176 SPOUTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



sponse to her query why ho had asked such a question, he 

 said that it was mere idle curiosity, as he had seen a party 

 of them on his way back, and he did not know but they 

 might be out on a horse-stealing expedition and pay his 

 ranch a visit. Having lulled her suspicion by his coolness, 

 he went to the stable and hitched two bell-mares and six 

 stout mules to his wagon, and in this he placed a quantity 

 of bed-clothing and some wearing apparel. When this was 

 done, he told his wife that he was somewhat afraid that 

 the red demons might visit the valley during the night or 

 the following day, and he thought it best to take the fami- 

 ly to a place of safety for fear of any accident occurring to 

 them. 



The wife, suspecting that something was amiss, did not 

 utter a word ; and at his request she wrapped the young- 

 er children as warmly as possible, and, placing them with 

 the elder and a quantity of meat, bread, and flour in the 

 wagon, she took her seat beside the eldest boy and drove 

 the team herself, while we, armed to the teeth, rode on 

 ahead on fresh horses to reconnoitre the route and look 

 for Indian signs. After travelling about two miles in the 

 direction of the mining village, we came upon the tracks 

 of unshodden horses ; and, after scanning them carefully, 

 we decided that they were produced by four Indian mus- 

 tangs which had come from the direction of the camp we 

 had visited in the afternoon, and were going toward the 

 north-eastern portion of the valley, where there were sev- 

 eral settlers engaged in stock-raising. We deduced from 

 this that the animals were ridden by four braves who 

 were probably out on a reconnoissance to see if the pres- 

 ence of their tribe in the vicinity was known, and what op- 

 portunities were offered for making a raid on the settle- 

 ment. The smallness of the party was evidently intended 

 to allay suspicion; for the stock -raisers who have been 

 harassed by the sudden attacks of the red men fly to arms 

 on seeing them in any numbers, or finding the tracks of 

 their shoeless ponies on the ground. Being assured of 

 their purpose, we made a detour to the right and called 



