not help thinking, as
the ox shook his long tail, that the horse must have whispered to him
about the nice grass and water that were so near. The ox had his reins
upon him; and lest he might stray from the track, we tied him to a
sage-bush, so that we might take him with us on our way back.

"We were about leaving him, when it occurred to me, that if the ox only
had a little water, he might, along with the horse, enable us to bring
the wagon up to the mountain. What a delightful surprise it would be to
Mary, to see us return with ox, wagon, and all;--not only the blankets,
but also our cups, pans, and cooking-pots, besides some coffee, and
other little luxuries, that were stored away in our great chest! Ha!
thought I, that would be delightful; and I immediately communicated the
idea to Cudjo. My companion fully agreed with me, and believed it quite
possible and practicable. We had brought along with us the tin-pot fall
of cool water from the stream; but it was too narrow at the mouth, and
the ox could not possibly drink out of it.

"`Let us gib it, Massa Roff,' advised Cudjo, `in de ole hoss-bucket,
once we gets 'im back to de wagon. Ya! ya! we gib Missa an
abstonishment.' And my light-hearted companion laughed with delight, at
the prospect of making his mistress happy on our return.

"Without farther parley, we unloosed the rein from the sage-bush, and
led the ox back towards the wagon. Neither of us rode the horse, as we
knew he would have enough to do in dragging up his share of the load.

"On reaching the wagon, we found everything as we had left it; but
several large white wolves were prowling around; and, no doubt, it had
been the sight of them that had roused the ox, and imparted to him the
energy that had enabled him to get away from the spot.

"We soon found the bucket; and, pouring the water into it, set it before
the ox, who drank every drop of it, and then licked the sides and
bottom, of the vessel until they were quite dry. We now `hitched to'
both the animals; and, without more ado, drove off towards our little
camp at the mountain.

"We guided ourselves by the fire, which we could see burning brightly
under the dark shadow of the cliffs. Its blaze had a cheering effect on
the spirits both of my companion and myself; and even the horse and ox
seemed to understand that it would be the end of their journey, and
pressed forward with alacrity to reach it.

"When within about half a mile, I he