THE MULE DEER. 305 



I jumped off my mule and walked in. I found this Jem 

 and his whole family wives, children, and dogs inside. 

 The women, children, and dogs were all eating together, so 

 I knew he had finished his grub ; for the braves never eat 

 with the squaws and youngsters, and the only company 

 these have are their flea-eaten curs. When they saw me 

 they looked kind afraid, but they never said anything, nor 

 did I ; and walking toward a big iron pot, which they must 

 have stolen from the whites, I looked into it, and, finding it 

 full of meat, helped myself to some; and after I had stuffed 

 myself full for every person can help himself in an Injun 

 camp to any grub he sees there I lit my pipe and offered 

 a smoke to this ere Jem, who was lying down on a buffalo- 

 hide near the fire ; and he took it mighty quick, I tell you, 

 for I think he was out of tobacco. When he finished he 

 gave it back ; and knowing by his looks that he wished he 

 could have a few more puffs, I took out my pouch and gave 

 him half I had, and he grabbed it as quickly as a starving 

 man would a piece of venison. 



" Well, I stopped in camp that night, but not in any 

 tepee, as I had plenty of blankets of my own ; so I slept 

 under a tree. Next day I traded some powder and ball 

 for a large chunk of elk, and slinging this on rny saddle, I 

 marched out of camp without saying a word to anybody. 

 I travelled about five miles that day, and, seeing beaver 

 signs plenty, I concluded to try my luck there. I made :i 

 nice wickiup in a thicket of cotton-woods, and, after that 

 was built, I placed my traps in the creek until I got within 

 two miles, maybe, of the Injun camp; for I saw the Injuns 

 weren't working it, because, perhaps, they were after scalps, 

 not beavers." 



"Were you not afraid of being so near them when 

 alone?" said I. 



" No," was the answer, " because I knew they wouldn't 

 hurt me so long as I had made a friend of the chief; and 

 that he was a friend I guessed from the way in which he 

 took some matches from me. He didn't know what they 

 were, except that they would light when struck; and as 



