ain.

"Now, Cody, you're just the person we want," said the General.

"Very well, I'll get a fresh mount, and to-morrow I'll go down and see
what I can discover," said I.

"You had better take two men besides Green, and a pack mule with eight or
ten days' rations," suggested the General, "so that if you find the trail
you can follow it up, as I am very anxious to get back this stolen
property. The scoundrels have taken one of my private horses and also
Lieutenant Forbush's favorite little black race mule."

Next morning I started out after the horse-thieves, being accompanied by
Green, Jack Farley, and another scout. The mule track, marked by Green,
was easily found, and with very little difficulty I followed it for about
two miles into the timber and came upon a place where, as I could plainly
see from numerous signs, quite a number of head of stock had been tied
among the trees and kept for several days. This was evidently the spot
where the thieves had been hiding their stolen stock until they had
accumulated quite a herd. From this point it was difficult to trail
them, as they had taken the stolen animals out of the timber one by one
and in different directions, thus showing that they were experts at the
business and experienced frontiersmen, for no Indian could have exhibited
more cunning in covering up a trail than did they.

I abandoned the idea of following their trail in this immediate locality,
so calling my men together, I told them that we would ride out for about
five miles and make a complete circuit about the place, and in this way
we would certainly find the trail on which they had moved out. While
making the circuit we discovered the tracks of twelve animals--four mules
and eight horses--in the edge of some sand-hills, and from this point we
had no trouble in trailing them down the Arkansas river, which they had
crossed at Sand Creek, and then had gone up the latter stream, in the
direction of Denver, to which place they were undoubtedly bound. When
nearing Denver their trail became so obscure that we at last lost it; but
by inquiring of the settlers along the road which they had taken, we
occasionally heard of them.

When within four miles of Denver--this was on a Thursday--we learned that
the horse-thieves had passed there two days before. I came to the
conclusion they would attempt to dispose of the animals in Denver, and
being aware that Saturday was the great auction day there, I thought it
b