412 INDIANS. 



as lie anticipated, converging. Carefully taking the direc- 

 tion of three or four, and finding they all pointed to a 

 common centre, he fixed the direction of that point in his 

 mind ; and so beautifully was the whole problem worked 

 out, that if he had been one of the Indians, previously 

 instructed where to go, he could not have gone to that 

 point more directly. 



Once when in rapid pursuit of a small party that had 

 made an attempt on our stables, Espinosa said to me, 

 ' Lieutenant, we shall not catch these Indians ; their rear- 

 guards have discovered us ; they are travelling at night.' 

 I asked an explanation. He showed me where they had 

 sometimes gone under a low branch of a tree, which could 

 easily, have been avoided had there been light enough to 

 see, or crossed a ravine at a bad place when a good one 

 was close by, &c. I could give twenty equally strong 

 proofs of his ability as a trailer, but enough has been said 

 to show to what perfection a really good trailer can carry 

 his art. 



