hrough the thorny brambles, until the true nature
of the apparition betrays itself, in the shape of a huge column of
prickly pear. He then returns to his comrades, and the obstacle is
passed, some one as he passes, with a muttered curse, slashing his
sabre through the soft trunk of the harmless vegetable.

The wild maguey grasps you by the leg, as though some hideous monster
had sprung from the bushes. You start and rush forward, only to be
dragged back among the elastic leaves. It is useless to struggle. You
must either return and unwind yourself by gentle means, or leave the
better part of your cloth inexpressibles in the ruthless fangs of the
plant. The ranchero fences his limbs with leather, or with leggings of
tiger-skin. It is not fancy or choice to wear leather breeches in
Mexico. Necessity has something to say in fixing the fashion of your
small clothes.

When day broke, Rolfe and his party were ten miles from camp--ten
miles from the nearest American picket, and with only thirty men! They
were concealed in a thicket of aloes and musquit. This thicket crowned
the only eminence for miles in any direction. It commanded a view of
the whole country southward to the Alvarado.

As the sun rose the forest echoed with sounds and song. The leaves
moved with life, as a thousand bright-plumed birds flashed from tree
to tree. The green parrot screamed after his mate, uttering his wild
notes of endearment. They are seen in pairs flying high up in the
heavens. The troupiale flashed through the dark foliage like a ray of
yellow light. Birds seemed to vie with each other in their songs of
love. Amidst these sounds of the forest, the ear of Rolfe caught the
frequent crowing of cocks, the barking of dogs, and the other
well-known sounds of the settlement. These were heard upon all sides.
It was plain that the country was thickly settled, though not a house
was visible above the tree-tops. The thin column of blue smoke as it
rose above the green foliage proved the existence of dwellings.

At some distance, westward, an open plain lay like an emerald lake.
The woods that bordered it were of a darker hue than the meadow-grass
upon its bosom. In this plain were horses feeding, and Rolfe saw at a
glance that they were picketed. Some of them had dragged their
laryettes and were straying from the group. There appeared to be in
all about an hundred horses. It was plain that their owners were not
far off. A thin blue smoke that hung o