216 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



ably sure some one was after him, or he would not have 

 run his horses to death. I reasoned that he knew his 

 mounts were done for, and his object in stopping at my 

 camp was to raise my hair, and with my comparatively 

 fresh horses, hit the trail again. 



" I was in a mighty uncomfortable position. My bet- 

 ter feelings naturally turned against the idea of shoot- 

 ing him, but all the time I was fully resolved he should 

 not escape me. The main cause of immediate uneasiness 

 was that those pine logs might burn out before morning, 

 and that darkness might force me to act. 



" And so I spent that long, bitter cold night, one of 

 the longest I ever spent. Once during the night the logs 

 fell apart, and one of them came near rolling on the 

 Indian. He turned over and made as if to spring to his 

 feet. I yelled at him not to get up, but to kick the log 

 back again; so he put his feet against it and shoved it 

 back against the other. When the fire blazed up again 

 I laid my gun down, and put my hands under the blan- 

 kets, for the wind was sharp and my bed was too far 

 from the fire for comfort outside of blankets. 



" As the night wore away, I began to grow nervous. 

 My business was urgent, and I could not go on without 

 doing something with that fellow. The more I thought 

 over the matter, the more determined I was that he 

 should not escape me. I thought of all sorts of things. 



" Along about five o'clock in the morning, as I sat 

 there watching and thinking, I noticed the Indian give 

 a slight start, and then appear to be intently listening. 

 I, too, strained my ears for some sound, hoping against 



