to the open prairie, and advanced in a line parallel to it.

Having ridden a distance of two or three miles, Garey slackened his
pace, and put the mustang to a slow walk. A little farther on he again
halted, and held his horse at rest, in the beaten path.

Rube now came up, and spread the three blankets lengthwise along the
ground, and leading westward from the trail. Garey dismounted, and led
the animal gently on the blankets.

As its feet rested on two at a time, each, as it became the rearmost,
was taken up, and spread again in front; and this was repeated until
they had got the mustang some fifty lengths of himself out into the
prairie. The movement was executed with an adroitness equal to that
which characterised the feat of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Garey now took up the blankets, and, remounting, commenced riding slowly
back by the foot of the mountain; while Rube returned to the trail, and
placed a third arrow at the point where the mustang had parted from it.
He then proceeded south as before. One more was yet needed to make
doubly sure.

When he had gone about half a mile, we saw him stoop over the trail,
rise up again, cross toward the mountain foot, and follow the path taken
by his companion. The work was done; the finger-posts were set; the
ruse was complete!

El Sol, meanwhile, had been busy. Several wolves were killed and
skinned, and the meat was packed in their skins. The gourds were
filled, our captive was tied on a mule, and we stood waiting the return
of the trappers.

Seguin had resolved to leave two men at the spring as videttes. They
were to keep their horses by the rocks, and supply them with the
mule-bucket, so as to make no fresh tracks at the water. One was to
remain constantly on an eminence, and watch the prairie with the glass.
They could thus descry the returning Navajoes in time to escape
unobserved themselves along the foot of the mountain. They were then to
halt at a place ten miles to the north, where they could still have a
view of the plain. There they were to remain until they had ascertained
what direction the Indians should take after leaving the spring, when
they were to hurry forward and join the band with their tidings.

All these arrangements having been completed as Rube and Garey came up,
we mounted our horses and rode by a circuitous route for the mountain
foot. When close in, we found the path strewed with loose cut-rock,
upon which the hoofs of our animal