FIRST TRIP TO MEXICO 159 



"the habit" just naturally formed itself. In Hi's 

 wake I followed closely, and on this trip I was 

 using 1 a 30-40; next came the pack-train strung 

 along with our other man Walter, and the hound 

 pack bringing up the rear. By noon we had 

 reached and were traveling along the river. The 

 sun warmed us through and through and felt 

 good. As we rode along shirt-sleeved in the not 

 too hot rays, after proceeding some four or five 

 miles and crossing the river frequently, we came 

 to a small flat, and to our surprise saw several 

 horses hobbled and bearing various brands. Fur- 

 ther on we came to a dozen or two more. 



''What do you make of it, Hi?" said I. 



He thought possibly some company had sent 

 men to look over the timber, saying that the stock 

 looked too good to belong to Indians and there 

 were too many of them. On we went, no sign 

 of a human being whatever; together we pulled 

 up before making another river crossing ; we had 

 stopped a moment to inspect the depth, when, 

 upon looking up, I saw across the river, about 

 seventy yards away, a head and shoulders appear 

 out of the tall grass. It was a slim figure dressed 

 in buckskin; black hair to the shoulders with two 

 or three feathers tied in. We both saw him at the 

 same moment ; there was no mistake, and it came 



