IN THE OLD WEST 297 



Yutah, Piyutah, or Yamhareek their trail's as 

 plain as writin', old hoss, to you." 



" Wagh ! " grunted Killbuck, blushing bronze at 

 all these compliments. 



" Your sight ain't bad. Elks is elk ; black-tailed 

 deer ain't white-tails ; and b'ar is b'ar to you, and 

 nothin' else, a long mile off and more." 



"Wa-agh!" 



" Thar ain't a track as leaves its mark upon the 

 plains or mountains but you can read off-hand; 

 that I've see'd myself. But tell me, old hoss, can 

 you make understand the sign as shows itself in a 

 woman's breast? " 



Killbuck removed the pipe from his mouth, raised 

 his head, and puffed a rolling cloud of smoke into 

 the air, knocked the ashes from the bowl, like- 

 wise made his medicine and answered thus : 



" From Red River, away up north among the 

 Britishers, to Heely (Gila) in the Spanish country 

 from old Missoura to the Sea of Californy, I've 

 trapped and hunted. I knows the Injuns and 

 thar sign, and they knows me, I'm thinkin'. Thirty 

 winters has snowed on me in these hyar mountains, 

 and a nigger or a Spaniard * would larn some in 

 that time. This old tool " (tapping his rifle) 

 " shoots center, she does ; and if thar's game afoot, 

 this child knows bull from cow, and ought to could. 

 That deer is deer, and goats is goats, is plain as 



* Always alluding to Mexicans, who are invariably called 

 Spaniards by the Western Americans. 



