ONE OF THE BOYS. 183 



we should exercise more than our habitual caution, 

 - a fire being just as probably the work of Indians 

 as of white men. At length we halted, to consider 

 what course we had better adopt, when two reports 

 of a rifle reverberated through the woods. As 

 Indians will not, as a rule, waste upon game, if 

 procurable in other ways, that precious commodity, 

 gunpowder their supply of which is uncertain, and 

 very expensive we began to feel that fortune was 

 more favourably disposed towards us than we had 

 previously supposed. Again pursuing our course, 

 the veteran leading, his tongue was suddenly let 

 loose by the exclamation : ' Darn me, if there ain't 

 one of the boys ! ' True enough, there was some- 

 body evidently intent on a trap or snare over which 

 he was leaning, but whether it was white or red 

 man I was unable to distinguish. My companion, 

 however, with his keen practised eyes, knew too 

 well the characteristic differences between the two 

 races to entertain such a doubt. 



Urging on his Hosinante with a war-whoop, the 

 noise of our approach caused the unknown to raise 

 his head, and at the same time grasp his rifle, which 

 rested against a bush. Although the colour of the 

 stranger's skin was scarcely distinguishable from that 

 of one of the aborigines, his manner and bearing dis- 

 sipated in a moment all doubt, and we recognized in 

 him a countryman, with whom we immediately 

 made acquaintance. 



We continued our route in his company, 



