The Insurgent Chief

“This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 186? edition. Excerpt: ...discoveries. It is to them that the wood of which we have spoken, and which appears an oasis in this sea of sand, owes its charming name of Eincon del Bosquecillo, out of gratitude, no doubt, for the freshness they have found there, and the shelter that has been offered them after their long and fatiguing journey in the desert. The sun was rapidly setting on the horizon, considerably lengthening the shadow of the rocks, bushes, and a few trees here and there scattered in the llano. The panthers already commenced to utter their hoarse and mournful growlings as they sought their drinkingplaces; the jaguars bounded out of their dens with dull cries of anger, lashing with their powerful tails their panting sides; troops of wild oxen and horses fled frightened before these dreadful kings of the night, whom the first hours of evening rendered masters of the desert. At the moment when the sun, having reached the level of the horizon, was drowned, so to say, in waves of purple and gold, a troop of horsemen appeared on the right bank of the Eio Vermejo, proceeding apparently towards the bank of which we have spoken, on the summit of which was the thick wood called the Eincon del Bosquecillo. These horsemen were Indian Guaycurus, recognisable by their elegant costumes, by the band which circled their heads, and especially by the matchless grace with which they managed their horses--noble sons of the desert--as fiery and as untameable as their masters. They formed a troop of about fifty men, all armed as warriors, and not having any tuft of ostrich feathers or streamers at the point of their lances--which showed that they were on some important expedition, and not united for the chase. A little in advance of the troop were two men, chiefr, as was shown by...”