VICINITY OF FRIENDS OR FOES. 39 



spite of his most urgent remonstrances and struggles. 

 Again and again the operation was repeated with 

 equal success, till I began to regret that my horses 

 would not eat fish, and thus justify me in continuing 

 my sport. 



Returning homewards I could have killed several 

 deer, but, satisfied that I had obtained sufficient food 

 to sustain the inward man, I desisted from useless 

 slaughter. Not to take too much credit upon myself 

 for what by some may be considered self-denial, 

 my reduced stock of ammunition might have had no 

 small amount of influence in producing such com- 

 mendable conduct. As I had enjoyed a pipe in 

 the middle of the day, there was only sufficient of 

 my tobacco mixture left for an after-supper smoke. 

 Was it because one of these luxuries was not enough, 

 and the body craved for more, that I slept but in- 

 differently, and during the night felt convinced on 

 several occasions that I heard dogs barking ? If my 

 surmises were correct, either white men or Indians 

 either friends or foes must have been in the vicinity. 

 As my animals had not returned to camp, I felt more 

 uneasy than I otherwise should have done from such 

 indications of the vicinity of my own race. 



Having scattered the remains of my fire and hid 

 my saddle and blankets in the neighbouring bush, I 

 started in search ,of the truants as soon as the sun 

 was over the eastern ridges. The bottom ground I 

 knew they would make for, as there more abundant 

 food could be expected. An hour's unsuccessful 



