LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 15 



made towards the animals, with which they presently 

 returned to the camp ; and, after carefully hobbling 

 and securing them to pickets firmly driven into the 

 ground, mounting an additional guard, and examining 

 the neighbouring thicket, they once more assembled 

 round the fire, relit their pipes, and puffed away the 

 cheering weed as composedly as if no such being as a 

 Redskin, thirsting for their lives, was within a thousand 

 miles of their perilous encampment. 



" If ever thar was bad Injuns on these plains," at last 

 growled Killbuck, biting hard the pipe-stem between his 

 teeth, " it's these Rapahos, and the meanest kind at that." 



" Can't beat the Blackfeet, any how," chimed in one 

 La Bonte, from the Yellow Stone country, a fine hand- 

 some specimen of a mountaineer. " However, one of 

 you quit this arrow out of my hump," he continued, 

 bending forwards to the fire, and exhibiting an arrow 

 sticking out under his right shoulder-blade, and a 

 stream of blood trickling down his buckskin coat from 

 the wound. 



This his nearest neighbour essayed to do; but finding, 

 after a tug, that it " would not come," expressed his 

 opinion that the offending weapon would have to be 

 " butchered " out. This was accordingly effected with 

 the ready blade of a scalp-knife j and a handful of 

 beaver-fur being placed on the wound, and secured by 

 a strap of buckskin round the body, the wounded man 

 donned his hunting-shirt once more, and coolly set 

 about lighting his pipe, his rifle lying across his lap 

 cocked and ready for use. 



