the stair no doubt he could climb, for he knows
wonderfully well how to use those dainty little feet of his; but even
the Wise One could not climb up the ladder of metal bolts. Therefore
must thou strengthen thy heart against the bitterness of this parting
from him; for even if thou wouldst stay behind with him it is not
possible--for thou canst not live, like the Wise One, on water and
grass."

"But he is so little and so light an ass, senor," Pablo urged, "that
surely, all of us pulling together, we could pull him up by the ropes,
even as the other things have been pulled up; surely, surely, senor,
that would be an easy thing for four men to do--and I also can pull at
the ropes, senor, almost as well as any man."

It did not seem to me that even all of us pulling together could sway El
Sabio up a hundred feet through the air; but Pablo was so pitiful in his
entreaties, and seemed so resolutely bent upon remaining behind in the
valley and dying there with his dear friend rather than go on without
him, that I opened the matter to Rayburn and joined my plea to Pablo's
that this curious effort should be made. And in addition to the
sentimental reason for taking the ass with us, I pointed out to
Rayburn--as, indeed, he understood without my telling him--how
practically valuable El Sabio was to us in helping us to bear our heavy
loads. Rayburn thought with me that the dead lift of so considerable a
weight to such a height, without tackle of any sort to help us, was
impossible. But Young, who had an inventive strain in his composition,
was of the opinion that he could set up such rough tackle as would
answer our purpose; upon understanding which, Pablo at once embraced El
Sabio and danced for joy.

Young was, I think, the handiest man I ever knew. He had a natural
genius for mechanics; and in the many years of his railroad life he had
gained a knowledge of all manner of expedients by which the work of
complicated machinery could be accomplished by very simple means. "When
you have a freight smash-up right in the middle of the section," he
said, "with nobody to help you inside of forty miles, and the express
due to come bouncing down on you inside of two hours, you've just _got_
to get things out of the way whether you've got anything to do it with
or not. If I had the equipment of a first-class freight-cab here I'd
yank that burro up inside of twenty minutes; and if I don't do it,
anyway, inside of two hours I'll promise