Early the following morning I held an inspection of the mules and
horses, and finding the wheel and swing spans were much exhausted by
the unaccustomed gait they had maintained in the forced march from the
valleys, I determined to give them a day's rest before making the
return trip. Finding Sergeant Cunningham's, Frank's, and my own horses
none the worse for their exertions, I concluded that we three would
return at once to camp. I placed Corporal Duffy in charge of the
party, and told him after one day had passed to return by way of the
hot springs.

Instead of returning by the route we came, the sergeant, Frank, and I
were to take a shorter and rougher one pointed out to us by Padre
Gutierrez. This trail was almost as straight as an arrow, but led
through a section of the country over which we had not scouted. At
half-past nine o'clock the three of us started, Vic bounding and
barking at my horse's head.




IV

IN A NAVAJO TRAP


Six miles from Jemez our road, which, after leaving the cultivated
valley of the Pueblos had narrowed to a path, entered the forest and
ran along the side of a small brook, which it continued to follow for
several miles, and then rose gradually to the side of a range of