companions; she appreciated her lack of experience.
Humbly she took the rear; slavishly she copied the
other horses; closely she clung to camp. Then in a
few weeks, like most tenderfeet, she came to think
that her short experience had taught her everything
there was to know. She put on airs. She became
too cocky and conceited for words.

Everything she did was exaggerated, overdone.
She assumed her pack with an air that plainly said,
"Just see what a good horse am I!" She started out
three seconds before the others in a manner intended
to shame their procrastinating ways. Invariably she
was the last to rest, and the first to start on again.
She climbed over-vigorously, with the manner of
conscious rectitude. "Acts like she was trying to
get her wages raised," said Wes.

In this manner she wore herself down. If
permitted she would have climbed until winded, and
then would probably have fallen off somewhere for
lack of strength. Where the other horses watched the
movements of those ahead, in order that when a halt
for rest was called they might stop at an easy place on
the trail, Lily would climb on until jammed against
the animal immediately preceding her. Thus often
she found herself forced to cling desperately to
extremely bad footing until the others were ready to
proceed. Altogether she was a precious nuisance, that
acted busily but without thinking.