Valley of Wild Horses

Excerpt

Western Novels by

ZANE GREY

Desert Gold
Sunset Pass
Forlorn River
To the Last Man
Majesty's Rancho
Riders of the Purple Sage
The Vanishing American
Nevada
Wilderness Trek
Code of the West
The Thundering Herd
Fighting Caravans
30,000 on the Hoof
The Hash Knife Outfit
Thunder Mountain
The Heritage of the Desert
Under the Tonto Rim
Knights of the Range
Western Union
The Lost Wagon Train
Shadow on the Trail
The Mysterious Rider
Twin Sombreros
The Rainbow Trail
Arizona Ames
Riders of Spanish Peaks
The Border Legion
The Desert of Wheat
Stairs of Sand
The Drift Fence
Wanderer of the Wasteland
The Light of Western Stars
The U.P. Trail
The Lone Star Ranger
Robber's Roost
The Man of the Forest
The Call of the Canyon
West of the Pecos
The Shepherd of Guadaloupe
The Trail Driver
Wildfire
Wild Horse Mesa

Tappan's Burro
Ken Ward in the Jungle
The Young Pitcher
The Young Lion Hunter
Roping Lions in the Grand Canyon
The Last of the Plainsmen
The Shortstop
The Young Forester

VALLEY OF WILD HORSES

CHAPTER ONE

The Panhandle was a lonely purple range land, unfenced and wind swept. Bill Smith, cattleman, threw up a cabin and looked at the future with hopeful eyes. One day while plowing almost out of sight of his little home—which that morning he had left apprehensively owing to an impending event—he espied his wife Margaret coming along the edge of the plowed field. She had brought his lunch this day, despite his order to the contrary. Bill dropped the loop of his driving reins over the plow handle and strode toward her. Presently she halted wearily and sat down where the dark rich overturned earth met the line of bleached grass. Bill meant to scold Margaret for bringing his lunch, but it developed she had brought him something more. A son!

This boy was born on the fragrant fresh soil, out on the open prairie, under the steely sun and the cool wind from off the Llano Estacado. He came into the world protesting against this primitive manner of his birth. Bill often related that the youngster arrived squalling and showed that his lung capacity fitted his unusual size. Despite the mother's protestations, Bill insisted on calling the lad Panhandle.

Panhandle's first memory was of climbing into the big cupboard in the cabin, falling out upon his head and getting blood all over his white dress. His next adventurous experience was that of chewing tobacco he found in his father's coat. This made him very sick. His mother thought he was poisoned, and as Bill was away, she ran to the nearest neighbors for help. By the time she returned with the experienced neighbor woman Panhandle had gotten rid of the tobacco and was bent upon further conquest.

Another day Panhandle manifested a growing tendency toward self-assertion. He ran away from home. Owing to his short legs and scant breath he did not get very far down over the slope....