248 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 



and she came to meet him. Whispering one word, she 

 put her foot upon his, was instantly seized round the 

 waist, and placed upon the horn of his saddle. He 

 struck spurs into his horse, and in a minute was out of 

 sight ; his three companions covering his retreat, and 

 menacing with their rifles the crowd which was soon 

 drawn to the spot by the cries of the girl's parents, who 

 had been astonished spectators of the daring rape. 



The trapper and his bride, however, escaped scathe- 

 less, and the whole party effected a safe passage of the 

 mountains, and reached the Arkansa, where the band 

 was broken up, some proceeding to Bent's Fort, and 

 others to the Platte, amongst whom were Killbuck and 

 La Bonte, still in company. 



These two once more betook themselves to trapping, 

 the Yellow Stone being their chief hunting-ground. 

 But we must again leap over months and years, rather 

 than conduct the reader through all their perilous 

 wanderings, and at last bring him back to the camp on 

 Bijou, where we first introduced him to our moun- 

 taineers ; and as we have already followed them on 

 the Arapaho trail, which they pursued to recover their 

 stolen animals from a band of that nation, we will once 

 again seat ourselves at the camp on Boiling Spring, 

 where they had met a strange hunter on a solitary 

 expedition to the Bayou Salade, whose double-barrelled 

 rifle had excited their wonder and curiosity. 



From him they learned also that a large band of 

 Mormons were wintering on the Arkansa, en route to 

 the Great Salt Lake and Upper California ; and as our 



