CHAPTER XL
PARTNERS
If Drew had done hard things in his life, few were more remorseless than
the ride on the great bay horse that day. Starting out, he reckoned
coldly the total strength of the gallant animal, the distance to his old
house, and figured that it was just within possibilities that he might
reach the place before evening. From that moment it was certain that the
horse would not survive the ride.
It was merely a question as to whether or not the master had so gaged
his strength that the bay would not collapse before even the summit of
the range had been reached. As the miles went by the horse loosened and
extended finely to his work; sweat darkened and polished his flanks;
flecks of foam whirled back and spattered his chest and the legs of his
rider; he kept on; almost to the last the rein had to be drawn taut; to
the very last his heart was even greater than his body.
Up the steep slopes Drew let the horse walk; every other inch of the
way it was either the fast trot or a swinging gallop, not the
mechanical, easy pace of the cattle-pony, but a driving, lunging speed.
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