LIFE IN THE FAE WEST. 115 



body by its fall. At the same instant, a wreath of smoke 

 puffed from the bushes which concealed the trappers, and 

 the crack of La Bonte's rifle spoke the first word of reply 

 to the Indian challenge. A few feet behind the rock fell 

 the dead body of the Indian, rolling down the steep sides of 

 the canon, and only stopped by a bush at the very bottom, 

 within a few yards of the spot where Markhead lay con- 

 cealed in some high grass. 



That daring fellow instantly jumped from his cover, and 

 drawing his knife, rushed to the body, and in another mo- 

 ment held aloft the Indian's scalp, giving, at the same 

 time, a triumphant whoop. A score of rifles were levelled 

 and discharged at the intrepid mountaineer ; but in the act 

 many Indians incautiously exposed themselves, every rifle 

 in the timber cracked simultaneously, and for each report 

 an Indian bit the dust. 



Now, however, they changed their tactics. Finding they 

 were unable to drive the trappers from their position, they 

 retired from the mountain, and the firing suddenly ceased. 

 In their retreat they were forced to expose themselves, and 

 again the whites dealt destruction amongst them. As the 

 Indians retired, yelling loudly, the hunters thought they 

 had given up the contest ; but presently a cloud of smoke 

 rising from the bottom immediately below them, at once 

 discovered the nature of their plans. A brisk wind was 

 blowing up the canon ; and, favoured by it, they fired the 

 brush on the banks of the stream, knowing that before 

 this the hunters must speedily retreat. 



Against such a result, but for the gale of wind which 

 drove the fire roaring before it, they could have provided 

 for your mountaineer never fails to find resources on a 

 pinch. They would have fired the brush to leeward of 

 their position, and also carefully ignited that to windward, or 

 between them and the advancing flame, extinguishing it 

 immediately when a sufficient space had thus been cleared 

 over which the flame could not leap, and thus cutting 

 themselves off from it both above and below their position. 

 In the present instance they could not profit by such a 

 course, as the wind was so strong that, if once the bottom 



