thoughts of carrying the
chase farther.

After giving way to a pang or two of disappointment, I began to think of
the position in which I had placed myself. It is true I was now
relieved from the feeling of awe that, but a moment before, had
oppressed me; but my situation was far from being a pleasant one. I was
at least thirty miles from the rancheria, and I could not tell in what
direction it lay. The sun was setting, and therefore I had the points
of the compass; but I had not the slightest idea whether we had ridden
eastward or westward after leaving the settlements. I might ride back
on my own trail; _perhaps_ I might: it was a doubtful point. Neither
through the timber, nor on the open prairie, had the chase gone in a
direct line. Moreover, I noticed in many places, as we glided swiftly
along, that the turf was cut up by numerous hoof-tracks: droves of
mustangs had passed over the ground. It would be no easy matter for me
to retrace the windings of that long gallop.

One thing was evident: it would be useless for me to make the attempt
before morning. There was not half-an-hour of sun left, and at night
the trail could not be followed. I had no alternative but to remain
where I was until another day should break.

But how remain? I was hungry; still worse, I was choking with thirst.
Not a drop of water was near; I had seen none for twenty miles. The
long hot ride had made me thirsty to an unusual degree, and my poor
horse was in a similar condition. The knowledge that no water was near
added, as it always does, to the agony, and rendered the physical want
more difficult to be endured.

I scanned the bottom of the barranca, and tracked it with my eye as far
as I could see: it was waterless as the lain itself. The rocks rested
upon dry sand and gravel; not a drop of the wished-for element appeared
within its bed, although it was evident that at some time a torrent must
have swept along its channel.

After some reflection, it occurred to me that by following the barranca
_downward_, I might find water; at least, this was the most likely
direction in which to search for it. I rode forward, therefore,
directing my horse along the edge of the chasm.

The fissure deepened as I advanced, until, at the distance of a mile
from where I first struck it, the gulf yawned full fifty feet into the
plain, the sides still preserving their vertical steepness!

The sun had now gone down; the twilight promised to