Page:Betty Gordon in the Land of Oil.djvu/110



saw an upheaval of sand, followed by a column of oil, heard a shout of victory from the men, and then Clover, who had been shivering with apprehension, snorted loudly, took the bit between her teeth and began to run. MacDuffy, resting securely in the assurance Betty had given that the horse would not be frightened, was occupied with the men, and horse and rider were rapidly disappearing from sight before he realized what had happened.

"Clover, Clover!" Betty put her arms around the maddened creature's neck and spoke to her softly. "It's all right, dear. Don't be afraid. I thought you had been brought up in an oil country, or I wouldn't have let you stand where you could see the well."

But Clover's nerves had been sadly shaken, and she was not yet in a state to listen to reason. Betty was now an excellent horsewoman, and had no difficulty in remaining in the saddle. She did not try to pull the horse in, rather suspecting that the animal had a hard mouth, but let Rh