410 TEAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



western extremity of the long table-rock, which there 

 stretches like a wall along the left bank of the Red 

 River. Leaving their canoe, they approached a hill, 

 or rather a mass of rock, that rises not far from the 

 shore in the barren salt steppe, and in whose side 

 exists a cave or grotto, resembling, by its regularity 

 of form, an artificial archway. Here, upon the imag- 

 inary boundary-line separating the hunting-grounds 

 of the Pawnees of the Toyask tribe from those of the 

 Cousas and Osages, they took up their quarters for 

 the night. El Sol ordered a fire to be made ; for 

 Tokeah, who had just left the warm climate of Lou- 

 isiana, shivered with cold. Their frugal meal de- 

 spatched, the Miko arid his Oconees stretched them- 

 selves upon the ground and slept. El Sol still list- 

 ened to a legend related by one of the Comanches, 

 when he was startled by a distant noise. In an 

 instant the three warriors were upon their feet, their 

 heads stretched out in the direction of the breeze \vhich 

 had conveyed the sound to their ears. 



" The dogs ! " murmured the young Comanche ; 

 " they bay after a foe in whose power it once was to 

 crush them." 



The Oconees were roused from their slumber, and 

 the party hurried to the place where they had left 

 the canoe. The Miko and his warriors got in and de- 

 scended the stream; whilst El Sol and the two Coman- 

 ches crept noiselessly along the water's edge in the 

 same direction. After proceeding for about half a 



