stepped when he walked or trotted or loped or galloped or ran. More
than that, he could tell by the print of the four hoofs, all of
the same size, the same roundness--token so dear to the heart of a
horseman! By such signs he identified old and new trails until he
could guess the future by the past, until he could begin to read the
character of the stallion. He knew, for instance, the insatiable
curiosity with which the chestnut studied his wilderness and its
inhabitants. He had seen the trail looping around the spot where the
rattler's length had been coiled in the sand, or where a tentative
hoof had opened the squirrel's hole. On a night of brilliant
moonshine, he had watched through his glass while Alcatraz galloped
madly, tossing head and tail, and neighing at a low-swooping owl.

Great, foolish impulses came to Alcatraz; he might gather his mares
about him and lead them for ten miles at a terrific pace and with a
blind destination; he might leave them and scout far and wide, alone,
always at dizzy speed. As the hunter stayed longer by his puzzling
task, he began to wonder if this sprang from mere running instinct, or
knowledge that he must keep himself in the pink of condition. Like
a man, the preferences of Alcatraz were distinctly formed and well
expressed. He disliked the middle day and during this period sought a
combination of wind and shade. Only in the morning and in the evening
he ranged for pasture or for pleasure. Impulse still guided him. Now
and again he wandered to the eastern or the western mountains, then
far into the hot heart of the desert, then, with incredible boldness,
he doubled back to the well-watered lands of the Jordan ranch, leaped
a fence, followed by the mares to whom he had taught the art of
jumping, and fed fat under the very eye of his enemies.

The boldness of these proceedings taught Perris what he already knew,