THE WOLF HUNTERS 



general lay of the bones seemed to show the buffalo 

 on one side, the horse on the other, and the man 

 between them. The man's skull had a small bul- 

 let hole through it at the temples, which suffi- 

 ciently indicated the immediate cause of his death; 

 but whether this shot had come from an enemy 

 or had been self-inflicted could not be determined 

 by the signs. 



While thus trying to interpret the indications, 

 Jack reached me. 



*'Here, Jack, has been a man, horse, and buffalo 

 killed," I said as he halted, "and from the looks 

 of things, I think it happened about a year ago. 

 Help me to read the signs. The horse was a 

 white man's horse, for the hoofs, you see, have 

 shoes on." 



**That ain't sure proof," replied he, "for the 

 horse might have been lately captured or stolen 

 from the whites. But, hold on!" he exclaimed 

 after a moment's survey of the bone-yard, as, 

 stooping, he picked up what proved to be the 

 lower jaw-bone of the human skull. "This set- 

 tles it. This says he was a white man, for here's 

 a gold plug in one tooth." 



"Well, that settles one important point," I re- 

 plied. "But how did the buffalo, man, and horse 

 happen to die so close together?" 



"Seems to me," said Jack, still walking about 

 scrutinizing the relics, "it could have happened in 

 only one or two ways. Either the man and his 



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