ng afternoon when
Arima, who for the previous half-hour had been riding slowly and
studying the ground intently, suddenly reined up his mule, and, leaping
lightly to the ground, knelt down and carefully examined the long,
coarse grass that thickly carpeted the soil. For a full minute he
remained thus, delicately fingering the blades and gently pushing them
aside, then he rose to his feet, and, with a sigh of satisfaction,
pointed with his finger, saying:

"Here is the trail of the chief, Senor; he came from yonder and went in
that direction."

"Are you sure, Arima?" demanded Harry. "I can see no sign of the
passage of a man through this grass."

"Very possibly not, Senor," answered Arima dryly, "because, you see, you
are not accustomed to tracking; moreover, this trail is some days old,
and was made while the grass was wet and beaten down by the rain. But
it is there, nevertheless, for practised eyes to read, and, being found,
can now be easily followed. When the chief passed here he was in a
terribly exhausted state, and staggered as he ran, exactly as Mama
Cachama described, for just here he stumbled--if your honour will take
the trouble to dismount you can see the mark where the toe of his boot
dug into the soil--and I think the spot where he fell finally cannot be
very far from here."

"In that case," said Harry, "let us press on as quickly as possible, for
even minutes may be of inestimable value now. As to dismounting and
examining the marks for myself, we have no time for that at present,
Arima, and I am quite content to take your word for it that matters are
as you say. Can you follow the trail mounted, or must you proceed on
foot?"

"I can follow it mounted, Senor, seeing that I was mounted when I found
it," answered Arima. "But it will be well that you should ride a few
yards behind me, lest the trail should swerve suddenly to right or left
and be crossed by your mule." So saying, the Indian sprang into his
saddle and, turning the head of his animal, rode forward at a foot pace,
his eyes intently searching the sea of waving grass before him. For a
quarter of an hour he rode on thus, with Harry, leading Butler's horse,
following a yard or two in his rear; then he suddenly reined his mule
aside and, pointing to a barely perceptible depression in the grass,
said:

"See, Senor, there is where the chief first fell, as described by Mama
Cachama--yes--and,"--as his keen eyes roved hither and thither-