Her heart thundered in tumultuous protest against the strain of her panting lungs.  Her limbs felt cold and numb; but she could not give up even though she was now convinced that she had thrown her life away uselessly.  They would find her body; but no one would ever guess what had driven her to her death.  Not even he would know that it was for his sake.  And then she felt the tugging of the channel current suddenly lessen, an eddy carried her gently inshore, her feet touched the sand and gravel of the bottom.

Gasping for breath, staggering, stumbling, she reeled on a few paces and then slipped down clutching at the river’s bank.  Here the water was shallow, and here she lay until her strength returned.  Then she urged herself up and onward, climbed to the top of the bank with success at last within reach.

To find the horses now required but a few minutes’ search.  They stood huddled in a black mass close to the barbed-wire fence at the extremity of the pasture.  As she approached them they commenced to separate slowly, edging away while they faced her in curiosity.  Softly she called:  “Brazos!  Come, Brazos!” until a unit of the moving mass detached itself and came toward her, nickering.

“Good Brazos!” she cooed.  “That’s a good pony,” and walked forward to meet him.

The animal let her reach up and stroke his forehead, while he muzzled about her for the expected tidbit.  Gently she worked the hackamore over his nose and above his ears, and when it was safely in place she breathed a deep sigh of relief and throwing her arms about his neck pressed her cheek to his.

“You dear old Brazos,” she whispered.

The horse stood quietly while the girl wriggled herself to his back, and then at a word and a touch from her heels moved off at a walk in the direction of the ford.  The crossing this time was one of infinite ease, for Barbara let the rope lie loose and Brazos take his own way.

Through the willows upon the opposite bank he shouldered his path, across the meadow still at a walk, lest they arouse attention, and through a gate which led directly from the meadow into the ranchyard.  Here she tied him to the outside of the corral, while she went in search of saddle and bridle.  Whose she took she did not know, nor care, but that the saddle was enormously heavy she was perfectly aware long before she had dragged it halfway to where Brazos stood.

Three times she essayed to lift it to his back before she succeeded in accomplishing the Herculean task, and had it been any other horse upon the ranch than Brazos the thing could never have been done; but the kindly little pony stood in statuesque resignation while the heavy Mexican tree was banged and thumped against his legs and ribs, until a lucky swing carried it to his wethers.

Saddled and bridled Barbara led him to the rear of the building and thus, by a roundabout way, to the back of the office building.  Here she could see a light in the room in which Billy was confined, and after dropping the bridle reins to the ground she made her way to the front of the structure.