orses constitute the means of communication, the
motive power for the farm and the most easily marketable form of
property, the stealing of horses was the commonest sort of crime; and
where the population was so sparse and unorganized, and unprovided with
means of sending news abroad, horse-stealing, offering as it did to the
criminally inclined a ready way of making an easy living, gradually grew
into an occupation which flourished, extended into other forms of crime,
had its connections with citizens who were supposed to be honest,
entered our politics, and finally was the cause of a terrible crisis in
the affairs of Monterey County, and, indeed, of other counties in Iowa
as well as in Illinois.

I softly reached for my shotgun, and then lay very quiet, hoping that
the band would pass our camp by. There were three men as I made them
out, each riding one horse and leading another. They had evidently made
their way into the creek at some point higher up, and were wading
down-stream so as to leave no trail. Cursing as their mounts plunged
into the deep holes in the high water, calling one another and their
steeds the vilest of names seemingly as a matter of ordinary
conversation, they went on down-stream and out of hearing. It did not
take long for even my slow mind to see that they had come to this grove
as I had done, for the purpose of hiding, nor to realize that it might
be very unsafe for us to be detected in any discovery of these men in
possession of whatever property they might have seized. It did not seem
probable that we should be "nepoed"--but, after all, why not? Dead men
tell no tales, cattle as well as merchandise were salable; and as for
Virginia, I could hardly bring myself to look in the face the dangers to
which she might be exposed in this worst case which I found myself
conjuring up.

I listened intently for any sound of the newcomers, but everything was
as silent as it had been before they had passed like evil spirits of the
night; and from this fact I guessed that, they had made camp farther
down-stream among the trees. I stepped to the back of the wagon, and
putting in my hand I touched the girl's hair. She took my hand in hers,
and then dropped it.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Don't be scared," I said, "but be very still. Some men just went by,
and I'm afraid they are bad."

"Is it that man?" she asked.

"No," said I, "strangers--bad characters. I want them to go on without
knowing we'r