Warburton picked up the saddle and threw it over Pirate's glossy back. Pirate waltzed from side to side, and shook his head wickedly. But the man that was to mount him knew all these signs. Swiftly he gathered up the end of the belly-band strap and ran it through the iron ring. In and out he threaded it, drawing it tighter and tighter. He leaped into the saddle and adjusted the stirrups, then dismounted. "I'll take him now, William," said James, smiling. "All right, sir," said William, glad enough to be relieved of all further responsibility. James led Pirate into the small court and waited for Miss Annesley, who appeared in the doorway presently. "James, I regret that I urged you to ride him. You will be hurt," she said. Her worry was plainly visible on her face. James smiled his pleasantest and touched his hat. "Very well, then; I have warned you. If he bolts, head him for a tree. That's the only way to stop him." James shortened the bridle-rein to the required length, took a firm grip on Pirate's mane, and vaulted into the saddle. Pirate stood perfectly still. He shook his head. James talked to him and patted his sleek neck, and touched him gently with his heel. Then things livened up a bit. Pirate waltzed, reared, plunged, and started to do the _pas seul_ on the flower-beds. Then he immediately changed his mind. He decided to re-enter the stables. "Don't let him get his head down!" yelled William, nimbly jumping over a bed of poppies and taking his position beside his mistress. "The gates, William! The gates!" cried the girl, excitedly. "Only one is open. He will not be able to get through." William scampered down the driveway and swung back the iron barrier. None too soon! Like a black shadow, Pirate flashed by, his rider's new derby rolling in the dust. The girl stood in the doorway, her hands pressed against her heart. She was as white as the clouds that sailed overhead. X PIRATE On the opposite side of the road there was a stone wall about five feet in height; beyond this was a broad, rolling field, and farther on, a barb-wire fence and a boggy stream which oozed its way down toward the Potomac. Far away across the valley the wooded hills were drying and withering and thinning, with splashes of yellow and red. A flock of birds speckled the fleecy October clouds, and a mild breeze sent the grasses shivering.