74 THE ADVENTURES OF 



*'I can ; but I am tired of going after 

 Indians under officers that won't let us hurt 

 them, when we do go." 



''Just try me once." 



"Well, if you will promise to take no pris- 

 oners I will go, but if you want to take 

 prisoners, count me out." 



The Captain laughed and said ''all right." 

 He then ordered the men to mount. The 

 word was soon given and we started, and 

 within four hours were at the place where I 

 saw the red skins. They were gone, but their 

 camp bore evidence of having been deserted 

 only an hour or so before. The trail showed 

 that they had gone down the bed of the Paw- 

 nee River. The sun was then about two 

 hours high, and we might easily have made 

 ten or twelve more miles before dark, but the 

 captain after looking around a few moments 

 said, ''Well, we will camp here to-night," 

 which was equivalent to saying, ''Well, we 

 will give them a good chance to get away." 



It was ten o'clock the next morning before 

 we were ready to start. Then the captain 



