horse, Bullet, over country where, undoubtedly to
his intense disgust, I myself have fallen a dozen times
in the course of a morning. Bullet had no such
troubles. Any of the mountain horses will hop cheerfully
up or down ledges anywhere. They will even walk
a log fifteen or twenty feet above a stream. I have
seen the same trick performed in Barnum's circus as
a wonderful feat, accompanied by brass bands and
breathlessness. We accomplished it on our trip with
out any brass bands; I cannot answer for the breathlessness.
As for steadiness of nerve, they will walk
serenely on the edge of precipices a man would hate
to look over, and given a palm's breadth for the soles
of their feet, they will get through. Over such a place
I should a lot rather trust Bullet than myself.

In an emergency the Western horse is not apt to
lose his head. When a pack-horse falls down, he lies
still without struggle until eased of his pack and told
to get up. If he slips off an edge, he tries to double
his fore legs under him and slide. Should he find
himself in a tight place, he waits patiently for you to
help him, and then proceeds gingerly. A friend of
mine rode a horse named Blue. One day, the trail
being slippery with rain, he slid and fell. My friend
managed a successful jump, but Blue tumbled about
thirty feet to the bed of the canon. Fortunately he
was not injured. After some difficulty my friend
managed to force his way through the chaparral to
where Blue stood. Then it was fine to see them.