, danced enticingly before her yearning -eyes. Birds flitting through the sweet air sang -with the enthusiasm of spring and urged her -to resist the forces of evil that fettered her. -But the harness on her back was heavy. The -traces that bound her to the plow and the -lines that held her to the others who had forgotten -what freedom is, were inexorable as -the will of the man, whose whip was his only -argument.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They had been dragging the unyielding -plow for a few hours on the first of these delightful -mornings, when, looking up as they -turned at the end of a furrow, Dora saw in -the distant south a horse and buggy, coming -at a good pace. All the way down that furrow -she saw the buggy steadily grow larger -and clearer. Coming up on the next furrow -she could see nothing and then as she turned -once more she saw White-black coming. She -stopped for just a second and the whip came -down with a stinging lash. She sprang forward -and pulled along with the rest; but her -head was higher than it had been for some -time and from her trembling lips came nervous -whinnies which White-black did not hear. -By the time the two moving objects met, -there was a long, melodious and very welcome -“whoa,” and the four horses stopped facing -the one horse in the buggy.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The three horses relaxed and stood with -heads lowered, grateful for this bit of rest, but -Dora was too excited to stand still. With head -erect, ears pricked she called to her old mate -with a call that shook the whole of her weary -body. White-black raised his head at the -first call, looked at the four horses, sniffed -somewhat like a dog and then with all his -strength, replied. Hardly had he finished -when Dora, exerting herself to the limit of her -strength, called again. White-black started -forward as he replied this time but the impatient -man in the buggy, flaring up with -righteous wrath, cruelly jerked the lines. -White-black raised his head in pain and moved -back a step. He called again but he did not -attempt to go to her any more. His head lowered -like that of the horses beside Dora and -an expression of utter helplessness came over -his white face. Dora, too, dropped her head -with the full realisation of the futility of trying -in any way to overcome the hold man had -upon them.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The ploughman left the buggy side where he -had been standing, conversing with the visitor, -and walked back toward his plow a few feet, -then stopped, and continued the conversation.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Then I can depend upon you?” said the -man in the buggy.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Oh, I’ll unhook right away,” replied the -other, taking out his watch, “and I’ll be there -by supper time. I’ll start just as soon as I -feed the horses and get a bite myself.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>“All right!” said the stranger, striking -White-black a blow with the whip that sent -him forward at a bound.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Dora called after him. From the distance, -even as he was running away at top speed, -White-black called back, helplessly. Dora -tried hard to keep her eyes on the shrinking -buggy and the two white ears that protruded -above it, but her eyes were hemmed in by -the blinders and she found it difficult. She -was obliged to raise her head over the mane -of the little bay mare. Forgetting for the -moment the man at the plow, she rested her -head upon the bay mare’s neck and called and -called again.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There was a sudden order to move on and -Dora started off, expecting to pull with all -her might upon the traces. She was most -agreeably surprised to find that they had been -unhooked and all the way to the house, stirred -by emotions which she had no other way of -expressing, she pulled ahead of the others, -eager to get to the farmyard as if she expected -to be released there so that she could -go back to the world and the life for which -she longed with old fervour again.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Dora was unharnessed and taken to her stall -in the barn. The little bay mare was released -in the corral, while the two big horses with -their harness on were put into the stall next -to Dora and all were fed. In an hour the -farmer was ready to depart. He came into -the barn and took the two horses out, and soon -after, Dora heard the wagon rumbling away.</p> - -<p class='c003'>During the last few weeks, throughout the -endless hours of wearing toil, Dora had -yearned for the stall; but now as she stood -there, fresh from the unexpected meeting with -her lifelong companion, the enclosure of the -barn was as harassing as the slavery of harness, -and without knowing why she did it, -realising fully that White-black was far out -of hearing, she called and called like a broken-hearted -mother from whom her foal had been -taken.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her calling was suddenly answered by the -loud voice of the boy, who dashed into the -barn and began quickly to saddle her. He -tightened the cinch, as he always did, till -Dora protested, and then put into her mouth -the rider’s bit with its cruel bend. So, too, -he put on the wire-net nose basket and fastened -it so high that the wire-net pressed against -her lips.</p> - -<p class='c003'>As soon as Dora got outdoors she looked -for signs of White-black. When the boy -jumped to the saddle she started away to the -south, but with an angry pull of the reins he -turned her to the west. In spite of the fact -that she had been working to the limit of her -strength, in spite of the pain in her muscles -and limbs, she leaped away like a racer, and -in spite of the fact that she was already going -at her greatest speed, the idiotic boy, as was -his habit, kept applying the spurs. On the -trail along the wire fences she merely tossed -her head with displeasure at every dig, but -when they reached the end of the fences and -he turned her diagonally across the trackless -plains, the sight of the open, unobstructed -prairie helped her to make her show of resentment -plainer.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But the stupid boy not only failed to perceive -that he might have been wrong, he resented -what struck him as a challenge to his -authority. He meant to show her that he was -master. He jerked the reins back with all -his might and dug the spurs into her sides.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Go ahead!” he cried when she fled across -the plains as if she had been frightened and -were running away, “You can’t go too fast -to suit me!”</p> - -<p class='c003'>Before Dora, as she sped, loomed an exceedingly -large badger hole, the freshly dug, yellow -earth piled high to one side. She was -used to badger holes and had long ago learned -to cunningly avoid them, no matter how suddenly -one appeared in her vision. But despite -his tactics the boy was surprised by -Dora’s unusually nervous behaviour. He was -not at all sure that she wasn’t really trying -to run away. In spite of his fear, he could -not allow himself to dispense with his bullying -proclivities, and as she neared the hole -he turned her head sideways and once more -plied the spurs without reserve.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Where she would have, without any difficulty, -avoided it on her own account, his turning -her head drove her upon the mound of -earth. Her leg slipped on the loose, newly-dug -earth and went down the hole and as the -boy attempted to leap from the saddle he was -thrown forward six feet from her head, landing -with a thud and a shriek.</p> - -<p class='c003'>He was not badly hurt, but he was so badly -scared that he yelled like a frightened baby. -When he got to his feet there was an expression -of murderous intent on his face and he -stretched his arms forward as he started for -her as if he meant to beat the life out of her -when he got hold of her. But he did not get -hold of her. She had been frightened, too, -and had stood looking at him, unable to decide -what to do; but when she saw those hands, -she reared high into the air in an effort to -prevent his seizing the reins. This time he -backed away afraid of the hoofs that rose -threateningly before him. She turned with -a gracefully defiant toss of her head and -bounded away as fast as the dragging reins -would allow her to go. She could hear his -frantic threatening cries, but that voice had -lost its power. Her chance had come at last!</p> - -<p class='c003'>By his futile cries she could tell how far she -was leaving him behind her. She dared not -stop to look back even when she heard his cries -no more. The reins trailing on the ground -impeded her flight and she felt as if he were -but a short distance behind her and would soon -reach her. In her mad race for freedom she -kept stepping on the reins and every step -tore her lips and battered her palate; but not -for a moment did this actually halt her. She -endured the pain like one who was aware of -the fact that the goal was worth it, till all that -was left of the reins dangled a few inches from -her muzzle.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A mile farther west from the badger hole -was a patch of woodland. When she reached -it, Dora stopped for a second to look back; -but she did not see the boy. A hill, in between, -obstructed her view. She felt somewhat -freer not seeing him; but still she went -as fast as she could go working her way -through the woods. The branches of the -trees caught in her saddle and made going -very fast impossible. Twigs hooked in the -ring of the bit outside of the basket and not -only hurt her but frightened her because -sometimes she had sensations of being seized -by some man. But despite these pulls and -digs and impediments, dodging the branches -as best she could, she came in half an hour -to a large open space. Two or three miles -beyond that she saw another patch of woods -and headed straight for that. She got through -this bit of woodland without much trouble -and reaching another open space she followed -the wall of trees in its irregular curve -to the north.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Still northward she fled, though the north -had failed her. It was evening, when after -a steady trot for twenty-five miles she came -to the strip of forest that borders upon the -Saskatchewan and there, coming upon a deer -path which was familiar to her, she plunged -into the shadows of the woods. She was too -tired and still too weary of pursuit to think -of food. Coming to a windfall where she -had many a time successfully hidden in the -days before her captivity, she lay down to -rest.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She had been down but a short time -when the prodding of the hard wooden stirrup -upon which she was lying forced her up. She -tried to lie down again, but again the stirrup -forced her to get up. Again and again she -tried it, but each time with the same result, -and finally with the growing fever of a new -and threatening fear, she gave up the attempt -to rest and went instead for a drink of water -at the river. When she reached the river’s -edge she stopped to stare across to the wilds -beyond. There was a wish in her heart that -she could find some way of getting across the -moving water, but that wish was dulled by a -vague realisation of the fact that now, without -her old followers, getting across would -not be wholly satisfactory.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A great sad stillness brooded over the river, -hanging over the silvery reflections of the sky-line -like a dome of mist that rested upon the -dreary shadows of the trees and banks on each -side. Confinement and toil had sickened -Dora’s love of the wilds, though memory -sought to exalt it as of old, and the beauty of -the wilderness, without her companions, was -only desolation. A nameless longing in her -heart and a complexity of fears she had never -experienced before seized upon her like a disease. -It was as if she expected a fatal blow -from some hidden enemy that moved about -her in every possible direction.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She bent down and drank at her feet. It -was hard and disagreeable to drink with the -wire-net on her muzzle and the iron bit in -her mouth. She lashed the fast flowing -stream with her muzzle in the hope that somehow -the nasty basket would be washed away -by the water, but she gave up the attempt and -drank as best she could. Suddenly she lifted -her head and stared away into the dark spaces. -In the far distance a small shadowy form -swooped from the top of a tall poplar, like -a bit of shadow breaking away from the body -of the night, and disappeared in the whiteness -of the sky, leaving behind the melancholy -echo of its cry. She followed it with her eyes -till it was no more visible, then suddenly -turned and ran for the open.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was not only the open prairie she sought, -because the open prairie was the world she -knew and loved best; but something else was -driving her. A fear that seemed to have been -born of shadow and water and the lonely cry -of the loon. It was the sudden realisation that -though she had escaped from the detestable -slavery of man and toil and dirty barn, she -had carried away from her bondage man’s -inescapable curse.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her first act upon reaching the open was -to search the shaded distances, then out of the -depths of her embittered, fear-infested heart, -she sent into the wilds she had longed for her -earnest appeal for companionship; but only -the mocking echo of her own voice came back -from the motionless tree-walls on each side of -her. She lowered her head to graze but raised -it at once again. Now she knew what she -had feared. Now she grasped something of -the extent of man’s curse. The wire-net on -her muzzle, like a trap, forbade her to eat -until she returned humbly to man and submitted -to his tyranny.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In a frenzy of fear and anger she loped -about in a circle for the greater part of an -hour, then she attempted to rub the cursed -thing from her lips. But rubbing on the -ground pushed back the levers of the rider’s -bit and hurt her with every move. She -stopped to think a moment, gazing helplessly -about. She lowered her head, pushing it -along between her hoofs, and pulling it forward, -trying to rub it off that way; but all -that she did was to bend the strong wire of -the basket, which after that pressed painfully -into her nose. She tried rubbing her muzzle -against the bark of a tree. A small twig point -pierced the skin of her lip and as she hastily -pulled her head back the lever of the bit -caught in some way and she struggled for -some time before she freed it. Then she gave -up, running off into space as if she were trying -to flee from some fearful thing she had -just seen.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The cinch was still tight and though it did -not bother her much when she was up on her -feet, it seemed to grow tighter and cut into -her skin when she tried to lie down; and if, -for want of rest, she lay down anyway, the -stirrups always fell in such a way as to press -into some tender spot as she lay upon one of -them. She would endure that for a few minutes -and then she would get up again with a -groan.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The poplar woods about the Saskatchewan -are not continuous. Patches and strips covering -spaces of from one to fifty acres cut up -the rolling plains. By running round about -these she could keep herself invisible to approaching -enemies. Her old power to detect -man’s approach seemed to come back to her. -Once that day she thought she detected some -one coming, and hid in the trees without even -making sure, then coming out on the other side -and taking a roundabout run, left that section -of the country. Yet as she hastily put -distance between herself and this danger, she -half realised that she might have to go back -at last to the man from whom she had escaped, -who she knew could save her from the -iron grip on her muzzle. Two days later she -saw some one coming on the eastern horizon. -She was certain that it was the boy pursuing -her and first going north to get under cover of -a patch of woods, she fled west for many miles.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She came late in the afternoon to the pond -in the wilderness where White-black had -been trapped in the mud. She remembered -clearly White-black’s floundering in the mud -and avoided that side of the pond. She -walked leisurely around it, gazing over the -silent water from whose brightness she missed -the remembered sight of ducks. Many a time -in her slavery she had had visions of this bit -of water with its reflections smiling up to the -heavens. It seemed hard for her to believe -that she was really there. She had longed so -often to be there; yet, now, she experienced -something like a feeling of disappointment. -What it was or why, she did not know.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was crossing a muddy spot when she -slipped and fell on her side. She was not -hurt but slightly stunned and remained lying -down. As she lay there it occurred to her -that the stirrup was not hurting her. She did -not think of its sinking into the mud, but -thenceforth when she wanted to lie down she -came to that muddy spot. The pond came to -her assistance in another way. She had gone -in some distance to get a drink of clear water -where the pond bottom was quite hard and as -she drank, some of the lower rushes penetrated -the basket through the meshes of the -net. She lowered her muzzle carefully, keeping -her jaws open; and when she felt some -of the rushes in her mouth, she cropped them -quickly, chewing them triumphantly as the -water dripped from her muzzle.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The rushes grew tallest in the centre of the -pond. She was afraid to go in very far, feeling -constantly, as she would move inward, -that this time she was going to stick there. It -was not long before what rushes she could -reach had all been cropped. She learned to -get some grass by doing with the grass what -she had done with the rushes, but though this -was better food she could not get as much of -the grass as she had gotten of the rushes. She -managed in that way, however, to keep life -burning in her bedraggled body.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The fear of being pursued and captured -again left her as the days went by without -a sign of man, but as this fear left came hunger. -All day she struggled to obtain enough -grass to keep her alive and when the stirrup -resting on frozen mud kept her awake at -night, she only thought of grass and how to -get more and more of it. The sweetness of -the wilds she had loved was gone, leaving -them hollow and desolate and so cruelly unresponsive -as to be almost mocking.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Day after day man’s curse grew heavier to -bear and the strangle-hold it had upon her life -contracted with more telling effect. It was -only a matter of a short time when its contracting -hold would finally and mercifully put -an end to her misery.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The short Indian summer passed away. -The nights became cold and the frosts froze -the mud into rock. When in lying down -the stirrup pressed into some tender spot, she -would endure the pain, then rise next morning -and go limping over the plains. A layer of -thick ice which no longer melted by the middle -of the day now covered the pond. What little -frozen dew that she could get, with the little -grass she could crop, only intensified her thirst -and the desire for water drove her to desperation. -She tried to break a hole in the ice but -she did not have the necessary strength. The -irresistible desire for water sent her out upon -the slippery ice in the hope of finding a weaker -spot. A dozen feet from the edge she slipped -and fell with a crash, breaking through and -falling into the icy water. She was obliged to -rest a while before she could summon enough -energy to get up. When she did get up she -was aching from head to foot and on her leg -was an open, bleeding wound. She drank, however, -all she could hold, then she turned and -looked helplessly to the shore, afraid to step -over the broken ice, falling again when at last -she ventured toward it, but finally getting -back.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her sides pained her terribly and her open -wound smarted and itched. She tried to lick -it but only hurt it with the wire-net. She -stood stolidly for a few moments, her addled -brain trying to clarify the great confusion that -came over it. What was she to do? What was -going to become of her? Life was almost unendurable, -and instincts of terrifying force -guarded against the death that would have relieved -her. Paroxysms of fear swept over -her, filling the shadows of the desolation with -beasts of prey who, leering and licking their -chops, waited with terrifying patience for the -weaker moment when they expected to pull -her down.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Geese flew southward constantly and their -ominous honking sang dirges to the death of -all that life had been to her in its happier -past. The skies grew grey and remained -chronically grey and the atmosphere seemed -filled up with a great cosmic sorrow, like the -face of a child suppressing the impulse to cry. -The winds reaching out from the frozen north -wailed with maddening grief.</p> - -<p class='c003'>A taciturn old coyote began to worry her. -He would sometimes pass her while she -grazed or struggled in her attempts to graze, -each time seemingly coming nearer. He filled -her soul with terror. Sometimes he woke -her at night with his demoniac howling and -she would spring to her feet and shake and -tremble with fear and cold, only to find that -he was sitting on the rim of the hollow, looking -down at her, his black, hateful form cut -clearly against the dark grey sky. Then one -morning, she awoke to find him less than a -rod away, sitting on his haunches and watching -her. He fled when she sprang weakly -toward him with a fearful cry in which she -tried desperately to be defiant; but she decided -then to abandon the horror-infested -basin.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The great weakness was upon her. The -coyote had long recognised it and she knew -it now. Whither she was to go or what she -was to do, she did not know. Only she felt -the need of going and she went, limping -slowly and painfully, sick in body and soul, -all her defiance of man crushed out of her. -Thus the erstwhile Queen of the wilds lumbered -painfully over the plains that seemed -to no longer sustain her, going humbly back -to man to dumbly beg for mercy, for even in -that state of mind she felt that as man had -placed his curse upon her only man could remove -it.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was a dreary, dull afternoon. The sun -struggled to show itself and its weakest -warmth was driven from her protruding -bones by a cold, cutting gale. In her lumbering -along over the plains that seemed -strangely dim and uncertain she stopped every -once in a while and stared like a decrepit old -woman. She came at last to an open space -between two patches of woodland and stopped -to gaze wild-eyed upon a black shanty covered -with tar-paper, and a sod barn.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The smells that came from that farmyard -made it very hard for her to advance, but the -intense feeling of her desperation conquered -each wave of fear and step by step she made -her way toward the house, stopping at last, -a hundred feet away, unable to go any farther. -There was no sign of life. Fear held her -motionless yet hunger and thirst and weakness -urged her to call for help. Her call -sounded weak and hollow. She called again -with greater exertion and in that call a note -of conciliation was unmistakably audible.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Suddenly she saw the door of the shanty -open and a woman came out. Had it been a -man, all her unworded resolution would have -gone to naught and Dora would have turned -and fled; but a woman was a different experience. -She turned nervously and walked off -a short distance, but when the woman advanced -toward her holding out a hand and -calling with a most winning voice, she -stopped and waited. When the woman came -nearer Dora heard her own name. The recognition -of that sound gave her so much hope -and courage that she deliberately turned toward -the woman who by that time was near -enough to take hold of one of the pieces of -strap that still hung from the bit-ring.</p> - -<p class='c003'>For a few minutes the woman patted her -forehead lovingly and talked to her in a way -that warmed poor Dora as if the woman had -placed a blanket over her cold aching body. -When the woman began leading her toward -the house she followed willingly till the door -opened and a little girl came out, then she -stopped as if afraid; but when the woman -urged she went on, keeping her eyes upon the -little girl.</p> - -<p class='c003'>At the well, the little girl chopped a hole in -the ice on the trough while the woman -removed the basket, bridle, halter and what -was left of the saddle and Dora lowered her -head quickly into the water and drank as rapidly -as she could.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“That dirty brute!” said the woman.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“He never feeds his critters,” piped in the -little girl.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“He doesn’t feed his wife,” added the -woman, not because she wanted to tell this -to the little girl, but rather because she wanted -to express the hatred of an old and bitter feud.</p> - -<p class='c003'>“Take these rotten things,” said the woman, -pointing to the bridle and the halter, while -she seized the remains of the saddle. “Let’s -get them out of the way, and don’t you ever -open your mouth to tell any one, no matter -who it is, that his mare was here. I don’t -want his rotten old saddle and bridle. He -never keeps anything looking decent enough -for any one to want any of his rotten things. -Anyway it is a sin to send this poor mare back -to him. It ain’t up to me to catch his runaway -critters for him and I just can’t let the poor -critter go off like this and die. When Dad -gets back from threshin’, he’ll take these -things and drop ’em on the road near his place -where he will be sure to find them.”</p> - -<p class='c003'>When Dora had drunk all she could, she -turned immediately to some grass near by and -began voraciously to pull at it. The woman -had befriended her and she was not afraid of -her. But to her surprise, when she came -back, the woman rushed at her with something -in her hand which she waved threateningly at -her, clearly ordering her away. Dora ran off -as fast as she could go and when she got well -out of the way, she turned to look back with a -puzzled expression on her face. Both the -woman and the little girl were calmly entering -the shanty.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Without an attempt to get at the motive -behind the woman’s strange conduct, Dora -went on grazing there, moving off and looking -back when her mouth was too full to crop, -eating so rapidly and so absorbedly that she -had no time to think about the phenomenal -change that had thus miraculously come over -her. If she was not thinking gratefully, she -did feel grateful and possibly some higher -intellectual force than hers, in some way, -realised for her that only justice had been -done.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='ch15' class='c012'>CHAPTER XV<br /> <br />THE TRAIL OF THE MOOSE</h2> -</div> -<div class='c016'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/cap-f.jpg' width='75' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -FOR several days after the woman had -relieved her of the racking burden of -straps and iron and wire-net, Dora -was troubled by the conflict of recurrent -impulses to go back to the farm -yard and the fears that just as ardently urged -her to get far out of the reach of man. Months -of arduous toil followed by weeks of semi-starvation -had robbed her of her strength and -her courage; the barn had so enervated her -that she found the cold, out doors, especially -at night, very hard to endure; and her captivity -had deprived her of her companions -without whom life was not worth the struggle.</p> - -<p class='c003'>One snow flurry followed another. The -last spot of exposed earth disappeared. The -sun did not show itself for days and every -hour seemed to deepen the drifts. Never had -the world seemed so bleak and inhospitable -to her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She was so miserably cold one windy night -that she decided at last to go back to the -farmyard where she had been so magnanimously -befriended. She got up toward the end -of the long night and started away, lumbering -along for many miles in the dark, driven by -the image of the sheltering barn; and then she -stopped suddenly as the other image, that of -the woman driving her away, came into her -mind. She stood still, unable to decide what -to do and as she stood the reddish streak in the -south east grew brighter and less red.</p> - -<p class='c003'>She became very cold, having stood so long, -and started off again more for want of exercise -than through any definite decision, and -as she neared the top of a wild rose bush that -protruded from a deep drift, a rabbit sprang -out of its shadow and bounded away to the -south. Dora stopped through momentary -fright, and followed him with her eyes as he -fled. She missed him when he was swallowed -up in the great ocean of whiteness and searching -for him suddenly discovered a group of -horses on the ridge of a long hill, their dark -bodies cut clearly against the end of the light -streak in the sky.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Dora did not stop for her breakfast. Her -eyes lighted up, her nostrils distended and her -thin legs plowed through the snows as if their -old strength had fully come back to them. -There were many hills and valleys lost to the -sight in the level whiteness and, crossing them -over-anxiously, she was obliged to stop a few -times to rest and to regain her breath, before -at last she reached the horses, by that time -down the side of the hill.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There were about a dozen of them spread -out considerably. While yet some distance -from them, she thought she recognised some -of her old friends, but as she came nearer she -was overwhelmed with doubt. They were -pawing the snow very energetically and took -little interest in her fervent greetings. One -or two heads raised up a moment, then went -back to the business of finding grass which -the rest would not interrupt even for that short -time. This reception was a great disappointment -to Dora, but there were other disappointments -in store for her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The three horses to whom she was nearest, -watched her approach with suspicion. They -were, all three, hard working horses, who -found the pawing of snow a laborious task. -They thought she meant to eat from their find -and drove her off with threats of angry whinnies -and laying ears. One of them, a miserable -old nag, a red mare with two naked scars -on her shoulders, jumped across the hole she -had dug, ran after Dora and nipped her -haunches several times, as poor Dora fled -from her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Dora stopped running about a hundred -yards from there, looked back at the old nag -and, seeing that she had returned to pawing, -began to paw the snow where she was. When -she got to the grass and had taken a mouthful, -she raised her head and stared at the group, -wondering what had happened to the beautiful -world from which she had been abducted by -man. She could not make out why that old -nag had been so intent upon hurting her. -Dora did not know of those differences in -temperament which makes one creature -mellow and sympathetic after an experience -of great suffering and another sour and -pugnacious.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Her reception was a sad disappointment to -Dora, but even that companionship was better -than none. So she clung to it with all her -strength, content to move about on the outer -edge of the group. When the herd had fed -well and for exercise started across the snows, -Dora always went with them, running with -every ounce of energy in her body, striving -through her old revived habit to get to the -lead; but Dora soon realised that these were -not the days of her supremacy. Strive as she -would, she could not keep up with even the -poorest plug and long before the others were -ready to quit, she was obliged to drop out of -the race, humiliated and unhappy, puffing and -panting for breath.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Nevertheless, she took part in every race. -Every time she made the same strenuous -attempt to do the impossible. The youngsters -of two and three years of age fairly laughed -at her, reaching her while she struggled with -might and main and leaving her behind with -a few easy bounds. But it is a poor effort that -accomplishes no result whatever, and though -she could at no time outrun the younger -horses, she daily managed to leave some older -horse behind her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>One day she tried her old trick. Very early -in the race she happened to be in the lead, -having started the race. When the younger -horses saw her leading a few of the old plugs, -they started after her, soon, of course, overtaking -her. Dora swerved to the side, in the -hope that they would follow her, and found -herself alone. They not only refused to follow -her but they did not even look back to -see what had happened to her. Dora was so -unhappy she started off again after them, but -soon stopped, realising that she could not -catch up to them and that she would soon be -out of breath once more. She stood still a -while and watched them enviously. Then she -turned, intending to paw the snow for grass, -when she saw another group of horses coming -from the southeast.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Dora raised her head and looked with -absorbed interest. The wind lifted her mane -and fluttered it gracefully in the air. For a -few moments, absorbed in the creatures that -moved toward her in single file, she looked -like Queen once more in all the glory of her -regency. When they were a hundred yards -away, Queen neighed with all her strength. -At once the marching line stopped and all -heads went up high in the air. Then from -the rear of the line a white horse broke from -the path he had been following and with a call -of recognition started hastily toward her. It -was White-black and, with a strength born -of the very sight of him, Queen loped to meet -him.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Four of the other horses recognized her, -too, and the air vibrated with the music of -that happy reunion. Noses touched noses and -happy whinnies greeted happy whinnies. -With the five of them had come a young -mother, a sorrel mare with a fuzzy little colt -who had been born in the spring. When the -others had gone to meet Queen she remained -in her tracks, hesitating to get into any kind -of an assembly where through joy or anger her -colt might be hurt. He stood right behind -her, his fuzzy little head against her haunch, -his eyes filled with wonderment.</p> - -<p class='c003'>When Dora had greeted her old friends, she -went to greet the mother and her colt, running -her old muzzle, on which were still the marks -of her struggle with the basket, down the -fuzzy little fellow’s forehead, murmuring -tremulously. The proud young mother -looked on almost eagerly and commented -softly and good-naturedly.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But when the big group returned there was -dissention at once. The ugly red mare -seemed to think that there was entirely too -much fuss made over Queen, and turned upon -her with open mouth. White-black, right -behind the old nag, nipped her severely. A -quarrel followed which spread to the rest of -the group and finally ended in a race which -divided the two groups, Dora going off with -her friends. All day the two groups dug the -snow a goodly distance apart and in the evening -came the worst storm of the season.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The storm approached quite suddenly, -though all day there had been vague signs of -its coming. A northern gale blew up, tearing -the weaker branches from the trees and -sending them sliding over the surface of the -snow, tearing up the looser snow and blowing -it into their eyes and ears and nostrils. Queen -led her group to a fairly sheltered spot in -among the trees near by and together they -lay down.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The warmth of their bodies, one touching -the other, was so comforting that the slightest -move on the part of any one of them brought -a low, patient protest from the rest. The -night came rapidly. The wind grew more -and more furious, howling and shrieking -overhead, and the tall poplars groaned as they -bent with its lashing. Gusts of wind, loaded -with snow, which it raised on the open, struck -the trees and the snow fell in powder upon -them below, covering them as with a blanket.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In the open the savage north wind went -mad. It tore along at a terrific rate, taking -everything that was loose with it, then, as if -it had in its savage eagerness fallen over itself, -there was a pause for a moment, after which, -picking itself up again, it went on with even -greater ferocity, shrieking as with some -ineffable, primordial pain. It seized the fallen -snow and whirled it around with the falling -snow, scattered it high in the air, lifting it -again when it had fallen and sending it like -waves across the plains, gathering great -showers of it and hurling them against the -wall of the woods, sending these showers down -upon the tree tops, tearing it all up again as -soon as it had fallen into drifts below and -once more hurling the restless dust into space—a -display of insane, futile effort—a cosmic -passion bereft of purpose.</p> - -<p class='c003'>But if this wild night could have been -wilder and had raved with even more threat -in its raving, it could not have diluted the contentment -in Queen’s heart. The touch and -the subtler feeling of the presence of her companions -did as much to keep her warm as the -heat of their bodies, and, like a light, illumined -the long trail of life behind her. She -moved through the corridor of her past like -a curious child, walking in its sleep and -dreaming of a beautiful, incoherent fairyland. -The light was silvery as that of the moon and -in the shadows detached images which she -only half recognised glistened like reflections -on the snow. And when dawn ushered in a -calm day, Queen rose with a feeling like that -of having returned home from a long visit -and shook the snow from her body.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen knew the country there as none other -knew it. Leading the little group to the best -feeding grounds, she took her place once more -at the head, for at the head only could Queen -be happy. In spite of the deep snows through -which they were obliged to plow to get their -food, Queen began to fill out rapidly and the -greater part of her old strength came back to -her. With the return of her strength came -the old fear of man. Every move was accompanied -by an investigation and in every sound -of wind and tree she seemed to hear the sound -of a voice.</p> - -<p class='c003'>There followed a long period of fair -weather in which the snows hardened and -shrank and then one day, as they were digging -for grass, they were surprised by three men -on horseback on a hill to the south and east, -less than a quarter of a mile away. The -horsemen had come upon them so suddenly -that Queen, confounded, stood looking at them -a few minutes, transfixed with fear. She -recognised the man who had captured her on -the big horse that had worked beside her in -the plow. Next to him was the boy on the -little bay mare and his cry of “There she is!” -fully aroused Queen.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The little herd, however, had no difficulty -in getting away from them, because they had -no burdens on their backs and they were now -more used to the deep snows on the open -plains than the horses that were chasing them. -The horsemen kept behind them for a long -while and then disappeared. But Queen was -too wise to end her flight there. She knew -that even though the men gave up the chase -that day they would appear again the next, or -soon after that.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Out of the misery and discomfort of her -captivity she had just emerged. She had -found her companions and the life for which -she had hungered all through those unhappy -months. Hardly had she realised the full -extent of her good fortune when man reappeared -to take it all away from her. But -Queen was in no submissive mood. She had -fought for her freedom and she would fight -again. She would watch with such care that -she would not again be caught at a disadvantage. -She hardly gave herself time to eat. -Her ears were constantly pricked high. Her -eyes, afire with her emotions, never for a -moment abandoned their vigilance. But her -nervous dread of man soured the sweetness of -the wilds and Queen moved over the snows -with the old feeling of the trap beating in -her heart, moved without resting and, out of -habit, moved northward.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They came next day to the strip of woodland -whose heroic poplars silently guard the -Saskatchewan. There they stopped and there -the full horror of the trap took possession of -Queen. She was afraid of her own shadow -and the slightest sound startled her. A partridge -drumming in the woods sent her madly -loping through space.</p> - -<p class='c003'>The winter evening came early. The distant -sun lowered in the southwest with a sad, -yellow glare; and in the north a gleaming, -pearly streak foretold a brilliant display of -northern lights. That streak interested Queen -and she watched it as the darkness thickened, -and as she watched it, looking up from time -to time, it grew brighter. Faint shimmering -colours appeared at the eastern end of the -streak and slowly moved across it to the -west, vanishing in the west and reappearing -brighter in the east. Many times she had seen -these lights, but only once, somewhere in her -half-forgotten childhood, had she seen them -so bright and so fascinating.</p> - -<p class='c003'>They were standing directly in front of a -cleft in the shadowy wall of trees. The cleft -led like a roadway to the banks and the river -below. There they could see more of the -lights, the portion that glowed in the lower -part of the sky and danced about over the -shadowy tops of the trees on the other shore.</p> - -<p class='c003'>It was during a moment when the lights -were so compelling that all of them had -stopped to look when there appeared in the -cleft the giant body of a moose, his antlers -like a magnificent oak cut clearly against the -scintillating colours of the aurora borealis. -His coming had been so swift, so sudden and -so imperceptible that it took them some time to -realise that a living thing stood within a few -yards of them, looking at them. The herd -hastily retreated a short distance; but as soon -as they stopped to look back the enormous -animal got frightened, turned and vanished -down the banks.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Queen was very curious. She trotted carefully -after him and the rest of the herd kept -to her tracks. When Queen’s head appeared -where the plains turn over the banks, the -moose looked up at her a moment and then -like a rabbit shot straight across the river. -Beyond the centre of the frozen river he -stopped for a moment to look back once more, -then leaped on and vanished in the woods -beyond, leaving behind him, across the ice of -the erstwhile invincible Saskatchewan the -defiant shadow of his trail.</p> - -<p class='c003'>An overwhelming impulse flared up in -Queen’s soul. A great confusion of fear and -hope seized upon her heart. So nervous that -every muscle in her body trembled, she made -her way down the banks and with infinite fear -and caution she took the trail of the moose. -She walked along slowly and very carefully -and stopped often to take bites of the snow on -the ice as if she were testing it and at the same -time trying to quench the fires that were burning -within her. The others hesitated a -moment, but when they saw her nearly half -way across, they faithfully followed her.</p> - -<p class='c003'>In the woods north of the river, they -camped for the night. Next day they went -on, penetrating the woods and following the -trail of the moose till they came upon an open -space a mile beyond the river. There they -remained for the rest of the winter, feeding -upon grass the like of which they had only -at rare times come upon.</p> - -<p class='c003'>Succeeding snowfalls covered their tracks -and when spring came, melting the snows and -filling the desolate hollows with quivering, -rippling ponds, loading the lonely air with -the whir of duck wings and the happier honking -of geese, the roar of the swollen Saskatchewan -had placed the final seal upon their -emancipation.</p> - -<p class='c003'>And here the story of Queen Dora must -end, for in that new world beyond the trail -of the moose her struggle against the usurpation -of man was over. It was long after her -generation that man ventured into that desolate -region where she found perfect happiness, -as perfect a happiness as may come to living -things. Grass and water, leisure and activity, -companionship and security, these were all -Queen asked of life, and these were as free -in those unfenced wilds as the air and as limitless -in their abundance. No enemies, no contention, -preferences without hatred, joyous -play and eternal good will, she looked toward -each coming moment with no fear; while the -glowing sensations of fading yesterdays only -sweetened the music of her existence.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div>THE END</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> -<p class='c003'> </p> -<div class='tnbox'> - - <ul class='ul_1 c005'> - <li>Transcriber’s Notes: - <ul class='ul_2'> - <li>Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Typographical errors were silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant - form was found in this book. - </li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> - -</div> -<p class='c003'> </p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Beyond Rope and Fence, by David Grew - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEYOND ROPE AND FENCE *** - -***** This file should be named 63745-h.htm or 63745-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/7/4/63745/ - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - - </body> - <!-- created with ppgen.py 3.57c on 2020-11-13 21:45:21 GMT --> -</html> diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-e.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-e.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7572433..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-e.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-f.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5156396..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-i.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-i.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0eeb552..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-i.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-j.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-j.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d75e11e..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-j.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-l.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-l.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f9479b7..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-l.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-o.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-o.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 89e31c0..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-o.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-q.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-q.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1d4c6de..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-q.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-r.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-r.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 976804c..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-r.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cap-t.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cap-t.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9a990d4..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cap-t.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 528fdfe..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/i001.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/i001.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 33e4801..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/i001.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/i004.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/i004.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d5b4804..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/i004.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63745-h/images/publogo.jpg b/old/63745-h/images/publogo.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 024ada3..0000000 --- a/old/63745-h/images/publogo.jpg +++ /dev/null |
