LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 79 



camp, where lie already espied one of his companions 

 engaged in cooking something over the fire. Hurrying to 

 the spot, overjoyed with the anticipations of a feast, he 

 observed that the squaws were gone ; but, at the same 

 time, thought it was not improbable they had escaped 

 during their absence. Approaching the fire, he observed 

 Forey broiling some meat on the embers, whilst at a 

 little distance lay what he fancied was the carcass of a 

 deer. 



" Hurrah, boy ! " he exclaimed, as he drew near the fire. 

 " You've ' made ' a ' raise,' I see." 



" Welly I have," rejoined the other, turning his meat 

 with the point of his butcher-knife. " There's the meat, 

 hos help yourself." 



La Bonte drew his knife from the scabbard, and ap- 

 proached the spot his companion was pointing to ; but 

 what was his horror to see the yet quivering body of one 

 of the Indian squaws, with a large portion of the flesh 

 butchered from it, part of which Forey was already greed- 

 ily devouring. The knife dropped from his hand, and his 

 heart rose to his throat. 



The next day he and his companion struck the creek 

 where Rube and the other trapper had agreed to await 

 them, and found them in camp with plenty of meat, and 

 about to start again on their hunt, having given up the 

 others for lost. From the day they parted, nothing was 

 ever heard of La Bonte' s other two companions, who doubt- 

 less fell a prey to utter exhaustion, and were unable to 

 return to the camp. And thus ended the Digger expedi- 

 tion. 



It may appear almost incredible that men having civil- 

 ised blood in their veins could perpetrate such wanton and 

 cold-blooded acts of aggression 6n the wretched Indians as 

 that detailed above ; but it is fact that the mountaineers 

 never lose an opportunity of slaughtering these miserable 

 Diggers, and attacking their villages, often for the purpose 

 of capturing women, whom they carry off, and not unfre- 

 quently sell to other tribes, or to each other. In these 

 attacks neither sex nor age is spared ; and your mountain- 



