NARROW QUARTERS WACHIGA. 339 



from being rubbed by wild beasts. In one place I 

 found the skin of a rattle-snake. 



At length I got so completely jammed in that I 

 could neither move backwards nor forwards. The 

 perspiration burst from every pore, and for a minute 

 or two I lay motionless ; then I again exerted all my 

 efforts to force myself backwards, and, to my indescrib- 

 able satisfaction, at length succeeded, leaving, however, 

 the greater part of my shirt behind me ; and my 

 delight may be imagined when I again inhaled the 

 fresh air. My hair stood on end at the fearful thought 

 of sticking fast in such a hole, buried alive, and dying 

 of hunger. 



Night found us far from our camp, so we made one 

 for ourselves where we were. Wachiga, who had be- 

 come very pensive, sat smoking his tomahawk and 

 stai-ing at the fire. Notwithstanding that he had been 

 converted to Christianity, he had still some remains of 

 the old superstition. Erskine was in high good humor, 

 and told one droll story after another. 



On the next morning, February 1st, we had 

 hardly started ere we heard the dogs. Wachiga de- 

 clared instantly that they were his brother's, and dis- 

 appeared behind the rocks without another word. As 

 we stood listening, the sound seemed to take a different 

 direction ; we ascended the mountain as fast as we 

 could to cut off the chase, but found that we must 

 have been mistaken, for in a few minutes all was 

 silent as the grave ; once we thought we heard a shot, 

 but could not be certain. We ascended to the highest 

 terrace and walked slowly on, looking out for fresh 

 signs, and listening to catch the sound of the dogs ; 



