Year: 1876


BY MRS. HENRY IDEAS.


CHAPTER XIII.


Picciola, after little deliberation, started
forth on her expedition, taking the road BY
which she had usually seen Alasquez approach
the house.


She intended to pursue this road as far as
she could, trusting to come upon some settle
ment or Indian camp, where she might possi-
bly, gain some information concerning him.
Her chances of doing so seemed slim enough,
and it was with feeling that she was pursuing
q very vague object, that she proceeded on her
way still resolved, however, to leave no means
untried to accomplish her end.


For long time she walked without seeing
living creature, even of the animal kind,
except an occasional bird fitting from one
bough to the next. A perfect stiffness seemed
to pervade these woods, which she was now
traversing in this direction for the first time.
The underground was tangled and dense, and
the path gradually narrowed until it became
barely wide enough for horses feet. The
soil was dry and hard, and bore no evidence
of recent travel over it, and she began to fear
at last that she had taken the wrong road, as
this one appeared only to be merging into an
impenetrable thicket.


Suddenly, however, she came upon little
swamp. The underground disappeared, and
short stunted trees, covered with vines Of an
enormous size, grew up out Of the soft muddy
ground and in the wet soil before her she saw
distinct traces of horses feet, deeply imprint
ed, as though only day or two, at the far
thest, could have elapsed ere they had been
left there


She stopped, and examining these tracks,
found that they turned both ways, as if the
rider, whoever he might have been, who had
travelled over this ground, had gone and re-
turned on the same path within short space
of time.


Picciola took off her shoes and stockings,
and without hesitation made her way through
the mud, which, as she went farther, became
so soft in some places as to come up to her
ankles This she did not at all care about i;
but with childish zest rather enjoyed the fun
of the thing, or would have done so, had her
errand been of less momentous kind. Here
the tracks had been obliterated by the mois'
ture; but, plunging on, she presently dscov-
cred them again, and followed them until she
came once more to dry ground, where the
tall grass and thick-growing vegetation closed
around her as before.


She stopped for little while to rest and to
put on her shoes and stockings again, and as
she lo0ked zruund; tho tuta4a 'e-wi,ioh
encompassed her, and the strangeness Of the
place, smote upon her with lonely and for
lorn feeling. Where was she, and what was
this unknown path leading her to 1t had
dwindled into the merest trail, which she had
some difficulty in picking out. Yet some one
must have been over it before her, and where
others had gone she could 60 too. So having
recruited her strength by a brief rest, she
jumped up and bravely resumed her march,
trying to reinforce her courage by the hope of
accomplishing her one grand object, and the
thought of the Joy she would bring to her be-
loved Senora in doing 80.


She had now been journeying for several
hours, and by the deepening of the shade
around her. she perceived that the afternoon
was far advanced. Suppose she should not
get obt of this wood before night.fall How
terrible it would be to have to sleep there, or
rather, not to sleep; but to keep watch through
the long, lonely hours of darkness, threatened
by she knew not what perils, from the wild
beasts which might inhabit its depths! She
hurried on and on; darker and darker it
grew-when, oh joy, at distance she per-
ceived the CLEAN of freight Pickering in the
gloom. Itprobably came from some wigwam,
or the cabin, perhaps, of solitary settler; or,
what was just as likely, it might be fire kin
died by some wanderer, like herself, preparing
to camp out until enabled, by returning day
light, to travel again This last idea made
her hesitate. What if she should encounter
Alasquez himself, or some other equally for
midable foe?


At all events, she determined to reconnoitre,
and with much caution, and as silently as q
lizard gliding through the grass, she crept
toward the point of light, which suddenly in
creased in brightness, as an opening in the
forest before her, brought into view the scene
she was approaching.


On one side of rocky ravine uprose
steep wooded hill, and in the hard clay en-
bankment appeared dark opening like the
entrance to cave. In front of this burned
the fire, consisting of one or two logs with q
mass of briers and small boughs piled upon
them, which cracked and roared as the flames
leaped up; but no human being was in sight,
and Picciola wondered, with touch of the
superstition of the earlier and less enlighten-
ed years of her life, if the cavern she saw was
the abode of some dark genius or evil spirit,
who was wont to sit and mediate by night,
in the weird glow of the fire, upon schemes
portending evil to those who might come in
his way.


She waited a considerable time, expecting
to see,some one appear. Nor was she deceived
in her expectation, for presently figure
emerged from the entrance of the cave. 1t
was quite different figure from any which
had crossed her fancy, being that of young,
slender, and apparently pretty girl; but OF
what race, the light was too imperfect and
unsteady to enable her to decide. This girl
advanced towards the fire and stood near it,