An Ounce of Prevention

She had no doubt he knew what he was talking about, but she had never seen one. She glanced back as they climbed. The camper was hidden by the low brush. A cold chill ran up her spine. Maybe they should have brought the children with them. The trail wasn't as difficult as they had expected.

They climbed, following a trail that went up and around the butte. The muscles in her thighs were burning when Alex finally stopped to rest. He sat on a large rock and she sat beside him. He looked down at her.

"I hope we see something besides bluffs and desert."

Below them the desert lay flat with occasional dry arroyos. The moss green vegetation contrasted with the reddish-yellow soil in an attractive way. Behind them a multi-colored bluff rose to a flat topped butte. There were no trees, only occasional yucca plants with their long stemmed blooms - something else they could find in Arkansas.

They rested for a while before continuing on the trail. As they followed the trail around the butte, the country changed below them. Instead of dry desert, there was green grass beside what looked like a deep pool of water. What they didn't see was a wild horse.

Alex sighed. "This is the time of morning she said she saw them and this looks like the place she described."

"Maybe they aren't here yet."

He grimaced. "Or maybe they've already been here and gone." He shrugged. "We've come this far. We'll wait for a little while and see if they show up."

In the distance a plume of dust rose behind a vehicle on another dirt road. Alex lifted the binoculars from his chest and studied the terrain. After a few minutes he pointed at an area at the base of the next butte.

Carmen followed his direction and caught her breath. A lone horse had its head held high, as if searching for any sign of danger. They were careful not to move or make any noise. Eventually it must have been satisfied that it was safe, because it started down the hill to the pool of water. After a few minutes other horses appeared. There was a sorrel horse with a foal and a gray one. A black one and then a white one followed. Apparently that was all of them.

Carmen watched in rapt silence. When she finally looked at Alex, he was watching with obvious interest.

The horses made their way to the pool and drank their fill. Afterward they began grazing on the lush grass. When Carmen looked at Alex again, he was studying something in the distance with the binoculars.