As he concluded, the hunter turned with a look of affection towards his rifle, which he firmly grasped with a nervous motion.  At this moment, the dog, which had been busying himself by running to and fro with his nose to the ground, suddenly paused, and laying back his ears, uttered a low, fierce growl.  The hunter cast toward him a quick glance; and dropping upon his knees, applied his ear to the earth, where he remained some fifteen seconds; then rising to his feet, he made a motion with his hand, and together with Caesar withdrew into the thicket.

For some time no sound was heard to justify this precaution of the woodsman; but at length a slight jarring of the ground became apparent, followed by a noise at some distance, resembling the clatter of horses’ feet, which, gradually growing louder as the cause drew nearer, soon became sufficiently so to put all doubts on the matter at rest.  In less than five minutes from the disappearance of the hunter, some eight or ten horses, bearing as many riders, approached the hill from the direction of Wilson’s, and began to descend into the ravine.  The party, composed of both sexes, were in high glee—­some jesting, some singing, and some laughing uproariously.  Nothing occurred to interrupt their merriment, until they began to lose themselves among the cedars of the hollow, when the foremost horse suddenly gave a snort and bounded to one side—­a movement which his companion, close behind, imitated—­while the rider of the latter, a female, uttered a loud, piercing scream of fright.  In a moment the whole party was in confusion—­some turning their horses to the right about and riding back towards Wilson’s, at headlong speed—­and some pausing in fear, undecided what to do.  The two foremost horses now became very refractory, rearing and plunging in a manner that threatened to unseat their riders every moment.  Of the two, the one ridden by the lady was the most ungovernable; and in spite of her efforts to quiet or hold him, he seized the bit in his teeth, and, rearing on his hind legs, plunged madly forward, until he came to where the other carcass was lying, when, giving another snort of fear, he again reared, and turning aside into the thicket, left his rider almost senseless in the path he had just quitted.  Fortunately the beast shaped his course to where the hunter was concealed, who, with a sudden spring, as he was rushing past, seized upon the bridle near the bit, and succeeded, after a struggle, in mastering and leading him back to the path.

By this time the companion of the lady had come up; and seeing her condition, was dismounting to render her assistance; when his eye falling upon the stranger, he started, and placed his hand quickly to his belt, as if in search of some weapon of defence.  The hunter saw the movement, and said, with a gesture of command: 

“Hold! young man; don’t do any thing rash!”

“Who are you, sir?”

“A friend.”