THE MULE DEER. 305 



I jumped off my mule and walked in. I found this Jem 

 and his whole family — wives, children, and dogs — inside. 

 The women, children, and dogs were all eating together, so 

 I knew he had finished his grub ; for the braves never eat 

 with the squaws and youngsters, and the only company 

 these have are their flea-eaten curs. When they saw me 

 they looked kind afraid, but they never said anything, nor 

 did I; and walking toward a big iron pot, which they must 

 have stolen from the whites, I looked into it, and, finding it 

 full of meat, helped myself to some ; and after I had stuffed 

 myself full — for every person can help himself in an Injun 

 camp to any grub he sees there — I lit my pipe and offered 

 a smoke to this ere Jem, who was lying down on a buffalo- 

 hide near the fire ; and he took it mighty quick, I tell you, 

 for I think he was out of tobacco. When he finished he 

 gave it back; and knowing by his looks that he wished he 

 could have a few more puffs, I took out my pouch and gave 

 him half I had, and he grabbed it as quickly as a starving 

 man would a piece of venison. 



"Well, I stopped in camp that night, but not in any 

 tepee, as I had plenty of blankets of my own ; so I slept 

 under a tree. Next day I traded some powder and ball 

 for a large chunk of elk, and slinging this on my saddle, I 

 marched out of camp without saying a word to anybody. 

 I travelled about five miles that day, and, seeing beaver 

 signs plenty, I concluded to try my luck there. I made a 

 nice wickiup in a thicket of cotton-woods, and, after that 

 was built, I placed my traps in the creek until I got within 

 two miles, maybe, of the Injun camp ; for I saw the Injuns 

 weren't working it, because, perhaps, they were after scalps, 

 not beavers." 



"Were you not afraid of being so near them when 

 alone ?" said I. 



"No," was the answer, "because I knew they wouldn't 

 hurt me so long as I had made a friend of the chief; and 

 that he was a friend I guessed from the way in which he 

 took some matches from me. He didn't know what they 

 were, except that they would light when struck; and as 



