The Red Mustang

les to Fo

dded: "Dick has had ten miles of easy going and ten miles of running. Not many horses could stand sixty more. I believe he can,

he reined in the red mustang to a steady-going gallop

s, crowded as his mind was with fears and with imagin

him. "Vic, too, and they're brave enough, and they both

of Dick's hoofs. A sharp appetite came, too, and put him in mind of his haversack. He ate as best he could, and the next stream of water he came to invited him to dismou

l at the end of every half-hour, or a little more, but every

hardly attracted a glance from the sore-hearted young messenger. Mountain-tops, easterly, that had been cloudy i

t be Indians. No danger of their

distance nearer, and he was just about

couting around for? Wh

who now came out from behind a clump of mesquit trees, wo

r a score or more of what Cal thought were the best-looking men he ever saw. That is, they were the very men

mner had heard that a band had been seen near El Paso, days ago, and we were coming

re, Captain Moore

id you say? Twenty miles and more before you left Santa Lucia? Forty odd, since, t

must rest their horses. One tough fellow was given only time to eat before he was again moun

needed all the cheerful encouragement of Captain Moore to keep his heart

s impossible for him to spend that night in the cavalry camp. He said so to

way. I'll let you have one of our led horses. You mustn't ride to death that red beauty of yours. W

ood-looking black, he went to say good-bye to Dick, praising and caressi

the black-so stiff, so sore, so almost without any spring left in h

ted Captain Moore. "Go easy and you'll get t

rrying news of help found quicker than he had expected. What then? Would he find Santa Lucia as he had left it? Would it be besieged?

if the black holds out, I'll get home before daylight, and I'll ride

ing of the red mustang, and there was more weariness in riding him. He was

ou must have done about half of them. You're doing well enough, but I never felt so tired in all my lif

anch, but he found that the black was disposed to walk. It might be unwise to urge him any more. At the same time every mile was probably bringing Cal and his news with

d he recovered his senses in the middle of a half-waking dream in

. I'm afraid if I did fall I couldn't climb int

natured black, and Cal did not know how

th the black, and as if he himself had said: "Hullo, Dick. Glad

eam, Cal rode t