t leading Ranger
down was worse than riding him. He came fast and he would step right
in her tracks. She was not quick enough to get away from him. Twice
he stepped on her foot, and again his broad chest hit her shoulder and
threw her flat. When he began to slide, near the bottom, Helen had to
run for her life.

"Oh, Nell! Isn't--this--great?" panted Bo, from somewhere ahead.

"Bo--your--mind's--gone," panted Helen, in reply.

Roy tried several places to climb out, and failed in each. Leading down
the ravine for a hundred yards or more, he essayed another attempt.
Here there had been a slide, and in part the earth was bare. When he had
worked up this, he halted above, and called:

"Bad place! Keep on the up side of the hosses!"

This appeared easier said than done. Helen could not watch Bo, because
Ranger would not wait. He pulled at the bridle and snorted.

"Faster you come the better," called Roy.

Helen could not see the sense of that, but she tried. Roy and Bo had dug
a deep trail zigzag up that treacherous slide. Helen made the mistake
of starting to follow in their tracks, and when she realized this Ranger
was climbing fast, almost dragging her, and it was too late to get
above. Helen began to labor. She slid down right in front of Ranger. The
intelligent animal, with a snort, plunged out of the trail to keep from
stepping on her. Then he was above her.

"Lookout down there," yelled Roy, in warning. "Get on the up side!"

But that did not appear possible. The earth began to slide under Ranger,
and that impeded Helen's progress. He got in advance of her, straining
on the bridle.

"Let go!" yelled Roy.

Helen dropped the bridle just as a heavy slide began to move with
Ranger. He snorted fiercely, and, rearing high, in a mighty plunge he
gained solid ground. Helen was buried to her knees, but, extricating
herself, she crawled to a safe point and rested before climbing farther.

"Bad cave-in, thet," was Roy's comment, when at last she joined him and
Bo at the top.

Roy appeared at a loss as to which way to go. He rode to high ground and
looked in all directions. To Helen, one way appeared as wild and rough
as another, and all was yellow, green, and black under the westering
sun. Roy rode a short distance in one direction, then changed for
another.

Presently he stopped.

"Wal, I'm shore turned round," he said.

"You're not lost?" cried Bo.

"Reckon I've been thet for a couple of hours," he replie