I suggested this; but all the answer I could extort was, "Quien sabe ?" His head and eye never for a minute ceased scanning slowly the distant horizon.

I thought his uncommon coolness too good a joke, and asked him why he did not return home.

I was startled when he answered, "We are returning, but in a line so as to pass near a swamp, into which we can gallop the horses as far as they can go, and then trust to our own legs; so that there is no danger." I did not feel quite so confident of this, and wanted to increase our pace.

He said, "No, not until they do." When any little inequality concealed us, we galloped; but when in sight, continued walking.

At last we reached a valley, and turning to the left, galloped quickly to the foot of a hill; he gave me his horse to hold, made the dogs lie down, and then crawled on his hands and knees to reconnoitre.