“EPISODES” OF WESTERN LIFE 283 
favorable report of his observations. Then laying some 
deer skins on the floor in a corner and calling his faith- 
ful dog to his side, he lay down and to all appearances 
was soon asleep. Presently sounds of approaching 
voices were heard, and at length two sturdy youths, 
who were evidently the woman’s sons, appeared bear- 
ing a dead stag, which they had slung to a pole; they 
asked at once about the stranger, and called loudly for 
whisky. Audubon tapped his dog, who showed by eye 
and tail that he was already alert. Observing that the 
whisky bottle was paying frequent visits to the mouths 
of the trio, he hoped that they would soon be reduced 
to a state of helplessness, but the woman was seen to 
take in her hands a large carving knife and go delib- 
erately outside to whet its edge on a grindstone; then, 
calling to her drunken sons, she asked them to settle 
the stranger and bade them do their bloody work with- 
out delay. Audubon cocked both barrels of his gun, 
touched his dog again, and was resolved to shoot at the 
first suspicious move. At this dramatic moment the 
door suddenly opened and two burly travelers with 
rifles on their shoulders entered the cabin. Audubon 
sprang to his feet, and welcoming the strangers with 
open arms, lost no time in making known to them his 
desperate position. No parley was necessary, for, said 
he, they were regulators, who then and there took the 
law into their own hands. The woman and her sons 
were promptly secured, bound, and left until morning to 
sober off; they were then led into the woods and shot. 
“We marched them into the woods off the road,” said 
Audubon, “and having used them as Regulators were 
wont to use such delinquents, we set fire to the cabin, 
gave all the skins and implements to the young Indian, 
and proceeded, well pleased, towards the settlements.” 
