im. Would you let me get on Yankee
Boy an' ride over to that clump of trees over there?'

'No! I guess you can walk that far,' returned Lem, 'an' I reckon you'd
better not come back again without the horse. I mayhap would like to
ride Yankee Boy mysel' an' have a look round.'

Poor Jack! He looked wistfully at the recumbent figure of Jeff, who
was still in a deep slumber, and then, seeing there was no help for it,
bravely put the best face he could on the matter, and set forth. He
carried a long leather rope to catch the horse with, and walked towards
the trees, which were about a couple of miles from the camp.

As he approached them, he noticed they were growing at the entrance of
a deep ravine that ran back towards the mountains, with a creek running
through it. It was a very rough place; boulders lay strewed about, but
here and there were patches of grass which looked so much fresher and
greener than that which grew on the prairie, that Jack noticed the
difference. It also struck him that the grass looked as if it had been
freshly trampled, and in a moment the idea flashed into his mind that
Nigger had, without doubt, wandered up the ravine. Jack never
hesitated a moment, but started to follow up the tracks he saw so
plainly. It was a pleasant change from the hot prairie, as the trees
shaded him from the sun, and he climbed steadily on over the stony
path, hoping every minute to come on the truant. The ravine ran
between towering walls of rock, covered with pinon and oak-scrub, and
completely hid all the adjoining prairie from view.

At last Jack turned a corner of rock, and saw ahead a small band of
bronchos or prairie horses. He hurried on, hoping to find the object
of his search, but, alas! Nigger was not amongst them, and his weary
toil up the long ravine had been on a false trail, after all! The wild
ponies were scared at the sight of a human being appearing in the
lonely canyon, and scampered away up the steep sides of the precipice
like goats, leaving Jack gazing sadly after them. It was a great
disappointment, and tears were not far from the boy's eyes as, tired
out, he sat down on a rock for a rest. It was no use pursuing the hunt
for Nigger any higher up there, and seeing it would be quicker to
retrace his steps than climb up the sides of the rock, he turned to
make his way down again. It was long past noon by the time he had
scrambled out of the ravine and stood once more on the prairie.