babes in the wood," said Adan. "I feel as if we never
should find our way home again."

"We shall," said Roldan, stoutly; although he, too, felt the chill of
the immense solitude. "And we have begun well! What an adventure to
start with! I am sure we shall have more."

Adan crossed himself.

The boys rode at a long even gallop, the high chaparral closing behind
them. Every half hour they paused, and Roldan, dismounting, held his
ear to the ground. But as yet they were unpursued.

A soft wind blew over the plain, fragrant with the honeydew of the
chaparral. The sun set in a great bank of yellow cloud. Then the night
came suddenly.

A few moments later Roldan called: "Halt!" and held up his hand. "I
hear the rush of the water," he said. "We must be near the river."

"It sounds as if it was high," said Adan. "It has rained hard this
month. Suppose these horses don't swim?"

"We'll make them. Come on."

"Ay! yi!" exclaimed Adan, not many moments after.

They pulled up suddenly on the banks of the river, a body of water
about three hundred yards wide. It was swollen almost level with the
high banks. The tumultuous waters were racing as if Neptune astride
them was fleeing from angry gods. There is something unhuman in the
roar of an angry river: it has a knell in it.

Roldan and Adan looked at each other. The latter's face had paled.
Roldan contracted his lids suddenly, and when his friend met the glance
that grew between them he compressed his lips and involuntarily
straightened himself: he knew its significance.

"We must cross," said Roldan. "It would never do to spend the night on
this side. If they followed, they would never suspect us of crossing.
If we remained here, we could not hear them until they were upon us."

"Very well," said Adan.

Roldan raised his bridle. The mustang did not move forward, but
cowered. "I don't like to hurt horses," said the young don, "but he's
got to go." He clapped his spurs savagely against the animal's sides,
and the next moment the waves were lashing about him.

Adan was beside him at once, and together they breasted the rushing
waters. The mustangs were strong and made fair headway, incited by
terror and the spur. The water was very cold, but the boys scarcely
felt it. Their eyes were strained toward the opposite shore, measuring
the distance, which seemed to grow less very slowly. The stars were
thick and the moon was floating just above the chaparral, but the
darkn