52 IN THE OLD WEST 



he, " I get back my old mule ; she's carried me and 

 my traps these twelve j^ears, and I ain't a-goin' to 

 lose her yet. Second, I feel like taking hair, and 

 some Rapahos has to go under for this night's 

 work. Third, we have got to cache the beaver. 

 Fourth, we take the Injun trail, wharever it 

 leads." 



No more daring mountaineer than La Bonte 

 ever trapped a beaver, and no counsel could have 

 more exactly tallied with his own inclination than 

 the law laid down by old Killbuck. 



" Agreed," was his answer, and forthwith he set 

 about forming a cache. In this instance they had 

 not sufficient time to construct a regular one, so 

 they contented themselves with securing their 

 packs of beaver in buffalo robes, and tying them 

 in the forks of several cotton-woods, under which 

 the camp had been made. This done, they lit a 

 fire, and cooked some buffalo-meat ; and, whilst 

 smoking a pipe, carefully cleaned their rifles, and 

 filled their horns and pouches with good store of 

 ammunition. 



A prominent feature in the character of the 

 hunters of the Far West is their quick determina- 

 tion and resolve in cases of extreme difficulty and 

 peril, and their fixedness of purpose, when any 

 plan of operations has been laid requiring bold 

 and instant action in carrying out. It is here 

 that they so infinitely surpass the savage Indian 

 in bringing to a successful issue their numerous 



