LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 133 



camp, but they proceeded daring the greater part of the night 

 at as rapid a rate as possible ; their progress, however, beino- 

 greatly retarded as they advanced into the mountain, their route 

 lying up stream. Toward morning they halted for a brief space, 

 but started again as soon as daylight permitted them to see their 

 way over the broken ground. 



The creek now forced its way through a narrow canon, the 

 banks being thickly clothed with a shrubbery of cotton-wood and 

 quaking ash. The mountain rose on each side, but not abruptly, 

 being here and there broken into plateaus and shelving prairies. 

 In a very thick bottom, sprinkled with coarse grass, they halted 

 about noon, and removed the saddles and packs from their wearied 

 animals, picketing them in the best spots of grass. 



La Bonte and Killbuck, after securing their animals, left the 

 camp to hunt, for they had no provisions of any kind ; and a short 

 distance beyond it, the former came suddenly upon a recent moc- 

 casin track in the timber. After examining it for a moment, 

 he raised his head with a broad grin, and turning to his compan- 

 ion, pointed into the cover, where, in the thickest part, they dis- 

 cerned the well known figure of old Bill's horse browsing upon 

 the cherry bushes. Pushing through the thicket in search of the 

 brute's master,- La Bonte suddenly stopped short as the muzzle of 

 a rifle-barrel gaped before his eyes at the distance of a few inches, 

 while the thin voice of Bill muttered — 



" Do 'ee hyar now, I was nigh giving 'ee h — : I ivas now. If 

 I didn't, think 'ee was Blackfoot, I'm dogged now." And not a 

 little indignant was the old fellow that his cache had been so easi- 

 ly, though accidentally, discovered. However, he presently made 

 his appearance in camp, leading his animals, and once more joined 

 his late companions, not deigning to give any explanation as to 

 why or wherefore he had deserted them the day before, merely 

 muttering, "Do 'ee hyar now, thar's trouble comin.' " 



The two hunters returned after sundown with a black-tailed 



