OF THK OLD WORLD. S87 



ground, and, after a careful investitjation with my 

 field-glass, I saw several horses with their fore-feet 

 hobbled, grazing by the banks of a small stream, 

 which, I had no doubt, belonged to the marauders. 



After a brief consultation with my followers, I 

 directed Kuchuk and three others to accompany me 

 in a reconnaissance, whilst the rest of the party took 

 charge of the horses and kept a look-out on the road. 

 As my men were well-armed, and I could fully 

 depend upon their pluck, I did not much fear the 

 result of a contest, but was rather afraid lest the 

 pillagers, knowing the country, might slip through 

 our hand with their booty, so I struck off from the 

 track, and made a circuitous route by crossing the 

 ravine some distance below the place where I saw the 

 smoke, and again gaining it on the opposite height, 

 from whence, with the aid of my glass, I could see 

 the objects of our search reclining round a fire, ap- 

 parently very jolly on the strength of their success. 



After having made as careful a survey as the 

 wooded nature of the ground would allow, we ad- 

 vanced towards them as noiselessly as possible, 

 keeping well under cover, until we came to the edge 

 of the open where the horses were grazing, from 

 whence we got a full view of the party, which 

 appeared to be five in number ; one of whom was 

 washing his mouth in the stream, a second super- 

 intending the cooking, and the others smoking and 

 lolling about on the ground, evidently quite unsus- 

 picious of danger. 



