320 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



do. They expect to meet this fate, and do not grumble 

 at it ; as they say they acted toward their forefathers in 

 the same manner, and they cannot expect any different 

 treatment. 



On seeing their condition, I built a rousing fire for them, 

 left wood within their reach, and soon brought them in a 

 young wolf, which I cut up and left near them, so that they 

 might not be compelled to make any efforts to obtain it. 

 After this I returned to camp ; and I had scarcely done so 

 ere a violent storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, 

 burst forth with the greatest fury. The rain seemed to 

 come down in black lines through a yellowish atmosphere ; 

 the lightning darted like flashes of electric light across the 

 sky; and the mountains seemed to fairly vibrate beneath 

 the shocks of thunder that growled, spluttered, and roared 

 without much intermission nearly all night long. When I 

 awoke the next morning, the air was so clear and bracing 

 that I concluded to have a walk before breakfast ; but, on 

 emerging from my tent, I was surprised to see volumes 

 of dense smoke hanging over a portion of the mountain 

 in the direction of the Indian camp, and to note the oc- 

 casional appearance of a tongue of lurid light, as it shot 

 skyward. 



I realized the situation at once; and as the flames ap- 

 peared to be approaching my position, I struck tent in the 

 promptest manner, and then awaited the arrival of my com- 

 panion most anxiously, for I was very much afraid that, if 

 he did not hasten, the trophies of the week would be lost 

 to us. He did not disappoint me, as he arrived at an early 

 hour; and after placing the teams and venison in a place 

 of safety, we tried to enter the forest in the direction of 

 the Indian camp, to see if we co,uld rescue the poor creat- 

 ures who had been left there ; but we found all our efforts 

 unavailing, owing to the density of the smoke, which blind- 

 ed and partially suffocated us, and the terror of our horses, 

 which nothing could induce to charge through the black 

 clouds. Finding we could do nothing further, we wheeled 

 about and rode back to our cache, but not a moment too 



