e to see them from any part
of the bottom-land below.

One of their number, afoot, goes closer to the cliff's edge, evidently
sent there by the others as a sort of moving vidette. Screened by the
cedars that form its _criniere_, he commands a view of the river valley
below, without danger of being himself seen from it.

At short intervals he passes back a pace or two, and gesticulates to the
others. Then returning to the cliff's edge, he continues on as before.

These movements, apparently eccentric, are nevertheless of grave import.
The man who makes them, with those to whom they are made, must be
watching the travellers with the intention of waylaying them.

Afar off are the waggons, just distinguishable as such by their white
canvas tilts--the latter in contrast with the surface of vivid green
over which they are progressing. Slowly crawling along, they bear
similitude to a string of gigantic _termites_ bent on some industrial
excursion. Still the forms of mounted men--at least forty in number,
can be distinguished. Some riding in front of the train, some in its
rear, and others alongside of it. No wonder the twenty savage men, who
pursue the parallel line along the cliff, are taking care not to
approach it too nearly. One would suppose that from such a strong
travelling party their chance of obtaining plunder would seem to them
but slight. And yet they do not appear to think so. For as the caravan
train tardily toils on up the bottom-land, they too move along the upper
plain at a like rate of speed, their scout keeping the waggons in sight,
at intervals, as before, admonishing them of every movement.

And they still continue watching the emigrant train until the sun sinks
low--almost to the horizon. Then they halt upon a spot thickly beset
with cedar trees--a sort of promontory projecting over the river valley.

On its opposite side they can see the waggons still slowly creeping
along, though now not all in motion. Those in the lead have stopped;
the others doing likewise, as, successively, they arrive at the same
place.

This in front of a large building, just discernible in the distance, its
outlines with difficulty traceable under the fast gathering gloom of the
twilight.

But the savages who survey it from the bluff have seen that building
before, and know all about it; know it to be one of the abandoned
_misiones_ of San Saba; as, also, why those vehicles are now coming to a
stop before its