200 Life of a Fossil Hunter 



them as hostages for the good behavior of their 

 braves. When the latter asked the commander to 

 release their families, the answer was given that if 

 they would capture Egan and deliver him up to the 

 authorities, they would not only get back their wives 

 and children, but would receive the two-thousand- 

 dollar reward. Otherwise their families would still 

 be held as hostages. 



It appeared that Egan had an appointment with 

 Homely at a certain hour. As he rode out from his 

 camp, with a brave behind him, Homely, similarly 

 attended, went out to meet him. When they met 

 between the two camps, they turned at right angles 

 and rode toward the point agreed upon for the 

 powwow. But as they were riding thus, side by 

 side, Homely, with a word to his brave, suddenly 

 raised his rifle and shot Egan, while his brave shot 

 the attending Snake. They then immediately 

 severed the heads of the dead men, and riding back 

 with them to the whites, claimed the reward. About 

 the same time, the eclipse came on, and the poor 

 Snakes, deprived of their leader, thought that the 

 world was coming to an end, and leaving their great 

 herd of stolen horses, fled in small bands toward 

 the Malheur Reservation, and were all eventually 

 captured. 



The war thus ended, as soon as I could get things 

 in shape and my party together, I returned to the 



