IN THE OLD WEST 59 



expected to find their hereditary enemies the 

 Yutas. " That now was not the time to count 

 their coups " (for at this moment one of the war- 

 riors rose from his seat, and, swelling with pride, 

 advanced towards the spear, pointing to one of 

 the scalps, and then striking his open hand on 

 his naked breast, jumped into the air, as if about 

 to go through the ceremony) ; " that before many 

 suns all their spears together would not hold the 

 scalps they had taken; and that they would re- 

 turn to their village, and spend a moon relating 

 their achievements and counting coups." 



All this Killbuck learned, thanks to his knowl- 

 edge of the language of signs a master of which, 

 if even he have no ears or tongue, never fails to 

 understand, and be understood by, any of the 

 hundred tribes whose languages are perfectly dis- 

 tinct and different. He learned, moreover, that 

 at sundown the greater part of the band would 

 resume the trail, in order to reach the Bayou by 

 the earliest dawn; and also, that no more than 

 four or five of the younger warriors would remain 

 with the captured animals. Still the hunter re- 

 mained in his position until the sun had disap- 

 peared behind the ridge; when, taking up their 

 arms, and throwing their buffalo-robes on their 

 shoulders, the war-party of Rapahos, one behind 

 the other, with noiseless step and silent as the 

 dumb, moved away from the camp. When the 

 last dusky form had disappeared behind a point 



