358 CHABLEY 



the wolves, whose snarls and howls were always to be 

 heard in the distance, and lying down on his bearskin 

 with his saddle for a pillow and his buffalo robe for a 

 blanket, Catlin curled himself up, and slept soundly till 

 morning. 



One evening Charley was picketed as usual, and his 

 master had gone down to the banks of the stream to get 

 some water for his coffee, when the horse, being in a 

 mischievous frame of mind, slipped his rope, and went off 

 towards a patch of grass, which he thought looked much 

 greener and juicier than what he had been eating. Catlin 

 soon saw what had happened, and picking up the lasso 

 with which wild horses are always caught, he started 

 after the runaway. 



But it was no use ; Charley knew all about lassoes, 

 and exactly how far it was safe to let them get near you. 

 Besides, he wanted to have a little fun and to tease his 

 master, and each time the lasso was thrown Charley was 

 always just a tiny bit out of reach. It soon grew too dark 

 even to see where the horse was, and as Catlin was still 

 w T eak from his illness, and easily tired, he gave up the 

 chase, and stretching himself out before the fire, made 

 up his mind that he would have to finish his journey on 

 foot. 



It was the middle of the night when he woke with a 

 start, feeling some huge creature bending over him. An 

 Indian, of course, which had tracked him while he slept, 

 and had followed him to take his scalp ! For an 

 instant the poor man's heart stood still ; then a soft nose 

 touched him — and the Indians' noses are not soft, and 

 they are not much in the habit of rubbing people's faces 

 with them ! It must be Charley after all, and Charley it 

 was, standing with his fore-paws on his master's bed, his 

 head nodding in a sound slumber ! 



As soon as Catlin got over his fright he went off to 

 sleep again, and did not wake until the sun was well 

 above the horizon. His first thought was for Charley, 



