LIFE IX THE FAR WEST. 7 



when I went to that camp to see the boys afore they put 

 out ; and you know, Bill, as I sat to ' Euker ' and ' sevei. 

 up ' * till every cent was gone. 



" ' Take back twenty, old coon,' says Big John. 



" ' H 's full of such takes back,' says I ; and I puts back 

 to town and fetches the rifle and the old mule, puts my 

 traps into the sack, gets credit for a couple of pounds of 

 powder at Owin's store, and hyar 1 ar on Bijou, with half a 

 pack of beaver, and running meat yet, old hos ; so put a 

 log on, and let's have a smoke. 



" Hurra w, Jake, old coon, bear a hand, and let the squaw 

 put them tails in the pot ; for sun's down, and we'll have 

 to put out pretty early to reach ' Black Tail ' by this time 

 to-morrow. Who's fust guard, boys ? them cussed Eapahos 

 will be after the animals to-night, or I'm no judge of Injun 

 sign. How many did you see, Maurice ?" 



"Enfant de Garce, me see bout honderd, when I pass 

 Squirrel Creek, one dam water-party, parceque they no 

 hosses, and have de lariats for steal des animaux. Maybe 

 de Yutas in Bayou Salade." 



" We'll be having trouble to-night, I'm thinking, if the 

 devils are about. Whose band was it, Maurice ?" 



" Slim-Face I see him ver close is out ; mais I think 

 it White Wolf's." 



" White Wolf, maybe, will lose his hair if he and his 

 band knock round here too often. That Injun put me 

 afoot when we was out on 'Sandy' that fall. This niggur 

 owes him one, anyhow." 



" H 's full of White Wolves : go ahead, and roll out 

 some of your doins across the plains that time." 



"You seed sights that spree, eh, boy ?" 



" Well, we did. Some of 'em got their flints fixed this 

 side of Pawnee Fork, and a heap of mule-meat went wolfing. 

 Just by Little Arkansa we saw the first Injun. Me and 

 young Somes was ahead for meat, and I had hobbled the 

 old mule and was ' approaching ' some goats,f when I see 



* " Euker," " poker," and "seven up," are the fashionable games 

 of cards, 

 t Antelope are frequently called " goats " by the mountaineers. 



