Howard exclaimed:

"Halloo! yonder goes that Indian!"

He pointed in the direction of the river fully a mile away, and looking
there they saw very near the center of the stream a small Indian canoe,
propelled by a single occupant. The distance was so great that they
could decide nothing regarding his dress and appearance, and for a time
it was doubtful whether there were one or two in the boat. They were
sure, however, that it was the same personage that had so startled them,
and that he was returning to his home.

"That looks as though he did not belong to these parts," said Elwood,
"and seems to throw doubt on his being the young squaw's lover."

"And it's a qua'r lover the same would be if he wouldn't go five hundred
miles for the smile of his beloved. Begorrah! but it was meself that
used to walk five miles and back agin ivery Sunday night in Tipperary to
see Bridget Ann Mulloney, and then lost her after all when I'd spent
almost half a pound on her."

"There's another thing I'd like to buy, beside our rifles," said Elwood.

"What is that?"

"A canoe. See how smoothly the savage floats down the river. The current
is quite rapid, and it would take very little labor for us to make much
better headway than we now do.'"

"But we do not know how to paddle one of those frail concerns."

"We could learn soon enough."

"We may find one of them along the shore, as there seem to be plenty of
Indians hereabouts, and I suppose every one of them is the proprietor of
one of these establishments."

"It isn't likely if yees finds one ye'll find the owner," said Tim, "and
I s'pose your conscience wouldn't let you take it unless you made a fair
bargain with the owner."

"I don't know," laughed Howard, "but what under the circumstances we
could persuade ourselves to take it."

In the course of a few hours they found themselves in the vicinity of
the Salinas River, and turned to the left so as to follow its windings
as nearly as possible to the mouth, where they hoped to secure safer and
speedier transportation to their homes.

At night when they encamped the soft murmur of the river was in their
ears, and the cool, dry wind fanned them quietly as they sat down near a
cluster of thick cottonwood to smoke their pipe, chat and prepare for
the night's rest. They made a good meal from their mountain sheep, and
gorging Terror, threw the rest away as they deemed it hardly fit for
further use.

It was quite late when they c