A Sportsman 165 



mingling with the savages, but to warn them off if 

 they came within danger limits, but an exception was 

 made on the third day, when we had our greatest delay 

 and our heaviest work in clearing the cuts, at the ap- 

 proach of three mounted Indians, who came at a mod- 

 erate pace toward us with extended open hands in 

 token of peace. One, who spoke a little English, ex- 

 plained to us that one of the party, a chief, would 

 accompany us until the next day through the buffalo 

 country where so many Indians were engaged, to pro- 

 tect us from any possible attack from young bucks, 

 who might break away from the peaceful promises 

 given by the tribes to the government, explaining that 

 all the Indians were not favorable to the surrender and 

 consequent removal of the tribes from the plains to the 

 government reservations, and that the chief would go 

 with us for our protection against any possible foray. 

 While this confirmed the feeling we had, that our 

 apprehensions of trouble with the Indians were not 

 groundless, it gave us a confidence which had been 

 failing as to our safety. We therefore accepted this 

 hostage of security with satisfaction, much relieved 

 from the anxiety we had experienced. We endeav- 

 ored to make the old chief as comfortable as possible 

 although he declined all our advances and proffers of 

 friendship, and sat almost motionless looking out of 

 the car window as the train proceeded. We did not 

 deem it expedient to offer him fire-water, but he 

 deigned without the slightest acknowledgment to ac- 

 cept a handful of cigars and a box of matches, and did a 

 moderate amount of smoking. At the station, hewre 

 we all got out for supper, a while after dark, he indi- 

 cated a desire to leave us and take the next train back, 



