make a
last trial, and, if that failed, to turn back. The runaway had stopped
near one of the islands of trees, and was grazing quite close to its edge.
I thought that if I were to creep round to the other side of the island,
and then steal across it, through the trees, I should be able to throw the
lasso over his head, or, at any rate, to drive him back to the house. This
plan I put in execution--rode round the island, then through it, lasso in
hand, and as softly as if I had been riding over eggs. To my consternation,
however, on arriving at the edge of the trees, and at the exact spot where,
only a few minutes before, I had seen the mustang grazing, no signs of him
were to be perceived. I made the circuit of the island, but in vain--the
animal had disappeared. With a hearty curse, I put spurs to my horse, and
started off to ride back to the plantation.

Neither the plantation, the cattle, nor my companions, were visible, it is
true; but this gave me no uneasiness. I felt sure that I knew the
direction in which I had come, and that the island I had just left was one
which was visible from the house, while all around me were such numerous
tracks of horses, that the possibility of my having lost my way never
occurred to me, and I rode on quite unconcernedly.

After riding for about an hour, however, I began to find the time rather
long. I looked at my watch. It was past one o'clock. We had started at
nine, and, allowing an hour and a half to have been spent in finding the
cattle, I had passed nearly three hours in my wild and unsuccessful hunt.
I began to think that I must have got further from the plantation than I
had as yet supposed.

It was towards the end of March, the day clear and warm, just like a
May-day in the Southern States. The sun was now shining brightly out, but
the early part of the morning had been somewhat foggy; and, as I had only
arrived at the plantation the day before, and had passed the whole
afternoon and evening indoors, I had no opportunity of getting acquainted
with the bearings of the house. This reflection began to make me rather
uneasy, particularly when I remembered the entreaties of the negro, and
the loud exhortations Mr Neal addressed to me as I rode away. I said to
myself, however, that I could not be more than ten or fifteen miles from
the plantation, that I should soon come in sight of the herds of cattle,
and that then there would be no difficulty in finding my way. But when I
ha