LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 17 



of a light cloud which hung over Pike's Peak, the sky was 

 spotless ; and a perfect calm had succeeded the boisterous 

 storm of the previous night. The creek was swollen and 

 turbid with the rains ; and as La Bonte proceeded a little 

 distance down the bank to find a passage to the water, he 

 suddenly stopped short, and an involuntary cry escaped 

 him. Within a few feet of the bank lay the body of one 

 of his companions, who had formed the guard at the time 

 of the Indians' attack. It was lying on the face, pierced 

 through the chest with an arrow which was buried to the 

 very feathers, and the scalp torn from the bloody skull. 

 Beyond, but all within a hundred yards, lay the three 

 others, dead, and similarly mutilated. So certain had 

 been the aim, and so close the enemy, that each had died 

 without a struggle, and consequently had been unable to 

 alarm the camp. La Bonte, with a glance at the bank, saw 

 at once that the wily Indians had crept along the creek, 

 the noise of the storm facilitating their approach undis- 

 covered, and, crawling up the bank, had watched their 

 opportunity to shoot simultaneously the four hunters on 

 guard. 



Returning to Killbuck, he apprised him of the melan- 

 choly fate of their companions, and held a council of war 

 as to their proceedings. The old hunter's mind was soon 

 made up. " First," said he, " I get back my old mule ; 

 she's carried me and my traps these twelve years, and I 

 ain't a-goin' to lose her yet. Second, I feel like taking 

 hair, and some Rapahos has to ' go under ' for this night's 

 work. Third, we have got to cache the beaver. Fourth, 

 we take the Injun trail, wharever it leads." 



No more daring mountaineer than La Bonte ever trapped 

 a beaver, and no counsel could have more exactly tallied 

 with his own inclination than the law laid down by old 

 Killbuck. 



"Agreed," was his answer, and forthwith he set about 

 forming a cache. In this instance they had not sufficient 

 time to construct a regular one, so they contented them- 

 selves with securing their packs of beaver in buffalo robes, 

 and tying them in the forks of several cotton-woods, under 

 B 



