84 ON THE FEONTIEE. 



every unfrequented water-hole, every clump of timber. 

 The Delaware chief's first aim was to strike the cold trail 

 of the main hunting-party of his enemies well behind them ; 

 to follow it rapidly up, ascertain through his scouts where 

 their camp was, its disposition and strength, where their 

 band of horses was being herded, and then make a night 

 attack. 



Night attacks are not at all in the ordinary course of 

 warfare between Indians of the Plains. Indeed, all the wild 

 Indians seem to have a great aversion to making one, while 

 it is quite out of my experience for any attack to be made 

 by North American savages, except when they have the ad- 

 vantage of overwhelming numbers. When they do attack 

 a camp their usual course is either to surround it towards 

 morning, leave their horses under guard, crawl up in the 

 grass as closely as possible, lie still until there is light enough 

 to aim by, and commence the action by a sudden volley ; or 

 to ride up in range of the place to be attacked, and circle 

 round and round it on horseback, keeping up a continual 

 discharge of arrows and rifles. 



It is probably as much from the complete want of dis- 

 cipline among the wild tribes, and their individual " own- 

 hook" style of fighting, inducing a consequent want of 

 confidence in their supports, as to their superstitious fears, 

 that make night attacks almost unknown amongst them. 

 But their very infrequency causes one, when properly 

 delivered and sustained, to be all the more demoralising 

 and effective ; and it was the only way in which a party of 

 two hundred could, with hope of victory, attack a camp 

 of perhaps as many tepees, Connor had not gone through 



