LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 171 



approaching the rock, when they observed the smoke 

 curling from the hunters' fire. They halted at sight of 

 this ; and one of the two, drawing a long instrument 

 from a case, which Killbuck voted a rifle, directed it 

 towards them for a moment, and then lowering it, again 

 moved forward. 



As they drew near, the two poor trappers, although 

 half-dead with joy, still retained their seats with 

 Indian gravity and immobility of feature, turning now 

 and then the crackling snakes which lay on the embers 

 of the fire. The two strangers approached. One, a man 

 of some fifty years of age, of middle height and stoutly 

 built, was clad in a white shooting-jacket, of cut 

 unknown in mountain tailoring, and a pair of trousers 

 of the well-known material called " shepherd's plaid ; " 

 a broad-brimmed Panama shaded his face, which was 

 ruddy with health and exercise ; a belt round the waist 

 supported a handsome bowie-knife, and a double- 

 barrelled fowling-piece was slung across his shoulder. 



His companion was likewise dressed in a light shoot- 

 ing-jacket, of many pockets and dandy cut, rode on an 

 English saddle and in loots, and was armed with a 

 superb double rifle, glossy from the case, and bearing 

 few marks of use or service. He was a tall fine-looking 

 fellow of thirty, with light hair and complexion ; a 

 scrupulous beard and mustache ; a wide-awake hat, 

 with a short pipe stuck in the band, not very black 

 with smoke ; an elaborate powder-horn over his 

 shoulder, with a Cairngorm in the butt as large as a 

 plate ; a blue handkerchief tied round his throat in a 



