UP STREAM: OX THE RED RIVER. 383 



colour of tortoise-shell. We hunted two days in his 

 company, without noticing anything remarkable about 

 the man ; he cooked our meals, which consisted usually 

 of a haunch of venison or a buffalo's hump, instructed 

 us where to find game, and was aware of the approach 

 of the latter even sooner than his huge wolf-dog, which 

 never left his side. It was only on the morning of 

 the third day, that we discovered something calculated 

 to diminish our confidence in our new comrade. This 

 was a number of lines and crosses upon the butt of 

 his rifle, which gave us a new and not very favourable 

 insight into the man's character. These lines and 

 crosses came after certain words rudely scratched with 

 a knife-point, and formed a sort of list, of which the 

 following is a copy : 



Buffaloes no number given, they being probably 

 too numerous. 



Bears, nineteen the number being indicated by 

 nineteen straight strokes. 



"Wolves, thirteen marked by oblique strokes. 



Red underloppers, four marked by four crosses. 



White underloppers, two noted by two stars. 



Whilst we were examining this curious calendar, 

 and puzzling ourselves to make out the meaning of 

 the word "underloppers," I observed a grim smile 

 stealing over the features of the old trapper. He 

 said nothing, however ; drew the buffalo's hump he 

 was cooking from under the hot embers, took it out 

 of the piece of hide in which it was wrapped, and 



