He found that a family answering the description which had been given him, had in fact passed the place the day of his nuptials.

They were traced along the margin of the Mississippi, for some distance, until they took boat and ascended the river to its confluence with the Missouri.

Here they had disappeared like hundreds of others, in pursuit of the hidden wealth of the interior.
Furnished with these facts, Middleton detailed a small guard of his most trusty men, took leave of Don Augustin, without declaring his hopes or his fears, and having arrived at the indicated point, he pushed into the wilderness in pursuit.

It was not difficult to trace a train like that of Ishmael, until he was well assured its object lay far beyond the usual limits of the settlements.

This circumstance, in itself, quickened his suspicions, and gave additional force to his hopes of final success.
After getting beyond the assistance of verbal directions, the anxious husband had recourse to the usual signs of a trail, in order to follow the fugitives.