Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine | Page 7

that I could not be more than ten
or fifteen miles from the plantation, that I should soon come in sight of
the herds of cattle, and that then there would be no difficulty in finding
my way. But when I had ridden another hour without seeing the
smallest sign either of man or beast, I got seriously uneasy. In my
impatience, I abused poor Neal for not sending somebody to find me.
His huntsman, I had heard, was gone to Anahuac, and would not be
back for two or three days; but he might have sent a couple of his lazy
negroes. Or, if he had only fired a shot or two as a signal. I stopped and
listened, in hopes of hearing the crack of a rifle. But the deepest
stillness reigned around, scarcely the chirp of a bird was heard--all
nature seemed to be taking the siesta. As far as the eye could reach was
a waving sea of grass, here and there an island of trees, but not a trace
of a human being. At last I thought I had made a discovery. The nearest
clump of trees was undoubtedly the same which I had admired and

pointed out to my companions soon after we had left the house. It bore
a fantastical resemblance to a snake coiled up and about to dart upon its
prey. About six or seven miles from the plantation we had passed it on
our right hand, and if I now kept it upon my left, I could not fail to be
going in a proper direction. So said, so done. I trotted on most
perseveringly towards the point of the horizon where I felt certain the
house must lie. One hour passed, then a second, then a third; every now
and then I stopped and listened, but nothing was audible, not a shot nor
a shout. But although I heard nothing, I saw something which gave me
no great pleasure. In the direction in which we had ridden out, the grass
was very abundant and the flowers scarce; whereas the part of the
prairie in which I now found myself presented the appearance of a
perfect flower-garden, with scarcely a square foot of green to be seen.
The most variegated carpet of flowers I ever beheld lay unrolled before
me; red, yellow, violet, blue, every colour, every tint was there;
millions of the most magnificent prairie roses, tuberoses, asters, dahlias,
and fifty other kinds of flowers. The finest artificial garden in the world
would sink into insignificance when compared with this parterre of
nature's own planting. My horse could hardly make his way through the
wilderness of flowers, and I for a time remained lost in admiration of
this scene of extraordinary beauty. The prairie in the distance looked as
if clothed with rainbows that waved to and fro over its surface.
But the difficulties and anxieties of my situation soon banished all
other thoughts, and I rode on with perfect indifference through a scene,
that, under other circumstances, would have captivated my entire
attention. All the stories that I had heard of mishaps in these endless
prairies, recurred in vivid colouring to my memory, not mere
backwoodsman's legends, but facts well authenticated by persons of
undoubted veracity, who had warned me, before I came to Texas,
against venturing without guide or compass into these dangerous wilds.
Even men who had been long in the country, were often known to lose
themselves, and to wander for days and weeks over these oceans of
grass, where no hill or variety of surface offers a landmark to the
traveller. In summer and autumn, such a position would have one
danger the less, that is, there would be no risk of dying of hunger; for at
those seasons the most delicious fruits, grapes, plums, peaches, and

others, are to be found in abundance. But we were now in early spring,
and although I saw numbers of peach and plum-trees, they were only in
blossom. Of game also there was plenty, both fur and feather, but I had
no gun, and nothing appeared more probable than that I should die of
hunger, although surrounded by food, and in one of the most fruitful
countries in the world. This thought flashed suddenly across me, and
for a moment my heart sunk within me as I first perceived the real
danger of my position.
After a time, however, other ideas came to console me. I had been
already four weeks in the country, and had ridden over a large slice of it
in every direction, always through prairies, and I had never had any
difficulty in finding my way. True, but then I had always had a
compass, and been in company. It was this sort of over-confidence