erge of this
miniature forest.

"Wagh!" exclaimed Rube, in a tone of impatience, "hyur's bother. 'Ee
may all get out o' yur saddles an rest yur critturs: we'll hev to crawl
hyur."

And so it resulted. For long weary hours we followed the trail, going
not faster than we could have crawled upon our hands and knees. The
tracks of the steed were plain enough, and in daylight could have been
easily followed; but the little oaks grew close and regular as if
planted by the hand of man; and through their thick foliage the
moonlight scarcely penetrated. Their boughs almost touched each other,
so that the whole surface lay in dark shadow, rendering it almost
impossible to make out the hoof-prints. Here and there, a broken branch
or a bunch of tossed leaves--their under-sides shining glaucous in the
moonlight--enabled us to advance at a quicker rate; but as the horse had
passed gently over the ground, these "signs" were few and far between.

For long fretful hours we toiled through the "shin-oak" forest, our
heads far overtopping its tallest trees! We might have fancied that we
were threading our way through some extended nursery. The trail led
directly across its central part; and ere we had reached its furthest
verge, the moon's rays were mingling with the purple light of morning.

Soon after the "forest opened;" the little dwarfs grew further apart--
here scattered thinly over the ground, there disposed in clumps or
miniature grove?--until at length the sward of the prairie predominated.

The trouble of the trackers was at an end. The welcome light of the sun
was thrown upon the trail, so that they could lift it as fast as we
could ride; and, no longer hindered by brake or bush, we advanced at a
rapid rate across the prairie.

Over this ground the steed had also passed rapidly. He had continued to
pace for some distance, after emerging from the shin-oak forest; but all
at once, as we could tell by his tracks, he had bounded off again, and
resumed his headlong gallop.

What had started him afresh? We were at a loss to imagine; even the
prairie-men were puzzled!

Had wolves again attacked him, or some other enemy? No; nor one nor
other. It was a green prairie over which he had gone, a smooth sward of
mezquite-grass; but there were spots where the growth was thin--patches
nearly bare--and these were softened by the rain. Even the light paw of
a wolf would have impressed itself in such places, sufficiently to