326 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



This Charley was a noble animal, of the Camanchee "wild breed, of claybank color, 

 and from onr long and tried acquaintance we had become very much attached to each 

 other and acquired a wonderful facility both of mutual accommodation and of con- 

 struing each other's views and intentions. In fact, we had been so long tried together 

 that there would have seemed to the spectator almost an unity of interest, and, at all 

 events, an unity of feeling on the subject of attachment, as well as on that of mutual 

 dependence and protection. 



I purchased this very showy and well-known animal of Colonel Burbank, of the 

 Ninth Regiment, and rode it the whole distance to the Camanchee villages and back 

 again, and at the time when most of the horses of the regiment were drooping and 

 giving out by the way Charley flourished and came in in good flesh and good spirits. 



On this journey, while he and I were twenty-five days alone, we had much time 

 and the best of circumstances under which to learn what we had as yet overlooked in 

 each other's characters, as well as to draw great pleasure and real benefit from what 

 we already had learned of each other in our former travels, 



I generally halted on the bank of some little stream at half an hour's sun, where 

 feed was good for Charley and where I could get wood to kindle my fire and water 

 for my cofiee. The first thing was to undress Charley and drive down his picket, to 

 which he was fastened, to graze over a circle that he could inscribe at the end of his 

 lasso. In this wise he busily fed himself until nightfall, and after my coffee was made 

 and drank I uniformly moved him up, with his picket by my head, so that I could 

 lay my hand upon his lasso in an instant in case of any alarm that was liable to drive 

 him from me. One of these evenings when he was grazing as usual he slipped the 

 lasso over his head and deliberately took his supper at his pleasure wherever he chose 

 to prefer it as he was strolling around. When night approached I took the lasso in 

 my hand and endeavored to catch him, but I soon saw that he was determined to en- 

 joy a little freedom, and he continually evaded me until dark, when I abandoned the 

 pursuit, making up my mind that I should inevitably lose him and be obliged to per- 

 form the rest of my journey on foot. He had led me a chase of half a mile or more, 

 when I left him busily grazing and returned to my little solitary bivouac and laid 

 myself on my bear-skin and went to sleep. 



In the middle of the night I waked whilst I was lying on my back, and on half 

 opening my eyes I was instantly shocked to the soul by the huge figure (as I thought) 

 of an Indian standing over me and in the very instant of taking my scalp! The chill 

 of horror that paralyzed me for the first moment held me still till I saw there was no 

 need of my moving — that my faithful horse Charley had played shy tiU he had filled 

 his belly, and had then moved up, from feelings of pure affection or from instinctive 

 fear, or possibly from a due share of both, and taken his position with his forefeet on 

 the edge of my bed, with his head hanging directly over me, while he was standing 

 fast asleep ! 



My nerves, which had been most violently shocked, were soon quieted, and I fell 

 asleep, and so continued until sunrise in the morning, when I waked and beheld my 

 faithful serviint at some considerable distance busily at work picking up his break- 

 fast amongst the canebrake along the bank of the 6reek. I went as busily to work 

 preparing my own, which was eaten, and after it I had another half hour of fruitless 

 endeavors to catch Charley, whilst he seemed mindful of success on the evening be- 

 fore and continually tantalized me by turning around and around and keeping out of 

 my reach. I recollected the conclusive evidence of his attachment and dependence 

 which he had voluntarily given in the night, and I thought I would try them in 

 another way. So I packed up my things and slung the saddle on my back, trailing 

 my gun in my hand, and started on my route. After I had advanced a quarter of a 

 mile I looked back and saw him standing with his head and tail very high, looking 

 alternately at me and at the spot where I had been encamped and left a little fire 

 burning. In this condition he stood and surveyed the prairies around for a while as 

 I continued on. He at length walked with a hurried step to the si)ot, and seeing 



