LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 109 



" Hurrah, boy ! " he exclaimed, as he drew near the 

 fire. " You've ' made ' a ' raise,' I see." 



" Well, I have," rejoined the other, turning his meat 

 with the point of his butcher-knife. "There's the 

 meat, hos help yourself." 



La Bont6 drew his knife from the scabbard, and 

 approached the spot his companion was pointing too ; 

 but what was his horror to see the yet quivering body 

 of one of the Indian squaws, with a large portion of the 

 flesh butchered from it, part of which Forey was already 

 greedily devouring. The knife dropped from his hand, 

 and his heart rose to his throat. 



The next day he and his companion struck the creek 

 where Rube and the other trapper had agreed to await 

 them, and found them in camp with plenty of meat, 

 and about to start again on their hunt, having given 

 up the others for lost. From the day they parted, 

 nothing was ever heard of La Bonte's other two com- 

 panions, who doubtless fell a prey to utter exhaustion, 

 and were unable to return to the camp. And thus 

 ended the Digger expedition. 



It may appear almost incredible that men having 

 civilised blood in their veins could perpetrate such 

 wanton and cold-blooded acts of aggression on the 

 wretched Indians, as that detailed above; but it is 

 fact that the mountaineers never lose an opportunity 

 of slaughtering these miserable Diggers, and attacking 

 their villages, often for the purpose of capturing 

 women, whom they carry off, and not unfrequently 

 sell to other tribes, or to each other. In these attacks 



