32 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 



on a war expedition against the Yutas, there was Httle doubt ; 

 and Kill buck, who knew eveiy inch of the ground, saw at once, 

 by the direction the trail had taken, that they were making for 

 the Bayou in order to surprise their enemies, and, therefore, were 

 not following the usual Indian trail up the caiion of the Boiling 

 Spring River. Having made up his mind to this, he at once 

 struck across the broken ground lying at the foot of the mountains, 

 steering a course a little to the eastward of north, or almost in the 

 direction whence he had come : and then, pointing westward, 

 about noon he crossed a mountain chain, and descending into a 

 ravine through which a little rivulet tumbled over its rocky bed, 

 he at once proved the correctness of his judgment by striking the 

 Indian trail, now quite fresh, as it wound through the canon along 

 the bank of the stream. The route he had followed, impracticable 

 to pack-animals, had saved at least half a day's journey, and brought 

 them within a short distance of the object of their pursuit ; for, 

 at the head of the gorge, a lofty bluff presenting itself, the hunters 

 ascended to the summit, and, looking down, descried at their very 

 feet the Indian camp, with their own stolen cavallada feeding 

 quietly round. 



"Wagh!" exclaimed both the hunters in a breath. "And 

 thar's the old gal at that," chuckled Killbuck, as he recognized 

 his old grizzled mule making good play at the rich buffalo grass 

 with which these mountain valleys abound. 



" If we don't make ' a raise' afore long, I wouldn't say so. 

 Thar plans is plain to this child as beaver sign. They're after 

 Yuta hair, as certain as this gun has got hind-sights ; but they 

 arn't a-goin' to pack them animals after 'em, and have crawled 

 lil^e ' rattlers' along this bottom to cache 'em till they come back 

 from the Bayou — and maybe they'll leave half a dozen ' soldiers'* 

 with 'em." 



* The young untried warriors of the Indians are thits called. 



