d saw it, and paused in an agony of
suspense.

[Illustration: STILL NEARER, UNTIL IT APPEARED AS IF HE HAD TO MAKE BUT
A SINGLE LEAP FORWARD.]

Looking straight off upon the prairie, the mustang gave a faint whinney,
as if he scented danger from a point directly opposite to where the
figure of the boy was stealing upon him. For a minute the two held these
stationary positions; and then, as the lad moved a few inches again, the
keen ears of the mustang told him the truth.

Pricking his ears forward, he turned his head half way round, so that he
saw the crouching figure directly at his heels. Then he turned his head
still further, and gathered himself for a leap. But Ned was expecting
this; and, as quick as a flash, he leaped forward and caught the tuft of
hair hanging over his forehead, dropping his gun and seizing at the same
moment, with the other hand, the bridle-rein. The mustang made his leap,
but the lad held on, and, by a quick, powerful effort threw one leg over
his shoulders and slid upon his back in a twinkling. The horse was
outwitted, defeated, and the boy was his conqueror.

"Hurrah!" shouted the latter, overflowing with exultation. "Thank the
Lord! I've had better fortune than I expected."

The mustang was not an ugly-tempered creature, but would have given the
lad the slip, could he have done so. It may have been that because he
was nothing but a boy, he underestimated his capacity too much; but he
had been fairly outgeneraled, and he submitted with a grace which cannot
be too highly commended. He instantly became docile, and turned in ready
obedience to the rein, and trotted back to where the gun lay upon the
ground. Here Ned was obliged to descend again, but he kept a tight grasp
upon the strap, and scrambled back again as soon as he had recovered it.
It seemed to him, as he did so, that there was something like a
mischievous twinkle in the eye of the pony. He appeared to say:

"It don't do to trust my species too far, my lad; for we prefer to be
free rather than slave. However, you are a brave little fellow, and have
done so well that I think I must stand by you hereafter."

Now that Ned was himself again, he turned the head of his animal toward
the grove, where the thin smoke could still be seen creeping up through
the tree tops.

"I will have quite a story to tell Dick and Tom," he reflected, as he
rode along at an easy gallop. "I killed my buffalo, lost my horse, and
caught him again. I don'