IN THE FAR WEST. 181 



prairie schooner, we moved off into the open country in the 

 dim twilight. After marching until near midnight we went 

 into camp by simply halting, and after picketing our horses so 

 that they could graze, we took our blankets out of the waggon, 

 and rolling ourselves up in them, we lay down to sleep under 

 the shelter of the vehicle. Slumber was rendered impossible, 

 however, by the sharp attacks of innumerable mosquitoes, 

 whose " little bills " pierced through our heavy woollen 

 blankets and clothes with, apparently, as much ease as if they 

 did not exist. The first hour of retirement was devoted to 

 tumbling about uneasily, in order not to have all the pricks on 

 one side, and to blessing mosquitoes and all their race ; but 

 just as they were becoming unendurable a fierce and sudden 

 wind, to which the prairies are often subjected, came sweeping 

 towards us with a howl of seeming rage, and in another 

 moment our pests were swept away. The gale, though strong, 

 was not very cold, and by cuddling close together we managed 

 to keep warm enough to fall into a restless doze. 



I had scarcely lost conscioiisness, however, before I was 

 aroused by an alarmed shout of, " Get up, boys ; the Indians 

 are coming." The words were scarcely uttered before we were 

 all thoroughly wide-awake and unrolled from our blankets. 

 In searching for my boots, which were the only part of my 

 vestments of which I had divested myself, I caught the man 

 who was sleeping near my feet by the hair of the head, and 

 gave it a strong pull in my haste to find what I wanted. This 

 act must have thoroughly surprised him, and recalled visions 

 of scalping to his mind, for he yelled out, " Holy Jerusalem, 

 what is that ? " This brought as a response a suppressed chorus 



of " Shut up, you d n fool ;" but the incident seemed so 



ludicrous to me that I chuckled heartily, notwithstanding the 

 apparent danger. We were soon dressed, and with rifies in 

 hand we ranged ourselves on one side of the waggon, prepared 

 to sell our lives as dearly as possible. As the night was 

 exceedingly dark we were in hopes that our position might not 

 be seen, and that the announced enemy might pass us by, but 

 this hope was soon dispelled by hearing the clatter of many 

 hoofs bearing directly down upon us. AVe cocked our ritlcs, 



