2 s 6 ST OR TING A D VENTURES 



wolves were howling- fearfully all night long, and their cries, 

 which sounded more weird and dismal than even those of the 

 squaw, were kept up so uninterruptedly that they would seem- 

 ingly awake the seven sleepers. 



About five o'clock the first streaks of dawn appeared, and as 

 soon as it was light enough to move about we emerged from 

 the tent, and taking the dog with us, concealed ourselves in a 

 dense thicket about two hundred yards away, so that we could 

 watch the movements of the Indians should the}' approach the 

 camp. We adopted this measure instead of retreating for the 

 reason that we did not know how they would treat us. If 

 they intended to do us any injury wf> surmised that they could 

 readily overtake us ; if they did not, we thought it unnecessary 

 to change our quarters until we desired to do so ; neither did we 

 wish to show them we feared them a most dangerous thing 

 to do; but, besides this, was the fact that we knew we could 

 escape from them more readily on foot than on horseback in 

 that region of woods and chasms. 



In the course of half an hour we heard the mules kicking 

 and plunging and neighing with fright, and guessed from 

 their actions that our anticipated visitors were near the camp, 

 for a mule can wind an Indian when no other quadruped would 

 be aware of his presence, and, as it has the greatest fear of him, 

 it is by far the best sentinel known to announce his coming. 

 Peering from amid our foliaceous retreat, we saw ten armed 

 braves boldly advancing towards our mustangs, as if about to 

 seize them. My companion, who was as cool in his demeanour 

 as if he were in his own house, said he would be hanged if 

 some of them would not pay dearly before he left them if they 

 touched his animals. 



" "We can wipe 'em out in two minutes with our Win- 

 chesters/' said he, " and if there are any more of 'em, we 

 can mount and make a run for it, as I don't feel inclined to 

 try my legs in running over these mountains from a pack of 

 redskins, but if there ain't any more, we have the field to 

 ourselves/' 



Before they reached the horses, however, another figure 

 appeared on the scene, not twenty yards away from us. He 



