mph to the _rancheria_, more than twenty
miles distant, as trophies of his prowess in the chase."

After thanking Mr. Mastin for a very pleasant evening, we all retired,
and were soon asleep, nor did we awake the next morning until the sun was
far up in the heavens.

Breakfast over, we bid our guest a hearty farewell; and, with good wishes
for our safe arrival upon the Pacific Coast, he left us to pursue our
journey still further into the Apache country.

It was after we were comfortably seated about our camp-fire, in the
evening, that I bethought myself that we had not as yet, heard Hal's
story of his capture and adventures with the Apaches. So I called him,
with the request he would narrate what had befallen him, from the time he
left our camp at Dead-Man's Hole until his release by us in the
Sacramento Mountains.

Hal, who had evidently been expecting the invitation for some time, at
once seated himself, and, with Jerry, Ned and myself as listeners,
commenced as follows:--

"When Anastacio and I started for Fort Davis, we hadn't been on the road
fifteen minutes, before five Indians set upon us, from a thicket by the
road side.

"They followed up the attack so briskly, that before we had time to
think, they had our revolvers, and our hands tied behind us. They then
took our horses and mounted us upon two of their own. We travelled over
the roughest, hardest country I ever saw in my life, until daybreak, when
they stopped at a spring to water.

"Here they stripped us of most of our clothes, and made us ride bare-backed
until noon, when they stopped for a few minutes. I noticed that,
whenever they halted, one of them always rode to the top of the highest
hill near, and remained on the lookout there, until we were ready to
start again.

"Before we had been long at this last place, the lookout signaled, and,
in about an hour, eight more Indians joined us, with Juanita.

"She was very tired and terribly frightened, but when she saw me she just
cried for joy, and I tried to comfort her as much as I could; but, while
I was talking to her, a great, greasy-looking fellow came up to me, and,
taking me by the collar, pulled me away, and, putting the muzzle of my
own revolver to my head, made signs that, if I dared to speak "--

Here Patsey came running up, yelling at the top of his voice,--

"The bear's goned! The bear's goned!" Hal and Ned jumped to their feet,
exclaiming,--"Which way did he go?" and, without waiti