n her couch, buried in profound sleep. I quickly
bound her hands and feet, and gagged her in the Indian fashion, with a
pear-shaped piece of wood secured by a strip of leather. I then raised
her to my shoulder, and bore her to the roof, and by the aid of the
lariat, which I had secured to the parapet, I easily descended with her
to the plain below. A few seconds rapid walking enabled me to gain the
horses, and a few minutes later I had fastened her to the saddle, and
we were riding at full speed to the northwest. Knowing the route well, I
lost no time, and at daybreak had nearly reached the point at which I
intended to cross the Rio Grande.

"Day was just breaking when I rode through a belt of chaparral, and
emerging upon the prairie beyond it, came suddenly upon a horseman, whom
I at once recognized as one of the Mexican hunters attached to the
hacienda d'Echeverra. Before he could recover from his astonishment at
our unexpected meeting, I had literally ridden him down, and brained him
with a single blow of my steel mace, one of the weapons which I had
taken from Don Rafael's armory, and the same one you have frequently
seen me carry. Adding his scalp to those I had already taken, and
rifling his person of whatever of value he possessed, I resumed my
flight, and traveling steadily all day, found myself by nightfall
practically beyond pursuit.

"My fair captive had long since recovered consciousness, and I had
removed the gag from her mouth. I will spare you a recital of her
prayers and entreaties when she realized her position. Suffice it to say
that, after a perilous and wearisome journey, I reached this village in
safety with my prize, and was greeted as one returned from the dead; for
the survivors of my party had brought back the news of my fall, and I
had been mourned by my wives and my poor sister as dead. Now all was
rejoicing; a feast was made, the scalp dance was performed, and I found
that by my bold exploit I had fully recovered my standing among the
warriors of the tribe.

"Guadalupe was added to the number of my wives, and until her death
three years later, remained my favorite. About a year after my return my
sister sickened and died, during my absence with a war party, thus
leaving me without ties, save such as I had made for myself in my tribe.

"I was now completely Indianized, and began a series of expeditions
which resulted so successfully as to cause my advancement to the
position of a sub-chief