306 THE INDIAN ‘ HORSE-GUARDS.’ 
lasted from October until near April before the 
snow entirely cleared. 
In this valley (the Colville valley) the Com- 
missioner and myself had, I think, as brisk and 
nice a bit of shooting as I ever enjoyed. If 
I remember aright, it was towards the end 
of September, and the birds had packed. We 
rode down one clear bright morning, about six 
miles, to the Horse-Guards. Do not at once 
hastily imagine any analogy between Colville val- 
ley and, Whitehall. The heavy man, with his 
heavy boots, heavy sword, heavy dress, heavy 
walk, and heaviest of all heavy horses—so con- 
spicuous a feature in our London sights—is re- 
presented here by the genuine savage, thin and 
lissom as an eel; his equipment a whip, a lasso, a 
scalping-knife, and sometimes a trade-gun; a pad 
his saddle, and the bands of horses, some two hun- 
dred in number, his charge. A stream of cold clear 
water rambles quietly down the hillside; and 
as the hills are thickly dotted with bunch-grass, 
affording most glorious pasturage, the Hudson’s 
Bay fort horses are always pastured here, and 
euarded by Indians; hence comes the name— 
‘the Horse-Guards.’ 
The Colville valley is, roughly speaking, about 
thirty miles long, the hills on one side being 
