IN THE OLD WEST 37 



" Well, we did. Some of 'em got their flints 

 fixed this side of Pawnee Fork, and a heap of 

 mule-meat went wolfing. Just by Little Arkansa 

 we saw the first Injun. Me and young Somes 

 was ahead for meat, and I had hobbled the old 

 mule and was approaching some goats,* when I 

 see the critturs turn back their heads and jump 

 right away from me. * Hurra w, Dick 1 ' I shouts, 

 ' hyar's brown-skin acomin', and off I makes for 

 the mule. ^ The young greenhorn sees the goats 

 runnin' up to him, and not being up to Injun ways, 

 blazes at the first and knocks him over. Jest 

 then seven darned red heads top the bluff, and 

 seven Pawnees come a-screechin' upon us. I cuts 

 the hobbles and jumps on the mule, and, when I 

 looks back, there was Dick Somes ramming a ball 

 down his gun like mad, and the Injuns flinging 

 their arrows at him pretty smart, I tell you. 

 * Hurraw, Dick, mind your hair,' and I ups old 

 Greaser and let one Injun ' have it,' as was going 

 plum into the boy with his lance. He turned on 

 his back handsome, and Dick gets the ball down 

 at last, blazes away, and drops another. Then 

 we charged on 'em, and they clears off like runnin' 

 cows ; and I takes the hair off the heads of the two 

 we made meat of; and I do b'lieve thar's some of 

 them scalps on my old leggings yet. 



** Well, Dick was as full of arrows as a porky- 



* Antelope are frequently called " goats " by the moun- 

 taineers. 



