176 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



had thrown down two sacks of flour across the 

 doorway, and was lying down behind them, with 

 his finger pressing the trigger of a sixteen-shooter 

 repeating rifle when we burst out of the bush and 

 revealed ourselves just in time. The consequences 

 might have been serious, if not they would have 

 been comical, for if he had fired we should have 

 taken him for Indians, and should have got into 

 cover and returned the fire ; and our friends, 

 hearing an unusual amount of shooting close to 

 the camp, would have come to our assistance, 

 and a little battle all about nothing would have 

 ensued. 



We enjoyed pretty fair sport during this hunt, 

 and got a good many deer and two sheep, but the 

 latter were small young rams, and it was not until 

 I had killed a large specimen some time later that 

 I quite forgave the " cut off " band of Sioux for 

 disturbing us in the bluffs. 



Indians are a great nuisance, more especially the 

 Sioux, who roam over the whole breadth of the 

 interior of the continent as far west as the Rocky 

 Mountains, and eastward to the territories of their 

 hereditary enemies, the Chippewas. How these 

 two tribes can ever have fought together much I 

 don't know, for a Sioux is entirely out of his element 



