IN THE OLD WEST 215 



falo which fed close to the rock, suddenly saw them 

 raise their heads, snuff the air, and scamper to- 

 wards him. A few minutes afterwards, a huge 

 shapeless body loomed in the refracted air, ap- 

 proaching the spot where the buffalo had been 

 grazing. The hunters looked at it and then at 

 each other, and ejaculated "Wagh!" Presently 

 a long white mass showed more distinctly, followed 

 by another, and before each was a string of ani- 

 mals. 



" Wagons, by boss and beaver ! Hurrah for 

 Conestoga ! " exclaimed the trappers in a breath, 

 as they now observed two white-tilted wagons, 

 drawn by several pairs of mules, approaching the 

 very spot where they sat. Several mounted men 

 were riding about the wagons, and two on horse- 

 back, in advance of all, were approaching the rock, 

 when they observed the smoke curling from the 

 hunters' fire. They halted at sight of this ; and 

 one of the two, drawing a long instrument from a 

 case, which Killbuck voted a rifle, directed it to- 

 wards them for a moment, and then lowering it, 

 again moved forward. 



As they drew near, the two poor trappers, al- 

 though half-dead with joy, still retained their 

 seats with Indian gravity and immobility of fea- 

 ture, turning now and then the crackling snakes 

 which lay on the embers of the fire. The two 

 strangers approached. One, a man of some fifty 

 years of age, of middle height and stoutly built, 



