368 BUFFALO LAND. 



and kept it till evenin', but no other sign showed il 

 self over ther wide reach that would have told a liv- 

 in' bein' had ever bin thar before us. Next mornin', 

 early, ther was a sudden fuss among our horses, and 

 a cry from the guard, and, afore we knew it, eight 

 pack-mules had been stampeded, and driven off. It 

 wur a narrow call fur ther whole herd. 



" The fellers had come down a ravine until they 

 got close enough, and, then suddenly rushin' along in 

 the grayness, set the mules inter a crazy run, and 

 gathered 'em up, out of gun-shot. You may lick a 

 pack-mule along all day, and be afraid he '11 drop 

 down dead, and yet give him a fair chance to stam- 

 pede, and he '11 outrun an elk, and grow fat on it. 



" Stock and Injuns was both out of sight in a jiff}', 

 and the order was given to saddle, and recapture. 

 We were just raisin' inter ther stirrups, when some 

 of the boys called out, and we saw the whole valley 

 ahead of us filled with Injuns comin' down. Ther 

 war n't no mules lost just then, and we kinder fell 

 back onto a sort of high-water island in the Arick- 

 eree. That, yer know, is the dry fork of the Repub- 

 lican. Bein' low w^ater then, as it is most of the time 

 thar, nothin' but a dry bed of sand was on each side. 



" It seemed as if the whole Injun nation was com- 

 ing down on us. Such a crowd o' lank ponies, and 

 painted heathen astride, jer never see. I expected 

 seein' of 'em would prevent 7ni/ ever seein' of my 

 family agin. 'Jim,' says I to my chum, and 'Bill,' 

 says he to me, and then we did n't say nothin' more, 

 but as the heathen come a chargin', we both put a 

 hand in our pockets, just as if the brains had been in 



