430 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



let them pass, for he had no fancy to try the hacienda trick 

 over again with empty pistols, since he had nothing to load 

 them with again. He finally threw them away as so much 

 " make-weight," that was useless to him and embarrassing 

 to his mare. 



So he hurried on, not daring to pause a moment to rest or 

 obtain food, until the next day, when, in a deep, wild gorge 

 among the mountains, his game and gallant mare fell beneath 

 him, dead ! The ravenous and filthy galapotes, (turkey- 

 ouzzards,) were gouging at her fawn-like eyes before they 

 were fairly glazed, and before her stiffened and staggering 

 rider was out of sight. Now came the most terrible part 

 of this wild and remarkable adventure. He was totally 

 without food, except what little fruit of the cactus he could 

 gather during the day while he was skulking, for he only 

 ventured to travel at night now. This was scarcely enough 

 to keep body and soul together ; while his clothes soon became 

 torn to pieces, and hung about his bleeding limbs like broad 

 and tattered ribbons. He, however, still continued making 

 his way steadfastly in the direction of General Wool's camp. 

 At last, some of his scouts picked the poor fellow up when 

 almost speechless with thirst and hunger ; he was yet feebly 

 reeling along like a ghostly and haggard drunkard. 



This affair very properly got him his promotion to a 

 captaincy. But strange, perilous, and even wonderful as 

 this escape seems, it is only one of many others quite as 

 remarkable, by which his most eventful life has been 

 checkered. In the Texan war with the Cherokees, which 

 was a very bloody business while it lasted, he passed through 

 scenes as bad, if not worse than this. Then his adventures 

 as a Ranger are very remarkable, for of many of these I 

 am myself personally cognizant ; and of his cruel sufferings 

 and headlong daring during the Meir imprisonment, all the 

 country has been, to a certain degree, made aware since the 

 publication of General Green's book. 



