My arrangements were at length completed; and with a feeling of terrible anxiety I gave my horse the signal to move forward. Instead of going off with a start, the intelligent animal stepped away slowly, as though he understood my situation. The lariat tightened, I felt my body moving, and the next moment experienced a wild delight, a feeling I cannot describe, as I found myself dragged out of the sand! I sprang to my feet with a shout of joy. I rushed up to my steed, and throwing my arms around his neck, kissed him. He answered my embrace with a low whimper, that told me I was understood. I looked for my rifle. Fortunately, it had not sunk deeply, and I soon found it. My boots were behind me, but I stayed not to look for them, being smitten with a wholesome dread of the place where I had left them. It was sundown before I reached camp, where I was met by the inquiries of my wondering companions. "Did you come across the `goats'?" "Where's your boots?" "Whether have you been hunting or fishing?" I answered all these questions by relating my adventures; and that night I was again the hero of the camp-fire. CHAPTER SIX. SANTA FE. After a week's climbing through the Rocky Mountains, we descended into the Valley of the Del Norte, and arrived at the capital of New Mexico, the far-famed Santa Fe. Next day the caravan itself came in, for we had lost time on the southern route; and the waggons, travelling by the Raton Pass, had made a good journey of it. We had no difficulty about their entrance into the country, with the proviso that we paid five hundred dollars of "Alcavala" tax upon each waggon. This was a greater extortion than usual; but the traders were compelled to accept the impost. Santa Fe is the entrepot of the province, and the chief seat of its trade. On reaching it we halted, camping without the walls. Saint Vrain, several other _proprietaires_, and myself, took up our quarters at the Fonda, where we endeavoured, by means of the sparkling vintage of El Paso, to make ourselves oblivious of the hardships we had endured in the passage of the plains. The night of our arrival was given to feasting and making merry. Next morning I was awakened by the voice of my man Gode, who appeared to be in high spirits, singing a snatch of a Canadian boat-song. "Ah, monsieur!" cried he, seeing me awake, "to-night--aujourd'hui--une grande fonction--one bal--vat le Mexicain he call fandango. Tres bien, monsieur. You vill sure have grand plaisir to see un fandango Mexicain?" "Not I, Gode. My countrymen are not so fond of dancing as yours." "C'est vrai, monsieur; but von fandango is tres curieux. You sall see ver many sort of de pas. Bolero, et valse, wis de Coona, and ver many more pas, all mix up in von puchero. Allons! monsieur, you vill see ver many pretty girl, avec les yeux tres noir, and ver short--ah! ver short--vat you call em in Americaine?" "I do not know what you allude to."