294 MEXICANS IN SEEYICE OF Book II. 
dollar a-piece for some sheep purchased for our caravan. 
The breed is a small one. I do not venture to judge of 
the value of the wool, but the meat has an excellent 
flavour. 
There had been a storm and rain during one of the nights 
we spent in this part of the country, and at daybreak 
the guard mentioned that a valuable horse had disappeared 
from the corral, and that at the same time one of our 
Mexican muleteers was missing who, probably, had de- 
camped with the animal. The recent rain enabled us to 
track and follow him. Arrangements were made for the 
pursuit of the deserter, who, as we discovered on a closer 
examination, had also broken open the boxes of some of 
his companions, and taken part of their contents. The 
nearest human dwellings were distant about a day's journey, 
with the little village of Anton Chico not far off : but the 
thief, in order to secure himself and his booty, had taken 
the road to Las Vegas ; and here we recovered our horse 
the next day, although nearly destroyed by an incessant 
gallop of forty to fifty miles. We could not catch the 
thief: he had sold the animal, which was worth several 
hundred dollars, for five dollars and a blanket. 
Whilst we were busied with the pursuit of the thief the 
attention of the party was drawn to a Mexican lad, one 
of our muleteers, — the same who, at the nocturnal 
" stampede " on the Arkansas, had been dragged along. 
We thought it probable that the theft might have been 
committed whilst he was on guard at the corral; and, 
according to the mode of dealing practised toward Mexicans 
by the Anglo-Americans, this suspicion was sufficient to 
justify inquisitorial violence. My heart revolted at the 
sight of the boy tied to a waggon- wheel : it was out of my 
power to interfere, and when a stout American driver 
