presence of his enemy.

In addition to these weapons, both had pistols stuck in their belts, and
lazos hanging coiled from their saddle-bows.

Behind them on the croup each carried his provisions--a few strips of
tasajo with some cold tortillas tied in a piece of buckskin. A
double-headed calabash for water, with sundry horns, pouches, and bags,
completed their equipment. A pair of huge gaunt dogs trotted behind
their horses' heels, fierce and savage-looking as their masters. One
was the wolf-dog of the country, the other a Spanish bloodhound.

"What road, Man'l?" inquired the zambo as they parted from the hut;
"straight down to the Pecos?"

"No, Pepe boy: must climb, go round. Seen making down valley, somebody
guess what we're after--send him word we're coming. He suspect--we not
grow rich so easily. No--must get up by old track--cross to dry gully--
down that to Pecos. Take longer--make things surer, boy Pepe."

"Carrambo!" exclaimed Pepe. "It's a murderous climb. My poor beast's
so jaded with the buffalo running, that he'll scarce get up. _Carrai_!"

After a short ride through the thicket and along the bottom of the
cliffs, they arrived at a point where a ravine sloped to the upper
plain. Up the bottom of this ravine was a difficult pass--difficult on
account of its steepness. Any other horses than mountain-reared
mustangs would have refused it, but these can climb like cats. Even the
dogs could scarcely crawl up this ascent. In spite of its almost
vertical slope, the hunters dismounted, crawled up, and, pulling their
horses after them, soon reached the table-land above.

After breathing themselves and their animals, they once more got
astride, and, heading northward, rode rapidly off over the plain.

"Now, boy Pepe," muttered the mulatto, "chance meet any sheep-keepers,
going after antelope; you hear?"

"Ay, Man'l; I understand."

These were the last words exchanged between them for ten miles. They
rode in file--the mulatto in the lead, the zambo in his tracks, and the
dogs following in the rear. These two went also in file, the bloodhound
heading the wolf.

At the end of ten miles they reached a dry river channel, that ran
transversely across their route. It was the same which Carlos and his
party had followed on the day of their escape after the affair at the
Presidio. The hunters entered it, and, turning downward, as Carlos had
done, followed it to its mouth upon the banks of the Pec