horses in front of the two teams, all pulling hard, we overcame that obstacle.  But at the next little hill, which we encountered about twilight, one of the team horses balked.  Urging him, whipping him, served no purpose; and it had bad effect upon the other horses.  Darkness was upon us with the camp-site Edd knew of still miles to the fore.  No grass, no water for the horses!  But we had to camp there.  All hands set to work.  It really was fun—­it should have been fine for me—­but my gloomy obsession to hurry obscured my mind.  I marveled at old Doyle, over seventy, after that long, hard day, quickly and efficiently cooking a good hot supper.  Romer had enjoyed the day.  He said he was tired, but would like to stay up beside the mighty camp-fire Nielsen built.  I had neither energy or spirit to oppose him.  The night was dark and cold and windy; the fire felt so good that I almost went asleep beside it.  We had no time to put up tents.  I made our bed, crawled into it, stretched out with infinite relief; and the last thing I was aware of was Romer snuggling in beside me.

Morning brought an early bestirring of every one.  We had to stir to get warm.  The air nipped like cold pincers.  All the horses were gone; we could not hear a bell.  But Lee did not appear worried.  I groaned in spirit.  More delay!  Gloom assailed me.  Lee sallied out with his yellow dog Pups.  I had forgotten the good quality of Pups, but not my dislike for him.  He barked vociferously, and that annoyed me.  R.C. and I helped Edd and Nielsen pack the wagon.  We worked quick and hard.  Then Doyle called us to breakfast.  We had scarcely started to eat when we heard a jangle of bells and the pound of hoofs.  I could not believe my ears.  Our horses were lost.  Nevertheless suddenly they appeared, driven by Lee riding bareback, and Pups barking his head off.  We all jumped up with ropes and nose-bags to head off the horses, and soon had them secured.  Not one missing!  I asked Lee how in the world he had found that wild bunch in less than an hour.  Lee laughed.  “Pups.  He rounded them up in no time.”

Then I wanted to go away and hide behind a thicket and kick myself, but what I actually did was to give Pups part of my meat.  I reproached myself for my injustice to him.  How often had I been deceived in the surface appearance of people and things and dogs!  Most of our judgments are wrong.  We do not see clearly.

By nine o’clock we were meeting our first obstacle—­the little hill at which the sorrel horse had balked.  Lo! rested and full of grain, he balked again!  He ruined our start.  He spoiled the teams.  Lee had more patience than I would have had.  He unhitched the lead team and in place of the sorrel put a saddle horse called Pacer.  Then Doyle tried again and surmounted the hill.  Our saddle horses slowly worked ahead over as rocky and rough a road as I ever traveled.  Most of the time we could see over the rim down into the basin.  Along here