138 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



head, as easily as he would have twirled a tomahawk, he 

 threw him with tremendous force upon the ground at the 

 feet of one of his companions, who, stooping down, coolly 

 thrust the knife into the Indian's breast, and quickly tore 

 off his scalp. 



The slaughter over, without casting an eye to the captive 

 squaws, the trappers proceeded to search the village for food, 

 of which they stood much in need. Nothing, however, was 

 found but a few bags of dried ants, which, after eating vora- 

 ciously of, but with wry mouths, they threw aside, saying 

 the food was worse than " poor bull." They found, however, 

 the animals they had been robbed of, and two more besides 

 wretched, half-starved creatures ; and on these mounting their 

 captives, they hurried away on their journey back to their 

 companions, the distance being computed at three days' travel 

 from their present position. However, they thought, by 

 taking a more direct course, they might find better pasture 

 for their animals, and water, besides saving at least half a 

 day by the short cut. To their cost they proved the old 

 saying, that " a short cut is always a long road," as will be 

 presently shown. 



It has been said that from the southwestern extremity of 

 the Great Salt Lake, a vast desert extends for hundreds of 

 miles, unbroken by the slightest vegetation, destitute of game 

 and water, a cheerless expanse of sandy plain, or rugged 

 mountain, thinly covered with dwarf pine or cedar, the only 

 evidence of vegetable life. Into this desert, ignorant of the 

 country, the trappers struck, intending to make their short 

 cut ; and, travelling on all day, .were compelled to camp at 

 night, without water or pasture for their exhausted animals 

 "gave out," and they were fain to leave them behind; but 

 imagining that they must soon strike a creek, they pushed on, 

 till noon, but still no water presented itself, nor a sign of 

 game of any description. The animals were nearly exhausted 

 and a horse, which could scarcely keep up with the slow pace 



