80 A DREARY OUTLOOK. 



either," remarked Gaultier; "our rule of action is to 

 take every advantage, and kill all we can. With the 

 Indians, those who make the quarrel go out to fight ; 

 while with us they remain safe at home, while thou- 

 sands of their dupes are being massacred for the sake 

 of an idea. I think our only claim to moral superior- 

 ity consists in the fact that we do not take scalps a 

 slender plea to found the claim on." 



"I don't hold with yer thur," said Jake; "thur's 

 whites an' whites, an' Injuns an' Injuns. I knows, 

 because I've; seed it, that out far in the wilderness the 

 Christianized Redskins are simple, honest, and good; 

 but then thur's more on 'em that's as bad as the worst 

 white a-goin.' An' among the whites thur's some on 

 'em that's good, an' some on 'em that's bad. I give 

 in, though, that in 'the States most o' the border whites 

 are main bad." 



With conversation such as this they passed the time. 

 Often one of the party approached the entrance of the 

 cave and looked down into the gloomy chasm to note 

 the state of the stream. But night had fallen, and 

 although the moon cast showers of silvery beams which 

 pierced the darkness of the canon here and there, the 

 bottom was hidden from view. Patches of white foam, 

 dimly visible, floated past with great rapidity; and the 

 noisy turmoil of the water battling its way among 

 rocks and boulders, served to show that as yet descent 

 was impracticable. The hunters therefore made prep- 

 aration for spending the night in the cave. 



