第77章

"Tonight," said the master, "you get two pieces of pone without askin'."The cold nose of the jealous wolf-dog thrust against his left hind."You too, Bart.You showed us the way."The rattle had left the breathing of Satan, the stagger was gone from his walk; with each instant he grew perceptibly larger as they approached the border of the wood.It fell off to a scattering thicket with the Grizzly Peaks stepping swiftly up to the sky.This was their magic instant in all the day, when the sun, grown low in the west, with bulging sides, gave the mountains a yellow light.They swelled up larger with warm tints of gold rolling off into the blue of the canyons; at the foot of the nearest slope a thicket of quaking aspens was struck by a breeze and flashed all silver.

Not many moments more, and all the peaks would be falling back into the evening, It seemed that Satan saw this, for he raised his head from the shoulder of the master and stopped to look.

"Step on," commanded Barry.

The stallion shook himself violently as a dog that knocks the water from his pelt, but he took no pace forward.

"Satan!"

The order made him sway forward, but he checked the movement.

"I ask you man to man, Bart," said the master in sudden anger, "was there ever a worse fool hoss than him? He won't budge till I get on his back."The wolf-dog shoved his nose again into Barry's hand and growled.He seemed quite willing to go on alone with the master and leave Satan forgotten.

"All right," said Barry."Satan, are you comin'?"The horse whinnied, but would not move.

"Then stay here."

He turned his back and walked resolutely across the meadow, but slowly, and more slowly, until a ringing neigh made him stop and turn.Satan had not stirred from his first halting place, but now his head was high and his cars pricked anxiously.He pawed the ground in his impatience.

"Look there, Bart," observed the master gloomily."There's pride for you.

He won't let on that he's too weak to carry me.Now I'd ought to let him stay there till he drops."He whistled suddenly, the call sliding up, breaking, and rising again with a sharp appeal.Satan neighed again as it died away.

"If that won't bring him, nothin' will.Back we got to go.Bart, you jest take this to heart: It ain't any use tryin' to bring them to reason that ain't got any sense."He went back and sprang lightly to the back of the horse and Satan staggered a little under the weight but once, as if to prove that his strength was more than equal to the task, he broke into a trot.A harsh order called him back to a walk, and so they started up into the Grizzly Peaks.

By dark, however, a few halts, a chance to crop grass for a moment here and there, a roll by the next creek and a short draught of water, restored a great part of the black's strength, and before the night was an hour old he was heading up through the hills at a long, swift trot.

Even then it was that dark, cold time just before dawn when they wound up the difficult pass toward the cave.The moon had gone down; a thin, high mist painted out the stars; and there were only varying degrees of blackness to show them the way, with peaks and ridges starting here and there out of the night, very suddenly.It was so dark, indeed, that sometimes Dan could not see where Bart skulked a little ahead, weaving among the boulders and picking the easiest way.But all three of them knew the course by instinct, and when they came to a more or less commanding rise of ground in the valley Dan checked the stallion and whistled.

Then he sat canting his head to one side to listen more intently.A rising wind brought about him something like an echo of the sound, but otherwise there was no answer.

"She ain't heard," muttered Dan to Bart, who came running back at the call, so familiar to him and to the horse.He whistled again, prolonging the call until it soared and trembled down the gulch, and this time when he stopped he sat for a long moment, waiting, until Black Bart whined at his side.

"She ain't learned to sleep light, yet," muttered Barry."An' I s'pose she's plumb tired out waitin' for me.But if something's happened--Satan!"That word sent the stallion leaping ahead at a racing gait, swerving among rocks which he could not see.

"They's nothin' wrong with her," whispered Barry to himself."They can't be nothin' happened to her!"He was in the cave, a moment later, standing in the center of the place with the torch high above his head; it flared and glimmered in the great eyes of Satan and the narrow eyes of Bart.At length he slipped down to a rock beside him while the torch, fallen from his hand, sputtered and whispered where it lay on the gravel.

"She's gone," he said to emptiness."She's lef' me--" Black Bart licked his limp hand but dared not even whine.