140 IN THE OLD WEST 



southern shores of the Salt Lake to the borders 

 of Upper California. La Bonte, with three 

 others, determined to follow the thieves, recover 

 their animals, and then rejoin the other two (Luke 

 and Rube) on a creek two days' journey from 

 their present camp. Starting at sunrise, they 

 rode on at a rapid pace all day, closely follow- 

 ing the trail, which led directly to the north-west, 

 through a wretched sandy country, without game 

 or water. From the appearance of the track, the 

 Indians must still have been several hours ahead 

 of them, when the fatigue of their horses, suffer- 

 ing from want of grass and water, compelled them 

 to camp near the head of a small water-course, 

 where they luckily found a hole containing a little 

 water, and whence a broad Indian trail passed, 

 apparently frequently used. Long before day- 

 light they were again in the saddle, and, after 

 proceeding a few miles, saw the lights of several 

 fires a short distance ahead of them. Halting 

 here, one of the party advanced on foot to recon- 

 noiter, and presently returned with the intelli- 

 gence that the party they were in pursuit of had 

 joined a village numbering thirty or forty huts. 



Loosening their girths, they permitted their 

 tired animals to feed on the scanty herbage which 

 presented itself, whilst they refreshed themselves 

 with a pipe of tobacco — for they had no meat 

 of any description with them, and the country 

 afforded no game. As the first streak of dawn 



