Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Girl from Hollywood Edgar Rice Burroughs

THE two horses picked their way carefully downward over the loose shale of the steep hillside. The big bay stallion in the lead sidled mincingly, tossing his head nervously, and flecking the flannelshirt of his rider with foam. Behind the man on the stallion a girl rode a clean-limbed bay of lightercolor, whose method of descent, while less showy, was safer, for he came more slowly, and in thevery bad places he braced his four feet forward and slid down, sometimes almost sitting upon theground. At the base of the hill there was a narrow level strip; then an eight-foot wash, with steep banks, barred the way to the opposite side of the cañon, which rose gently to the hills beyond. At the footof the descent the man reined in and waited until the girl was safely down; then he wheeled hismount and trotted toward the wash. Twenty feet from it he gave the animal its head and a word. The horse broke into a gallop, took off at the edge of the wash, and cleared it so effortlessly asalmost to give the impression of flying. Behind the man came the girl, but her horse came at the wash with a rush-not the slow, steadygallop of the stallion-and at the very brink he stopped to gather himself. The dry bank cavedbeneath his front feet, and into the wash he went, head first. The man turned and spurred back. The girl looked up from her saddle, making a wry face."No damage?" he asked, an expression of concern upon his face."No damage," the girl replied. "Senator is clumsy enough at jumping, but no matter whathappens he always lights on his feet.""Ride down a bit," said the man. "There's an easy way out just below."She moved off in the direction he indicated, her horse picking his way among the loosebowlders in the wash bottom."Mother says he's part cat," she remarked. "I wish he could jump like the Apache!"The man stroked the glossy neck of his own mount."He never will," he said. "He's afraid. The Apache is absolutely fearless; he'd go anywhere I'dride him. He's been mired with me twice, but he never refuses a wet spot; and that's a test, I say, of ahorse's courage."They had reached a place where the bank was broken down, and the girl's horse scrambledfrom the wash.