IN THE FAR WEST. 189 



to think that my ill-luck was not entirely my own fault; hence 

 I took the brush at his suggestion, and left the remainder to 

 the negro. When our party was assembled, I learned that 

 they had killed only three cows for meat, but had captured 

 four calves by lassoing them. 



When the waggon drove up, we obtained some water from 

 the barrel which it carried, and after moistening our parched 

 lips we gave some to the horses. The best portions of the 

 carcasses were then placed in the waggon, and on top of these 

 the bucking, stubborn youngsters, which insisted on charging 

 everybody that approached them. 



While attending to this duty, which occupied some time, 

 we descried a body of horsemen on a bluff two or three miles 

 away, and as they appeared and disappeared a few times, it 

 caused our party to think they were a marauding band of 

 Sioux, and that we had better retreat at once if we would keep 

 our scalps on our heads. The resolution was no sooner taken 

 than it was carried into execution, and after everything was 

 ready we hastened to the rear at a good canter. When we had 

 placed a few miles between ourselves and our supposed foes 

 we halted at the remains of a turf cabin, whose inmates 

 had been killed and the hut burned down the year before 

 by the treacherous red men. After a rude, though hearty 

 meal, we resumed our homeward march, but we had not 

 proceeded far before we saw another body of horsemen tear- 

 ing down the plain in front of us. The men did not ride 

 like Indians, and yet they were coming at a pace strongly 

 indicative of a desire to head us off. We therefore halted, 

 held a consultation, and decided to send two of the best 

 mounted of the party in advance to reconnoitre, and to have 

 them hasten back in case the strangers were foes, so that we 

 might retreat to a good defensive position. They galloped 

 away, and after an absence of fifteen minutes returned with 

 u report that the supposed enemies were sheltered behind 

 another dismantled cabin, whose inhabitants had met the 

 fate of those of the previous one, but that they did not think 

 they were Indians. Being assured of this, we galloped onward, 

 but on approaching the cabin we left the road, and moved on 



