CHAPTER XX 

 WE TRADE WITH INDIANS 



T70R the next week or two, although the weather 

 -*- had turned stormy, Jack and I put in all the 

 time we could at poisoning and skinning wolves. 

 It was now getting well along in February — near- 

 ing the close of the season for taking pelts. We 

 had already taken about twenty-five hundred 

 and were anxious to make our winter's catch an 

 even three thousand before quitting. 



Tom's patient, old To hausen, had so far re- 

 covered that Tom had returned to our camp, but 

 still made an occasional visit to the Kiowa vil- 

 lage, where, on account of his success in treating 

 the old chief and others, his services as medicine- 

 man were now much sought by the afflicted In- 

 dians, to the utter neglect of old Broken Nose, 

 their own medicine-man, who seemed jealous of 

 Tom's popularity. 



One day Jack had gone out alone, riding old 

 Vinegar the buckskin bronco, to kill some buffalo, 

 and in a short time he came back to camp afoot, 

 carrying his saddle and bridle. 



"What's happened.? Where's Vinegar?" we 

 asked anxiously. 



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