, excitedly;
and taking it as an incentive to renewed exertion, they pressed the
flanks of their horses, which responded freely, and they swept on more
swiftly still.

"Tell Beaver to stop a bit," cried Joses; "you're nighest to him, my
lad." And Bart was about to shout some words to the chief, who was on
his other side, riding with eyes flashing with excitement, and every
nerve on the throb, thoroughly enjoying the wild race after so long a
time of inaction in the camp. And it was not only the riders who
enjoyed the racing; the horses seemed to revel in it, all tossing their
massive manes and snorting loudly with delight, while swift as they went
they were always so well-prepared that they would try to kick each other
whenever two were in anything like close proximity.

Bart shouted to the Beaver to check his pace, but he was misunderstood,
and the party swept on, whooping with delight, for all the world like a
pack of excited schoolboys just let loose for a holiday.

"We shall have our nags regularly blown, my lad," panted Joses;--"and
then if we come upon unfriendly Injuns it'll be the worse for us. Let's
you and me draw rein, then they'll stop."

A pause in the mad gallop came without the inciting of Bart and his
follower, for all at once one of the Indians' horses planted his hoof in
a gopher hole, cunningly contrived by the rat-like creature just in the
open part of the plain; and unable to recover itself or check its
headlong speed, the horse turned a complete somersault, throwing his
rider right over his head quite twenty feet away, and as the rest drew
rein and gathered round, it seemed for the time as if both pony and
rider were killed.

Bart leaped down to go to the poor fellow's help, but just as the lad
reached him, the Indian, who had been lying flat upon his back, suddenly
sat up, shook his head, and stared round in bewilderment. The next
moment he had caught sight of his steed, and leaped to his feet to run
and catch the rein just as the pony was struggling up.

As the pony regained its feet the Indian leaped upon its back, while the
sturdy little animal gave itself a shake that seemed to be like one
gigantic quiver, beginning at its broad inflated nostrils, and ending
with the rugged strands of its great thick uncombed tail.

Just then the Beaver uttered a yell, and away the whole party swept
again, the Indian who had fallen seeming in no wise the worse for his
encounter with the sandy earth