LIFE IX THE FAR WEST. 19 



the buffalo in the winter season, and which, and for this 

 reason, is often frequented by the Yuta Indians as their 

 wintering ground. That the Eapahos were on a war 

 expedition against the Yutas, there was little doubt ; and 

 Killbuck, who knew every inch of the ground, saw at 

 once, by the direction the trail had taken, that they were 

 making for the Bayou in order to surprise their enemies, 

 and, therefore, were not following the usual Indian trail 

 up the canon of the Boiling Spring river. Having made 

 up his mind to this, he at once struck across the broken 

 ground lying at the foot of the mountains, steering a 

 course a little to the eastward of north, or almost in the 

 direction whence he had come ; and then, pointing west- 

 ward, about noon he crossed a mountain-chain, and de- 

 scending into a ravine through which a little rivulet 

 tumbled over its rocky bed, he at once proved the correct- 

 ness of his judgment by striking the Indian trail, now 

 quite fresh, as it wound through the canon along the bank 

 of the stream. The route he had followed, impracticable 

 to pack-animals, had saved at least half-a-day's journey, 

 and brought them within a short distance of the object of 

 their pursuit ; for, at the head of the gorge, a lofty bluff 

 presenting itself, the hunters ascended to the summit, and, 

 looking down, descried at their very feet the Indian camp, 

 with their own stolen cavallada feeding quietly round. 



" Wagh ! " exclaimed both the hunters in a breath. 

 " And thar's the old gal at that," chuckled Killbuck, as 

 he recognised his old grizzled mule making good play at the 

 rich buffalo grass with which these mountain valleys abound. 



" If we don't make * a raise ' afore long, I wouldn't say 

 so. Thar plans is plain to this child as beaver sign. 

 They're after Yuta hair, as certain as this gun has got 

 hind-sights ; but they arn't a-goin' to pack them animals 

 after 'em, and have crawled like ' rattlers ' along this bot- 

 tom to c&che 'em till they come back from the Bayou, 

 and maybe they'll leave half-a-dozen soldiers* with 'em." 



How right the wily trapper was in his conjectures will 



* The young untried warriors of the Indians are thus called. 



