d ridden another hour without seeing the smallest sign either of man or
beast, I got seriously uneasy. In my impatience, I abused poor Neal for
not sending somebody to find me. His huntsman, I had heard, was gone to
Anahuac, and would not be back for two or three days; but he might have
sent a couple of his lazy negroes. Or, if he had only fired a shot or two
as a signal. I stopped and listened, in hopes of hearing the crack of a
rifle. But the deepest stillness reigned around, scarcely the chirp of a
bird was heard--all nature seemed to be taking the siesta. As far as the
eye could reach was a waving sea of grass, here and there an island of
trees, but not a trace of a human being. At last I thought I had made a
discovery. The nearest clump of trees was undoubtedly the same which I had
admired and pointed out to my companions soon after we had left the house.
It bore a fantastical resemblance to a snake coiled up and about to dart
upon its prey. About six or seven miles from the plantation we had passed
it on our right hand, and if I now kept it upon my left, I could not fail
to be going in a proper direction. So said, so done. I trotted on most
perseveringly towards the point of the horizon where I felt certain the
house must lie. One hour passed, then a second, then a third; every now
and then I stopped and listened, but nothing was audible, not a shot nor a
shout. But although I heard nothing, I saw something which gave me no
great pleasure. In the direction in which we had ridden out, the grass was
very abundant and the flowers scarce; whereas the part of the prairie in
which I now found myself presented the appearance of a perfect
flower-garden, with scarcely a square foot of green to be seen. The most
variegated carpet of flowers I ever beheld lay unrolled before me; red,
yellow, violet, blue, every colour, every tint was there; millions of the
most magnificent prairie roses, tuberoses, asters, dahlias, and fifty
other kinds of flowers. The finest artificial garden in the world would
sink into insignificance when compared with this parterre of nature's own
planting. My horse could hardly make his way through the wilderness of
flowers, and I for a time remained lost in admiration of this scene of
extraordinary beauty. The prairie in the distance looked as if clothed
with rainbows that waved to and fro over its surface.

But the difficulties and anxieties of my situation soon banished all other
thoughts, and I rode o