LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 133 



down to sleep, the others, with rifles in their hands, 

 remaining prepared for any emergency. This day they 

 had killed one of their two pack-mules for food, game not 

 having been met with for several days ; but the animal 

 was so poor that it scarcely afforded more than one toler- 

 able meal to the whole party. 



A short time before the dawn of day an alarm was 

 given ; the animals were heard to snort violently ; a loud 

 shout was heard, followed by the sharp crack of a rifle, 

 and the tramp of galloping horses plainly showed that a 

 stampede had been effected. The whites instantly sprang 

 to their arms, and rushed in the direction of the sounds. 

 The body of the cavallada, however, had luckily turned, 

 and, being headed by the mountaineers, were surrounded 

 and secured, with the loss of only three, which had pro- 

 bably been mounted by the Indians. 



Day breaking soon after, one of their band was discov- 

 ered to be missing ; and it was then found that a man who 

 had been standing horse-guard at the time of the attack, 

 had not come into camp with his companions. At that 

 moment a thin spiral column of smoke was seen to rise 

 from the banks of the creek, telling but too surely the fate 

 of the missing mountaineer. It was the signal of the In- 

 dians to their people that a coup had been struck, and that 

 an enemy's scalp remained in their triumphant hands. 



" H ! " exclaimed the trappers in a breath ; and 



soon imprecations and threats of revenge, loud and deep, 

 were showered upon the heads of the treacherous Indians. 

 Some of the party rushed to the spot where the guard had 

 stood, and there lay the body of their comrade, pierced with 

 lance and arrow, the scalp gone, and the body otherwise 

 mutilated in a barbarous manner. Five were quickly in 

 the saddle, mounted upon the strongest horses, and flying 

 along the track of the Indians, who had made off towards 

 the mountains with their prize and booty. We will not 

 follow them in their work of bloody vengeance, save by 

 saying that they followed the savages to their village, into 

 which they charged headlong, recovered their stolen horses, 

 and returned to camp at sundown with thirteen scalps 



