8 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 



the critturs turn back their heads and jump right away 

 from me. ' Hurraw, Dick ! ' I shouts, ' hyar's brown-skin 

 acomin', and off I makes for the mule. The young green- 

 horn sees the goats runnin' up to him, and not being up to 

 Injun ways, blazes at the first and knocks him over. Jest 

 then seven darned red heads top the bluff, and seven Paw- 

 nees come a-screechin' upon us. I cuts the hobbles and 

 jumps on the mule, and, when I looks back, there was 

 Dick Somes ramming a ball down his gun like mad, and 

 the Injuns flinging their arrows at him pretty smart, I tell 

 you. -'Hurraw, Dick, mind your hair,' and I ups old 

 Greaser and let one Injun ' have it,' as was going plum into 

 the boy with his lance. He turned on his back handsome, 

 and Dick gets the ball down at last, blazes away, and drops 

 another. Then we charged on 'em, and they clears off like 

 runnin' cows ; and I takes the hair off the heads of the two 

 we made meat of; and I do b'lieve thar's some of them 

 scalps on my old leggings yet.' 



" Well, Dick was as full of arrows as a porkypine ; one 

 was sticking right through his cheek, one in his meat-bag, 

 and two more 'bout his hump-ribs. I tuk 'em all out slick, 

 and away we go to camp (for they was jost a-campin' 

 when we went ahead), and carryin' the goat too. Thar was 

 a hurroo when we rode in with the scalps at the end of our 

 guns. ' Injuns ! Injuns ! ' was the cry from the greenhorns; 

 ' we'll be 'tacked to-night, that's certain.' 



" ' 'Tacked be ,' says old Bill ; * ain't we men too, 



and white at that ? Look to your guns, boys ; send out a 

 strong hos' -guard with the animals, and keep your eyes 

 skinned.' 



" Well, as soon as the animals were unhitched from the 

 waggons, the guvner sends out a strong guard, seven boys, 

 and old hands at that. It was pretty nigh upon sundown, 

 and Bill had just sung out to 'corral.' The boys were 

 driviii' in the animals, and we were all standing round to 

 get 'em in slick, when, ' howgh-owgh-owgh-owgh,' we hears 

 right behind the bluff, and 'bout a minute and a perfect 

 crowd of Injuns gallops down upon the animals. Wagh ! 

 warn't thar hoopin' ! We jump for the guns, but before 



