leaving the hacienda, two persons
were seated by this fire, in the attitude of men who were resting after
a day of fatigue. These persons were the trappers, who had already made
their appearance at La Poza.

There was nothing remarkable in two men having made their camp-fire in
the woods; it was their proximity to a hacienda--and that, too, the
Hacienda del Venado--that rendered the fact significant. The trappers
knew well enough that the hacienda was close at hand; it followed, then,
that they had some reasons of their own for not availing themselves of
its hospitality. A large pile of fagots lay near the fire, evidently
collected to feed it, and this proved that the men who had kindled it
intended to pass the night on the spot.

The appearance of these two men would have been striking, even in the
light of day; but under that of the fire it was picturesque--almost
fantastic. The older of the two was habited in a costume half Indian,
half Canadian; on his head was a sort of bonnet, shaped like a truncated
cone, and made out of the skin of a fox; a blue striped cotton shirt
covered his shoulders, and beside him upon the ground lay a sort of
woollen surtout--the _capote_ of the Canadians. His legs were encased
in leathern leggins, reaching from the thigh downward to the ankle; but
instead of moccasins he wore upon his feet a pair of strong iron-bound
shoes, capable of lasting him for a couple of years at the least. A
large buffalo-horn, suspended from the shoulder, contained his powder;
and upon his right side hung a leathern pouch, well filled with bullets.
In fine, a long rifle, with a barrel nearly six feet in length, rested
near his hand; and this, with a large hunting-knife stuck in his belt,
completed his equipment. His hair already showed symptoms of turning
grey and a long scar which crossed his temples, and appeared to run all
round his head, showed that if his scalp was still there he had some
time or other run the risk of having it _raised_. His bronzed
complexion denoted a long exposure to sun, wind, and rain; but for all
this, his countenance shone with an expression of good-humour. This was
in conformity with his herculean strength--for nature usually bestows
upon these colossal men a large share of kind-heartedness.

The other trapper appeared to be some five or six years younger; and
although by no means a man of small stature, he was but a pigmy
alongside his gigantic companion. His countenan