284 SFORTINQ ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



principle with a warrior is, that a white man retreats on 

 the same line that he advanced; so his first move is to 

 block that route, and depend on a surround, and the de- 

 moralizing effect of yells and charges, to win a victory. 

 Most of our men had little fear of our foes in anything like 

 equal numbers, for they were used to a rough-and-ready 

 life among a fighting people with whom a word too often 

 meant death. 



While we were conversing together, another member of 

 the expedition rode up; and he being made acquainted 

 with the condition of affairs, we resolved to summon our 

 party together at once, and fight the Indians in the copse, 

 and, if we defeated them, to dash for the mountains and 

 reach the settlements if possible. The Indians felt so sure 

 of us that they were in no hurry to open the battle ; and 

 we wished them to infer that their presence was not 

 known, for fear of forcing the issue before we were ready. 

 We decided, accordingly, that we should chase an antelope 

 in the direction where our spare horses were held, and 

 there hold a council of war. Acting on this idea, we tore 

 away from the eopse at our best pace ; and meeting hun- 

 dreds, I might say thousands, of antelopes on our way, we 

 pretended to pursue them, but we took excellent care that 

 those we followed went in the direction we wished to go. 

 A run of two miles brought us to where our extra horses 

 were held; and pretending that we had done something 

 extraordinary, which pretension we made manifest by firing 

 our rifles and revolvers, we shouted in our most stentorian 

 tones " hoo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-oo-ah," as if we were overjoyed 

 at an unusual piece of success. 



I was sent out on the plain to fire my revolver in rapid 

 succession, in order to attract the attention of the remain- 

 der of our company, while our veteran leader rode in an- 

 other direction to watch the manoeuvres of the Indians. 

 Our signal was successful, and in less than ten minutes the 

 whole of our party was assembled. I had, in the mean 

 time, saddled a fresh and my best horse, and felt so thor- 

 oughly confident of outrunning any Indian that I was al- 



