88 NARHATIVE OF A JOURNEY 



to conceal himself. Captain W. directed the attention of McKay 

 to the crouching figure, who, the moment he caught a glimpse of 

 him, exclaimed, in tones of joyful astonishment, " a Blackfoot, 



by !" and clapping spurs to his horse, tore up the hill with 



the most frantic eagerness, with his rifle poised in his hand 

 ready for a shot. The Indian disappeared over the hill like a 

 lightning flash, and in another second, McKay was also out of 

 sight, and we could hear the rapid clatter of his horse's hoofs in 

 hot pursuit after the fugitive. Several of the men, with myself, 

 followed after at a rapid gait, with, however, a very different 

 object. Mine was simply curiosity, mingled with some anxiety, 

 lest the wily Indian should lead our impetuous friend into an 

 ambushment, and his life thus fall a sacrifice to his temerity. 

 When we arrived at the hill-top, McKay \^as gone, but we saw 

 the track of his horse passing down the side of it, and we traced 

 him into a dense thicket about a quarter of a mile distant. 

 Several of our hardy fellows entered this thicket, and beat about 

 for some time in various directions, but nothing could they see 

 either of McKay or the Indian. In the mean time, the party 

 passed on, and my apprehensions were fast settling into a cer- 

 tainty that our bold companion had found the death he had so 

 rashly courted, when I was inexpressibly relieved by hearing 

 the crackling of the bushes near, which was immediately 

 followed by the appearance of the missing man himself 



He was in an excessively bad humor, and grumbled audibly 

 about the " Blackfoot rascal getting off in that cowardly fashion," 

 without at all heeding the congratulations which I was showering 

 upon him for his almost miraculous escape. He was evidently 

 not aware of having been peculiarly exposed, and was regretting, 

 like the hunter who loses his game by a sudden shift of wind, 

 that his human prey had escaped him. 



The appearance of this Indian is a proof that others are lurk- 

 ing near ; and if the party happens to be large, they may give us 



