Out to the right of these wild
plunging steers ran Lassiter's black, and Jane's keen eye
appreciated the fleet stride and sure-footedness of the blind
horse. Then it seemed that the herd moved in a great curve, a
huge half-moon with the points of head and tail almost opposite,
and a mile apart But Lassiter relentlessly crowded the leaders,
sheering them to the left, turning them little by little. And the
dust-blinded wild followers plunged on madly in the tracks of
their leaders. This ever-moving, ever-changing curve of steers
rolled toward Jane and when below her, scarce half a mile, it
began to narrow and close into a circle. Lassiter had ridden
parallel with her position, turned toward her, then aside, and
now he was riding directly away from her, all the time pushing
the head of that bobbing line inward.
It was then that Jane, suddenly understanding Lassiter's feat
stared and gasped at the riding of this intrepid man. His horse
was fleet and tireless, but blind. He had pushed the leaders
around and around till they were about to turn in on the inner
side of the end of that line of steers. The leaders were already
running in a circle; the end of the herd was still running almost
straight. But soon they would be wheeling. Then, when Lassiter
had the circle formed, how would he escape? With Jane Withersteen
prayer was as ready as praise; and she prayed for this man's
safety.
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