le-snakes he
had seen--differing from them in its shape and markings, but equally
vicious in its appearance and habits. It was the _Crotalus
tergeminus_--found only in barren grounds, such as those inhabited by
the prairie-marmot.

Basil could not help falling into a train of reflection about this
varied community of creatures. Were they friends to each other? or did
they form a chain of destruction, preying upon one another? Friends
they could not all be. The marmots lived upon grass; and the lizards
upon insects and prairie-crickets, of which there were numbers around.
Upon these, too, no doubt, the tortoises supported themselves; but upon
what fed the owls and snakes?

These questions puzzled Basil. He could not satisfy himself about them;
and he thought of Lucien, who understood the habits of these various
animals better than himself. He began to think both of Lucien and
Francois--for two hours had now passed, and they did not make their
appearance! He was fast becoming uneasy, when a small group of objects
was seen approaching from the eastward, which, to his joy, proved to be
the party.

In half an hour afterwards they rode up greeting their brother with
joyful shouts. They had been travelling briskly ever since the morning,
and upon Basil's tracks too, showing what a stretch of ground he must
have passed over in his wild gallop. They saw at once that the white
horse had got off; and Basil, in a few words, gave them an account of
the chase and how it had come to an end.

As it was now afternoon, and the butte still appeared distant, they made
but a short halt--just long enough to swallow a morsel of meat and take
a drink from their water-gourds, which, owing to the intense heat, were
now better than half empty. Their animals already suffered from thirst;
so, without delay, the young hunters got into their saddles, with the
intention of continuing their journey.

"Across the dog-town?" inquired Francois, who had mounted first. "Shall
we ride through it or go round?"

Here was a difficulty, indeed. The dog-town lay directly between them
and the butte. To keep straight forward they would have to ride through
it. That would impede them to a considerable extent, as they could only
ride slowly and in zig-zag lines without danger. To go round it, on the
other hand, might lead them miles out of the way--perhaps many miles--
for these marmot villages are frequently of large extent.

"Let us go south