304 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



When my companion saw the chief, for such he proved 

 to be, he advanced toward him, held out his hand, and said, 

 " How !" and the salutation was promptly and, for an In- 

 dian, earnestly returned. Both then conversed together for 

 ten minutes or more in the IndH^ftanguage, the remainder 

 of the party being wondering spectators ; and when it was 

 over, my comrade gave the chief some tobacco, buckshot, 

 tea, coffee, and sugar. The others received a present of 

 tobacco, but nothing else, as the donor said he had not 

 food enough to last while we intended to be out. This 

 seemed to satisfy them, for, on going away, all said 

 " How !" to both of us, and a few moments later vanished 

 in the forest. 



I asked my companion who the Indians were, and how 

 he happened to know them so well; and he, in response, 

 told me the following story : 



" 'Bout twenty years ago I was trapping in the Blackfeet 

 country 'way north-east; and, as I wasn't doing much, I 

 concluded to go into the buffalo country and try my hand 

 a bit at shooting, in order to get food for the winter, and a 

 few hides to provide myself with tobacco and powder and 

 shot. While on my way there, I met the band of Injuns 

 commanded by this Jem you've seen; but he had some 

 other name then which I don't now recollect. He isn't a 

 real Bannock; and his band was then, and is now, made up 

 of renegades from several tribes ; and they never count for 

 much, as they won't stop on the reservation, and they ac- 

 knowledge no law but their own. Well, when I struck 

 their camp, I was so mighty hungry that I didn't care what 

 I did, and I'd have fought the whole of the tribe for a piece 

 of meat ; for I tell you a man doesn't care much for bullets 

 when he is starving and food is near. So I entered their 

 camp boldly. They were as surprised as Injuns can be 

 when they saw me riding down between their tepees, but 

 they made no effort to injure me, for Injuns always like 

 sand in a man, even if he is their foe; and none of the 

 Injuns were then overfond of the whites. 



" When I saw the chief's tent, which I knew by its size, 



