LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 177 



countered a band of a dozen mountaineers, mounted on 

 fine horses, and well armed and equipped, travelling 

 along without the usual accompaniment of a mulada 

 of pack-animals, two or three mules alone being packed 

 with meat and spare ammunition. The band was 

 proceeding at a smart rate, the horses moving with the 

 gait peculiar to American animals, known as "pacing " 

 or u racking" in Indian file each of the mountaineers 

 with a long heavy rifle resting across the horn of his 

 saddle. Amongst them our two friends recognised 

 Markhead, who had been of the party dispersed months 

 before by the Blackfeet on one of the head-streams of 

 the Yellow Stone, which event had been the origin of 

 the dire sufferings of Killbuck and La Bonte". Mark- 

 head, after running the gauntlet of numerous Indians, 

 through the midst of whose country he passed with his 

 usual temerity and utter disregard to danger, suffering 

 hunger, thirst, and cold those every-day experiences 

 of mountain life riddled with balls, but with three 

 scalps hanging from his belt, made his way to a ren- 

 dezvous on Bear River, whence he struck out for the 

 Platte in early spring, in time to join the band he now 

 accompanied, who were on a horse-stealing expedition 

 to the Missions of Upper California. Little persuasion 

 did either Killbuck or La Bonte require to join the 

 sturdy freebooters. In five minutes they had gone 

 " files-about," and at sundown were camping on the 

 well-timbered bottom of " Little Sandy," feasting once 

 more on delicate hump- rib and tender loin. 

 For California, ho ! 



H 



