24 SHELTERED BY INDIANS. 



till the priming of my gun got wet and it would not go off, 

 when I had to content myself with shouting. As I was passing 

 under a small hill I fancied my shouts were answered, and on 

 looking up, I could, very indistinctly, make out some white 

 figures standing on the top of it, and I at first thought it might 

 be my companions, but on getting near I saw it was a party of 

 about ten Indians, who beckoned me to follow them to some 

 tents, which I now saw on the opposite side of the hill. They 

 might have been " hostiles " for all I knew, but it was too late 

 to go back, so I walked down after them, and giving my pony 

 to an Indian, I went into one of the tents, being so miserable 

 that I did not much care who they were, so long as I could get 

 near a fire and have something to eat. 



About twenty more Indians came in to have a look at me, 

 and all of them shook hands, which was a good sign. I was 

 given a big plateful of boiled buffalo-meat and some tea, and 

 soon felt much better. I then made signs that I wished to 

 change my clothes, which were soaking wet, and put on a 

 blanket, and that the women had better go out while I did so, 

 on which they all laughed, and the women crowded round and 

 helped me to undress, pinching and slapping me when they 

 had done so. They gave me a buffalo robe and blanket, which 

 latter I put on Indian fashion, and felt almost one of them- 

 selves. 



I soon turned in, hoping to have a good night, or rather 

 morning, for it was now nearly five A.M. But alas ! for the 

 plans of mice and men ! I had not quite gone off to sleep when 

 I began to feel something biting me, and this feeling spread till 

 I fancied I must be on fire, so I jumped up and found that it 

 was only the usual inhabitants of an Indian's buffalo robe 



