THE WICKED SHALL NOT GO UNPUNISHED. 281 



fully. In the course of twelve or fifteen days, however, he improved the 

 opportunity of stealing a rifle and ammunition, with which he absconded 

 and set his face for the mountains. 



All that he now lacked to complete his equipment was a good horse, which 

 deficiency seemed luckily made up by the discovery of one recently strayed 

 from the Indians. "I must have him," said Bob. So, carelessly droppmg 

 his rifle and pack, he commenced a fruitless effort to capture the erratic 

 steed. 



For a while his success seemed almost certain ; but, after a tedious trial 

 for several hours, he was finally obliged to relinquish the attempt, and turn- 

 ed to recover his rifle and pack. Alas, for Old Bob ! here an unlooked-for 

 calamity presented itself— they were not to be found ! 



Vainly it was that he searched diligently for four successive days, en- 

 during in the mean time all the pangs of hunger and the goadings of a 

 guilty conscience — his scrutiny gave not the slightest indication of their 

 whereabouts. " Truly, ' the way of transgressors is hard !' " thought Bob, 

 as with reluctance he abandoned all,* and despairingly set his face to go — 

 he knew not whither ! — half-starved and half-naked, with neither pistol, gun, 

 nor butcher-knife, for his defence hi a dangerous country ; nor one morsel 

 to renew his strength by day, nor even a solitary rag to screen him from 

 the chill air of night ! 



The next place at which Old Bob showed himself was at an Indian 

 lodge, thither driven by the impulse of hunger — having starved for more 

 than five successive days. Here he procured a temporary supply from the 

 compassionate inmates, who also kindly gave him a robe. 



Nothing further was heard of him for eight or ten days, and the gener- 

 ally conceded opinion was, that he had either starved to death or had been 

 killed by savages, when an express from the Arkansas brought intelligence 

 of having encountered him by the way. 



The luckless wight, after being without eating for five or six more days, 

 had been robbed by the Apache Indians of everything about him except a 

 pair of ragged pantaloons, and barely escaped from them with his life ! 

 The express furnished him. with a quantity of provisions, a pistol, robe, and 

 ammunition, when, bidding him farewell, the two resumed their respective 

 courses. 



From this date, his story is briefly told. Pursuing his way toward the 

 Arkansas, he soon after met a small party of Mexican traders, and, creep- 

 ing upon their encampment at night, helped himself to a couple of horses. 

 " It's a straight road that has no turns," muttered Old Bob, as he mounted 

 one of them and returned to the Platte, where he bartered the other for a 

 rifle and ammunition. 



For a brief interval he seemed to prosper in his iniquity, but erelong 

 the tables were again turned upon him, and he experienced the literal ful- 

 filment of that other declaration of holy writ which says, " The wicked 

 shall not go unpunished.'' 



Elated by his recent success, he again started for the Arkansas, with 



* Two weeks subsequently, while on a hunting excursion, the person to whom the 

 etolen rifle belonged found it, with all the property of the tliief ; — a most remarkable 

 circumstance, as the country had been filled with strolling Indians during the interval 



