LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 155 



possible; their progress, however, being greatly retarded 

 as they advanced into the mountain, their route lying 

 up stream. Towards morning they halted for a brief 

 space, but started again as soon as daylight permitted 

 them to see their way over the broken ground. 



The creek now forced its way through a narrow 

 caiion, the banks being thickly clothed with a shrub- 

 bery of cottonwood and quaking-ash. The mountain 

 rose on each side, but not abruptly, being here and 

 there broken into plateaus and shelving prairies. In a 

 very thick bottom, sprinkled with coarse grass, they 

 halted about noon, and removed the saddles and packs 

 from their wearied animals, picketing them in the 

 best spots of grass. 



La Bonte and Killbuck, after securing their animals, 

 left the camp to hunt, for they had no provisions of any 

 kind ; and a short distance beyond it, the former came 

 suddenly upon a recent mocassin track in the timber. 

 After examining it for a moment, he raised his head 

 with a broad grin, and, turning to his companion, 

 pointed into the cover, where, in the thickest part, they 

 discerned the well-known figure of old Bill's horse, 

 browsing upon the cherry bushes. Pushing through 

 the thicket in search of the brute's master, La Bonte 

 suddenly stopped short as the muzzle of a rifle-barrel 

 gaped before his eyes at the distance of a few inches, 

 whilst the thin voice of Bill muttered 



" Do *ee hyar now, I was nigh giving 'ee h : I 



was now. If I didn't think 'ee was Blackfoot I'm 

 dogged now." And not a little indignant was the old 



