THE MULE DEER. 303 



ceous retreat, we saw ten armed braves boldly advancing 

 toward our mustangs as if about to seize them. My com- 

 panion, who was as cool in his demeanor as if he were in 

 his own house, said he would be hanged if some of them 

 would not pay dearly before he left them if they touched 

 his animals. 



"We can wipe 'em out in two minutes with our "Win- 

 chesters," said he; "and if there are any more of 'em, we 

 can mount and make a run for it, as I don't feel inclined to 

 try my legs in running over these mountains from a pack 

 of redskins ; but if there ain't any more, we have the field 

 to ourselves." 



Before they reached the horses, however, another figure 

 appeared on the scene, not twenty yards away from us. He 

 was a stout, medium -sized man, about fifty years of age, 

 and was dressed in a glaring scarlet blanket, leggings of 

 the same material, and a hare -skin cap covered his head. 

 He was evidently a personage of importance, for he walked 

 with a certain air that indicated he was a chief, or at least 

 a sub -chief. My companion, who was waiting for some 

 overt act to be done before commencing the battle, scanned 

 him closely, and, after a scrutiny of a few seconds, said, 

 " Why, I know that old buck well ; that's Bannock Jem ; 

 and I think he ought to know me. I've made a fool of 

 myself this time, anyway. Let's get out of here at once; 

 but we mustn't go the front way, as they might think wo 

 were afraid, and were hiding from them ; and we don't 

 want any Injuns to think that." 



We therefore retreated for some distance, then struck to 

 the right, and approached the camp in a roundabout way, 

 to lead our visitors to infer that we had been out hunting, 

 yet we took excellent care to have our rifles ready for in- 

 stant use. When we reached our head-quarters, we saw 

 some of the Indians unloosening our packs of provisions, 

 and helping themselves to some of them ; but, on seeing 

 us, they stopped their work immediately, and looked at 

 us with an air in which there was not a little fear and 

 suspicion. 



