This always aroused Glen and brought her back to earth. She enjoyed
such races, and when they were over, she would pat Midnight on the neck
and utter affectionate words of praise. Horse and rider understood
each other, which feeling had been developed through years of
companionship on many a hard trail.

For over an hour they thus moved steadily onward, and at length there
loomed before them the high frowning ridge of the Golden Crest. At
first it seemed to form an impassable barrier to their advance. But as
they continued, an opening suddenly appeared, flanked on either side by
huge projecting rocks. It was Nature's great doorway in one of the
mighty partitions of the house not made with hands. Through this
Midnight speedily loped and ere long swept out upon a wild meadow which
extended to the left farther than the eye could see, and over a mile in
width. Horses were feeding here, and at once Midnight lifted up his
voice in a friendly neigh of salutation, which was immediately answered
by several horses in the distance. In fact, he was on the point of
slowing down and swerving from the trail, but a light flick of the whip
reminded him that his mistress had other business on hand which had to
be attended to first, so again throwing back his ears, he dashed onward.

The wild meadow crossed, they reached a wooded region where the trail
ascended and wound up a steep hill. Midnight took this with a bound,
and in a few minutes he was at the top, panting heavily from his
vigorous exercise. Here Glen reined him in, and sat silently looking
straight before her. And truly it was a magnificent scene which was
thus so suddenly presented to her view. Below stretched a dense
forest, lying sombre beneath the shades of evening. Away in the
distance rose the mighty mountains, sentinel-like and austere, while
between, flashing like a jewel in its dark stern setting, was a large