Before the sun had risen, we sighted the wild herd within a mile
of the place where darkness had settled over them the night previous.
With a few parting instructions from our captain, I rode leisurely
between them and the lake where they had watered the evening before. At
first sight of me they took fright and ran to a slight elevation. There
they halted a moment, craning their necks and sniffing the air. This was
my first fair view of the chestnut stallion. He refused to break into
a gallop, and even stopped before the rest, turning defiantly on this
intruder of his domain. From the course I was riding, every moment I was
expecting them to catch the wind of me. Suddenly they scented me, knew
me for an enemy, and with the stallion in the lead they were off to the
south.
"It was an exciting ride that morning. Without a halt they ran twenty
miles to the south, then turned to the left and there halted on an
elevation; but a shot in the air told them that all was not well and
they moved on. For an hour and a half they kept their course to the
east, and at last turned to the north. This was, as we had calculated,
about their range. In another hour at the farthest, a new rider with
a fresh horse would take up the running.
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