90 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



to wait for them. Drawing their pistols, they charged at 

 once ; and although the bows twanged, and the three arrows 

 struck their mark, on they rushed, discharging their pistols 

 at close quarters. La Bonte threw his empty one at the head 

 of an Indian, who was pulling his second arrow to its head, 

 at a yard's distance, drew his knife at the same moment, and 

 made at him. 



But the Indian broke and ran, followed by his surviving 

 companion ; and as soon as Killbuck could ram home another 

 ball, he sent a shot flying after them as they scrambled up 

 the mountain side, leaving in their fright and hurry their 

 bows and shields on the ground. 



The fight was over, and the two trappers confronted each 

 other " We've given 'em h !" laughed Killbuck. 



" Well, we have," answered the other, pulling an arrow 

 out of his arm " Wagh !" 



" We'll lift the hair any how," continued the first, " afore 

 the scalp's cold." 



Taking his whetstone from the little sheath on his knife- 

 belt, the trapper proceeded to "edge" his knife, and then 

 stepping to the prostrate body, he turned it over to examine 

 if any symptoms of vitality remained. " Thrown cold !" he 

 exclaimed, as he dropped the lifeless arm he had lifted. " I 

 sighted him about the long ribs, but the light was bad, and I 

 couldn't get a 'bead' i off hand' any how." 



Seizing with his left hand the long and braided lock on the 

 centre of the Indian's head, as he passed the pointed edge of 

 a keen butcher-knife round the parting, turning it at the same 

 time under the skin to separate the scalp from the skull ; 

 then with a quick and sudden jerk of his hand, he removed it 

 entirely from the head, and giving the reeking trophy a 

 wring upon the grass to free it from the blood, he coolly 

 hitched it under his belt, and proceeded to the next ; but see- 

 ing La Bonte operating upon this, he sought the third, who 

 lay at some little distance from the others. This one was 



