IN THE OLD WEST 49 



owgh — owgh — g-h-h ! " "A foot, by gor ! " 

 shouted Killbuck, " and the old mule gone at that. 

 On 'em, boys, for old Kentuck ! " And he rushed 

 towards his mule, which jumped and snorted mad 

 with fright, as a naked Indian strove to fasten a 

 lariat round her nose, having already cut the rope 

 which fastened her to the picket-pin. 



" Quit that, you cussed devil ! " roared the trap- 

 per, as he jumped upon the savage, and, without 

 raising his rifle to his shoulder, made a deliberate 

 thrust with the muzzle at his naked breast, strik- 

 ing him full, and at the same time pulling the trig- 

 ger, actually driving the Indian two paces back- 

 wards with the shock, when he fell in a heap, and 

 dead. But at the same moment, an Indian, sweep- 

 ing his club round his head, brought it with fright- 

 ful force down upon Killbuck. For a moment the 

 hunter staggered, threw out his arms wildly into 

 the air, and fell headlong to the ground. 



" Owgh ! owgh, owgh-h-h ! " cried the Rapaho, 

 and, striding over the prostrate body, he seized 

 with his left hand the middle lock of the trapper's 

 long hair, and drew his knife round the head to sep- 

 arate the scalp from the skull. As he bent over to 

 his work, the trapper named La Bonte saw his 

 companion's peril, rushed quick as thought at the 

 Indian, and buried his knife to the hilt between 

 his shoulders. With a gasping shudder the 

 Rapaho fell dead upon the prostrate body of his 

 foe. 



