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the family, for I felt myself responsible for Chu Chu. At last I desperately saddled myhorse and galloped off in the direction she had taken. It was the road to Rosario and thehacienda[162-1] of one of her relations, where she sometimes halted.The road was a very unfrequented one, twisting like a mountain river—indeed, it was thebed of an old watercourse—between brown hills of wild oats, and debouching at last intoa broad blue lake-like expanse of alfalfa[162-2] meadows. In vain I strained my eyes overthe monotonous level; nothing appeared to rise above or move across it. In the faint hopethat she might have lingered at the hacienda, I was spurring on again when I heard aslight splashing on my left. I looked around. A broad patch of fresher-colored herbageand a cluster of dwarfed alders indicated a hidden spring. I cautiously approached itsquaggy edges, when I was shocked by what appeared to be a sudden vision! Mid-leg deepin the center of a greenish pool stood Chu Chu! But without a strap or buckle of harnessupon her—as naked as when she was foaled!For a moment I could only stare at her in bewildered terror. Far from recognizing me, sheseemed to be absorbed in a nymph-like contemplation of her own graces in the pool.Then I called "Consuelo!" and galloped frantically around the spring. But there was noresponse, nor was there anything to be seen but the all-unconscious Chu Chu. The pool,thank Heaven! was not deep enough to have drowned any one; there were no signs of astruggle on its quaggy edges. The horse might have come from a distance! I galloped on,still calling. A few hundred yards further I detected the vivid glow of Chu Chu's scarlet