Dusty mostly sits atop the stagecoach, rocking from side to side trying to stay awake. Other times he sits astride Freckles and scouts the route ahead, and then he imagines he's a Pony Express Rider or someone just as important.
Without me, there's no hope!
He nudges Freckles into a gallop and for a few brief moments he's not Dusty the goof-up, the klutz, the fool. He's Dusty the lone rider, trailblazing, getting messages through, whatever the circumstances.
They blame him for getting them lost, but maybe, one day, he'll be the one who gets them found again.
He hopes.