123 



dozen rifles rang from the assailed, and two Indians fell dead, 

 one or two more being wounded. As yet, not one of the 

 whites had been touched, but several of the animals had re- 

 ceived wounds from the enemies' fire of balls and arrows. 

 Indeed, the Indians remained at too great a distance to render 

 the volleys from their crazy fusees any thing like effectual, 

 and had to raise their pieces considerably to make their 

 bullets reach as far as the camp. After three of their band 

 had been killed outright, and many more wounded, their fire 

 began to slacken, and they drew off to a greater distance, 

 evidently resolved to beat a retreat. Retiring to the bluff, 

 they discharged their pieces in a last volley, mounted their 

 horses and galloped off, carrying their wounded with them. 

 This last volley, however, although intended as a mere bra- 

 vado, unfortunately proved fatal to one of the whites. Gon- 

 neville, at the moment, was standing on a pack to get an un- 

 interrupted sight for a last shot, when one of the random 

 bullets struck him in the breast. La Bonte caught him in 

 his arms as he was about to fall, and laying the wounded 

 trapper gently on the ground, stripped him of his buckskin 

 hunting-frock, to examine the wound. A glance was suffi- 

 cient to convince his companions that the blow was mortal. 

 The ball had passed through the lungs : and in a few mo- 

 ments the throat of the wounded man swelled and turned to 

 a livid blue color, as the choking blood descended. Only a 

 few drops of purple blood trickled from the wound a fatal 

 sign and the eyes of the mountaineer were already glazing 

 with death's icy touch. His hand still grasped the barrel of 

 of his rifle, which had done good service in the fray. Anon 

 he essayed to speak, but, choked with blood, only a few inar- 

 ticulate words reached the ears of his companions, as they 

 bent over him. 



" Rubbed out at last," they heard him say, the words 

 gurgling in his blood-filled throat ; and opening his eyes once 

 more, and turning them upward for a last look at the bright 



