THE PRAIRIE. 83 



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 shpped a ball into each bar- 

 rel, scraped the edges of my flints, renewed the primings, and returning 

 to the hut, gave a favourable account 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 eyes I saw two athletic youths making their entrance, bear- 

 ing a dead stag on a pole. They disposed of their burden, and asking 

 for whisky, 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 EngUsh) 

 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 re- 

 quired little shrewdness in me to guess. I tapped my dog gently. 

 He moved his tail, and with indescribable pleasure I saw his fine eyes al- 

 ternately fixed on me and raised towards the trio in the corner. I felt 

 that he perceived danger in my situation. The Indian exchanged a last 

 glance with me. 



The lads had eaten and drunk themselves into such condition, that I 

 already looked upon them as hors de combat ; and the frequent visits of 

 the whisky bottle to the ugly mouth of their dam I hoped would soon 

 reduce her to a like state. Judge of my astonishment, reader, when I saw 

 this incarnate fiend take a large carving-knife, and go to the grindstone 

 to whet its edge. I saw her pour the water on the turning machine, and 

 watched her working away with the dangerous instrument, until the cold 

 sweat covered every part of my body, in despite of my determination to 

 defend myself to the last. Her task finished, she walked to her reehno- 



sons, and said, " There, that'll soon settle him ! Boys, kill you- • — , and 



then for the watch." 



I turned, cocked my gun-locks silently, toviched my faithful compa- 

 nion, and lay ready to start up and shoot the first who might attempt my 

 life. The moment was fast approaching, and that night might have been 



F 2 



