TRYING THE MEN'S COURAGE. 197 



hounds came to a very sad end. One day, as he seemed to be 

 suffering from the heat, we tied him under the waggon, as it was 

 a shady place, and soon after doing so we rode ahead for some 

 purpose, supposing that the men would keep an eye on him, as 

 there were three of them behind the waggon leading horses, 

 and when we rejoined the party we found the poor dog dead 

 and stiff, having evidently been dragged for some distance by 

 the neck. 



The next settlement we reached was a very small one on the 

 Jan Jaba River, where we were told that there was a first- 

 rate man to take as guide, as we had hitherto failed to find 

 one, everyone objecting to go across the plains through the 

 Comanche Indian country with so small a party. This man was 

 away when we arrived, hunting for strayed horses, so we camped 

 there to wait for him. 



While there F and I rode to a house some way up the 



river, to try and buy some milk and butter, and on our way 

 back, hearing some of our men bathing in the river, we thought 

 we would try their courage, so we galloped through the bushes 

 giving the Comanche war-whoop. On emerging on the bank, 

 we could see five or six naked figures going for cover at a 

 great rate, and I cannot say that they exactly blessed us when 

 they saw who we were. Hearing that John, the cook, was the 

 only man in camp, we went into that in the same way and 

 very nearly got shot, finding John under the waggon with a 

 repeating rifle in his hands, aiming in our direction, and only 

 just seeing who we were in time to avoid firing. 



I have forgotten to mention that we had picked up another 

 man in San Antonio, whose name was Halliday. He had been 

 a miner in Montana, where he had made about 2000 ; with 



