Griggs finished off with a loud chuckle. “Say, Chris,” he added, “won’t they be mad at not being able to get out their ponies!”
“I suppose so,” said Chris.
“But there’s a good side to everything. It’ll be grand for the poor beasts. They’re ridden nearly to death; now they’ll have a good rest with plenty of fine pasture.”
“But about to-morrow, Griggs?” said Chris.
“What about to-morrow?”
“The Indians may follow us and overtake us on foot.”
“Well, if they do, they do, my lad, and at the very worst they may capture some of our stores. But perhaps not. I don’t like being a brute to a dumb beast, but if I’m driven to it I may have to be a bit hard to some of those mules. They can go so fast that no Indian can catch them—if they like.”
“Yes?”
“Well, as a rule they don’t like.”
“That’s the worst of it,” said Chris.