ad been gone some hours.

After dinner, Hal, Ned, and myself saddled up for a ride over the plain
in search of antelope, and had gone some three or four miles from camp,
when Ned called my attention to a horseman in the distance, leisurely
riding along, almost diagonally to our own course.

We hastened forward so as to intercept him; but, seeing us approach, he
turned and rode towards us.

He was a Mexican, tall and gaunt, mounted upon a superb black mustang
stallion. His dress consisted of a short spencer jacket of dark blue
cloth, with loose sleeves; gaudily embroidered and laced along the seams;
pants, confined by a scarlet silk sash at the waist, and open at the
sides, through which the wide Mexican drawers were plainly visible; a
broad, brimmed, low-crowned hat, of Spanish manufacture, with a band of
silver bullion, covered his head, and boots of alligator hide, heavily
spurred, were upon his feet.

He rode a deep-treed Mexican saddle, with housings of leather,
grotesquely stamped: upon the pommel hung, neatly coiled, a lasso of
beautifully braided rawhide.

He also carried a long rifle. His powder-horn and bullet-pouch, being
suspended from his left shoulder.

As he approached he bid us a courteous good-day in English, and inquired
if we had chanced to see a "gang" of wild mustangs during the day; saying
that he was known as Antonio, the "mustanger" of the Leona, and that his
occupation was catching and taming wild mustangs.

We assured him we had seen nothing of the herd, which he appeared to
think must be in our immediate vicinity, from the character of the tracks
he had been following.

The boys were eager to learn the _modus operandi_ of catching wild
mustangs; and at once began to ask so many questions, that Antonio was
obliged to tell them he could not explain very well; but, if they would
ride with him for a couple of hours, he thought he could show them how it
was done.

Of course they became eager to accompany him; and, nothing loth myself to
see the sport, I assented to their request; and, joining the "mustanger,"
rode towards the south-west, and in less than an hour he pointed out a
small "gang" quietly feeding some three or four miles away.

As we drew near, Antonio declared that he knew the "gang," which was too
wild to approach with the lasso, but he might possibly get one by
"creasing."

"How do you do that?" inquired Ned.

"With my rifle," answered Antonio.

"What! shoot one of tho