46 LIFE IN THE FAB WEST 



seven scalps, and holding it vertically above his head, 

 and commencing with the top one, he told the feats in 

 which he had raised the trophy hair. When he had 

 run through these, the drums tapped loudly, and seve- 

 ral of the old chiefs shook their rattles, in corroboration 

 of the truth of his achievements. The brave, swelling 

 with pride, then pointed to the fresh and bloody scalps 

 hanging on the pole. Two of these had been torn from 

 the heads of Eapahos struck by his own hand, and this 

 feat, the exploit of the day, had entitled him to the 

 honour of counting his coups. Then, sticking his spear 

 into the ground by the side of the pole, he struck his 

 hand twice on his brawny and naked chest, turned short 

 round, and, swift as the antelope, galloped into the plain: 

 as if overcome by the shock his modesty had received 

 in being obliged to recount his own high-sounding 

 deeds. 



" Wagh !" exclaimed old Killbuck, as he left the circle, 

 pointing his pipe-stem towards the fast-fading figure of 

 the brave, " that Injun's heart's about as big as ever it 

 will be, I'm thinking." 



With the Yutas, Killbuck and La Bonte remained 

 during the winter; and when the spring sun had opened 

 the ice-bound creeks, and melted the snow on the 

 mountains, and its genial warmth had expanded the 

 earth and permitted the roots of the grass to " live " 

 once more, and throw out green and tender shoots, the 

 two trappers bade adieu to the hospitable Indians, who 

 broke up their village in order to start for the valleys 

 of the Del Norte. As they followed the trail from the 



