atered the evening before. At
first sight of me they took fright and ran to a slight elevation. There
they halted a moment, craning their necks and sniffing the air. This was
my first fair view of the chestnut stallion. He refused to break into
a gallop, and even stopped before the rest, turning defiantly on this
intruder of his domain. From the course I was riding, every moment I was
expecting them to catch the wind of me. Suddenly they scented me, knew
me for an enemy, and with the stallion in the lead they were off to the
south.

"It was an exciting ride that morning. Without a halt they ran twenty
miles to the south, then turned to the left and there halted on an
elevation; but a shot in the air told them that all was not well and
they moved on. For an hour and a half they kept their course to the
east, and at last turned to the north. This was, as we had calculated,
about their range. In another hour at the farthest, a new rider with
a fresh horse would take up the running. My horse was still fresh and
enjoying the chase, when on a swell of the plain I made out the rider
who was to relieve me; and though it was early yet in the day the
mustangs had covered sixty miles to my forty. When I saw my relief
locate the band, I turned and rode leisurely to camp. When the last two
riders came into camp that night, they reported having left the herd at
a new lake, to which the mustang had led them, some fifteen miles from
our camp to the westward.

"Each day for the following week was a repetition of the first with
varying incident. But each day it was plain to be seen that they were
fagging fast. Toward the evening of the eighth day, the rider dared not
crowd them for fear of their splitting into small bands, a thing to be
avoided. On the ninth day two riders took them at a time, pushing them
unmercifully but preventing them from splitting, and in the evening of
this day they could be turned at the will of the riders. It was then
agreed that after a half day's chase on the morrow, they could be
handled with ease. By noon next day, we had driven them within a mile of
our camp.

"They were tired out and we turned them into an impromptu corral made of
wagons and ropes. All but the chestnut stallion. At the last he escaped
us; he stopped on a little knoll and took a farewell look at his band.

"There were four old United States cavalry horses among our captive band
of mustangs, gray with age and worthless--no telling where