He had nothing to aim toward, yet sturdy confidence in his expert plainscraft yielded him sufficient sense of direction.

He had noted the bark of the cottonwoods, the direction of the wind, and steered a course accordingly straight northward, alert to avert any variation.
The girl rode easily, although in a man's saddle, the stirrups much too long.

Keith glanced aside with swift approval at the erectness with which she sat, the loosened rein in her hand, the slight swaying of her form.

He could appreciate horsemanship, and the easy manner in which she rode relieved him of one anxiety.

It even caused him to break the silence.
"You are evidently accustomed to riding, Miss Hope." She glanced across at him through the darkness, as though suddenly surprised from thought, her words not coming quickly.
"I cannot remember when I first mounted a horse; in earliest childhood, surely, although I have not ridden much of late.