A GENERAL ABSENTING OF INDIANS. 373 



our wounded, and sprinkled it over some of 'em who 

 could n't drink. 



" It wer just kinder palin' like way up in the sky, 

 and we could see that off down East, somewhar, ther 

 mornin' was commencin' ter climb, when Jim 

 nudged me, and says, ' Chum, what 's that ? ' We 

 both stuck our ears right up, like two jackass-rab- 

 bits, and listened. It wur all dark near the ground, 

 but we could hear a steady, gallopin' sound, comin 7 

 in toward us from up the ravines, and over the hills. 

 It wur like a beatin' of ther earth with flails by 

 threshers you could n't see. 



" The sound came a creepin' along the sod so quick 

 we soon knew it wur the Injuns, on ther ponies, 

 comin' down ter pick up the trail. And now we could 

 see 'em a bobbin' along toward us in ther gloom, the 

 rows er ugly heads goin' up and down, like jumpin 7 - 

 jacks. It just seemed as ther side er ther night 

 had been painted all full o 7 gapin' red devils, and 

 ther sun wur jest revealin 7 on 'em. ' Lay still ! ' wer 

 the word, and each man hugged his sand bank, just 

 a skinnin' one eye, like a lizard over a log. They 'd 

 no idee we were thar, not bein' able to understand 

 the grit of that little forty, and they cum gallopin 7 

 along, careless-like, happy as so many ghosts goin 7 

 ter a fun'ral. But it war n't our fun'ral just then. 

 When they 'd got so close we could smell 'em, colonel 

 guv the word ter fire, and we let 'em have it. 

 Stranger, you ain't no idee what a gettin' up bluffs, 

 and general absentiri* of 'emselves ther wur. Arter 

 the fust crack, yer could n't see an Injun at all, but 

 jest a lot er ponies, diggin 7 it on ther back track, and 



