28 LIFEINTHEFARWEST. 



stretched his every nerve. Without a movement of his body, his 

 keen eye fixed itself upon the mule, which noM^ stood v^^ith head 

 bent round, and eyes and ears pointed in one direction, snuffing the 

 night air, and snorting with apparent fear. A low sound from the 

 wakeful hunter roused the others from their sleep ; and raising 

 their bodies from their well-soaked beds, a single word apprized 

 them of their danger. 



" Injuns I" 



Scarcely was the word out of Killbuck's lips when, above the 

 howling of the furious wind, and the pattering of the rain, a hun- 

 dred savage yells broke suddenly upon their ears from all directions 

 round the camp ; a score of rifle-shots rattled from the thicket, and 

 a cloud of arrows whistled through the air, while a crowd of Indians 

 charged upon the picketed animals, " Owgh, owgh — owgh — 

 owgh — g-h-h." " Afoot, by gor I" shouted Killbuck, " and the old 

 mule gone at that. On 'em, boys, for old Kentuck I" And he 

 rushed toward 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 I" roared the trapper, 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, striking 

 him full, and at the same time pulling the trigger, actually driving 

 the Indian two paces backward with the shock, when he fell in a 

 heap, and dead. But at the same moment, an Indian, sweeping 

 his club round his head, brought it with fatal 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 separate the scalp from the skull. As he bent over to his work, 

 the trapper named La Bonte saw his companion's peril, rushed 



