SWINDLERS IN ARKANSAS. 171 



ague, which I could not shake off for some days. In 

 the evening two strangers arrived ; and although they 

 came from, opposite directions, they seemed to be well 

 acquainted, as they frequently conversed in a whisper. 

 After supper, when we were in the second house, where 

 we all slept, they consulted together about their future 

 plans, which consisted in no less than their travelling 

 about the country, and keeping a gaming table, pre- 

 tending all the while to be unknown to each other, and 

 so playing into each other's hands : their designs were 

 to be principally carried on among the Indians, particu- 

 larly the Cherokees, as they thought they were more 

 easily cheated than the whites. But perhaps the two 

 scoundrels had not been able to agree, for on the fol- 

 lowing morning they parted, one of them passing off a 

 false five-dollar note on 8., who was not a little an- 

 noyed when he some time afterwards made the dis- 

 covery. I was about to ride in the same direction that 

 the other fellow took, and when he saw my horse 

 saddled, he expressed his delight at having the pleasure 

 of my company ; but I said dryly : " I am not going to 

 ride with a scoundrel." At the word '' scoundrel," he 

 flew into a rage, and begun to feel for his knife or 



^.pistol, on which I quietly brought my rifle to my 

 shoulder : he bit his lip and rode off at a sharp trot. 

 After waiting a short time I followed, taking the route 



sPto Cash river to bring home some dogs, for S. and I 

 saw nothing more of him. 



Arkansas was overrun at this time with a number 

 of bad characters, gamblers, drunkards, thieves, mur- 

 derers, who all thought that the simple-minded back- 

 woodsmen were easier to be cheated than the wary 



