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They relapsed into silence and walked steadily on. Half the distance was covered when Jacky halted. "Will Golden Eagle stand 'knee-haltering, Bill?" "Yes, why?" "We'll 'knee-halter' 'em." Bill stood irresolute. "It'll be better, I guess," the girl pursued. "We'll be freer." "All right," replied Bill. "But," after a pause, "I'd rather you didn't come further, little woman there may be shooting "
Blindly I staggered on to the top of the ravine, and saw before me the Schimmel grazing in the light of the westering sun. I forced myself into a sort of drunken run, and crawled into the saddle. Behind me, as I turned, I could see Laputa's shoulders rising over the edge. I had no knife to cut the knee-halter, and the horse could not stir. Then the miracle happened.
When the rope had gagged me, my teeth must have nearly severed it at one place, and this Laputa had not noticed when he used it as a knee-halter. The shock of my entering the saddle made the Schimmel fling up his head violently, and the rope snapped. I could not find the stirrups, but I dug my heels into his sides, and he leaped forward. At the same moment Laputa began to shoot.
Starvation is in the emaciated features, the brilliant feverish eyes. His horse, too, appears little better. At length one evening he enters the bush, and the following dawn fails to witness his departure. All that day there is the faint sound of a horse moving about amongst the trees with that limping gait which denotes the application of a knee-halter. But the man makes no sound.
Land and wells and good trees and wives to make a man content for the rest of his days. Who speaks? said Dick. 'I, said a voice. 'I will go but there is no going from the camp. 'Fool! I know that a camel can break his knee-halter, and the sentries do not fire if one goes in chase. Twenty-five pounds and another twenty-five pounds.
So they off-saddled and ate of the food which they had brought, while the horses filled themselves with the sweet green grass, the schimmel being tied to the grey mare, for he would not bear a knee-halter. All that day they rode, not so very fast but steadily, till towards sunset they off-saddled again beneath the shadow of the spear-pointed peak.
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