ard evening. All at once the woman heard
a voice calling to her, 'Sister!' She was frightened, and looked about,
but saw nobody. She lay down. Again a voice spoke close to her, 'Sister,
stay here no longer, they are uneasy!' Nothing was to be seen, and the
woman began to feel afraid. For the third time the same voice said, 'Do
not fear, sister; it is I, the ahtzeta, which speaks to thee. Go now,
for the men are saddling their horses to look for us.' The captive
gathered hastily as much food as she could carry with ease; and as the
sun went down the scalp spoke again, 'It is time to go, for my people
are on their way hither, and it is far to Cochiti.' So she ran and ran
all the night long, and always straight toward our pueblo. Toward
morning she felt tired, and the scalp spoke, 'Lie down to rest, it is
far yet to your people.' She slept, but soon woke again feeling fresh
and bright. Then the ahtzeta said to her, 'Let us go now, for soon the
Dinne will be where you took me and where I became yours.' On she ran,
eating pinons as she went. At noon the scalp was heard to say, 'My men
have found the place, and are searching for your tracks. You must go
faster.' When the sun set the ahtzeta spoke again, 'Run, sister, they
have found the trail and follow it on horseback.' Thus she went all
night long, and the nearer she came to Cochiti the more the scalp urged
her to quicken her speed, for the Navajos were coming nearer and nearer.
You know," asked he, "where the sand-hills are, a little this side of
Cuapa?"

I assented; that whole track is nothing but sand and drift, but which
particular hills he meant I could not of course imagine. Still, the
Indian knows every foot of the country, and he supposed that I, having
been over the trail two or three times, recollected every detail of it
as well as he did himself.

"You know also that there are junipers right there."

Such was indeed the case. Not only there, but all over the country.

"Well, there, about two leagues from Cochiti, the scalp spoke, 'Sister,
they are quite near; hide yourself.' The woman looked around, but she
saw no other hiding-place except the junipers. You know them, they are
to the left of the trail."

I nodded of course. There are a great many to the left of the trail.

"Then the scalp told her, 'Crawl into a rabbit-hole under the tree.' You
know the hole, don't you?"

I said yes to this query also. Around Cochiti there are perhaps hundreds
of rabbit-b