ain't bin treatin' you well! G'lang!"

The horses started forward under Foster's whip, leaving Boyle standing
there, half inclined to join in the laugh against himself, and yet
impelled by some strange instinct to take a more serious view of his
discovery. There was no doubt it was the same card he had given to the
Indian. True, that Indian might have given it to another--yet by what
agency had it been brought there faster than the coach traveled on the
same road, and yet invisibly to them? For an instant the humorous
idea of literally accepting Foster's challenge, and communicating his
discovery to Miss Cantire, occurred to him; he could have made a funny
story out of it, and could have amused any other girl with it, but he
would not force himself upon her, and again doubted if the discovery
were a matter of amusement. If it were really serious, why should he
alarm her? He resolved, however, to remain on the road, and within
convenient distance of her, until she returned to the coach; she
could not be far away. With this purpose he walked slowly on, halting
occasionally to look behind.

Meantime the coach continued its difficult ascent, a difficulty made
greater by the singular nervousness of the horses, that only with great
trouble and some objurgation from the driver could be prevented from
shying from the regular track.

"Now, wot's gone o' them critters?" said the irate Foster, straining at
the reins until he seemed to lift the leader back into the track again.

"Looks as ef they smelt suthin--b'ar or Injin ponies," suggested the
mail agent.

"Injin ponies?" repeated Foster scornfully.

"Fac'! Injin ponies set a hoss crazy--jest as wild hosses would!"

"Whar's yer Injin ponies?" demanded Foster incredulously.

"Dunno," said the mail agent simply.

But here the horses again swerved so madly from some point of the
thicket beside them that the coach completely left the track on the
right. Luckily it was a disused trail and the ground fairly good, and
Foster gave them their heads, satisfied of his ability to regain the
regular road when necessary. It took some moments for him to recover
complete control of the frightened animals, and then their nervousness
having abated with their distance from the thicket, and the trail being
less steep though more winding than the regular road, he concluded to
keep it until he got to the summit, when he would regain the highway
once more and await his passengers. Having do