His heart pounding heavily, more from excitement than from the exertion of his climb, Steve followed the channel which, he decided, at one time had been the bed of a stream emptying into the marsh below. The dry stream bed was strewn with rocks and Steve picked his way slowly among them. The course, although still steep, began to twist and turn, the yellow walls closing in more and more.

For another quarter of an hour Steve walked up the gorge. He picked his way with great care, for the stream bed was pitted with deep holes. Steve wondered how Flame had managed to go up this passage without breaking a leg. The red stallion had passed through here many times before; there was no doubt of that. Finally Steve came to the end of the gorge and before his eyes stretched a green sliver of a valley, not more than half a mile long and only three hundred yards or so wide. Through the center of it ran the dry stream bed, with short, green grass on either side that became lost in the wild cane that spread to the walls.

Steve stood silently in awe at his discovery of the new valley. It gleamed like a green gem placed in a setting of yellow gold. The high cliffs surrounding it enhanced its solemn beauty and breathtaking solitude.

So overwhelmed was Steve by his discovery that it was a matter of minutes before he saw the red stallion. Flame was grazing less than half the valley away from Steve, and the boy’s body became rigid as he looked upon him with unbelieving eyes. The stallion walked over to a stream and stretched his long, graceful neck down to it, his red coat blazing in the sun.

When Steve finally moved it was in the direction of the cane. He walked quickly, yet his eyes never left the red stallion, who still hadn’t become aware of his presence. Steve wanted to get close to him. It never occurred to him that he might be in danger from the red stallion, for this was his horse and there was no fear within him. He had known this moment before, for very often in his dreams he had approached Flame as he was doing now.

Steve had reached the tall cane and was in a crouched position when the stallion raised his head and turned it in the boy’s direction.