not hesitate to do it. The glossy black animal gave
a neigh of delight as he felt the familiar hand of his master upon the
bridle, and he stretched away like one of the Arabian coursers of the
desert, fleet as the wind and capable of keeping up the tremendous rate
of speed for hours at a time.

The greater portion of this journey led through the wildest mountain
scenery, and the afternoon was scarcely half gone when a striking change
in the surface was observable. Instead of that long, dreary expanse of
endless prairie, the hunter was forced to make long detours to escape
the obstructions constantly interposing in the way. Now it was around
some pile of rocks, then winding among a mass of hills, then over a
level plain for some distance, but with the scenery steadily increasing
in ruggedness at every mile traversed. Far ahead could be discerned the
chain of mountains, their peaks looking blue and misty in the distance.
It was among these that the trail wound its way--one portion, in the
very heart of the mountains, being known as Devil's Pass, from its wild
and dangerous character; and, as the scout strained his eye in the
direction and contemplated the blue waving line against the sky, he
almost fancied he could see the smoke from the rifles of the vengeful
Apaches.

"Shouldn't wonder if they are at it this very minute," he muttered, as
he glanced down at the ground in front of him.

All the afternoon, as he sped along, he saw constantly in front of him
the footprints of another mustang, such as are made by an animal when
under full speed. So they were, as he knew very well. Dick Morris had
been over the same trail a few hours before, at scarcely less speed than
his own.

Every time Tom came in sight of an elevation he looked hastily at it in
the hope of catching sight of some signal from his friend. In such a
desperate enterprise as this he felt the need of companionship,
especially of such a tried and daring man as Dick Morris. But the sun
gradually went down in the western sky without bringing him the coveted
sight, and he began to believe that he would not be overtaken before
reaching Devil's Pass, which he hoped to reach on the morrow. Then, as
the sun disappeared and darkness crept over mountain and prairie, Tom
turned the head of his animal in the direction of a clump of trees where
he knew there was an abundance of grass and water, and where, in all
probability, something in the way of food could be had fo