ADVENTURE ON THE HIGHWAY 215 



musket in both hands. The fellow let go of it with 

 a scream, and the whole following band, sergeant, 

 soldiers, villagers, and bold, bad man, turned tail and 

 fled." 



A thrilling story of a chase by Spanish highwaymen 

 in 1864 is given by Mr. Clarence King in his volume 

 of reminiscences of travel in the region of the Sierra 

 Nevada r : " Fifteen miles lay between me and a 

 station ; my horse Kaweah and a pistol were my only 

 defence, yet at that moment I felt a thrill of pleasure, 

 a wild moment of inspiration, almost worth the danger 

 to, experience. 



I glanced over my shoulder and found that the 

 Spaniards were crowding their horses to their fullest 

 speed ; their hoofs, rattling on the dry plain, were 

 accompanied by inarticulate noises, like the cries of 

 bloodhounds. Kaweah comprehended the situation. I 

 could feel his grand legs gather under me and the 

 iron muscles contract with excitement ; he tugged at 

 the bit, shook his bridle-chains,, and flung himself 

 impatiently into the air. 



It flashed upon me that perhaps they had confederates 

 concealed in some ditch far in advance of me, and that 

 the plan was to crowd me through at fullest speed, giving 

 up the chase to new men and fresh horses. ; and I 

 resolved to save Kaweah to the utmost, and only allow 

 him a speed which should keep me out of gunshot. So 

 I held him firmly, and reserved my spur for the last 

 emergency. Still, we fairly flew over the plain, and 

 I said to myself, as the clatter of hoofs and din of my 

 pursuers rang in my ears now and then, as the freshen- 

 ing breeze hurried it forward;, that, if those brutes got 

 1 See Bibliography, 35, 



