SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. 89 



them, we entered, and found three Indians seated round the 

 fire. A very tall, black-looking Indian seemed to be the chief, 

 so I motioued to Badger to sit on one side of him, while I 

 seated myself on the other. All three Indians stared straight 

 at the fire, and I was sure that something was wrong ; so I 

 determined to put the matter beyond doubt, and lighting my 

 pipe, I passed it round. Now no greater insult can be offered 

 to a man by an Indian than to refuse to smoke with him, and 

 yet all these men passed my pipe back to me not one taking 

 a single whiff. 



Badger recommended our starting at once, but I was very 

 hungry, and helped myself to some boiled buffalo-meat from 

 a pot on the fire, Badger doing the same. It gave me a 

 curious feeling, sitting by those three silent Indians, who 

 were probably our deadly enemies, and old stories of Indian 

 atrocities came back to me in a very unpleasant manner. I 

 had a large Tranter revolver and Badger had a Colt ; but what 

 could we do against seventy men ? It was a bad sign that no 

 other Indians came into the lodge, and the camp was unnatu- 

 rally quiet a few low, muttered sounds being all we could 

 hear. They had no dogs with them, which I could not under- 

 stand then, though I did so afterwards, and there being boys, 

 and yet no women, was another unusual circumstance. 



As soon as we had eaten all we wanted of the meat, I told 

 Badger to go outside and tighten up girths, and mount, and 

 that I would join him on hearing that he was ready. This he 

 did, and in a few minutes called to me, on which I rose and 

 backed to the door, not caring to give them a chance of stab- 

 bing me behind. On getting outside I found Badger mounted, 

 and holding my horse with one hand and the pack-horse with 



