During the two days that our route lay through this town, we made many
attempts to capture one of the little fellows; but they cleverly evaded
all the snares set for them, invariably dodged at the flash of our
pistols, chattering away as lively as ever, while the little brown owls
and rattlesnakes that shared their houses with them fell frequent victims
to the boys' rifles.

After leaving their town, Hal declared, that, if he and Ned could remain
behind the train for a few hours, he knew they could capture one;
becoming so urgent in his appeal, that I finally yielded a reluctant
consent to the project, cautioning them under no circumstances, to remain
away from the train more than two or three hours. This they faithfully
promised not to do, and departed; notwithstanding Jerry pronounced it as
downright foolish a proceedin' as he ever seed.

Four or five hours later, when we reached our camping ground for the
night, neither of them had overtaken us, and I began to feel alarmed at
their prolonged absence. My apprehensions were somewhat relieved for the
moment by one of the men, who informed me he had seen their animals
coming over the "divide" some three or four miles in our rear.

A few minutes later, however, when the riderless animals came galloping
furiously in, with their long lassos dragging in the dust behind them,
the camp became a scene of confusion indescribable.

Labor of all kinds was suspended, and everyone anxious to hear what
everyone else thought.

Jerry gave it as his opinion, that the animals had escaped from the place
where Hal and Ned had left them; still, he reckoned some one ought to go