mpatience. I was beginning to fear that some accident had happened to
our comrade, when we heard the faint crack of a rifle, but in a
direction _nearly opposite to that which Lincoln had taken_.

"It's the sergeant's rifle, Captain," said Chane.

"Forward!" I shouted; and we dashed into the thicket in the direction
whence the report came.

We had ridden about a hundred yards through the chaparral, when we met
Lincoln coming up, with his rifle shouldered.

"Well?" I asked.

"'Twur mounted, Cap'n--'tain't now."

"What do you mean, Sergeant?"

"That the mustang hed a yeller-belly on his back, and that he hain't got
ne'er a one now, as I knows on. He got cl'ar away from me--that is, the
mustang. The yeller-belly didn't."

"What! you haven't--?"

"But I hev, Cap'n. I had good, soun' reason."

"What reason?" I demanded.

"In the first place, the feller wur a gurillye; and in the next, he wur
an outpost picket."

"How know you this?"

"Wal, Cap'n, I struck his trail on the edge of the thicket. I knowed he
hedn't kum fur, as I looked out for sign whar we crossed the crik
bottom, an' seed none. I tuk the back track, an' soon come up with him
under a big button-wood. He had been thar some time, for the ground wur
stamped like a bullock-pen."

"Well?" said I, impatient to hear the result.

"I follered him up till I seed him leanin' for'ard on his horse, clost
to the track we oughter take. From this I suspicioned him; but, gettin'
a leetle closter, I seed his gun an' fixin's strapped to the saddle. So
I tuk a sight, and whumelled him. The darned mustang got away with his
traps. This hyur's the only thing worth takin' from his carcage: it
wudn't do much harm to a grizzly b'ar."

"Good heaven!" I exclaimed, grasping the glittering object which the
hunter held towards me; "what have you done?"

It was a silver-handled stiletto. I recognised the weapon. I had given
it to the boy Narcisso.

"No harm, I reckin, Cap'n?"

"The man--the Mexican? How did he look?--what like?" I demanded
anxiously.

"Like?" repeated the hunter. "Why, Cap'n, I 'ud call him as ugly a
skunk as yer kin skeer up any whar--'ceptin' it mout be among the Digger
Injuns; but yer kin see for yurself--he's clost by."

I leaped from my horse, and followed Lincoln through the bushes. Twenty
paces brought us to the object of our search, upon the border of a small
glade. The body lay upon its back, where it had been flung by