in play and
pastimes; for from those of the north we have borrowed both Polo and La
Crosse; while horse-racing is as much their sport as ours; and archery
more.

Not strange, then, that the _jeunesse doree_ of the Tovas, escorting
their youthful cacique, and seeing him occupied with the paleface who
has been on a visit to their town, take no heed of what passes between
these two, but abandon themselves to merriment along the march. No more
is it strange that Aguara, engrossed with the subject of conversation
between him and the _vaqueano_, leaves them free to their frollicking.

Nothing occurs to change the behaviour either of the two who are in
front, or those following, until the horses of the former have forded
the stream, and stepped out on the bank beyond. Then the Paraguayan, as
said, a skilled tracker and cunning as a fox, chancing to lower his eyes
to the ground, observes upon it several hoof-marks of a horse. These at
once fix his attention; for not only are they fresh--to all appearance
made but the moment before--but the horse that made them must have been
_shod_.

While in the act of verifying this observation, other hoof-prints come
under his eye, also shod, but much smaller, being the tracks of a pony.
Recent too, evidently made at the same time as the horse's. He has no
need to point them out to the young Indian, who, trained to such craft
from infancy upward, has noted them soon as he, and with equally quick
intuitiveness is endeavouring to interpret their significance.

Succeeding in this: for both the horse's track and that of the pony are
known to, and almost instantly recognised by him. He has not lived two
years in proximity to the estancia of Ludwig Halberger, all the while in
friendly intercourse with the naturalist and his family, without taking
note of everything; and can tell the particular track of every horse in
its stables. Above all is he familiar with the diminutive hoof-marks of
Francesca's pretty pony, which he has more than once trailed across the
_campo_, in the hope of having a word with its rider. Perceiving them
now, and so recently made, he gives out an ejaculation of pleased
surprise; then looks around, as though expecting to see the pony itself,
with its young mistress upon its back. There is no one in sight,
however, save the _vaqueano_ and his own followers; the latter behind,
halted by command, some of them still in the water, so that they may not
ride over the sh