in. ? ' r 



" V 



228 



AUDUBON 



struck a chill into the more nervous part of my system. 

 He again seated himself, drew his butcher-knife from its 

 greasy scabbard, examined its edge, as I would do that of 

 a razor suspected dull, replaced it, and again taking his 

 tomahawk from his back, filled the pipe of it with tobacco, 

 and sent me expressive glances, whenever our hostess 

 chanced to have her back towards us. 



Never until that moment had my senses been awakened 

 to the danger which I now suspected to be about mc. I 

 returned glance for glance to my companion, and rested 

 well assured that, whatever enemies I might have, he was 

 not of their number. 



I asked the woman for my watch, wound it up, and 

 under pretence of wishing to see how the weather might 

 probably be on the morrow, took up my gun, and walked 

 out of the cabin. I slipped a ball into each barrel, scraped 

 the edges of my flints, renewed the primings, and return- 

 ing to the hut gave a favorable report of my observations. 

 I took a few Bear skins, made a pallet of them, and calling 

 my faithful dog to my side, lay down, with my gun close 

 to my body, and in a few minutes was, to all appearance, 

 fast asleep. 



A short time had elapsed when some voices were heard, 

 and from the corner of my eye I saw two athletic youths 

 making their entrance, bearing a dead stag on a pole. 

 They disposed of their burden, and asking for whiskey, 

 helped themselves freely to it. Observing me and the 

 wounded Indian, they asked who I was, and why the 

 devil that rascal (meaning the Indian, who, they knew, 

 understood not a word of English) was in the house. 

 The mother — for so she proved to be — bade them speak 

 less loudly, made mention of my watch, and took them to 

 a corner, where a conversation took place, the purport of 

 which it required little shrewdness in me to guess. I 

 tapped my dog gently. He moved his tail, and with 

 indescribable pleasure I saw his fine eyes alternately fixed 



