306 ON THE FRONTIER, 



of it ; on that point, the Indians had no advantage over us. 

 As, on their appearance and disappearance, the Indians 

 came out of or went into the fissures in the lava plain, 

 and were never seen going to or coming from the moun- 

 tains, it was evident their camps were in the lava beds. 

 Undoubtedly, however, they had watch parties posted on 

 the surrounding eminences, for not only would such a 

 precaution be according to their usual custom, but the 

 confident way the tuna harvesters straggled about showed 

 that they felt thoroughly secure; well they knew -their 

 spies could, by making the alarm-smoke, easily give notice 

 of approaching danger, and that the friendly labyrinths of 

 the lava fissures would enable all in the valley to evade and 

 escape pursuit. These outposts had been one source of 

 apprehension to us, but our discovery by one of the 

 numerous small parties of bucks who, to furnish food for the 

 daily consumption of the harvesters, were doubtless hunting 

 game in the mountains adjacent to the Indian camps, had 

 been our greatest danger. To avoid any such we had tra- 

 velled only by night, taken circuitous routes, and excepting 

 where obliged to traverse passes, kept off the regular trails. 

 We had also refrained from making any fires, worn mocca- 

 sins, toed in when walking, and had our animals unshod, 

 that should our sign be seen, the smallness of our numbers 

 forbidding the idea of our being a hostile war-party, we 

 should, in all probability, be taken for a band of friendly 

 Indian hunters, and consequently not followed ; while, as a 

 further precaution, we had made our trail as blind as pos- 

 sible, and broke it by travelling in streams whenever we 

 could do so. 



