202 EVIL TIDINGS. 



nity, the signs of their haunts set him on the alert, and 

 warn him full surely of the game in store. 



Having heard as I left my camp that my dog-waggon 

 wanted repair, I asked two frontier farmers, whom I found 

 collecting the rough stuff called hay, if there was a black 

 smith among the few cabins where the beaten track 

 crossed the creek, and received a reply in the affirmative. 

 Having entered into conversation with them, as to the 

 scarcity of deer, turkey, and grouse, and told them whi 

 ther I was going, they asked me if I had heard any news 

 from the direction of " Pawnee Fork" as I came along, 

 for they had heard a rumour, but nothing certain, that a 

 difficulty had arisen with the Indians there, and that white 

 men had been killed. Having told them that I had heard 

 nothing of the matter, I then returned to camp, and, on 

 inspecting my dog- waggon, found that the journey could 

 not be continued till it had been repaired, and that Mr Can- 

 terall was lying on the ground retching so violently that 

 I thought he must have broken a blood-vessel and died. 

 As usual, his disreputable nephew, who seemed, from his 

 unmitigated idleness and the invariably hideous blas 

 phemy of his language, to have come into the world for 

 no other purpose than to be a nuisance to all connected 

 with him, was seated at his side by way of an excuse to 

 do nothing, so I bade that young gentleman get up and 

 make himself useful. One of my men having found the 

 blacksmith and brought him to inspect the dog- waggon, 

 the following amusing conversation occurred : 



" Can you mend the spring of my waggon, which that 

 rascal of a coach-maker at Kansas city sent out in a dam 

 aged but disguised state, and make it fit for the journey 

 without delay ? " 



" Guess I can." 



