directly through the bush, and pointing the animals
out to Nobs I whispered: "Fetch 'em, boy!"

In an instant he was gone, circling wide toward the rear of the quarry.
They caught sight of him almost immediately and broke into a trot away
from him; but when they saw that he was apparently giving them a wide
berth they stopped again, though they stood watching him, with
high-held heads and quivering nostrils. It was a beautiful sight. And
then Nobs turned in behind them and trotted slowly back toward me. He
did not bark, nor come rushing down upon them, and when he had come
closer to them, he proceeded at a walk. The splendid creatures seemed
more curious than fearful, making no effort to escape until Nobs was
quite close to them; then they trotted slowly away, but at right angles.

And now the fun and trouble commenced. Nobs, of course, attempted to
turn them, and he seemed to have selected the stallion to work upon,
for he paid no attention to the others, having intelligence enough to
know that a lone dog could run his legs off before he could round up
four horses that didn't wish to be rounded up. The stallion, however,
had notions of his own about being headed, and the result was as pretty
a race as one would care to see. Gad, how that horse could run! He
seemed to flatten out and shoot through the air with the very minimum
of exertion, and at his forefoot ran Nobs, doing his best to turn him.
He was barking now, and twice he leaped high against the stallion's
flank; but this cost too much effort and always lost him ground, as
each time he was hurled heels over head by the impact; yet before they
disappeared over a rise in the ground I was sure that Nob's persistence
was bearing fruit; it seemed to me that the horse was giving way a
trifle to the right. Nobs was between him and the main herd, to which
the yearling and filly had already fled.

As I stood waiting for Nobs' return, I could not but speculate upon my
chances should I be attacked by some formidable beast. I was some
distance from the forest and armed with weapons in the use of which I
was quite untrained, though I had practiced some with the spear since
leaving the Kro-lu country. I must admit that my thoughts were not
pleasant ones, verging almost upon cowardice, until I chanced to think
of little Ajor alone in this same land and armed only with a knife! I
was immediately filled with shame; but in thinking the matter over
since, I have com