214 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



to feel sleepy, when I heard horses coming down the 

 mountain from the west, their hoofs beating a regular 

 tattoo on the frozen road. A few moments later, an Ind- 

 ian rode up to my fire. That didn't surprise me much, 

 for in those days, one was liable to meet an Indian at 

 any turn in the road. 



" He reined in his horse, and sprang to the ground, 

 giving a grunt by way of salutation. He had two horses, 

 and had been riding one and leading the other. They 

 were both dripping with perspiration, and seemed just 

 ready to fall in their tracks. After giving me and my 

 outfit a sharp look, he led his ponies to one side, and 

 tied them to a small tree. Then he came and stood by 

 my fire, and asked me for some grass for his horses. I 

 told him I didn't have any grass to spare. It wouldn't 

 have done them any good, even if I had had a ton to 

 give them, for they were just completely run to death. 

 They stood up only a few minutes, and before daylight 

 one of them was dead. 



" The Indian was dressed in a buckskin shirt and 

 leggings, and a heavy red blanket was belted around his 

 waist. I was sitting on my blanket, and my rifle, which 

 I always kept near me, was tucked under the edge of my 

 bed, by my side. A cold, raw wind was blowing, and 

 as the Indian turned about to warm himself before the 

 fire, the wind caught the corner of his red blanket and 

 blew it up to one side. To my perfect horror, I saw a 

 woman's scalp hanging from his inside belt, a white 

 woman's scalp, with light-colored hair over a foot 

 long! 



